saveasteading

Bttoq. Many architects consider that drainage is 'by others'. When complelled to have internal gutters, i have always got the pipes out of the building asap.

Simply paint the block face with bitumen. Nobody will notice. The engineering bticks option can be overcome, esp with the patience of diy. Drill holes in solid brick and use an expanding nail, or plug and screw. Bricks with holes through will take a dowel into which you can screw. Insulation can either go in the cavity if you have one, or against the inside face.

These are all impressions aren't they? Although the first one seems to have some scabby wood cladding so may be real and 'settling in to its rural environment.'

I did that with a heated radiator. I think i fitted a switched spur so there are no cables visible in the other room.

You mean dismantle and take a piece of frame off a third door, and splice it at the diagonal?

We have 2 doors in the roof space which will need the corners cut off. Hoping not to need them made specially or to have to use ugly great fire blanks. Elsewhere we plan to use the ubiquitous veneered oak, vertical plank effect doors from howden or a bm. But i assume these are filled with cardboard or wood fibre and not suitable for cutting. Any suggestions please?

OK that's clear thanks. Only rainwater should go into the pond. Any grey water, even from bath, will have detergents and body dirt in it, and a risk of bleach, none of which is nice in a pond. Would you swim in it would be a decent test. You will get plants and creatures, which would be great. The plants will drink some water too, and the roots may increase drainage routes. Fish drinking the water doesn't count. The volume of water from sewage is relatively small. To avoid a huge drainage field, ask your bco if a soakaway is enough.

Will I need to still do Percolation tests if it's usable? (planning stipulates approx 50m2 pond) Why don't you? It is very easy to do, and you will understand your options better. it requires a spade, a bucket (and water source) a watch and an hour of your own time. If more than an hour then there is a percolation challenge. you should not let your sewage anywhere near the pond. I'm not sure I understand your problem? Is it that you don't want to do it, or there are technical issues or a lack of space? For example, how much rainwater can it hold, and where does it go if it overflows?

Yes it is a clear rule. I think this is a carryover from before treatment plants. Ie when all drainage fields were still treating sewage, which shouldn't be washed away. I'm certain I could persuade a knowledgeable bco to allow them to be combined but it would probably have to go to SEPA (or EA in England) and I couldn't be bothered. Plus we have the space, so would have had to justify that too (other than cost).

Yes it is a clear rule. I think this is a carryover from before treatment plants. Ie when all drainage fields were still treating sewage, which shouldn't be washed away. I'm certain I could persuade a knowledgeable bco to allow them to be combined but it would probably have to go to SEPA (or EA in England) and I couldn't be bothered. Plus we have the space, so would have had to justify that too (other than cost).

Because in the kitchen you are unlikely to be bare footed and standing in a puddle. Hence light switches are allowed inside a 'cloakroom' with wc and basin, but not in a bath or shower room. What's the big deal when pull cords are easy to install?

Ceramic tiles looking like concrete appear to be fashionable. Too realistic for my liking esp where there is 'damage'. Repeat patterns bother me so check for that. But then so does any material that is deliberately allowed to look temporary or deteriorating. Any flammable material would need treatment which would alter it. Cement boards come in many finishes so there is rough to ultra smooth. You might need to visit different merchants to see. I assume you would glue it to avoid screws.

One or the other, depends what the finishes will be inside and outside.

I have an uninsulated concrete floor, and a small area of this insulation in my workshop, under carpet tiles. A fragile foam board with aluminium surface. The benefit to comfort is immediate as it resists heat loss from feet to cold concrete but so do shoes. But that is not the same as insulating the room against heat loss. It is better than nothing of course. This plus underlay plus carpet is starting to add up. You could add however many mm you can tolerate using foam board as specified for under heated tiled floors. Btw the aluminium face does not assist insulation, but it makes bare feet in near contact feel warmer and helps sell boards by looking good.

OK, to pick up a few points. 1. A dumpy level was a trade name for a very simple optical machine on a tripod. Basically a small spirit level with telescope. It had to be adjusted to level every time it was pointed. Now the equivalent (that shiny leica) does the levelling automatically. Just using a stick with a reference on it allows 'up a bit down a bit' for a level surface. But you can use a water level £25, for that. Otherwise you use a staff with person holding it and a lot of sums, many negative. About 1/4 of the population can do the sums with an optical level, after training. 2. The zip level uses atmospheric pressure to tell if a point is higher or lower than the base station. Accurate to a few mm unless the sun hits it, when it needs zeroing. Great for house surveys as it goes through doors and up stairs. Also for single person operation. ( I could check levels after the workers had gone home.) Nobody else in the company used it. 3. Google earth and most apps just apply a recorded altitude to a location. Very approximate (+/- 1m) on a gently sloping plane, and much worse at steep slopes. 4. If a builder is having problems with a simple footing (it is horribly common) , change builder urgently.

For similar area we are also having one 15kW and one 8kW. so that seems right.

I normally caution against the use of expanding foam. But it seems ideal for this as it will save so much work in dismantling, and reassembling. I would drill lots of holes on the inside, (300mm centres?) just big enough for the nozzle, and start squirting. It will emerge from adjacent holes, and possibly be very messy, so cover the floor, have lots of wipes and a bucket, and wear gloves. After a few, you should get the hang of the squirt length. If you leave a few gaps it won't matter, as i bet there is a lot of air round the sides. Anyway, there will still be cold bridges to the perimeter and some cross braces. The alternative is to fix insulation on the inside. Will that work without clashing with the mechanism? I wouldn't take the door apart.

Update. I have fitted a new box, with 3 pop-outs in the bottom so there are no openings on the top or sides. It is a huge thing, but that made wiring easier. (it is still very tight for SWA though) I haven't connected the light again, on the one thing at a time principle. That, when I do it, will go in flexi pipe to the underside. It is now clear that the gate was the problem. To be entirely sure, we have switched off the internal light switch that controls it, and in 2 weeks had one power cut, but I see local media comments about issues nearby with power lines through trees causing cuts over a few weeks. So perhaps the issue is resolved, or perhaps it was a new problem, as the system often trips when we are away and not using the gate...... Ahhh but it is an open circuit to the box, and water was shorting it? Anyway, the freezer contents are being used in a 'can cook, will cook' challenge before the next holiday, just in case. Thanks for the advice.

Update. Thanks for the encouragement, which I passed on to the team. Joiner has agreed to fit the 2 stairs and the kitchen units, when they arrive. Also that some fiddly elements that he was ignoring are now removed from his scope. He has fitted the final external door, so the weather is now all on the outside. (there should be ceremony) The home team is getting on well with the studs and plaster-boarding, and will continue so to do. Considering that their first experience is in forming bulkheads and lining to a roof space, the finish is great and it can only get easier. (I just see daily pics + get the occasional query) It is too slow on a big project, but much faster than nothing happening. BTW Back-referring to a fairly recent discussion on acoustics.: The joiner had never heard of resilient bar, therefore it can't be any good. This despite being to college and working 12 ish years. We are using resilient bar on 2 partition walls which separate bedrooms from activity rooms. From now the other subbies being used are / will be: Plumber Elec Plaster The in house work will be Stud, insulation and plasterboard. Decoration Tiling, floor and wall Doors.....giving it a try anyway. there are 25 so they should get good at it. That will be a future query.

I included one of these' from SF. Very pleased with it other than the white plastic yellowing. The single push for 2 hours running is the only button we use.

On further thought, I think your company would be high on the list for inspection. * The absence of any other projects would be of interest. Their assessment of your benefit in kind would then be taxed as a dividend. That is assuming they considered you not to be evading tax. * friendly tax inspectors have explained that there are many markers that instigate a visit. New with substantial turnover is one. Closing down again is another. They then come and sit with you for a day or so, going through every single paper, with the occasional query. Nerve-wracking even when there is nothing wrong.

I would worry that you have published here that the company is formed solely for the benefit of yourself personally, mostly avoiding tax, with no intention to trade otherwise. Then distribute the profit back to yourselves. You get the advantages of cash-flow, and vat reclaim on plant and fees, which otherwise the VAT man would have. That information is now at large for any googler to see. I have not looked in the slightest for any backup on this, as to whether it is contrary to the principles of setting up a limited company' or re tax. I just have some decades ( and hundreds of substantial projects) of knowing that the tax man mostly left us alone, but many clients and subbies seemed to have had frequent 'discussions', mostly when trying to be a bit too clever. They may often have come to an agreed solution, eventually, but meanwhile guess who holds all the tax, or issues a penalty which you have to pay immediately and then have to fight. You might end up helping the tax man create new case law. As I say, I don't know, and have not researched it. Maybe you are the first in the country to think of this, and it is legit. The only way to know is to try it, and reserve a lot of money in case the worst happens. There is no point asking the tax authorities. 1. they won't answer. 2. you will have flagged it up.

https://www.eden.gov.uk/planning-and-building/building-control/building-control-guidance-notes/rainwater-soakaway-design-guidance/#:~:text=A soakaway must always be,any time of the year. Found this googling 5m from building, 2.5 from boundary.

In the building regs. Document H. All free on line. Worth reading yourself anyway.

It is more the barrier to air flow that is important. The thermal break from a curtain is like a thin jumper....which keeps us warm by both processes. Will a thick curtain be better? Yes. How much? Don't know, but not a lot. The curtain needs to touch the floor or you will get convection...downwards and cold. I've just realised that old fashioned pelmets were not just for show, but reduced convection.