Just wanted to share an update on the house situation and some of the things that we have learned along the way.
Deliveries can be a nightmare
We ordered the two bathroom suites which were arranged for delivery but when we managed to get to the house to check some time later they were missing. The builders didn’t report having seen them and the bits weren’t exactly discrete, one being a bathtub! We called the supplier and turns out they had only partially delivered the order (the toilets… yay?) as they were unable to get the pallets off the truck. Then they took it back to the warehouse, marked the delivery as ‘delivered’ and didn’t tell us. We chased up the supplier to be eventually told they were sat in a warehouse.
Learning: it may sound obvious but always actively do an inventory of the delivery items, even if it cannot be immediately after delivery as they may not have delivered them! Also be aware they may have on the system that the order is delivered and this will cause havoc if they use a third party for delivering the items who will tell you the order is complete…
The steel beams get in the way
We had to reorganise the shape of the ensuite bathroom in the loft several times as we’d had this idea to include a long shower unit with a light well over it. Then this wouldn’t fit with the insulation, then we couldn’t turn it around due to the lightwell then we needed to move the toilet to be the other side of the steel beam and the other side of the room which meant moving the door. We brought a shower tray
Learning: always think and rethink the way the steel beams will lie and how this could impact your plumbing. The allowable drops and horizontals are very specific. Check where a shower tray waste will go.
Check measurements the builders are using
At some point we realised that the builders had measured the available gap for the bifold doors incorrectly and not accounted for the additional space required for the insulation or underfloor heating. This meant the floor would need to be lower in order to accommodate the additional height of the doors, either with a step down or through relaying the entire floor which was going to prove very expensive.
Learning: Check the builders are talking to each other. Double check their calculations and check again.