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I am about to plasterboard the ceiling and need to work out how I can make the driver accessible from below in case it fails. From memory I think our electrician had allowed for it to be placed close to where the wiring for our smoke detector will come through the ceiling.......but now I dont understand this logic because the hole for the wiring will not be large enough in diameter to pull through a driver down the line......so I am puzzled about what he was getting on about. I think in another room he mentioned putting the driver near a downlight - that I can see more sense with as the downlight can be taken out and the hole diameter will be wide enough to pull the driver through. I guess with this option you would just need to take care to leave enough slack in the cabling and some way to make sure that the cable passed right above the hole for the downlight. Are there any better options? ie can you get circular plugs the diameter of a downlight that you can fit as a simple access panel?

I'm wondering how to approach a project where I need to replace all of the 1970s/80s aluminium double glazed windows of a property in south west Surrey. The main problem is there are lots of windows and some of them are large, and I want to do it to a reasonable thermal spec (lots of glass area = heat loss) while on a limited budget. To give an idea, there are 11 windows and 5 doors (inc 3 sliding patio doors) - the doors are roughly 2.4m x 2m and the largest window is 3m x 1.2m. To keep the budget under control I'm probably looking at uPVC. What might be options for suppliers? I can of course ask the local firms around to quote, but I'm wondering if there's any good value 'IKEA' or 'DIY Kitchens' kind of fabricators who I can source the windows from and then find someone to install (I know someone who might do it). I know there's plenty of 'buy windows online' kind of places but I don't really know who are good companies beyond just random Googling, and many of the quoting tools don't say who makes the profile they're using so it's hard to gauge quality. There used to be a window factory down the road but it's now a block of flats...

Usually yes, unless they’re chinesium.

What ICF system is it? Nudura for eg are Canadian, so you get imperial gapping of the integral bracing, so choose what will make 1st fix a doddle. You’ll get 3 rows of screws in, but the ones at the end will be into EPS.

It’s not belt & braces, it’s basic minimum detailing. Anything less will simply fail long term, then you’ll have pull it all back off and do it properly at 3x the cost!

Hi there Rick. Good idea, bit I really want to replace cable for a mouseproof one.. afaik this didn't cause the kitchen spur or any, to trip the fuse. And I can't access behind the cabinets to seal up holes/ so mice will still be able to have another go. I will have to do this if I can't get into the housing tho.

Although ours is woodcrete ICF we did 50mm battens and added a osb giving plate to top of wall for wiring. 50mm is good for any plumbing you run up or down the wall. Zero carving out the polystyrene in your case.

Definitely not a developer,just more of a project to be honest

Not 100% correct yet but the detail on a procedural tree can be insane. Snow accumulates and bends individual branches. At a certain point branch will shed the snow and 'flip' back. Intend to do similar with rain i.e. rain accumulates so even when rain has stopped branches/foliage can still drip.

Can you show us the damage to the cable? If it's tricky to access, maybe you can just cut it shorter and put a plug/joint on the shorter cable?

Hi there Onoff. I can clearly see this one I'm pointing to in pic 1, but even a flat s'driver trying to prize this clip up, only gets so far.. it feels like there at least one other clip, rearside or something.. Lord knows how I could get to/ pic 2. Thanks. Zh

We did option 3, 'cos it seemed easier to DiY. We cut slots in the battens for the horizontal cables. We used metric ICF so the panels matched exactly with the ties, but that probably doesn't matter much.

Look for slots that you slip a small flat bladed screwdriver into to open the terminal cover.

Ah. This is a step onward. Ok yup I can easily undo those two silver screws/ which removes the two little black cable clamps. But it's from here I'm at a loss- how to get into this terminal box. I can't really take any better pics: the wee clamps removed doesn't give me anymore logical way of entry. All I can see, is a small clip RHS on the housing.. but prying under this (which seems indeed to be some sort of clip locking two sections of the housing together)... I get nowhere. I just cant 'open' the housing. I'll just break the clip if I go any harder at it. There's defo something else I need to undo or unclip, to get the housing open. But I can't get around rearside of it ( to find another clip or aomething), being pretty obviously inaccessible. Great info about the flex thanks- That's exactly what I had in mind to buy poss tmrw in screwfix.

Hi BB, hope all's well in botusland. Yup those 2 cable clamp screws easily removed (should've said I did those in #1). Then on though.. I'm stumped.

Actually, why am I questioning it?! It won't do any harm to protect the top opening at all, even if it's belt and braces. Ta.

Yeh tractor maybe get a separate policy. You might just find the insurers will want to load the policy if you start adding personal items.

Mind you, AI also says this, depending on what you ask it! At the top of external cladding, you must install a head trim, flashing, or a vented closure profile. This seals the top edge, sheds rainwater away from the wall, and keeps an open gap for necessary cavity ventilation.

Are you saying the non-return valves have a sieve/filter in? I didn't know the ones for mounting on pipes had those. I see the ones in the shower valves do though so makes sense.

Furniture would be worth about 25k, vintage tractor would be worth about 20k, I might phone the NFU that I insure the tractor with to see what they say…

How much are the contents at risk in garage likely to be worth? Will insurance be worth the hassle?

Hi, Insured my plot through Protek, everything is good apart from one issue, my garage shall be constructed before the house, I plan to use the garage for storing building materials, tools, plant. All this is covered by Protek with no issues, only issues I have is I intend to sell my current house and temporarily stay in my static caravan offsite and place some personal belongings such as furniture, vintage tractor in the new build garage until the house is ready, Protek can cover everything but personal belongings, does anyone know of any insurance companies that would cover personal items in a locked up garage, my idea was to store items in the garage to avoid putting stuff in storage and technically only doing one move, any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated…

What's the best way to secure plasterboard to ICF internal walls? Option 1 - I've seen some people talk about screwing it directly to the strengthening plates in the ICF. Seems like a quick and logical solution but I presume it means having to chase conduits into the ICF to allow for electrical/plumbing runs? Not a major issue, especially with one of those heated wire tools and the cables probably need to be sheathed in plastic/metal protection. Is there an issue regarding a lack of ventilation between the plasterboard and the polystyrene? Option 2 - dot and dab. Well-known/popular way to fix plasterboard but how well does it stick to the ICF polystyrene? Also seems a bit old fashioned for a modern method of building. Option 3 - 20mm battens affixed to the ICF strengthening plates and plasterboard affixed to the battens. Leaves a space behind for cables without cutting into the polystyrene but reduces room size (marginal and also happens with dot/dab) and adds cost for battens. I'm tempted to go for option 1 or 3 but would like to hear from others about what they've done and any other pros/cons people can think of.

Yes, hence asking on here at this early stage! Mind you, I've read a good few things on line suggesting that rain can and will get behind cladding, and that it's fine. I mean, surely hit and miss cladding proves that cladding isn't intended to act as a proper waterproof screen for the building? This is AI but has good references... Because water gets behind the boards, professional installation relies on a specific design to manage it safely: Vented Cavity: Installers use battens to leave an open air gap (usually at least 25mm) behind the wood. Breather Membrane: A water-resistant yet vapour-open membrane is wrapped over the main structural wall to block water from entering the building. Drainage and Airflow: Gravity pulls water down the back of the cavity, while continuous airflow evaporates any remaining dampness.

If your drawing say 2 off 8x2 I agree with @Oz07 do that, no need to over think it. By the time the 2 pieces are all joined together and fixed in place they aren't going anywhere.