All Activity

Call them as well. Usually quicker. If you can go in to the offices and talk to them do so - worked for me before.

Mind giving a breakdown of what you think the costs/return are? I thought you had the panels and inverter system for free. That should make the payback quite easy, even if you have elevated installation costs.

I'm finding some references to needing to submit a commencement notice to the LPA when I commence my build, but for my LPA (surrey) I can't find any suggestion it is needed or how I should do it. There is no CIL here. Do I need to submit a notice? Shall I just email them?

Well i have a digger. But not a narrow trenching bucket. Could buy one, but thats half the hire cost, plus wont be neat like this. Discussion have been had, hence going back to a DC cable. That way i have no real limitations plus allowing for future expansion. Payback is still hopless though. Im still questioning my sanity. It only really makes sense if electricity prices continue to rise much quicker than inflation. My judgement is that they will. If they dont, frankly its pointless.

Even better

Depends on the cost of labour. Compared to 'free' labour sure. But it's a big job to dig by hand solo, especially if not a spring chicken. Good, worth making sure you have talked through what you are doing with them. Better to find out now that they need something specific rather than after you've filled the trench in.

cant help but think a newel post on the end and a glass panel between that and the wall might be nice. If not a stud wall into the existing, CT1 on the steels for the footer?

An expensive way to dig a trench though! I do have someone if i need them. Ill be doing all the work though. Slowly. Mounting the panels in a cost effective manner, than can resist serious wind, and be close to a vertical angle is my current challenge, especially after the increased costs of 100m of DC cable.

No need, they are going in the lake.

Should be laying GSHP pipes while your at it!

The proper way to dig a trench! Glad to see you moving forward. Have you got someone lined up to get the electrics hooked up and signed off?

@scottishjohn thanks for your reply, I have read a few bit on here not sure if I’ve read this yet but will have another look through the forum. the floor in question is an old existing slab which has been covered with click flooring for over 20 years. I was hoping to just apply about 6-7mm of self level compound to raise it up and that would be ok to apply glue and lvt, I don’t think the existing floor is to bad. this is a pic of it and you might be able to make out the rust on angle bead too.

Take a look at the numptys who failed to expand the National Grid to deliver the electricity to where's it's used: National Grid PLC. Fortunately their planning powers were stripped from them in 2024 and given to the new National Energy System Operator, owned by the Government. They are showing signs of being more competent in prioritising connections, at least: https://www.energynetworks.org/industry/connecting-to-the-networks/connections-reform

Ah, good to hear. You have the very same set up as myself.

After much deliberation, going to run DC. Will add a year to payback time though Cracking on

I'd just bring out a stud wall to the top step to ~1m height.

there is another thread on moisture content in new floor bottom line is if you want a super job -first you need to make sure its totally flat if any doubt hire a grinder and flatten it then you need to use a moisture gauge if its an old floor there should no moisture in it if there is you have to start thinking about rising damp through it only then do start asking about adhesives when i had my new floor laid they wanted it down to 3.5% -- If i wanted not to wait and do it at 4,55% then the adhesive was twice the price even if you go for self levelling -- it is unlikley to be flat enough to just lay directly without grinding for a perfect job and again you need to do the moisture checks -- it will not be a moisture proof barrier theres a perfect floor all made from little bits

I could've been clearer, I was actually thinking in the context of @Gus Potter's suggestion... If one end is fixed to the exisitng wall and the other end is built around a post slotted between the two steels, you'll avoid any wobble. I don't think a solid baluster wall will look bad at all by the way!

Thanks for all the replies. Sorry I wasn't able to respond yesterday, cos I know it's annoying when someone asks a question and then disappears. I'm not sure if I know how to answer all of your questions but I will try. I live in a wee town in southern Scotland, so nobody here is a shower snob. It just needs to be there so that I can call it a 2 bathroom property when I sell. If there are flow issues with having both showers on at once then I think that would be for the new owner to find a work around - ie not using them both at once mebbe... That wouldn't be tested as part of the Home Report survey. It does need to work properly on its own merits though. The flat is a double-upper on an upside down layout so most of the bedrooms are downstairs, but I am creating a new bedroom upstairs, for which the second shower would be logical. I don't know a great deal about the hot water system as I didn't get it fitted. I've also only had combi systems in the past. I can do plumbing ie fit new things, adjust pipework etc, but the bigger picture here is a bit beyond my understanding, hence the question. There's a pressure vessel that needs topped up from time to time so I would say it's a pressurised system. The cold water tank sits directly above the hot water cylinder in an airing cupboard type arrangement. It's a substantial size ie 950l x 550w x 600h. The hot water tank is 1080mm tall by 480mm dia. It copes with two consecutive showers quite easily before the hot water is depleted. The shower downstairs is pretty much what you have linked to @Nickfromwales I think. I remember replacing it like-for-like a few years ago and it costing north of £200. Most of the pipework in the boiler cupboard is 22mm, with the exception of the pipes going to and from the expansion vessel. The pipes feeding the downstairs shower are 15mm. It takes its cold feed from the header tank, not the mains. I'm thinking that I will just need to pony up for another power shower like the linked one. It would be the easiest re electrics too now that I think it through. I don't think a mixer shower would work as I don't reckon there's enough pressure.

get three quoted and treat sales spiel with some caution but by the time you have 3 quotes you should have an idea of what you want and price range triple glazing is only really to deaden outside noise difference in heat loss is minimal

Looks awfully simliar to this method of construction, just with the added void (of which I like the idea). Not dismissing what the gentleman has done, but the applicability maybe limited, unless extensive (not cheap) testing takes place to make it an acceptabel method for building in the UK (separate testing for England and Wales vs Scotland?)

wisteria -- that what i would be considering you can train it around all your windows etc needs trimming twice a year -but not as invasive as ivy

good idea but i think it will just grow past it

you must like working on ladders cos you will be doing it a lot to keep the ivy in check is no other plant that can do the same --and that flowers

here is the picture