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Nothing wrong with BCO's 'recommending' people. Plenty of people out there don't have a clue and he/she's prob just pointing you in the direction of someone competent. Btw you need to be an 'accredited' energy assessor for your work to be accepted prima facie.

If you think they've been negligent then you could start by complaining, to the BC manager, or their head of department, or better still write to the relevant ombudsman. If no-one knows you're unhappy then nothing will ever happen. The line you will probably hear from the BC department is...

In my opinion... It's structural work if it affects the structure of the building. If to remove the chimney full height would require alternative support to be provided to another element, e.g. to stabilise a wall or support a floor, then a b/regs application would be required. If it has no...

Is it a material change of use of part of the building? There's a change in energy status as well.

I fully agree with Paul_C on this. If the government want something done to a particular standard or method then it has to be written into the legislation not the approved document.

1. Not necessarily, DPM and 50mm aggregate is an alternative (Approved Document C) 2. Damp floor/rotten joists 3. Yes assuming they were notified

When you say "over the top" do you mean the blockwork is to be used for the external skin of the timber frame walls? If so then 100mm thick is usually fine for 2 storey (assuming no wind resistance issues) and it shouldnt affect the thermal performance significantly if the original spec was for...

There is no minimum door height in a domestic building.

Nothing like looking stuff up yourself is there!! A quick search on Google (0.10 secs) revealed the following BRE document regarding PSV design: www.passivent.com/downloads/ip13_94.pdf I'm sure Passivent will tell you all you need to know as well.

I'd either render the back of the bricks (and reveals) and tank with a cement product like Vandex or Sovereign, then use a Celotex and plasterboard or whatever finish you fancy. If you do go the timber frame route put the polythene on the inside not the outside face, building paper or...

Put a solid roof on it and call it a porch... //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=278544

I'd put padstones or spreader plates in to be on the safe side, I'd never rely on the strength of any one non-engineered brick.

Yes there is slight potential for cold and damp bridging but nothing serious in my opinion. If you haven't had any damp or mould issues previously then I'd crack on without the insulation.

Closing cavities is still all the rage to limit air movement in the cavity and hence improve the thermal insulation of your wall. Unless it needs to be fire resistant then insulation or a mineral board laid over the cavity at the top of the outer leaf will do it. You can get compressible...

As Woody said, if it hasn't failed since the 60's it's probably ok. It looks like the ceiling ties are doing the job of stopping the rafters from sagging (although maybe not designed for this purpose) and the purlins aren't doing anything (which is good as they are way overspanned). If you...

There is increased rainfall on a pitched roof, to a factor determined by the pitch but it's unlikely to be more than an extra third of the original catchment. It's a harsh call to demand a soakaway based on that alone though.

PS Foundation dimensions sound good to me, depending on the ground conditions. PPS Don't put bricks in your foundation concrete.

Couple suggestions: - Take a 45 degree angle up from the invert level (bottom) of the drain and make sure any foundations are below that line, this will keep any foundation pressure off the pipe. - Excavate the drain 4 feet each side of the gateway and encase it in concrete, then do what...

Section 77 of the Building Act 1984 could apply: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/55/section/77/enacted BC may already have visited and taken a look without your knowledge. If they didn't consider it dangerous then you won't know :)