How do I bathroom / kitchen / extension? etc.

Yes, loads of paints are water based now, oil based tend to be for specialised stuff. I've got some units painted with this stuff which is really tough for water based https://www.zinsseruk.com/product/perma-white-interior/
Also whatever the Dulux stuff is seems to be fine.

Dulux water-based is absolutely fine. We get colours mixed at the local trade place. For example, we really like Farrow and Ball Strong White as a dominant wall colour, but F&B paint is a cunt to apply.

That colour in Dulux water-based is spot on.

Why is F&B diff to apply?

My old local's done up in F&B:

I'm no expert, so I don't really know the answer. But, as an amateur DIYer, I find Dulux etc much easier to apply... and if you get decorators in for a quote, a lot will charge more if you're using F&B paint (or not quote you).

Their colours are lovely - our flat is all F&B colours (but I'll never go back to using their actual paint).

Oh and getting Dulux mixed up at a trade place is A LOT friendlier on the wallet.

(thought I'd get that last bit in before I'm quoted in the golf club bar)

With standard dulux stuff I think they are expecting you to re-paint every couple of years, whereas with the more spendy or trade rated hardwearing stuff it may be harder to put down but it will cope better with the battering life can give it. Difficulty in application may be related to durability?

It's the trade stuff that we have - dead easy to apply - I have absolutely no idea.

They even give a trade discount even though I'm not VAT registered. :D

Just wondered 'cos I've found the opposite.
But googling it seems that the pros don't rate the estate emulsion as it needs 3 or 4 coats unless you use the F&B pricey primer.
I've been using the Modern Emulsion though and found it good with 2x coats, but I did put down at least 2 base coats of Dulux trade.
Having read more into it I may get it mixed in Dulux instead from now on!!

So from my experience and a trade decorator confirming, it's something to do with the fact that it reacts weirdly if not painted perfectly at once. You don't have much margin for error in comparison to Dulux/Leyland stuff.

If you repaint a little section over it will show quite significantly (Something to do with thickness of the different layers etc ...).

Leyland latex stuff and Dulux I've found brilliant

But googling it seems that the pros don't rate the estate emulsion as it needs 3 or 4 coats unless you use the F&B pricey primer

Same experience. Their primer is excellent (we're still using a large tin we bought), but expensive.

Having read more into it I may get it mixed in Dulux instead from now on

Give it a go - maybe start with a small tin/space to make sure you're a fan.

I used Benjamin Moore "Aura" finish for some new cupboard doors (mainly cos our carpenter/builder appeared shocked when I told him I was going to paint it myself)
It's great but expensive.
It was fine for a few doors but now we've got whole rooms to repaint it soon adds up.

I'd like to use as few nasty chemicals in the house as possible, if water based is as good or close to, we'd like to use it.

If you are looking to avoid chemicals, you will need a low-VOC paint. Airsure is Dulux's no/very low VOC range. Unsure on other brands (ie: F&B), but it is all the rage in the paint world so everyone should have a version now or be able to tell you their stats.

Thanks all, really helpful.

Minimised VOC and hard wearing is the target. I know companies like Lick are pretty good at reducing chemical release and we used Earthborn before on the walls which is clay based and low VOC. Durability is awful though as lovely as it looks. Our two and four year old have destroyed the area we painted last year and we can't wipe it down without getting streaks.

I'll have a look at the Dulux stuff, try a few tests.

We engaged with our chosen Architects Eckford Chong in summer 2020, after liking their projects and having good reviews. We scheduled in the work to start in Feb 2022 as this is when they had space in calendar to start the work. In the intervening time we have gone through the first 3 phases and had planning consent. This has cost to date something around 12k.

Before Xmas they said they would have to delay start until summer.
Today they have said they wont even be able to complete the stage 4 drawings until summer.

I feel like we’ve wasted 18m and a reasonable chunk of cash to reach a point where we will now have to start from scratch. Am I right to be pretty pissed off?

Is that £12k wasted? Can what you have achieved with it be transferred to working with a different architect?

In all fairness this is not a good look. But this is a hard time to work with builders, especially if you are a small entity, they are milking it.
When does planning consent expire ?

What attracted us to them is that they are a design and build practice, they sold us on the fact they would be doing the building work and this was why scheduling would take 18m to get in their ‘queue’ of work.

We’d have to take their plans to another practice, which I can’t imagine would be that appealing and then do the whole tender process and get a QS etc. all of which is expense and effort we hadn’t planned for with their more turnkey solution.

Planning was granted last summer so another 2.5yrs

Shit, sorry to hear that, sounds like they have more on atm than they can manage.
You should be able to take the work they have done so far to a different contractor though?

Just for balance, in our last place we had 2 sets of MDF alcove cupboards. The first was built by a carpenter and painted in oil-based satinwood by painters they work with; the second was built by me and painted (again by me) in Dulux water-based satinwood. Although the build quality for my cupboards was (natch) at least as good the paint job was much better on the first set. The painters did an excellent job and the paint dried very, very hard which made it extremely durable. The water-based pain, in contrast, always retained a slightly tacky (latexy?) feel, which meant that heavy items would mark it given enough time and books at the end of the shelves were always slightly adhered to the sides of the cupboard; not damagingly so, but enough to make a slight noise when removed. FWIW YMMV etc.

Is there anything in the contract, covering delays?

Looking at their offer, it doesn't look like the heavy construction side of things is integrated in the practice. They might be have a good relationship with builders for the heavier stuff, but my guess is this is put under strain with supply issues and recent material costs increases.

There will be a builder (builders) they recommend and regularly work with. Architect won't have in-house heavy construction capability.

Well the big delay has already taken place but also the last 7m they have more or less just lead us on firstly by carrying on for original date, then saying work would be started in summer and now saying they cannot even complete the stage 4 drawings until summer!