saveasteading

Who allowed that building on the island, spoiling the view out to sea? I've done this once with rainwater. 500m2 roof all going to a 10m3 tank. That size got the building through a dry summer. But it was an office, so lower usage. I think it was a big success, paying itself in 4 years as opposed to my forecast 10. The hidden cost is the secondary plumbing: a completely parallel system. There is a hidden cost benefit too, if you are on mains drainage but I assume you are to soakaway. Cost too if the tank pump breaks down, which ours did every couple of years. There was no need for filtering, only a settlement chamber, just in case. If the tank is too small then you run out, and need mains water, but that can be linked in to be automatic. Have never done it again, because a hunch said the parameters weren't right. Instead I have specified mains water but lots of garden rainwater storage.... butts and perhaps a bigger tank in the ground.

Your SE would see the diagonal direction of the crack, and be happy that the beam is supported and the load is spreading as intended. They will likely then say to leave it alone until we see what the winter does. The ground may be very dry and have shrunk, and may close the gap again. This would take many months of wetter weather. However I'm not your SE and can't look at any other factors that may not be shown or explained here. The horizontal crack concerns me very slightly more, but is probably the same thing. . Again perhaps wait to winter..... and let us know.

It is electric heating so not eco unless from solar. Isn't this simply heating the plaster, so you have a warm wall? Nice to sit next to but basically electric heating to the room and not benefitting from infra red use in any way? I've got an electric blanket under the tiles in the bathroom. Very cosy underfoot but only for an hour a day in winter and not heating the room much.

This is strange. The relationship will be awful. You donr trust them. Different contractors will clash. Better to part ways now. sounds a bit like taking some blame/ delete?

OK. Clause 12 is clear Contractor has the obligation to provide a high quality outcome for the works which are required to meet or even exceed the Client’s expectations. Later it says adjudication is the next stage, but if the builder is refusing reasonable discussion then that is redundant and clause 3u is clear enough: written notice by you, 14 days, contract terminated.

I don't agree. If there is a recognised formal contract turn the remedies and procedures are laid out, and that is something less to sort out. It is hard, and they may be difficult with you. Stay strong and it gets sorted. Don't pay. Keep notes of all discussions. Remember that this guy purports to be competent and took the work on. If there were changes or difficulties he should have stopped and discussed thrm, not charged on. He is the builder so is responsible. Under any contract, formal or informal, you must give him the chance to remedy, promptly and properly, which it seems you have done, and then the next stage is sacking, and evaluating any monies due in either direction.

An advantage of age is being surprised and delighted by the same thing. But I'm not as bad as you suggest....yet. I've got it on my desktop page so i will 'find it' again no doubt.

with collapsed courtyard roof and some walls too.

I like to see other people's successes. It is very encouraging. So here is one of ours, taken ages ago but I just came across it. I don't think I posted it before. The cobbles are glacial cobbles harvested from the drainage excavation of sand with cobbles. These were patiently sorted and turned the flatter way up....not something to give to a contractor to do, then laid by family and friends. It's amazing to think that these were ripped from a mountain and made that shape by being rolled along in a glacier, and/or in a river deep within the glacier. The lime pointing was done either by a specialist we were lucky to get hold of, and who did urgent stuff, or my Son-in-Law who is now good at it.

It was in a very old house for one of the family, about 10 years ago . I distributed cables and fitted new downlighters: so the floorboard lifting, drilling of oak joists etc that Mr Sparks wouldn't like. So 8 hours me, 30 mins Electrician. " You're not going to do the mains connection I hope". "No, I'll get Mr Sparks to check it and connect it. ". What I'd done was fine except he didn't like Wagos and redid with terminal blocks. Then I put back the floor. Mine are as the pic above, from SF. All very fiddly inside the box with my big and clunky fingers. I must have had an average of 5 go's with each, then for some reason it would hold. So that was 7 wires x 5. The box instructions simply have a tiny picture indicating "push in wire", which didn't work.

I used waco once then got a sparky to do the clever bit. He removed and changed them all. Then these as above this time. I think they are a bit small for the stranded armoured cable. I couldn't decide if I had to lift the lever or is that only for removal... holding that up was a nuisance. I will practice tomorrow and maybe get the hang of it.

The proper term for stick build. So yes timber I think, but tell more please. Are there big rooms that will need beams? Confirm is brick facing on GF intended and timber clad FF?

Normally my hunch is that if you want brick facing, then build cavity walls. But with all that glass you need beams. Plus the first floor is timber clad. So I think stick build.

How about remove chamber and link straight through. Fit rodding point riser in kitchen. There is another kind with a screwed on cap on the side. If you go to a merchant (ie not TS/SF) you can handle them.

Thanks Hubbers. That is now working. All I've done differently is cut some more old cable off and fed it straight (no bending) into an interim box, thence connecting the 2 boxes with a new and short length of T&E. Hoorah the gate works. I had 3 more occasions of the rcd tripping. "Obviously" with my new knowledge, when cutting the cable. Twice more I expect through touching earth to something even when I thought I had shrouded the wires. The problem appears to be as @ProDave suggested. Either from bending the old cable or at a fault in it. Perhaps this taped connection!!! It's amazing it lasted as long as it did but it was invisible under 10 coats of gloss. I've also decided that I don't like lever connectors. What a pain. The wire has to be dead straight, and stranded cable is a pain too.... I know: it needs an end crimp.

I'd no idea this was possible. Is that common practice?

Great point. Birds deposit bramble seeds in fertiliser, and brambles make persistent roots. On the occasion that I designed away the green roof "suggestion" by the councils Green advisor I learnt a lot. 1. The green person didn't know a lot about reality and spouted Greenwash. 2. The planning officers aren't technical people so accept the consultants suggestion. 3. The head planner showed me their drainage "hierarchy". Probably this is a standard thing. It says green roofs are best. It doesn't mention that rain won't reach the butt/garden/pond, so clearly prepared by a 1. 4. They needed a reasoned and scientific proposal to alter this requirement. Plain English summary followed by the logic. This was for our own building so it mattered. 500m2 of high roof. I calculated that the extra steel for strength l would use more carbon than the growth could ever balance, let alone the other arguments. So we saved the steel, and the green roof costs. Spent some of it on a rainwater harvester which was great for an office but I wouldn't have it for a house. This also saved on drainage rates. Butts yes. If you go for this plan don't show a financial saving, just a better world.

How much work would it be to strip that wall, or the top half , insulate and re-board?

My thought is that sod's law will come into play. Plus it could be spotted in a survey. So work to standards if possible. Maybe a branch and a rodding point as you suggest: in the kitchen or beyond the extension.

Pride or shame. To encourage the others.

I dont like green roofs. Had to do one once and that convinced me. I suggest you propose deleting the green roof but substituting an alternative. I've done that successfully.** Logic. A green roof is very heavy when wet, and requires much more structure...which has a carbon cost. It needs special membranes...lots of carbon issues. It needs maintenance. Safety issues. How are you going to access it, not fall off etc Preventable risks should be designed out. It prevents rain going elsewhere more useful, incl your water butts which overflow to Eg a pond or into the ground. So you must propose something better for nature. Pond, meadow, log piles etc. And no rain must reach the drains. * in recent drought, any rain would soak into the roofing cover and not reach your butts, garden , pond. So it's a bad thing. ** planner stated that this all surprised him but made sense. I've got the letters to say I'm an expert, which helps, but go for it. If you haven't enough land that might be more tricky.

Oddly this is a building where these little screw piles might be appropriate. Ie as no regs. As wrongly assumed earlier. Screw in piles, then timbers spanning them, then joists. There would be a void underneath. For clarity i only mean these, not big time proper piling. At b&q for patios I expect. Prob best get longer stronger ones than these.

The sun room could be fairly cheap. Assuming all diy. Concrete 20m3 or a lot of mixing. Hardcore from demo company. mesh has to be bought Timber £1,000 or look for reclaimed. Windows second hand on Facebook or ask a window company ( they take old units out) . Felt, fixings etc Got a trailer or mate with truck? Buy used mixer, hire roller etc Anyway, with lots of time and bargains, £5k target but prob more.

Modern metal cladding needs a repaint at some stage, depending on spec and exposure. 30 years? It will last much longer but is best kept maintained, as any product. The main hindrance to longevity is bad workmanship. Misplaced screws or fillers. Scratches from tools or boots removing the surface. Older technologies were poorer. Paint would peel or erode (like a car) and plastisol had cut end peel. I've been on old roofs (60 years) that had life in them, and new ones that were failing through damage. Cross fingers but my projects total about 50,000m2 and I believe are all OK. I would worry about damage or bad detailing during solar panel installation. Detail is important too. Avoid ledges and upstands (eg velux) that can hold dirt and encourage nests. And NEVER have internal gutters.

I think it's kingspan quadcore LSR1000, 140 thick, grey colour plastisol. That's a profiled panel, not flat. On the walls we're having flat panel 100 thick, black.