saveasteading

Patience please. We are none of us required to help you at all, and yet we are trying. As above, it is the owner's responsibility unless this is formally delegated to a designer or the builder. I have experience of this, when a client told us (as designer and contractor) that there were no services and we stupidly accepted this. Then we found a gas main and had to divert it around the new building at some cost. otherwise gas could leak in to the building and boom!

But won't these prices plummet and/or quality improve as the market gets more competitive? There is a lot of business in this. If diy proves easy then there will likely also be objections/ scare stories from the established market. This for example? No wires and will be as easy to fit as standalone smoke alarm units. £160 the lot , so average £32 each. expandable to 15 units. It would appear that a 'lifetime battery' applies to the life of the battery! Radio-Interlink Sealed Battery 3 Smoke, 1 Heat Alarm and CO Alarm Kit - Firehawk W Series Detector Battery: 10 year sealed lithium battery Wireless Base Battery: 7 year sealed lithium Warranty: 7 year manufacturer's warranty Easy expansion – Interlink up to 15 alarms Suitable for the 2022 Scottish legislation Do smoke alarms need to be hardwired in Scotland? No, there are alternatives to hardwired smoke alarms that comply with the new regulations. To comply with the new Scottish law from February 2022, all smoke alarms in Scotland should be either hardwired to a circuit (mains-powered) with a back-up battery or powered by a lifetime tamper-proof battery.

As we have several months before having to start the fire /gas alarm installation I am keeping my eye on the wireless market. Had a targeted ad on facebook with lots of kits from £150 to £300, which looked very promising. 'No wiring' has to be a big cost and time advantage.

If you are short of space then try all means to get a sewer connection, using storage, flow controller and whatever pumps it needs. Bottom line though is that rain currently falls on this site. If you can make it no worse then you don't need to connect to a sewer. 1. soak way, however bad will probably have some sort of flow. If you can make this into a long french drain, it will have a bigger surface area and might find some fissure where trees are or used to be. 2. A pond or lagoon or swale. as well as having some soakage into the ground you will have evaporation, especially if the site is exposed. 3. Some more storage if possible. In its simplest form this is a barrel with the tap set to dribble out over a couple of days. 4. More storage in open texture stone or crates under the parking area and anywhere else. If all that combines to contain all the water on site then everybody will be happy. BUT proving it could be tricky. I suggest giving it a go and proposing it. If it ever fails and floods onto neighbours or rods you could be in some trouble though.

Without knowing all the details this is tricky to resolve. However I assume that the authorities want to restrict more storm water into the drains, which is normal and understandable. They will normally allow about 5 litres/ second, but perhaps less, hence the suggestion of storage and a hydrobrake. Then do you still have to pump it up to the uphill drains? Perhaps not. Do you have space for a pond?

Just occasionally a good idea may occur during construction, often a suggestion from a contractor. However it may be too late without disrupting other details. Therefore it is very important to do all this discussion before you start, including detailed discussion with all parties. Contractors do not like changes as it disrupts their plans , material ordering and resources, and so it either costs you more, or doesn't make the savings you hoped for. it might also require redesign. At some stage you have to trust designers/contractors and get into detailed discussion. As a contractor I was always wary about giving away commercial ideas, but there comes a time for trust in that direction too....or not.

I have found some objectors to be shocked to find that their names are published and it was clear they would not have said the same thing publicly. Yes tell the council and they will remove them.

The comments about waste are correct. You will have to go round the site and collect the dropped bricks and halfs, as they will not. Some bricks are very consistent while others (the characterful ones) may have 'bananas' Re blocks you can often order precisely but ask the mechamt if you can have any more at the same price. For bricks you can only do this if they set aside a batch, as otherwise they won't match. Then be prepared to collect them yourself to keep the bricky going. Better than a big pile of unused, or expensive hardcore.

When last I used it (reluctantly) it added 30kg/m2 to the roof, but that varies and can be up to 80kg which is a lot (allow for saturated earth). Please let us know how you get on.

First of all don't panic because this looks so difficult. It isn't just you. This is difficult. Even as an experienced designer/manager/contractor I would find this difficult. Here are some thoughts. 1. you give this drawing to several contractors. Also have an extensive list of what products you want and what they are to include/leave out. Also a long list that they are providing fencing, toilets, huts, power and so on. This is a lot of work for any contractor. Some will have staff who price this, but they are not going to give you a free bill of quantities to show to their rivals. Therefore after much detailed work they will give you a brief summary. Meanwhile a hands-on builder calculates what he can, pays a qs to price some of it, and guesses the rest. If any of them have a great idea on better price or quality, how do they trust you not to tell the competition. thus it has to be a bit of a game of creating trust without giving away your own skills for nothing. Remember the contractor knows that they only have a one in 3? or 5? chance of getting the job, and it is onerous to price it for you. Be considerate and it will be noticed. 2. If cost is not a concern you engage a professional and tell them to get on with it. More likely you discuss a target price and they make the enquiry more precise. There will be a charge but they have more experience of assessing different quotes. BUT they may have their own prejudices/ opinions about using big/small contractors or people that will give them less hassle, and there will be a cost. 3. somewhere between, you get a bill of quantities done. All the contractors now have the same information. The risk of any errors is now yours. Even now, you will be amazed at the different quotations. creating a composite spreadsheet sounds like the answer, but it will show big discerpancies in certian items, depenging on the skills involved. then some will have cheaper prices throughout and big add-ons for overheads etc. This is very difficult to assess, but does provide you with some 'bottom line' comparisons, to which you can add guesses as to whatsome have ommitted. Never rule out anyone who is too cheap, as perhaps they are simply very good...or too dear because they may be the only ones to have done it properly. In summary this is difficult. Doing it all yourself is very risky and stressful but you might save some money. More likely you should use a professional to some extent. This is clearly not giving you an answer, because there isn't one.

Agreed. Water level from TS or SF or online. They are (almost) idiot proof, go round corners and through walls and don't cost a fortune to replace when the builder drives over it. Also, if you get one that stands on its own, or you prop it up, it is a one person job....that is invaluable when you want to check something tricky (or sensitive) when the builders have gone home. Or fix to pieces of wood. You can make your own hitec one with a length of clear tubing, clipped to a 2 x 2 on each end, and that also allows you to do it standing up. I have seen far more errors with laser levels than with dumpy levels or the underused water levels. Boning rods (profiles) are good if you have the space, and they are not dug up again. saves a lot of repetition.

If they are local they will know the ground types and not need lab tests. You can dig the holes in advance to save cost.

Have checked the effect of cedars. Moderate water demand, and growing to 20m. therefore the house is too close to be unaffected. However you are on chalk. The SE will more likely save you money in the long run.

So ask them for a price. This looks like being standard details so they may not charge much, it may allow a reduction in your warranty (and insurance?) costs, and the SE works for you so will discuss options if you ask.

The calculation of carbon used as extra wood, as against any benefit from the sedum would be interesting. Also allow for plastic trays, if any, and special underlay. If you want the sedum for appearance then fair enough.

As I understand the drawing, the trees that would require deep founds are not near the building. What are the conifers shown as blue circles, as that is crucial? Having the name 'The Willows' is a bad start as they are among the worst water drinkers and the roots spread far. However, I am amazed that you are contemplating not engaging an SE. We are here to help but not do free designs and take any risk off you. The BCO will want drawings and calculations (and/or statements) to justify the proposal. They do not necessarily check very much anyway, and will expect to see expert design. Re construction method. My hunch is that beam and block will cost you a little more, as you need more foundations. Also you have lots of hardcore so that is a saving on an in-situ slab. I don't understand why that may not be suitable. You have chalk and so there is no reason for foundations to go deep. But there are many more factors, and we have not seen the site or drawings.

Well, we wouldn't want them to cut corners, but over-designing should not happen either. But a lot less than big deciduous trees. NHBC tables make it very easy.

Local builders have not bought it as they can't make money at it as a developer. In the UK equivalent position such a building is bought for self-build, where we can put in endless hours, change our minds and argue finer points with builders. At a distance this becomes even more difficult. If the builder or Architect or Mayor doesn't agree with your proposals, then you will have to do everything their way. You will have to use a local Architect, and what if they don't like refurb and only like complete replacement? So you must discuss with Architect, a builder, and probably the Mayor or Clerk at the town hall. And unless you know a lot about construction, speak the language including all its subtleties, and have at least 50% contingency on the price you are told, then it probably is too much of a risk. £10k or £50k? Yes. £10k with me on site all the time and if I could suddenly speak Italian and it was only these beams. £50k more likely...but perhaps £100k if the walls and roof come down on purpose or accidentally. Sorry.

Conifers do not necessarily require deep foundations or suspended floors. What type of trees and what ground do you have? If for example spruce growing at 3m in sand, I don't think there is any extra depth...would have to check though. However , the trees would hang over or near, the house and cast their bits in the gutters, so there could be other reasons to lose them. The Structural Engineer will know what has to be done structurally, but may not consider the aesthetics, health of tree, or gutter clearing onus. We all like to see pictures, and it may help to get the best advice.

Will they know about the benefits of exposing or encasing ducts? | see that their brochure is all with fireplaces, so of course should be insulated all the way in the chimney. Very expensive. What does the extra £600 bring as benefit?

Which goes up the chimney. All of it? My fire goes out when starved of air. I also have an old and clunky woodburner, with vent into an old chimney. That does have problems, which were demonstrated when I put some chipboard in...the smell of the chemicals was noticeable in the room so it must leak smoke at joints. With the modern ducted stove there isn't even a smell of wood burning.

I hadn't realised that...rather kills my argument that the BCO has to assume you might install a gas fire. I can't find that reference quickly but will search later. But did come across the lovely term "Fortuitous ventilation": also known as leaks and draughts. 5kW is quite a lot, especially in a new house, so that should be that.

What interesting responses. Please excuse me challenging or testing some. and argue back of course. For clarity we are talking sealed , high quality stoves here, not open fires/gas fires/ leaky cast iron stoves. I am not proposing that there is no air intake. But if I was: The stove sucks in air, not oxygen then expels dirty, low oxygen air out to the sky. The air in the room remains of the normal gaseous proportions. There is no shortage of oxygen in the room or my brain, unless the room is very small. If it is very small, then the fire is also going to be small. Replacement air is drawn in through vents or gaps at doors etc. If there isn't enough air intake then the fire and I both dim slightly, but not a lot. The air intake on the stove I am referencing is about 100mm x 3mm when fully open. the gap under the nearest door (after allowing brush-strip) is 900 x 1mm. When closed down to normal burning, the air intake is very small indeed. 100 x 0.5? I checked the seals to the glass last week and pushed one back into place. If air is being expelled through the flue then an equivalent amount will be dragged in through gaps unless the room is completely airtight. When I fall asleep in front of an open fire, there might well be a lack of oxygen and a surfeit of nasties. In front of the stove it is just heat....and the intellectual stimulus of this forum. Nobody knows what heating might be installed , so design for gas and then we are safe whatever. I have installed an air vent to an aged family member's house where there was none...and a gas fire. I could sense the unpleasant atmosphere which was sleep-inducing and very dangerous. Have the manufacturer's not considered that their fires will have flues? Every catalogue shows a flue up to the ceiling, almost as a necessary feature. My reference stove has a top chamber to carry fumes away and extract heat from them, and I don't think it is so precise that the same does not continue in the flue. Are these readily available, or a shield? Taking this to extremes, we could build a wall around the stove to keep the heat in and maximise the internal and exhaust temperatures. I am assuming, until further advised, that the upmarket stove manufacturers have tested their stoves twice. Once in a lab for best spec figures for publication. Again for everyday use, with a flue of about 2m, perhaps more.

Gaps are completely unacceptable. Building Inspector will understand and agree, but may not wish to be involved in your contract dispute. Damage is careless and a concern re standards throughout, but barely affects the insulation level. If you allow the use of foam spray fill, will you trust them to get it to full thickness yet not fill the void? I would be concerned re their attitude and attention to detail. There is no reason to expect that your builder will understand the science of insulation. Sometimes they just have to be told. I have many a story on this, but not now.

I can understand this rule as oxygen is good for us, and we can't ensure the skill set of the inhabitants. However , for your own house, with a lot of understanding of these things, the open one might perchance change to a shuttered one?