saveasteading

Your contractor, who is responsible for this, will have one, but what are you thinking of doing with it?

Worth doing. Builders seem to make a point of leaning tools and materials against new windows and walls, and splashing mortar around. I would think the easy solution is the cling-film protection usually used internally for floors and kitchen surfaces. better than that, found this Product code: 20527Blue Window Protection 600mm x 20m £6.29

Benefits Of Specifying Cemfloor Liquid Concrete Screed • No shrinkage, cracking, or curling. This quote is from the Cemfloor website. Therefore it seems that there should not be any cracking, and that this has been laid wrongly. I have not used this screed but responsible for thousands of m2 of concrete. With concrete, (which always shrinks) uncontrolled cracking is mostly down to 3 things. 1. too much water in the mix, for the ease of the workers. 2. absence of crack control 3. reflective cracking from a slab beneath, or some other weakness. 1. Is the likeliest in your case as it has happened so quickly and very wide cracks in the time. 2. Almost certainly, and would have allowed the cracks but in a more controlled fashion. 3. I don't think applies as you have poured onto PIR (?) As Nod and others say, this could come through any tiling /vinyl flooring you may install. I predict that your installer will say it is a) normal: refer to Cemfloor statement above. I'm surprised at other comments that this is normal. But normal is not the same as right. b) not a problem. In which case why is it a selling point with Cemfloor. c) easily remedied by filling with some cementitious stuff. I don't think so: other cracks may come later too. It is impossible to fill a rough crack unless it is wider, and they will likely just smear some stuff on the top. (Fill should mean to the whole depth. The cracks are extremely rough and jagged and liquid or paste will not pass through.) At the door, this cracking could almost have been guaranteed. The screed shrinks away from all the walls and of course fails across this weak line. The UFH pipes will be helping somewhat as a light weight reinforcing mesh, so it would probably have been worse without it.

I carefully avoided those words so as to keep the thread on point.

You must live in a very hot place. I can't think I have ever thought a floor indoors, anywhere in the world, was too hot. Or that a British house was too hot indoors. In a very poorly insulated house of lightweight material it might be possible, but control of sunlight and ventilation should sort that. Hottest summer temperature perhaps 30C dropping to only 20C at night, but how often does that happen, and a well built house keeps most of the heat outside.? Thinking of southern Europe, (40C only down to 25 regularly) new houses do have cooling, but the traditional houses don't need it, using the design-as -a cave principle.* I have experience of office temperatures being too high, but that is for a metal building with 100mm insulation and with multiple occupancy. Then the ASHP was used in reverse. Good to have the option but would barely be used I suggest. How often do you use it and do you know it is helping significantly? * In Spain they brought in a law that public buildings could not be cooled to below 22C (???) or heated above 25 (???) as it is a waste of energy.

And the heat from the transformer and surely there is a Makita radio playing constantly too?

I don't think the majority of major developers understand the construction process well enough to have decided this. Anyway, the tests and BCO inspections do not include ventilation, which is approved in desktop assessment, not in site tests. I am certain though that the housing units for test are decided and agreed in good time to ensure a pass, while the rest are left leaky. Then there is the quality and control process itself. I know a council who only gave planning approval on condition of a change of Architect and their own BCO having access throughout. This to ensure passable housing standards after previous experience......It is not possible to find info on the estate they disliked so much.

At leak susceptible junctions such as sole plate to footing or slab, I am wondering what seals are going to last long-term. There is mastic tape that stays flexible indefinitely as long as it is free from light, but that is for installing within the interface of metal sheets, not for sealing gaps. I think anything from a tube will eventually harden or shrink. Off the wall perhaps, but what about denso tape ? Does that last for ever or do bugs eat the Vaseline?

I recommend considering sleeper walls up to the slab level and planks (or beam and block) over. This is then a simple brickies' job. The blocks will probably be laid flat for strength and stability, on normal trench foundations. you can then over clad in stone or whatever. There you are, I've saved you about £10k. (I am not guessing as have done this several times, when the original SE had gone for piling.) Your SE will also consider ground heave because of the excavated area, but that is easy enough too.

I wonder if the existing fan will turn out to be strong enough after all, with an improved duct. 110mm drainage duct is 100 internally. You should also try to make the bend from the fan to the duct as smooth as possible. There might be another plus in that these paper/ plastic wrapped spiral ducts get punctured easily.

Yes, in the same way that drains use smooth pipes, and corrugated are only for sokaways. The roughness causes turbulence all the way. At a proper builders' or drainage merchants. Or buy in 2m / 3m lengths with socket ends, or plain pipes with connectors. Also, the junctions at the hood and the outside louvre will be better joints.

Just an aside. I think that intumescent products are often specified when they are not necessary. This is due to caution by the specifier and encouragement from the publicity of the manufacturers. Of course they are not going to publicise that 38mm timber, or 0.5mm metal, or rolled up rockwool will suffice in some details.

Anything other than replacing that ducting would be a bodge, and defeat the object of the better fan. Changing the corrugated to a solid plastic pipe would make more difference than increasing the corrugated size, or any mix-up of old and new. The new plastic pipe would go in the same hole. Maybe just maybe you could push a new 100mm pipe in from the outside, if there was a gap in the insulation. OR Use a rectangular duct in the kitchen as it looks a bit tidier than round. BUT for a proper job you have to lift the floor, then use a 100 or 150 solid pipe. The hole in the wall is the easy bit once you decide what to do.

Removing durgo and extending through the roof? Sounds ok to me for a proper job, if so it proves. Materials £50? pipes, joints, flashings. Cutting though roof. Making watertight again. Somehow getting access on the roof safely and securely enough to do a proper seal???? 2 workers all day x £200 or whatever around your way. Add risk and sundries. Option might be to vent from the external drain, further along the line. Stink around wherever it vented. But you shouldn't need it if there is no hole in the drains for the smell to come from.

There have been many reports of much worse problems that were ignored, and of very nasty tactics by developers. Therefore be firm but reasonable at all times, and have an independent person confirm the situation in writing and with samples and photos. Does not have to be an expert when it is so simple. This is a good one for the press as it is easy to understand and difficult to argue against. But first write the reasonable letter with a 1 month deadline (response by xth January) before you take further action. Recorded delivery.

That reference looks good. Will have a proper read but have immediately seen this, which confirms my thoughts earlier. DEEMED TO SATISFY BARRIERS UNDER THE ADB 2019 AND TECHNICAL HAND BOOK 2019 a Steel, a minimum of 0.5mm thick b Timber, a minimum width of 38mm thick into the cavity c Polythene-sleeved mineral wool, or mineral wool slab, under compression when installed in the cavity d Calcium silicate, cement-based or gypsum-based boards, a minimum of 12mm thick

completes the ventilation from the bottom. But can vertically I assume. Keep getting these changes and your silly price of £7,500 (and the rest) should be very much less. Try giving them a target?

If the developer is one of the big companies, there is always resistance. One of the barriers is that they forget that they do not consider themselves contractors and try to blame someone down the line. In reality, their methods are usually to take all the soil off site and dump it. Then later they try to cover with as little real soil as they can get away with. Perhaps someone on here who has argued with developers before can point you in the most efficient direction. Letter to the CEO never does any harm. A story in the local press can work as it affects the perception of quality. Cynically, they will often offer a solution to one complainant on condition that they don't tell anyone else.

9. Horizontal cavity barrier [3] Short None 30 None E 30 From the underside 10. Vertical cavity barrier [3] Short None 30 None E 30 Each side separately That is from appendix 2A. This doesn't look very onerous. I think untreated timber (eg 2x2) would satisfy this as long as it filled the cavity, but would need proving, as there is a reluctance to believe it. Metal flashing certainly enough or a slice of rockwool. Testing with a blow torch or by putting on a fire is not a realistic test as a building fire takes time to catch and will vent out of the top.

Thanks Jamieled. I had just read that section and thought I was missing something.

Standard I think. Scary enough at low flows.

That might work if there was another source of waste heat, for example from a freezer room. The room would act as a plenum. Even then it would have to be more of an enclosure than a room so that the chilled air can be expelled. But that is really a commercial situation and not for a house, but even then is so complex that I have not seen it done. As ProDave says, it needs a lot of air, and free movement of that air. Have you stood next to a powerful ASHP? I recommend it to get a feel for the dynamics, then you won't consider a housing, or even a screen or a hedge. The fan has to draw in fresh air and get completely rid of the chilled air, otherwise it draws in the chilled air again and you don't get the energy you need. In my own opinion, many units are positioned too close to a wall, even tucked into a corner, where the chilled air can't get away properly.

Can I suggest that you go back to basics? The mesh is to keep out insects and other creatures. Therefore it only goes where required...mostly (or only) top and bottom. In reality there will be all sorts of gaps at every joint in the timber, but I don't think we worry about that. No such concern at cement board. Also the purpose of the fire stops is obv to stop fire spread between different areas of the building. Unless the rules have changed recently that does not require intumescent material everywhere. It is confused by the need for retaining ventilation but that is upwards only. Black Battens? Is this because the larch cladding is completely open and more like a trellis? In that case I don't think it needs either the fire block or the insect mesh. The building regulations are more a principle than doctrine in many cases. Therefore you simply have to justify your proposals. This means more work for your architect to save your money, and so you might have to press hard for it. However this is not cutting edge research and a 'expert' should be pleased to improve the design. When you explain the cost perhaps the architect will jump to it. I would like to read up more on this at some stage so it might as well be now. Can anyone point me straight to the clauses on the subject?

That sounds far too much. The fancy cavity barrier product costs about £3/m. Must be a very big house or a contractor who is either nervous of it or charging nicely for extras.

Sounds an expensive solution. A piling rig costs thousands to turn up and then so much per pile. A sketch would help a lot. Ouch. You will possibly pay dearly for the privilege of not listening to the people who do the work. Not all 'contractors' use shovels you know.