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With that level of insulation and such a small space, don't fit a WBS, you will melt the first time you light it.

Guidance seems to suggest that specifically designed low tog rating underlay and carpets should be used to allow for efficient heat transmission, but is it really necessary in my situation? Bit of background.... We have a wet UFH system throughout the whole house. Ground floor loops are laid on 150mmish insulation above the slab and set within a 100mm screed. First floor set within those cement board sheets with pre-routed loops then under 5-10mm of latex screed/self levelling compound. The house is very well insulated. Pretty much airtight with an MVHR system. We have an ASHP and the flow temperature to the UFH loops is about 35degrees. The whole house is heated to a constant 21 degrees 24/7. Each room is its own zone controlled by a thermostat and manifold. We want carpets in the 4no upstairs bedrooms, a ground floor bedroom and ground floor sitting room. Surely even if using cheaper standard thickness carpets and underlay the heat energy being transmitted to the room is the same, as there is nowhere else for it to go to. It still makes it's way though the carpet materials and in to the rooms, but may just take a bit longer for the room side surface to react and heat up/cool down, which I think as we keep everything at a constant temperature shouldn't really matter. I would welcome any thoughts. Thanks

Does look like wood fibre board to me also.

AS mentioned above... clearance is a big deal. I've got 2 doors where mats sit too high and the door hit them. Not my mistake obv.. it was a concrete and lino floor and just putting tiles down caused a clash. Next time I woul cut out matwell. Thinks.... don't put ufh pipes right at the doors.

Why that much? Over thinking things. You can use passivhaus principles for any build. Main things are thermal bridges, continuous insulation, form factor, airtightness. So you need to consider ventilation.

My concern on SIPS is my own ignorance. That to a large extent is because they don't seem to aim at the professional contractor market... which to me suggests that it isn't commercially competitive. I see the systems used in Architect led projects where the end result seems very expensive to me... so I (cynically?) suspect that they do target the public at self build exhibitions, and some architects who are , unlike designer-contractors, not so aware of the real cost. Hence quotes I have seen on here and elsewhere will exclude steels that may be needed, interfaces, perhaps even insulation targets. Thus beware. absolutely. To know how it works out in real life the pros on here need to know more. The self builders who have used sips may well be very happy with the results, but have probably not got experience of other ways. But they will advise of what, if anything, to beware of. My gut feeling suggestion is to you, as a self builder who wants lots of hands on and economy , is 'stick build'. It fits, and is sympathetic to newbies*... it offers second chances. But you won't see that at exhibitions. * that would include theoretical me if without builder help. Strip footings, stud build, timber cladding, timber roof, metal sloping roofing, or tiles.

That's what I was thinking.....just makes the approach to main bed more straight forward.....the corridor could be either 'public' or part of the main bed eg. drawers/ dressing table/window seat?

Need to see the whole floor layout and the ground floor for context. And don't be afraid of moving stairs, not as difficult or as expensive as you might imagine. In your first drawing you're losing a lot of valuable space to corridor.

Would it be possible to design a Shepards hut on a passive house principle ? This would be a pretty big maybe 3 x 6 metres internally , and clad in galvanised corrugated sheets. The design would take into account up to 300mm of PIR insulation, maybe vacuum panels in the front door and there would certainly a small wood stove. What would the design need to consider ?

You're not a proper DIYer until you've put a foot through a ceiling.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. No problems with door clearance as for whatever reason the inner door is set up as you can see in the picture. The floor under the carpet tiles is suspended so no problems setting it in when I replace the existing, non water resistant, no T&G chipboard. Really like the idea of two mats and rotating them in between cleans

@Nickfromwales I am considering putting some 50mm PIr board up on the walls then plasterboard on top on 2 walls. I think it would improve the insulation of the room. I have attempted to knock the existing plasterboard off but its not coming off very easily. So my plan: dot and dab PIR to the wall Use insulation anchors into the PIR and the wall Drywall screw the plasterboard into the PIR board. What do you think?

Generally valued per sq ft or m. Round my way approx 3500 m2. More important are the numbers though would it really make such little difference like 20 quid a year in energy?

The same could apply with a double-skin timber frame with much more choice of insulant and a more 'permanent' 'feel' (both of those 2 words pretty vague in meaning in this context, but clear to my old brain).

I wouldn't be selling it as for my home but I just can't see the justification for the wider cavity. 50 year payback is insane. Also 3m2 is enough for a little ensuite or cloakroom, it adds up.

Add it the outside if you wanted. Do people in the UK buy by the ft² or m², thought they bought by number of bedrooms and that was about it. Hence big builders building shoebox sized houses with loads of bedrooms.

why ply? Why not plasterboard? Some of my sloping soffits have thin wood-fibre (40-50 year-old), plastered over, and almost certainly as an underdrawing to knackered lath and plaster (This year's job to remove and insulate with 260mm wood-fibre and lime plaster over (yes, had the structural calcs done!). The plaster on the aforementioned thin WF causes it to sag, so it looks cr*p.

We have recessed mat wells at our front door and utility room door. I think they work really well (pardon the pun). They look better than having a mat lying on the floor, imo. The mats we have are rubber-backed coir. We don't do more than vacuum them now and again, and they seem to have worn fine after 10 years of constant use. I seem to recall it was a little difficult/expensive to get a mat large enough for one of the wells, which is admittedly very wide. We didn't do a well for our back door, because it's right in the kitchen and would have looked odd. As it turned out, the gap underneath that door is so small that we can't have any sort of mat there, which isn't ideal. If I were doing that one again, I might have worked out a way to do a shallow well, perhaps sized to accept carpet tiles.

Thanks, I'll buy both sets and see which works better. Maybe foam the buggery out of them too

This is what it would look like @G and J I would have to move the ensuite out of that bedroom and create a new one in a new master bedroom Would it be acceptable or look odd?

Thanks. It really was a nightmare to start with. I am most impressed that I didn't managed to put my size 13's through any of it. I would say they are relatively soft. There is a lot of sag in them now, to the point now where some are beginning to give way. Artex actually makes sense as the pattern is not consistent throughout. If that's the case I can potentially just replace with equivalent thickness of ply and try to replicate the pattern.

We have one of these, albeit outside, but I dont see any reason it won't work in a mat well. A good shake occasionally and it's clean. Would work in an internal entrance/boot room. https://musthaveideas.co.uk/products/dirt-defender

I have not tried the BG ones you linked to but I have used these https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/FB4235.html

As above, even though I dislike the things. Just remember to make two mats so you can replace the dirty one with a clean one, giving you time to pressure wash and dry the dirty one, and repeat.

Hello folks! I am currently trying to acoustically all my back boxes which with metal ones is quite straightforwards. I put caulking around the edges, pop the cable through and then add my acoustic putty to the back as shown below. The issue is with 'fast fix' boxes which have been liberally used all over. Which sadly until I was plastered didn't realise had been used so far through my build. They are littered everywhere which is very unfortunate since we literally had open studs and could have used metal ones everywhere. Anyway, right now this is presenting me a real issue since I cannot install pattresses and install the standard metal ones, I cannot add wood to the sides to screw from the front into since I am plastered. Does anyone have any suggestions? Simply put I need to get the backboxes in and fixed solid which will then allow me to 'finish' around the edges, backs and side with my acoustic seal and putty and it not move again. I am thinking some of these may do the trick which seem to have a spring which lightly clamps them in until the faceplate is installed? Or is there any available with ratcheting type lugs? Or maybe foaming the boxes in? https://www.builderdepot.co.uk/bg-2-gang-47mm-fire-rated-dry-lining-box-hgs07-fr