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These worktops often arrive with the cut out not fully formed, to give it more strength when moving and fitting.

The cardboard tubes are good for protecting metal profiles. I use a chop saw to cut them up for disposal.

There was, and still isnt, any possibility of collective action by everyone to do what needs to be done, before we consider there are no guarantees that even if we did it would make any useful difference. Human behaviour being what it is, it was always going to be that way. Adapation was and is the only realistic route forwards.

We had a 6-7m long metal roof panel delivered as the roofer was one short. Came on a rigid flat bed. Was on 2 long, separate pallets with an upturned sacrificial panel on top to prevent damage; very good to see that initiative! Delivery driver arrives, pokes his Moffatt in each pallet and up she goes…….and in half she bends, literally. Driver looks at it bemused, and plods on with dropping it off anyways. Replacement panel arrives on a lorry without a Moffatt and he says he’s waiting on another lorry to turn up with one on that he can use. I say “get (expletive deleted)ed” and instruct the guys on site to take it off by hand. First driver had 1 more brain cell than a plant. Ffs. 🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️.

It’s what I do / have done, in every single kitchen and bathroom job I’ve ever done. Dulux Diamond for the finish stuff in kitchens for most folk, or appropriate bathroom paint from whoever. 2 coats on brand new plaster in the same day, and customers think I’ve gone the whole 9 yards. Contract stuff is fine to leave on ceilings, but it isn’t very good on walls as it’s quite chalky and doesn’t wipe at all well. I use it sacrificially, for obliteration, and as above for use as a paint-come-filler for the very minor imperfections that you cannot see with the eye (until you pole sand lightly to show any defects). You must leave this to go bone dry before sanding, and I only say to dilute 10% water if spraying; current client is about to go full on Picasso and that’s the instructions for dilution from Wagner. Depends on how fussy you are whether you pole sand ceilings, or not, but my go-to plasterer is on site atm and he is shit hot, so very little needs doing tbh; he’s incredibly fussy in corners etc, and is pretty much the best plasterer I know or have ever met. If the plasterer is of ‘lesser finesse’ then you’ll have it “all to do” downstream and will soon regret not getting someone better. He’s Coventry based, and if anyone needs (wants) an exceptionally good spread then PM me for his contact details. He’s also an excellent external renderer, and does micro-cement and Venetian (etc) plasterwork. He has pics of some of the jobs he’s done and it’ll blow you away! Tres bien It’s all in the finish folks, and you’ll be staring at it in every room for the next couple of decades or more, and if that’s not right then what was the point in getting everything else behind it A1?

There was a warning about that back in 2005: ...the less mitigation we do now, the greater the difficulty of continuing to adapt in future. Strong and early mitigation has a key role to play in limiting the long-run costs of adaptation. Without this, the costs of adaptation will rise dramatically. ...it is already very clear that the economic risks of inaction in the face of climate change are very severe. It is still possible to avoid the worst impacts of climate change; but it requires strong and urgent collective action. Delay would be costly and dangerous. Stern Review final report What does he think now? Given that we are already into dangerous territory where tipping points may be close, the agreed targets of the Paris Agreement – well below 2 °C and efforts towards 1.5 °C – require net zero by 2050. Breaching of those targets involves very serious risks of outcomes which would be catastrophic for billions of people ...although it is late, it is not too late to make a profound difference to the prospects for future generations. Wise and purposive action can not only drastically reduce the risks but also lead us to a new growth path that is much more attractive than what went before ...the cost of inaction far outweighs the cost of action. Indeed, we should speak in this context of investment rather than cost. The Growth Story of the 21st Century

Yes. You are overdoing it. And another completely unnecessary new thread, whereas you should have just carried on in the existing one!!!! I have suggested this a number of times, but you seem intent to ignore the polite nudges.

Spineless, and likely incompetent assholes, and the project will benefit from their absence.

The black ducts are for the 2x rotary isolators, 1 per heat pump.

Days whizzing past like hours atm, sorry! I have pics of the external stuff too, just having to go bloody resize the pics so I can upload.

I've always used a physical template in thin plywood. It is an expensive item to get wrong.

My sink came with something similar:

Plenty on here have calculated and ended with huge numbers. The period of time when you get the heat gains is pretty short, and generally solar gain. Just get a small unit and run it longer. If you are wanting to cool with limited solar gain (it's just hot outside) you are only cooling less than 10 degs, so listen to @G and J about realistically sizing.

I appreciate what you are saying. A common complaint on BH is about SE's over engineering founds or say BC coming out and saying they need to be much deeper. For all. SE's don't deliberately over engineer your founds, if they did it would be a lack of duty of care not least. They have to balance what information is available against the risk. Often the reference point is say the NHBC regs, maybe BC regs. These in lots of cases can be very conservative. Often a Client has spent little time or money on even understanding the ground, the trees (species and height not least), looked at the local and wider topography, possible perched water table, the topography and where ground water may be flowing form and to. @Bonner if you are serious about buying a site that may have "issues" then you need to find a good SE that can help you. I have commercial Client's that keep me on a "retainer". They can phone me up for a 30 min chat for free, it usually ends up much more as we touch base, ask about family and so on, then get back to business, it's good fun. If I need to chip in and commit in writing then I charge a fee, which they are happy to pay as they appreciate the value I bring. Over time I teach them and they can progress under their own steam.. it might seem to the cynical I'm doing myself out of work.. but the more successful they are, the other parts of the design come my way. Now in terms of trees. The key thing is to learn about how they grow, different root depths, types of roots and how they influence the soil depending on soil type. Next is to understand ground water and typical soil profiles in the areas where you may wish to buy a plot. @Bonner Here is a play. Sometime it's best not to be discrete when pitching for a plot! If the plot is a bit blighted you figure out you own solution, don't tell anyone. Put you own value on it but publicise potential issues so your competition backs off! It also brings the seller to the table to spell out what challenges the plot presents. If they are that nosey and raking about about on BH then it's fair game? OK how does that apply to a first time self builder wanting to buy a plot. In the current market there are fewer plots with "clean hands", the ones available often command a premium. The ones with mucky hands are often avoided by developers, but they present a great opportunity to self build. They go a a lower price, but if you don't want to loose you shirt then you need to find say an SE like me or really know your onions. Your best bet is probably not me !, try and find someone local first. You need to find a local SE or a designer that really knows their stuff. Now the fee is going to be more, but a good designer will make sure they wash their face fee wise and will steer you towards the right price to pay for the plot.

I’ve wrestled with this one, but I calmed down when I thought about the fact that the power of the smallest unit was similar to the heating power needed to maintain 21°C internal when it is -3°C outside. At that point i concluded that the smallest unit will more than do. Bit like our ASHP actually.

@jack Thanks for answering my questions. With the help of everyone on here, I feel happier moving forward with an A2A unit

After the advice you gave I believe I have a clearer idea of what is required. Are you able to post some pics of the preferred method you would use in my wall type? Agreed! The areas most affected areas are the ground floor (main living area) and the top floor (3rd floor, single large craft room). How would I calculate the amount of heat that needs to be removed? Or a resource I can use to help with this? I have historic data of internal/external temp and humidity.

I'd feel really nervous about how this is going...ditto for your hob post.....how can you confirm the measurements are "right" if you don't have measuring positions, same equipment, all the facts about what can and can't be done...? In contrast out fitters came to template (physical sheet material took circa 2 hours for kitchen and utility) and that was the point at which we discussed finer detail such as how far back tap was etc. From that point in it was their measurements; their job to match slab to the measurements; their risk. We were never asked to "sign off" other than confirming the slab we had chosen. Are they actually asking you to confirm the drawings or are you acting out of caution? Btw very similar sinks (Franke) 5mm overhang all round (no accessories on sink ledge). Our old place was closer to flush (was indeed a stonemason who branched out into worktops) ....we prefer the larger over hang as, to us, it appears more finished.

Few ways to look at flow rates. 1. Determine loop length and set flow rate 2. Auto adjust actuators, these read flow and return temp and set flow rate to achieve to pre programmed differential temperature. 3. Mine are set fully open - the highest flow rate (by reading the flow meters) are tweaked down, similar to that as discussed by @Nickfromwales. I have also further adjusted to get room temp close to where I want. Wouldn't get too hung up on exact flow rate for each length, open flow meters fully. Set circulation pump to achieve close to 2 to 2.5L/min and leave it at that. Then adjust any loops that are over 2.5L/min down with the flow meters. Your thermostats will do the rest.

Sounds like an deveoping outbreak of common sense. Ie, adapt. Sadly, we will have no money left to adapt after spending it all trying to stop it.

Any advice regarding forward/backward positioning of an induction hob ? I attach the template drawing which has a hob cutout 503mm wide for a 526mm hob in 655mm wide 30mm quartz. Plan says cut out goes 95mm from front edge and then 57mm from the back edge. We were thinking push the hob back so the extractor in the wall unit above works most effectively - are we over doing it ? is there any reason to make the gap at the back larger ? Will be cut out from a single piece with no join - so hopefully 57mm quartz strip at the back is wide enough not to break or crack ?

But doesn’t each loop need a different flow rate depending on lengths?

So I have three zones. Heat source is valiant ecotec boiler. According to the Salus I have to have the flow metres fully open and the let the actuator do it magic. If that’s the case my concern is the the flow rates on the manifold and what they should be set to for all three zones

My measurements... So now can see there is a 'cut back' on the wall section, so the 227 reveal has to be added to 643 = 870. But at the left hand wall the worktop has to be 648.5 or 5.5mm deeper to reach the wall. Seems odd. The wall section thay have as about 1.5mm less than the actual of 870mm - a reasonable allowance perhaps of 1.5mm short of the window frame ? But the wall section on the far left they have a worktop depth of 640.3 but the actual is 648.5 - an unreasonable gap of 8mm between back edge and the wall. No reason for this unless they can only cut right angle corners - which surely cannot be true as some people would have angled worktops by design. (Anyone know if the saws they use are like band saws/jig saws, or big circular saws that can't change directions ?)

I I think these are the type of screws for hangers etc. https://www.tcfixings.co.uk/product/simpson-tx20-csa-connector-screws-50mm-x-35mm/17499?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17347847741&gbraid=0AAAAADfLLCp7Mywl_VK9JlivX3AWSyoTk&gclid=Cj0KCQjwk5nVBhDiARIsAHNGqadLNGLJMo6ttMmHRe1au_g_ycT8PQaa09USMbr3oTc-UsjKuZZcrDoaAqAKEALw_wcB Normal screws are not suitable, these have a shoulder to fit the hole.