saveasteading

Do any of you Highlanders know a source of acrows in a hurry? Can't find any to hire, and the merchants tried so far can 'get them in'. Mail order will prob take too long, as 'next day seems usually to mean 'in a few days'.

There is where I believe that aesthetics should come second to function. Never have rainwater inside the envelope of the building if it can be avoided...there is so much that can go wrong. To bring it deliberately back in and out again horrifies me. Embrace the Pompidou Centre / Lloyds Building principle of showing it, and emphasising it...as you have done. But make sure it is done neatly.

I refer you to the answer I gave earlier. So they will again spend Millions of our money on administering the schemes, and hardly anything in grants. It can no longer be ignorance and must be cynical (followed by a photo op of putting petrol into a borrowed small car)

You can use expensive pipe, (either the brown drain pipe with slices cut in it, or ready made black perforated pipe) that is lovely and smooth on the inside. this is what the Building Inspector would like you to use. Or cheap coiled agricultural stuff (a fraction of the cost). Theoretically the crinkles will fill with crud on the bottom and it won't work so well, but you could always use the next size up if that is a concern. The only real issue is keeping it running to a fall, but perfectly possible,

Corner of the garden in case they come in handy.

No. sometimes you just have to live with it. Control of the elements is a great human achievement, so be proud of displaying it. I prefer pipes to be visible than to cover or paint them, as that will end up scabby.

Yes you have to lie or do silly things in most cases. If this was brownfield then there is a chance. A new building on virgin ground cannot increase nature, but can play with diversity . Really you have to study the guidleines and tick the boxes. I don't know what your targets are , but for Breeam ratings they have examples of what they count as significant creatures. So if there are sparrows but no bluetits, you put up bird houses that will encourage them, and a peanut tree. Etc Don't assume that the officer who checks this will have the faintest idea so just go for it. If you have a pond you cannot assume fish, frogs and newts. Only one of these will survive the others. Like paper, scissors, stone. But the officer probably doesn't know this. Google and google until you find someone else's report, and plagiarise it.

Nicely done crazy paving.. That needs an eye for shapes which you clearly have.

But they will still ping if the building is moving. My best solution has been to fill the holes with Easifill as it sticks well and seems to hang in (because of latex in it?) Also easy to handle for me as a very poor plasterer.

And Marsh Industries In theory it can be much longer. It depends on what people have been eating, and if the tank was the right spec. They are designed for a house being fully occupied, so a lower occupancy will not stretch it and there won't be much crud. I have been down in our 'country cess tank' after desludging to repair the pipes. What a lot of interesting things have been flushed over the years. Plus a load of timber and tile waste that a roofer had decided were easier chucked in there than in the van.

But let me complicate things. The really good designer will spend more time on detail and economy, so more hours, but your build cost is reduced and/or quality increased. so their fee would be higher and your build cost lower, and so their percentage would look high. The converse is....quick design without revisiting any decisions, no iteration of the structure...fewer hours, higher build cost. For our conversion project, one Engineer quoted a percentage, we told him our budget, he said that can't be done I want my percentage on double that cost, whatever you do it for. We will never know how clever and economical his designs might have been.

Ahhh, I don't think it is quite that simple. It is that word 'always'. I would agree with nearly always. For a conventionally designed house yes. When open plan or large rooms are designed then that changes because everything gets technical and heavy. Plus when you allow for the loss of useful space for the stair and the stair approaches x both floors, the useful space is reduced. This applies much more proportionally to a small house. For non-domestic, which is my thing, I would tell a client at first meeting that it was much the same cost £m2 of useful space, and the use of valuable ground might be more important. Lifts also add to the cost and loss of space. Single storey easier and safer too, as there are no holes in the floor and don't have to carry plasterboard up.

Yes,I said grey but the right kind of black is fine too. UV resistant....ask to make sure.

Probably yes on both counts. It is easy to understand their concerns. I think you need to speak to a local Party Wall Surveyor. Might as well get on with it as they will otherwise insist anyway. I am ducking out of any more specific advice.

Yes, you do need to advise the neighbours formally, but it does not require a party wall surveyor unless the neighbours want it.....you pay.

The nuisance to the upstairs neighbours would be the main issue. The side neighbours are not having their shared walls affected so this wouldn't be a party wall matter (the beam is already in both shared walls), If the neighbours tell you they are ok with the work then just confirm that and you will have no issues. If they are not happy then the next thing is to show them the party wall act and perhaps they will drop it. The actual 'Act' is a lot of words but this booklet is helpful. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-resolving-disputes-in-relation-to-party-walls/the-party-wall-etc-act-1996-explanatory-booklet Talking to the neighbours can do no harm. The upstairs people need to know that the structure is not at risk...show them the drawings, even invite them in to see the beam. Try to talk about dismantling the wall rather than demolition. Do make your own mind up on this as I don't know the full circumstances, don't know you or the neighbours and have only dealt with PWA a few times.

Agreed as all above. It is an easy enough job to change these. have your replacement grey parts ready before you take the brown ones off. Put an obvious marker, even sign, on the wc or you may get a nasty surprise. change the two bends and the vertical as they are all in the daylight and probably inferior, plus, it will be easier to persuade these off and on with that arrangement. You might need someone in the house to push back and prevent the pipe in the wall going in, or damaging the internal fittings ...but maybe not. Expose the remaining ends in the ground before you dismantle it and clean very thoroughly or you might leave muck in the seal, and the smells will continue. Grey pipe is more expensive than brown, but it is the right thing to do.

1. Possibly, if you are changing how the wall attaches to the wall/floor/ceiling between you and the neighbouring house/flat. Depends on your circumstances. A sketch would help. 2. They can object but you are allowed reasonable noise. tell your workers to keep it down, and avoid unnecessary noise such as shouting and radios. 3. If nothing you are doing increases the chance of noise then, no. If you add sound proofing then that is more than reasonable. What are the floors constructed from? Keep photos of the conditions now and insulation being applied and complaints will fail.

Many 'electricians' and 'plumbers' are not trained or qualified, and have to get someone in to sign off their works. So it is possible that they don't know the regulations and are repeating what they saw somewhere else. I suggest not quoting the reg's but handing a copy, and never mind any embarrassment. I even had to work with a client's electrician who handed out trainee certificates, as few clients knew the difference. He came unstuck on our job as I asked for proof of his accreditation (the work was so scarily dangerous, but he claimed he didn't take instruction from us) I had to call HSE in to stop our own project....a first said the inspector.

Igen is I believe the reply. What a tricky language. I only recognise people's names. Fortunately half of them are Atilla.

I'm afraid so, so it has to be occasional. The worker has a flask, and it runs out about 3.00, so another mug then might help after 'how long are you carrying on'. I found that the drinks and snacks don't appeal to Hungarian workers, as they preferred healthy, robust food. A slice of salami is another matter. And work the daylight hours less 1/2 hour. 9.5 hours work? This contrasts dramatically with SE gangs who disappear for cooked breakfast at 9.00 having got their tools out and had a think, come back , then the work of the day then lunch break, and afternoon break. between 8.10 and 4.00 typically. 6 hours work? No cost difference if on a price but the programme is affected.

Call me cynical but I expect this to require installation by an approved contractor or agency....again. Or a lot of paperwork and applications. But I agree with the principle. No VAT on insulation would be a very efficient fix for the reduction in energy use, and the nation would get a quick return.

Do I lose a point if I get a sad face emoji? If so I will avoid irony.

Respect goes a long way., and that can just be a smile. They are doing their job and a tip would only be for something beyond the call of duty. eg hiab driver offloading. then moving a pallet again to the perfect spot. Coffee and a bun yes. If I was managing a 'big day' (time critical) but was not needed for a short time I would buy bacon rolls/ coffees etc for the workers, as they didn't have to stop/ deserved it anyway. Likewise working through foul weather.

the beer in a plunged cup principle will work, catch them before the seedlings grow.