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thanks for all replies guys, all considered I am going to go with traditional screed, I think.

Just thinking that there might be a dry alternative to a 65mm thick sand/cement screed, insulated boards for example? finished floor will be some sort of laminate/wood boarding.

Thanks again John. No, I don't have RCD protection to the kitchen circuit. The kitchen will have about 6 sockets where I plan to bring each's cable down from the ceiling vertically.

Thanks John, it will be joined into 30A existing ring circuit which goes back to the MK Sentry consumer unit with individual trip fuses. It is a straight replacement of the exist kitchen power, plus adding three new sockets into the new dining area. I have read about the safe zones but in...

Thinking to use 35mm back boxes set into the blocks, but can I simply run cables on the surface of blocks covered in plastic or metal channelling? Or do I need to chase out the walls? Walls will be conventionally plastered.

Nothing yet but I will drop BC a line and ask them how they want me to proceed. cheers.

I'm planning wiring and it seems I have enough sockets in my existing kitchen to be able to use some of those, extending the wiring as necessary into the new extension. I won't need to increase the total number of sockets in the whole house. I will do all work myself and then get them...

Thanks Jeds - with an impact driver I guess you wouldn't be using a normal posi-drive screw but one with maybe a T-Star head etc?

Best size/type of nails/screws to fix flat roof joists (45 x 195's) to wall plates anyone? I don't have a nail gun! It'll be hammer or driver, I'm afraid!

Building flat roof 5m x 4m using 195 flat roof joists. What's best way to fix joists to wall plates - is it just x2 6" nails skewed per joist? OR are there better methods nowadays? Superscrews? The wall plates will be strapped down per build reg requirements. I've also got to fix firrings...

Can anyone suggest a decent circular saw to make my flat roof please? It won't get a lot of use after this, unless I suddenly take up building as a profession. Timbers are 47 x 195 and OSB 18mm and mostly 90 degree cuts. The saw I currently have was VERY cheap and I'd like a safer one...

Single story flat roof extension with some skylights. Trying to understand the best way to create the warm deck but getting confusing advice from manufacturers of insulation/membrane... I've got lots of 120mm kingspan foil/foil. I believe I need deck of 18mm OSB or WBP? May need vapour...

I need to use some kind of cavity closers (100mm), not having used these before, can anyone suggest best (cheapest even) and how easy they are to use. Are they built in as the skins go up? Cheers.

That is a good point, and I would say I am trying to understand what the options are – the SE's information/spec has been somewhat sketchy about this (he seems to be very pushed for time), whilst BC has referred me back to the SE. In fairness, I'd say the SE is used to dealing with builders...

Single storey extension – over a wide opening (3.5m) I'm using a steel beam (152UC with 300mm x 8mm plate) instead of a cavity lintel. Should I try to bolt the beam down to the padstones/engineering bricks? Or strap it down from the timber plate to be fixed along its top? Cheers for...

I've got 700mm of concrete in the ground for single storey extension. Thought I was okay to build up from the concrete a cavity wall using standard 100mm Celcon blocks (3.6n) 2 courses inner skin and 1 course + 3 of face bricks to outer skin with weak concrete infill to DPC – thought I'd...

Ok thanks Noseall, that makes a lot of sense. I guess the IC plastic frame make a sort of DPC but if I lap the DPM under that I'm not sure they'll be much mortar actually in contact with the frame, wonder if I could just stick the DPM to the side of the masonry with bitumen or something?

Conventional external rectangular manhole will become internal. I have a nice new locking cover (58mm deep) which will be fitted about 150 mm higher than existing to be level with DPC/ top of screed. Should I use sharp sand mortar and engineering bricks and should I use PVA to bond to old...

Nice quick one this time... Knocking out the brick outer skin to new extension prior to groundwork, should I knock out below the DPC?

Just to say the BC has said for 31 sq metres no need to add reinforcement mesh grid.