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https://www.wundatrade.co.uk/shop/home/quick-shop/wundatherm-quick-shop/controls-quickshop/actuator-auto-balancing/ They're the dogs danglies. I can tell you that the flow meters are OK and reasonably accurate, but always restrict even when you may not want them to ( eg when a large circuit wants more / full bore heat to satisfy the relative stat when other smaller circuits / zones are up to they're required temps already ), but these will give full flow to all circuits until the return temps come back warm, and then they start to strangle back the flow on the circuits that recirculated quickest, eg ones which would otherwise cause potential bypass issues for the larger circuits. I fit these routinely now where actuators are required, and they are super fast acting too. 10/10 from me.

Yup, muckaway costs what it costs, same as everything. Question is what do you need to allow for and what things to factor in that are part and parcel of the dig. Based on our somewhat massive dig (see the blog) it aint as simple as it seems. These are non-expert observations and based only on what we have seen - your mileage may vary. Ours was approx 600m3 - 'as dug' or 'in the ground' gets a bit immaterial at that point - its just really big and expensive! Firstly you need to understand what the ground is like - to the depth you plan to dig (plus some), and over the whole site. Our clay was relatively easy to dig out but was potentially very messy and sticky. Also we know it was pretty consistent over the site but we did hit a patch of gravel in the clay that meant more sheet piling we had not accounted for. Not picked up on our soil survey btw. Then you need to calculate just what volume to dig (the obvious bit) - you will need at least 1m all round the outside of the slab to allow access, and then you need to batter back (i.e. create a slope to ground level) so it doesn't all fall back in (or sheet pile if you dont have the room). The batter angle (or technically the angle of repose ) depends on the ground conditions so you need to check with your SE on what is a safe angle. You also need to dig deeper than the slab as you will need a sub-base (Type 1), some blinding layer, insulation somewhere, the slab itself, screed, floor covering etc/ So work from FFL downwards and add the extras to the muckaway. BTW dont dig any more than you have to - you can't un-dig and any dug areas you dont need will probably need to be backfilled with brought in materials not your muckaway. As you say the 'in the ground' volume is not the same as the 'as dug' since it 'fluffs up'. I think this depends on the soil type - there are calculators that help (eg https://source4me.co.uk/calculate_excavated_spoil.php) determine volume and weights. Weight is also important as our lorries measured weight load and beeped when they were up to weight - even if there was space to get a few more bucketfuls in you stop at a weight limit. Wet clay is very heavy in winter - summer might have been better - or if you can dig and leave it for a few months to dry before carting it away I am told this helps reduce the cost/weight. I suspect that if you talk to muckaway contractors they will work that out for you - but it might 'fluff up' in the process. Drainage of the site, both when digging and afterwards, are really important - when you dig a big hole it typically fills with water. Our guys very early on dug a temporary French drain - a trench filled with gravel - round the slab. This then goes into a temporary sump and is pumped out and keeps the site dry-ish or manageable. You need to have somewhere to pump to btw. We will get a proper drain later but this temporary one is all extra cost - more digging and gravel in that you probably dont think about. You need to think about the logistics - our site looked huge but when it comes to digging and muckway its really tight. You need to have somewhere to stand the lorries to load them, and you need to make sure they dont get stuck in the mud - or leave half your site on the highway. Our guys dug an off road area, filled it with type 1 and then compacted it, just for the lorries. Hardly a drop of clay on the road - but more muckaway and costs - but a great base for our new driveway. Also there seems like there is a huge amount of skill in digging: first some digging, loading some, moving the digger, making sure you dont dig yourself into a corner and generally thinking a bit before going wild with a big digger. Our biggest time constraint while digging was getting enough lorries in a day - but we were close to the point of not being able to fill them fast enough. If you want to keep some topsoil for landscaping then you need somewhere to store it - or it goes into muckaway and then you buy it back! And you will need some storage area on site - so that might just be where you were planning to store the topsoil! So to summarise the simple steps - get a topo and soil survey so you know where you stand. Then you will need an SE to design the foundations / basement and he (or she) will probably have the biggest cost impact on your whole project cost (if I knew then what I know now!), plus a drainage engineer in our case. Then you work backwards from this and the Architects designs to the hole, how big it is etc etc. Then you can figure just how much it is likely to cost, and how the logistics might work. In our case our GW contractor wasn't able to price the job until the SE had spec'd the concrete and produced the steel bending schedule so it was unknown for a very long and worrying time! So good luck with the project, and hopefully all the above was just a recap for you - I would say that muckaway is the bottom of the iceberg!

just doing this now - the silencer (solid) is going between the unit and the distribution box - can't see why you would want it between the unit & outside.

Thanks for the comments. From what I've now read it looks like the G98 regs should/could work in my favour. I'm thinking to go back to the DNO and say: "thanks for the increase to 3.8kWp. I will now be installing 6.0kWp split equally between an E/W roof using a G98 certified 3.6kW inverter on a fit and inform basis. My electrician will send you the correct testing and completion paperwork. If you're not happy come and take a look yourself." @Nickfromwales No batteries from the outset @scottishjohn If I had 3 phase, 16A per phase would be ample.

UFH is best IF you can get enough under floor insulation. That may be a big or messy job to retro fit. Domestic hot water is no problem. I heat the DHW to 48 degrees with the ASHP. I have a 300 litre unvented cylinder. 48 degrees was chosen by experiment as the hottest I could hold my hands under for any length without it hurting. No point having it hotter than that and no need for an immersion boose (other than using up excess solar PV) The hot water cylinder was almost £1K so that doesn't leave much in your budget. you should get an ASHP for £2K if you shop hard, but then there is all the insulation, UFH or high capacity radiators. I assume you are on Total Heating or something similar. Sounds like you need to ditch that in favour of a single rate tariff or even simple E7 or E10 What is your current heating input requirement? simply look at a years worth of off peak, how many KWH is that. That will give you a good idea of the heat input the house needs so you can work out what size ASHP you are likely to need.

As above, based on recommendations on this site I bought a set to fit onto my 10year old ufh system, needed to crimp the clips that hold the thermocouples though as mine is on 14mm plastic pipe. Also had to slacken the pump connections and rotate the lower manifold forwards to crate a little extra room as they're a touch bigger than the ones originally fitted. Before I was running in excess of 15degrees difference between flow and return because I'd only ever set the flows to the suppliers minimum rates and never optimised it. Was also running a higher supply temp than I am now. Since fitting these they hold a steady 7 degrees or so. Floors seem to have more warmth. Only downside is very slightly more noise, because the flow meters (on supply side of manifold) seem able to throttle the flow fairly quietly when used, they are redundant now do wide open, but the valves on the return side of the manifold seem to create a little more noise when throttling towards lower flows. They save a lot of time commissioning and as mentioned by @Nickfromwales if heating a cold floor open full flow to start with until they see a rise in return temp then self balance, so the floor warms up quicker.

(assuming not Scotland) Classically you would enjoy Christmas, then declutter, primp and prepare in Jan in cahoots with your chosen agent. Then list in mid Feb and push from March, with a concentrated promotional period. Then you need to match what you do to your requirements - price, speed etc. You need to choose the best agent to sell your house, not necessaerily the one who promises the best price. F

I was an estate agent some years ago now and the dead time was always around November until the end of January as people weren’t thinking about moving then and similarly July til September however our local agent assures me this is not the case now?! Problem is if you have it listed during one of these periods it becomes stale and then your prospective buyers are looking for a price reduction.

Remember the old saying. There is quick, good, and cheap. You can only ever have two of those. I am aiming for good and cheap, I have definitely missed quick by several years. The definition of "good" is very open to interpretation. I have aimed for "good" as in lots of insulation, good air tightness, good triple glazed windows (though not too many of them) and mvhr and ASHP. Good quality oak flooring and doors etc. But I have not wasted money on what might be called "bling"

Budgets on here vary wildly and so does the spec As Dave has pointed out much depends on how much you do yourself Paying for trades can soon rack up We finished ours in two years While holding down full time jobs We worked Friday to Sunday and I went to the house for a few hours each evening Every week We didn’t scrimp on the finish All German Bathrooms and Kitchen we came in at 830 m2 On a 5 bed 285 m2 house My wife is a theatre manager in a hospital and has helped out with roofing plastering wiring Fitting windows and doors etc The list goes on Don't underestimate how much you can save by doing a lot of the labour yourself

I can only relate my own build. We started off with a similar sum to "get us started" before the old house sold. Only the old house didn't sell. 5 years later we are living in the house and the end is in sight. It is amazing where you can magic up money from and how if patient enough you can "build as you earn" I have been doing almost all the work myself. We are expecting to complete for £1000 per square metre, the bare wind and watertight shell was just over half that. We lived on site in a static caravan until the house was ready to move into (far from complete when we moved in) Money saving tips. Buy your own digger, use it and then sell it. Very handy to have it there for whenever you need it. And we bought our own Kwikstage scaffold as well Build the garage first. You can never have enough covered storage / work space on a self build.

I don't have the Daikin datasheet, but the with LG 9KW R32 monobloc model I've been looking at the difference in COP between 55C and 65C depends on lot on exterior temperature. It's minimal when it's cold outside, but more significant otherwise: 2C Outdoor: 2.55@55C 2.15@65C 7C Outdoor: 2.66@55C 2.40@65C 10C Outdoor: 3.18@55C 2.55@65C 15C Outdoor: 3.73@55C 2.80@65C 18C Outdoor: 3.93@55C 2.95@65C The flow rate is 25% less @ 65C also on this model, so the recovery rate of Sunamp wouldn't be at good (even taking into account the addition 10C I beleive) We ran some calculations and the loss in COP cancelled out any saving from heat loss. Agree on space saving, but a slimline 300/400L doesn't take up much more floor space that an Sunamp. Also, we considered that if we wanted to ensure high flow rate we'd actually need 2 Sumap's pushing up the capital cost even higher. We've decided to go UVC for now based on the above, but will revist in the spring based on further information or product releases (e.g. a PCM48).

£400 is robbery. Keep ringing round. Make a note of muck lorries when you are driving around. Work out how many you need. Get 20 tonne ones and load them with a large excavator as grab lorries are only good for a few loads.

Understood AB. Thanks for being patient/ comments taken on board. I admit I spiel too much.. no-one's perfect, or can see themselves. But I do try my best to be as clear as possible (yes you'll spit your tea already I know). I will try & keep posts short.. after a full on hammer & tongs OP that is I can't not do that!

@zoothorn, please take a bit more care in formulating your questions. For example, 1) above. You write '.... So a 500 mm exposed area ...' A reader could be forgiven for thinking - is that problem or not? And if it is a problem, then how much of a problem is it? Its a good idea -where possible - to begin the discussion by suggesting answers to your own problem, thus Members can evaluate your answer, or suggest their own answers to the problem. When people see that you have done a bit of thinking of your own, it oils the wheels a bit. Reading through some of your other threads, I got the strong impression that some of the confusion could have been avoided entirely if you had provided some carefully composed images. Its as if you rush to the keyboard to contact BH rather than sit, suck your teeth a bit, look at the issue, think and then after a while write your post. Slow down.

Choice D is also 355mm wide and a non wrap over lid https://www.choicereplacementtoiletseatshop.co.uk/choice-d-shape-universal-pro-toilet-seat-chrome-hinges-ch-506092

Yes I had a similar experience, very helpful discussing options and providing quick quotation. £5590 inc VAT at 0% for 3 phase

Our local farmer took our excess top soil for no cost. He left a 3m3 bucket in our drive which we filled with a wheelbarrow and he took away with a telehandler. We did this six times. A while back we gave him all our excess crushed concrete using the same method. He also did a lot of our early rubble removal and digging out for the sewage treatment plant for which we paid him. Having a friendly local farmer can make life easier when doing building work.

So my mate started with this intending to fit a Geberit wall frame (excuse the repeat pictures): As aforementioned I went to the trouble of mocking something up at home with a spare frame: With the soil in line with the frame it all works: He was moaning he always burns his leg on the rad when sitting on the wc (see first pic above) so moving the wc left alleviates that and it all works. He's sent me pics today. Moaning that he can't for love nor money get a soil adaptor to fit to go from the Geberit to wall soil connections. I explained he needs to move the wc further left: I explained he needs to move the wc further left to which he says "I can't becasuse I want a 500 wide sink and the door will hit it!" Told him to move the Geberit frame left a bit more and rehang the door which he hadn't thought of. No doubt there's a Geberit "straight" pipe available instead of the black right angled one but whatever's quickest at this point! EDIT: Guessing maybe this is the sort of thing that could replace the black elbow that comes with the frame: https://superbath.co.uk/5671/geberit-straight-connector-set-for-wall-hung-toilet-excentered-by-5-cm?number=ISI150104&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6PTMwqjk5QIV1OJ3Ch0zMgJIEAkYCSABEgIdvPD_BwE

As Nick has said you really can’t go wrong with Sonos. If you’re not an audio nerd then you’re unlikely to be disappointed by a Sonos One in each room. Relatively low cost and infinitely expandable. The gen 2 units have voice control builtIn (Google Assistant and Alexa) if that’s your bag. Even if it’s not then you’ll grow to love the simplicity of just asking it to play your favourite music or radio station when you walk into the room. Go buy yourself a Sonos One and try it. If you buy direct from Sonos you’ll get 100 days to try it and if you’re not happy send it back for a refund. As Nick eluded you can go “big” with Sonos. I have 5 central Amps, 3 subs, several standalone speakers and a 5.1 setup using a Soundbar, Play 3’s and Sub in the TV Room. In whole house mode cranked up you can “feel” the music and it’s not muffled, distorted crap either. The only slight draw back is that I have to go round and straighten all the pictures on the walls after an evening of dancing ?????? P.S. I’ve had the dubious honour of having dinner with Sir Cliff. After coffee he pulled out his acoustic and did a few renditions of his classics. My overriding memory is “bloody hell he’s thin”. ? The worse part was we had to drink his own wine from his Portuguese vineyard. It was not exactly great. I believe he’s flogged it now as it was something of a failure.

I'll start the ball rolling with the excellent Naim Mu-so, or it's little brother the Mu-so Qb, it will do what you want, but at a price - which might not be what you want! https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/naim-mu-so-2 https://www.whathifi.com/naim/mu-so-qb/review

This one claims 370mm wide without wrap over lid.. https://www.simplybathrooms.co.uk/product/resolve-maxi-seat-d-shape-slim-soft-close-in-white/

My wife had already decided she wanted 750 deep quarts worktops Which helped me with the fitting I simply ran the wastes a pipes on the surface and fixed two 50 mil timbers to the wall Which gave me a 100 mil service void As pictured

I think he has to pass heating pipes, so by the time you take the 15mm heating pipes, their brackets and the waste pipe to pass that, 80mm is feasible. Moving the units forward is the practical solution for sure. I'd build the whole run, screw them all together, position them to miss the pipework, level the whole lot then contort something to attach them to the wall. Simples.

Forgot to update you with the finished result. Very happy!!!

+1 and when I buy my next house an en suite and dressing room is on the list of essentials.

Personally I love our en suite and would Defo want one if we still had kids about! The dressing room between en suite and bedroom is also good as you don’t have to be “decent” walking from one to another.

Right. The pan is not 600mm wide, so what is the actual bow over the ~360-380mm width of the pan? Not really. The foam will compress in the middle and not at the outer edges, so will be worse than the CT1 as it'll have zero 'grab' as its not an adhesive. Basically you'll be giving the pan something to move on. Dry fit the pan, get it level, and then mask up the tiles and the pan. Loosen the fixings so you have a 5mm gap all round the pan, pump in the CT1 and then re-fit. When you tighten up you'll see the excess CT1 being displaced, and when the centre section stops displacing it you're good to go. Make sure the pan is not off centre or pointing 'in either direction' and then set about clearing off the excess with wipes, then de-mask, and then a final wipe up so there is a gap left for white silicone to be applied as a cosmetic finish ( after the CT1 has fully cured ). Once the CT1 has gone off, the thicker layers at the far left and right will have gone solid and will be creating a fix between the pan and the tiles, vs the foam gasket which would be doing neither.

hell no ??? though i'm not a registered psychiatrist, but you must be close. that's sounds like quite a project, how much work does the falling down grade 2 need? welcome to the forum of those with varying degrees of lunacy.

reading in the quiet vent brochure, it says: "It is recommended to install a flexible or solid acoustic silencer between the ventilation unit and the air distribution box in order to further silence the sound of the fan." and I've also seen other manufacturers say to fit them on the ducts that go to atmosphere. So, I'm a bit confused on what the best practive would be.

Note to other buildhubbers. do NOT let your OH see this thread or you too will be looking for a new seat. Funny how it was not noticed immediately, this pan and lid has been in use for 18 months.

This Riba winner from 2018 was originally burned larch but it had nearly all washed off by the time it entered the competition and now just looks streaky grey. It actually looks pretty good but I think you would be dissapointed if you spent a fortune on black timber and ended up with this. https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/knowledge-landing-page/house-of-the-year-winner-2018