saveasteading

Won't do the windows much good either. As there is scaffolding it would be easy to place a model hawk there. I have tried a plastic owl, full sized, with rotating head, which fooled humans but not birds.. but for £15 it might be worth a try. I have heard that a black silhouette of a hawk works better, and would move in the wind if hung in front of the window. Then it needs to be moved occasionally.

Is there a Grrrr/ annoyed icon? That is very unfair and reflects badly on the architect. Perhaps that's how he thinks and works, so assumes everyone is the same, or he hasn't the knowledge to discuss costs. after all the client pays it all so he isn't bothered. As a contractor I was always pleased to have zero extras. Partly as pride, and partly because a client can have no perception of being overcharged. It helps towards repeat business too. Also though because changes are a pain. They have to be recorded and clarified formally , then drawings and schedules altered and circulated. Then the cost difference has to be calculated, and there is always some increased risk. If only clients didn't change their minds.

So we are back to the @ProDavescenario. The gases will go out of the vent but also towards the house so the joint seals must be checked. I've had some very poor quality seals at times, from very cheap pipes (I've also had great ones cheap). The rubbers were hard and fitting was difficult without forcing. So it is a likely source...it could be tight enough to keep water inside but allow gas through,, especially under pressure. Is it safe to leave one of the outdoor covers off as a interim trial to vent the drain? It will also encourage a permanent draught. As a positive, digester thanks settle down after a while. But that is all the more reason to get it sorted now, before the nuisance reduces for a while.

The smell will be created within the tank. That should vent out of the pipe you describe, but imagine a great burp from the depths ...it will go back up the drain as well as the vent. Is there a manhole between the tank and the house? if that has air holes then that might help. But bottom line is that the pipes in the house should not release any smell. Ahhh. also check that all basin, bath and shower drains have water in the trap.

I would say no too. However much you trust the person you are dealing with, inevitably it will be delegated. Mess, compaction and the risk that they don't get round to clearing it when you want / properly / ever. And who will agree the before / after condition and what happens if you aren't content. If they offer £500 then that may be another matter. The cost to them of a grab lorry twice would be more. Will your insurance will cover it? I doubt they would approve. Sorry but....You have taken advice from industry experts is the easy response....

Including the vent pipe from the tank?

@Indy you don't know what you don't know....yet. ie there are risks beyond your imagination. I suggest you accept that there is a cost for reducing these. 10% to 20%? That can be an industry professional to assist you, or an established builder with a good reputation and history.. Either has a cost to you, in fees or overheads.

A smell in a cupboard suggests a leaking junction, so maybe all the pipe connections are suspect. Where does the drainage go? Sewer or treatment tank?

It is upmarket bubblewrap . OK for a garden shed but I wouldn't advise it in a house.

What sort of advice? About the likelihood of flood, or construction methods? The likelihood of flood is openly published but likely to be out of date with recent trends. Construction? Follow the building regulations and cross fingers? Varying from that may be best but insurers won't approve.

the purpose being to stop weeds. that should be completed by now. Also to keep dampness down in the earth. It is not intended to be flooded from above. My hunch is that it is best to remove it, but what about the bco? the bco needs to see it in place as normal if they are to approve normal construction. BUT we should not deceive the bco so I am 'writing aloud' not advising this....more research is needed. My very old books show a layer of cinders or concrete instead of the plastic. That was never damp-proof but will have moderated seasonal changes.

That works best if you have the time. Otherwise there is always some reason that they are delayed by the others. You really need to talk to them a lot about anything they need done, or left undone. I find its best to have something 'useful' to do around the place so I can keep an eye out, be available, but not hanging around in the way or being seen to be watching. If that means clearing up after them so be it, as long as they know its a favour.

You would need to keep that very clean. No spiders, no lichen.

What is a human worth? That is how we (society) decide whether to improve a road junction / other hazard. It isn't mentioned openly as the general public would be appalled / disgusted while having no alternative. A drawing not showing a cable could be called a fault perhaps. Trusing it and not scanning progressively "just in case" could be fault 2. Breaking it fault 3. Station shuts down is 4. This seems inflationary so perhaps some are combined.

Did I ever tell you BHers about when i was looking down a deep hole at the side of a new motorway? Digging for a huge traffic sign foundation 6x3x2m deep or so.. A white van screamed up and a man jumped out waving and shouting "stop". He knew there was a vital telephone cable to the nearby power station.....it just wasn't on any drawing. Apparently the power stn would have shut down. I can't remember if we found it.....I would remember if it was broken. I think hand digging with rubber shovels must have been involved. If it is avoided is that N ?? or nothing at all?

My feeling is yes. But welcome any other thoughts. It can stay very wet in a damp basement for a long time/permanently. i doubt the bco will agree because it is off the wall thinking. what about forced ventilation? A fan system. Perhaps just build in a pipe sticking out of the wall (above flood level) that a suction pipe cold be fitted to. Not that you will ever see in there again until the floor collapses. anti flood air bricks haven't heard of these. got a picture or link?

1. Try to stop water entering the void. Any airbricks vented up above flood level. Tanking. 2. If it fills it must drain again quickly. So no solum membrane. Then it needs lots of ventilation. 3. Poly barrier between floor and flooring.

Keep a diary. Weather, who is on site and times. what happened? Have a pocket sized note pad upon your person all the time for notes to self and with names and tele numbers . a file for everyone's names, addresses and for the contractors' insurance cover notes...… check these as sometimes they just get the cheapest quote from the back of The Sun. so cover level, nd what hey do might be wrong. first aid kit...a decent one with bandages etc. what safety kit do you and family have? boots with steel toe caps and soles? helmet, high vis.....they really do keep you safer. practically , a bump cap is good as it protects your head enough for most things, and you are likely to wear it. are you going to insist that contractors wears similar? start a good photo system with dates and/or process. Take far too many: they can be deleted later but might as well all go onto a usb. Building Inspector lined up? Never be shy about asking a contractor what they are planning to do, and when, and if there are any likely issues. Praise good effort. don't be shy about anything that bothers you. Is it a VAT reclaimable project? Looks like it. Be organised from the start with files and folders and spreadsheets. are the contractors supplying materials or you?

It was an exceptional year for flooding, tho it may be that it happens again. What is the local view on it? was there an issue, eg blocked channels? You seem to have been unlucky with the water height. 50mm lower and it would have flown past? You could devise a set of removable dams across the outer doorways. Basically a piece of ply into a slot then cramped to the wall, but other materials would be better. At much greater expense and ugliness: a wall surrounding the house, with a removable panel for a gate. Nothing wrong with Vaillant ashp as far as I'm aware.

Keep a diary. Weather, who is on site and times. what happened? Have a pocket sized note pad upon your person all the time for notes to self and with names and tele numbers . a file for everyone's names, addresses and for the contractors' insurance cover notes...… check these as sometimes they just get the cheapest quote from the back of The Sun. so cover level, nd what hey do might be wrong. first aid kit...a decent one with bandages etc. what safety kit do you and family have? boots with steel toe caps and soles? helmet, high vis.....they really do keep you safer. practically , a bump cap is good as it protects your head enough for most things, and you are likely to wear it. are you going to insist that contractors wears similar? start a good photo system with dates and/or process. Take far too many: they can be deleted later but might as well all go onto a usb. Building Inspector lined up? Never be shy about asking a contractor what they are planning to do, and when, and if there are any likely issues. Praise good effort. don't be shy about anything that bothers you. Is it a VAT reclaimable project? Looks like it. Be organised from the start with files and folders and spreadsheets. are the contractors supplying materials or you?

For your own benefit have a waste reduction strategy. How many skips? Now half that and find a means of ensuring it. Cardboard flattened and bundled....and not in skip. Timber cutting strategy to reduce waste from 10% to 2%. Ditto boards. No bricks or blocks or pallets in there. No air gaps obv. If the lorry can hardly lift it, well done. Other suggestions? As a business we planned on 4 skips per £1M job cost. Equals about 1 skip per £100,000 materials. It's worth a lot of money.

It's a good thing to do, even informally. Washout from cement mixing can be thrown onto your hardcore or sand pile. Emulsion paintbrush rinsing I think will break down in a soakaway....I don't know that though. Gloss paint? Put the resulting spirits in a plastic bottle; thence to tip. ( I'm trying to use semicolons where applicable or they will die). Other liquids could go in a settling tank/barrel. Some will neutralise each other. Some will bubble away or be eaten by bugs. The resulting sludge can go in a skip or be bottled to your recycling tip. Now write that up to sound technical.

OK. So not wobbly but very heavy. I encountered a new kind of window fixing bracket at an exhibition recently. I should find it and tell the BH community.

My house is on 400 deep footings. It's my job, but I got another SE contact for a second opinion.....he said it's been here 80 years so its going to be ok for another 80. But I didn't need anything in writing. Depends also on the ground type and any nearby trees. If yours wants deeper found's for the new extension that is to be expected. If they want underpinning of the existing, then try to persuade them otherwise, using the 100 years principle. In fact it may be best left alone.

I was an Estimator. I kept a wbb (wee black book) of handy approximations for a first run through. For windows this was timber/upvc/aluminium/ fancy. The £/m2 was calculated from real projects and were surprisingly accurate. So I would hope and expect that your estimator was about right. Because the glass is part of the squaring and strength, and has to be right. Ever fitted a glazed door? It flops all over until packed and tight. If they turn up fully glazed then that part is resolved but the supply price will be higher and the lifting more onerous. Also. The lesser window suppliers allow excessive tolerance to make fitting easier. That suggests they don't find it that easy.