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Just make sure you foam or mastic any gaps either side of the blocks so the SLC doesn’t just disappear down south.

Where are you suggesting the new trench? On top of the wall underneath the outlet?

The output ranges in that data table aren't exactly like for like, but it indicates that the larger unit is more efficient across the whole range of ambient temps, so a more cautious approach in selecting the 'next size up' should not significantly compromise efficiency and running costs.

Unfortunately, our site is quite tight on space and a large machine is not practical. Limited to 1.7 ton

thanks that's not a bad idea

We are entering our first winter in our self-built timber frame house. ChatGPT created a graphic and I thought people might like to see it. With MVHR the good and bad news is that room temperatures tend to equalise; and the rate of cooling is slow so nighttime temps are very similar to daytime temps. On that basis we have just one thermostat on the ground floor which is set to 21c. 220m^2 across three floors. No heating upstairs. Tesla Powerwall 3 to store solar. We only exported about 10kwh in November.

Checked - it's as I thought, they are going to fix a strip of the ash to the cross batten, they have already done this on the tall window (photo looks a bit odd due to it being an angled reveal + the camera perspective). We are not going to worry about weep holes because: ventilated cavity, small gaps between the half lap boards, and its a relatively sheltered east facing wall. The window itself is set back from the cladding and very well sealed.

I am close by today, but don't fancy the 7 hour drive back in the dark.

You wont find dealers selling diggers at £6k. Too old and will inevitably have wear etc. Most dealers are simply not going to get involved. Auctions, private sales etc are where you will find them. But there are not many, as most get exported.

Have your building control or local council given you the address?

Good approach. You will learn as you go along, by making mistakes! Best to understand as much as possible before you start. See if you can meet someone locally who has already been through it all, always good to have a buddy.

We're working on that

AI "The revenue from the Crown Estate goes to the UK government's Treasury, also known as the Exchequer, not to the Monarch personally. Each year, the Monarch surrenders the entire net revenue profit in exchange for the Sovereign Grant, which is provided by the government to fund official duties and the upkeep of occupied royal palaces."

I would be more concerned that you actually discovered the steel and you can put your hand on it. It should be fully insulated not hidden behind the plasterboard uninsulated.

You don't worry about it. The heat loss will be miniscule. For perspective, you could counter it by closing the front door a second more quickly or turning a light off for 10 seconds... I'm guessing. Depending how much space you have, it makes it easier to screw or glue a timber or ply plate to the steel, and then the box fitting is by wood screws.

Bigger machines tend to be cheaper, i.e a 5 ton or over, 3ton and less tend to have a premium as you can tow these with a car / truck. you'll only have to transport it once to site. Don't forget Big machines are way more fun😄 https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/862980039433580/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3Ac613b793-7289-40dd-b38f-23a385b4addc&__tn__=!%3AD 7.5K https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1322188182925413/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3Ac613b793-7289-40dd-b38f-23a385b4addc&__tn__=!%3AD

Agreed. That's a start and may solve the water thing. Maybe that's enough, but my concern is that it is a wall by a builder and not technically designed. I guess if it is ever overloaded by the land above it won't collapse just crack or rotate. @slystallone if you do that, where can you take the drainpipe from the end of your new trench?

We registered our address with the council in June and they said they notify Royal Mail amongst others but our address is still not appearing on the Royal Mail Postcode Finder. So I tried the Postcode Finder: Report an incorrect or missing address facility but it only accepts the new address if you have moved in or are moving in within the next two weeks. Which is a real pain because we have people wanting to deliver to the address regularly, MCS certificates and warranties needing to be registered to the address, etc. etc. I've told them via the facility that we've moved in even though we haven't - I'm now hoping Royal Mail don't tell* the council or else they'll be on our case for council tax! * Since RM don't seem to able to tell themselves about our address I doubt they'll be telling anyone else. Immediately after submitting the 'missing address' request via RM's online form I get an undeliverable email notice: "Delivery has failed to these recipients or groups: postcode.enquiry@royalmail.com" but also another email from RM stating: "Thank you for sending us your updated address request. We're currently experiencing higher-than-usual volumes, so it may take a little longer to reply than usual. If you've already been in touch, please be assured we'll respond as soon as possible." I don't hold out much hope of progress! Hey-ho.

Does your plot have *any* permission on it? If not, you need to start right there.

Before you start any ideas about drilling into this wall you need to actually figure out what the problem is. start by clearing the top area and all that growth that is obstructing you getting a clear understanding of what is going on. it is clear from the picture that the water is running over the top of the wall, it should not be, so figure that out before knee jerking and drilling holes in an otherwise perfectly good retaining wall.

So you didn't directly address the first reason for refusal and made only a minor change to somewhat address the second? It sounds like you had misgivings about the consultant's approach and maybe should have trusted your instincts - what did they submit that was likely to change the decision? Because on the face of it, the planners were almost bound to refuse again. If the consultant addressed this up front and suggested you'd need to go to appeal to keep the original design then your course is surely set that way, but otherwise they so far haven't demonstrated much understanding of the local planners or how to address the reasons for refusal and I'd be tempted to scale down a bit in a fresh application as it'll be quicker and lower risk. E.g. Make the garage into a smaller extra room but with the width reduced a bit and set back to still allow parking by the tree, look to utilise the loft space, perhaps accept going to 3 bed. You may help retain the value of the original property too by making it's new neighbour less overbearing.

Yup. CT1 to hold both the XPS to the steel and the box to the XPS. Don’t use bare XPS as it’s quite friable, get something like Jackoboard or tile backer board, the type with the grey gritty surface coating to accent adhesives, and that’ll hold up much better. I’d use a pvc conduit back box here, and defo not a metal one here. You can still bury that and plaster to the edges of it, so zero chance of cold getting any further from the steel than you want. The conduit boxes aren’t as fragile as the regular surface mountable back boxes, as they’re made from a different, softer plastic. Link Tbh the entire rising faces of this steel should be clad with the insulation material, not just where the socket box is.

You're spot on with not having a grasp on what's going on, but thats why im asking questions! We're right at the beginning, not even applied for planning permission yet. No surveys beyond paper searches done. Im looking across the whole process and trying to fill the worst gaps in my understanding

Are you in the Wiltshire area? Any recommendations of good groundworks people?

It can be done with some planning and persuasion. We got water and electrics on the same road closure.