How do I bathroom / kitchen / extension? etc.

We're going to have a new shower room in our ground floor extension.

Unfortunately it has to have an inspection chamber for the sewer built in to the floor. Has anyone else had to work around something like this.

Could we make a feature of it, like this sort of thing?

nice for wine, not so nice for turds

Sure that’s the solution though? Thames Water don’t allow indoor manhole covers, drain should be redirected outside to a new inspection chamber

Aren't the inspection hatches usually pressure sealed direct into the drain?

That's what the conservatory in our old house had.

Below is what our plans say.

There is a reason why it couldn't be redirected, I think because our neighbour's sewer joins ours on our property (as with all the other properties on our street).

So it sounds like it will be sealed but will still need to be accessible. Which presumably will make flooring difficult?

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We have the same arrangement of neighbours drains converging at our inspection chamber then running under our house to the main sewer. New IC in garden with all drains running to it.

Check Thames Water’s guidance on build-over agreements (actually quite good and useful) but IIRC they now don’t allow any internal manholes, even double sealed.

Which presumably will make flooring difficult?

It's an inset manhole so you can tile within the cover, you will just see the metal frame and seal around the edge.

Yes we have that on our patio where they moved a manhole after we did a side extension

My parents have one in a bedroom which was built into a former cellar space. The room has fitted carpet. If they need access the carpet can be rolled back.

I wouldn't be keen on an inspection chamber within my home. Even if double sealing the cover is acceptable technically I still wouldn't want it.

How sure are you that there isn't a way to redirect the sewer? Presumably there is actually a way to redirect but it requires an intolerable amount of digging and laying new pipework.

Spec #8

Our architect has got confirmation from Thames Water that a build over agreement doesn't apply in this case.

I think a metal frame built into tiles might be preferable to intolerable digging- and they've also concreted the base for the extension now so it's more about how it might end up looking than whether it can be moved.

More that you can’t close ours from the outside.

But YES, if you have spares that’s be amazing

You can close it from the outside, but will never be able to lock it, even with a handle fitted (it’s just a simple pull tab). The product is not designed to be lockable from the outside.

Moved house in march this year. There's always been a smell from inside the wall cavities in the bathroom. No extractor fan, so it's been necessary to keep the window open so that the room doesn't get too stuffy. The smell is unpleasant, but not horrific.

Medium to long term we'll gut the room and have the whole bathroom re-fitted. Short term, we can't immediately fit a fan because we are in a conservation area, so would need planning permission or dispensation (it's in the works).

Recent cold weather meant we had to shut the window; the smell got annoying again so I investigated.

First problem: the basin waste outlet is push fitted into a 90° elbow that disappears in the wall cavity. The elbow is legit push fit, but the trap outlet isn't. The fitters have apparently compressed the joint to get it to hold. In so doing they've made it egg shaped, and pulled the o-ring into the gap. So the basin has been leaking into the cavity.

Second, the toilet waste is plastic and connects to the old cast iron stub pop-up. Access is really difficult, but today I managed to get a photo which seems to show the plastic pipe is just slipped into the cast iron, rather than use a proper fitting.

Any thoughts on how to solve these in the short term? I'm thinking caulk the joints with plumbers mait - not ideal, but if it stops the smell then I could look at a more substantial solution. The pipes are all buried in the walls, along with a shower bilge pump (so I really don't want to be cutting holes for access, since it will expose an electric element to the splash zone).

Properly annoys me to see shoddy work like this. The bathroom fit was done for the previous occupant who had mobility issues, and it cost £12k. The room is 2.25 square metres.

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frustratingly the new pipework for the heating in our bathroom had a connection that failed and leaked into the kitchen below. Seems like they didnt properly test the system before putting the floor down as it was very clearly leaking. The plumber came round and fixed but nicked an electrical cable. As far as I'm aware, it still works but what fix should I expect the electrician to make when they come round later in the week?

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If there's sufficient slack they will cut the damage out and rejoin with wagos.

If there's no slack they will likely use two wago boxes and a short linking bit of wire

Thanks, assumed that would be the case. There is plenty of slack inside the room. Going to be tight cutting it though as it’s about 5mm from the wall.

Quote sanity check?

Overboard and skim 4x4m ceiling
Board and skim archway (maybe 3.5m wide, 1.8m each height)

Labour, materials, VAT = £1800. Bristol based.

Higher than I’d hoped but is that the going rate now?

The plumber came round and fixed but nicked an electrical cable. As far as I'm aware, it still works but what fix should I expect the electrician to make when they come round later in the week?

If you're lucky the electrician will nick the pipe and you'll be back to square one.

Feels high to me. We paid about £3k in Bristol to have ceilings in 4/5 rooms reboarded and the rest of them skimmed.

Does anyone have any experience with Clearwater taps?

I thought they were the forum-approved ones but realised that was Crosswater.

I've gone off the Quooker a bit due to the cost, ongoing costs, and how much cupboard space you lose, but I like the idea of a filter tap.

Filter tap, with a pull out. Clearwater Toledo looks good, any others?

Looking at the cost of a double skin garden wall compared to single. About 7m long and 4' high. Difference in the quotes is about £1,600.

Seems quite a bit to me but must admit I don't have much idea whether or not it is. Any thoughts?

we got the 'Pioneer' - has been absolutely fine for the last couple of years

Difference in the quotes is about £1,600.

What is that as a %?

I'm looking to have some windows made. Recommendations?

Fixed single panes, tilt/turn single panes, fixed roof lights for flat roof (5 degree), openable roof lights for pitched roof, sliding patio doors (3 panes).

Bonus if flat roof light could also be openable and have internal blinds (both motorised).

Also looking for recommendations for a smart-controllable vent for the flat roof.

Someone previously mentioned Klar as a supplier but they don't do all of the above. It would be good to check prices as I can adjust sizes and specifications to control budget