Ferdinand

A lot of HuTHers do their job win labour. They also tend to keep quiet about things like 3% stamp duty.

ARe you constrained as to the position of your front door? COuld It switch by 90 degrees to come into the side of the 'snug-block'? The type of stair I am musing about is one with 4 half flights with half landings, so you can remove the extra half flights entirely. Needs some reflection, though, but would give you a lot of extra space and far better flow. You might even be able to something with an open-well style, which could be spectacular. Edit: OK. have a couple of thoughts which I will sketch up later.

Suggestions. Option 1 - create extra space for kitchen Move the utility door to the other side. Lose the hall cupboard from its current situation and move the snug staircase 1m left to be under the bedroom lobby one upstairs. Move downstairs loo to other side of study so pipes combine with utility, or put inside utility. Make study 3 aspect by incorporating loo space. Put hall cupboard somewhere suitable. Lots of options :-) . That will create extra wall space next to the kitchen both sides for a relaxing-with-chef corner, or whatever you want.

I am going to be contrarian here because awkward questions are useful, but something about that plan feels a bit uh-oh to me ; that it may not work or be inefficient, and I am having trouble putting my finger on it. Forgive my rambling. I think marginal changes may make a big difference here. SImple things first. The plan feels long and thin, and rather intricate with those half-floor levels, and losing a lot of space to the walls and stairs. I think those 45 degree window rebates would be a good feature. I like the basic layout of upstairs, especially an ensuite for Bed 2. I think that having a circulation landing as big as Bed 4 must be improvable; a third to a half of that landing should be in Bed 4 to make it 30% bigger. I think your downstairs wc really wants to be next to the utility and kitchen .. those look like long and over complicated supply and soil pipe runs to the far corner. Is there enough circulation space round that island? IMO you need 1.3-1.5m all the way round - comfortable to pass for two of you, one with a big tray. This has been discussed elsewhere in detail on other threads. Try a search. Now for a couple of things that I need help on from BHers. - Kitchen not integrated I am not sure it is as open plan as it looks, due to the convoluted and complex half level spaces. I think that the space between the kitchen and the rest may not flow; there is nowhere to flump and chat with the cook while supping a beer or a coffee other than sitting at th table. The rest of the gnd floor is functional, and the snug is round the corner and down the stairs. Have you a 3D internal render of the kitchen and snug? IMO It needs something as simple as a 2 seat flumping sofa or chaise longue in the kitchen, or provision for space for one, or integration into another space on the GNd Flr, which does not cost on this plan as is because doors and stairs are everywhere. - Circulation space and routes This seems very, perhaps unnecessarily, complex - going for a perambulation round the staircase to get into the house from the front door seems strange for a start. Then you have 2 lots of staircases, and a hall closet (? - could that be under the stairs?) in the middle of it all, and that big lobby on floor 1.5 for bed 3/4. Between that lot you may be losing an entire extra room worth of space to circulation. I would be interested in what percentage of space is lost to circulation. Will post this now and do another with 2 suggestions. F

THat is interesting. TRying to understand, can you confirm where eg the labour for fitting the windows is identified? Cheers F

Was there perhaps something wrong with the way batches were randomised on site, or differences between batches?

Saved by BREXIT ... perhaps

Is there a design that involves enough bits of wood to require an Octopus to hold them all in place?

Very good point. Probably even better if you paid via an Amex run Amex card, as they fight your corner well. Aha. Section 75 has a 30k ceiling, with a couple of exceptions. https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/section75-protect-your-purchases#when How did you pay? You need more detailed advice than Is within my experience on this front, but certain bank accounts have protection policies now.

We are drifting but HMRC for VAT avoidance might get those, since HMRC are now on that one after a campaign essentially by one man.

I used vertical screws and square wedges ... wedging the piece against the screw, or holding it against the skirting to keep it in place, and placing the screw to keep it tight. That also worked for me. Interesting skirting profile, @Nickfromwales. I christen that a Mr Magoo !

That ispart of the genius. No one quite knows.

That is actually different to what CAB seem to say. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/report-to-trading-standards/ I agree though .. getting to Trading Standards can be a wild goose chase.

One thing I did not mention was engaging Trading Standards, but I know nothing about their remit across the EU. You need to talk to them. Whatever you are going to do, I think I would want it finished significantly before Brexit - may cause more complications even if only a bigger library of potential excuses / opportunity for smoke screens. Could it be as simple as an expert report, and a County Court action against the UK supplier for the cost of Sioo + putting it on to do a fix or alternatively for replacement (which sounds too big for the Small Claims track)? Ferdinand

That looks very bad to my amateur eye. But I do not know how it should look. May there be mileage in contacting the media on this case? Or a piccie on Twitter might go viral as the failure is eye catching. Or a petition. A brochure vs reality split photo might have a good impact. The key point on Twitter is to embarrass them and circulate widely, while having a set of demands that (to quote Terry Waite) "leave a door through which you can both exit together with dignity". On a petition it is to have a critical mass of signers in place before you launch it so it doesn't bomb, with same exit route. You either need to make them submit eg in a court claim or persuade them to help you, perhaps as an escape before you batter them down. Set out your strategy for yourself, however, and your objectives, carefully, to be ones that they can deliver. Obviously you are likely to need a professional report, and proof of valid install. Obvs once you start you can't stop ... The Grand Old Duke of York strategy does not work, except to embarrass the GODYK, unless they surrender early. And that cannot be relied on. Best of luck, and I will sign your petition if you choose to do one.

For the summer you need a Cold Tub .

I *would* use a membrane because it likely only to be perhaps 1-2% of the budget and will keep the materials separate.

The other one probably just rolled over. YOu get what you negotiate.

Quickest way to make progress may be to go down the road to your closest architect or designer and hire him for half s day to sort out the boilerplate. That may address 80% of it. Much is just variations of statements such as 'Utility room ventilation to comply with Building Regulations Section X Subsection Y Para Z". These things just indicate compliance with the minimum, not precise specification. BCO will be interested in X doing the job according to regulation 23465, not that X is constructed of pre-pulverised trilithium which has survived being sat on by Donald Trump in a Gimp Suit . It will say u-value of 0.2 (say - i.e. Meets Building Regs minimum) for a wall even if it is a Passive House with 6ft of sheeps' wool.

I think there may be good models from places like Oz Coastal and Singapore, and perhaps some of the less desert-y gulf places such as Oman. Places which are tropical but also have advanced construction industries. Are there good historic vernacular practices in Mauritius? Can you do creative things with water ... e.g. Evaporating it inside for cooling, or using some sort of fabric design to cool the temperature overnight and keep it cool through the day? I wonder what the likes of Hilton do at their holiday villages and villas etc. F Also shooting a little in the dark.

I love that. "We do not judge that a district combined heat and power scheme is suitable for our single unit self-build" :-). Gold Star to @jamiehamy for the point by point comment.

I think most of this is basics covered by a set of boilerplate notes that exists on every architect's computer, with small variations.

This is my normal good value Manrose bathroom fan at 75 cubic m per hr, overrun timer and backdraft shutter in the fan at £25. I have installed 2 or 3 in both walls and ceilings. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CJ8L8ZM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 That comment was probably me. If you do do a Through the Wall HRV fan, one tip is to mount it in a 110mm rigid soil pipe set into the wall so you can get it out again cleanly for maintenance.

I think step one would be to increase the timer on the fan to run for 20 minutes after the person leaves the bathroom. If you want to draw air in, then perhaps trim the bottom if the door by 6-8mm (?). The issue I have had with HR fans in bathrooms is that the air coming in, even though it has most of the heat in it, will still be cooler than that going out and will be perceived as cold by a person in the shower. Ferdinand

The best thing you can probably contribute may be to get an understanding of what are relevant material Planning issues, and make sure everything else gets left out. PCs seem to be magnificent tangentialists.