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And even less if you have an export tariff, in which case you'd want to use the market spread - difference between average "buy" and "sell" prices. So about 10p/kWh On the other hand, the point here was batteries allow a system design where ASHP will maximize its contribution to DHW needs from the PV, rather than using the immersion, so allowing the COP of 3+ to come into effect, which does provide a little more economic up-side. Still, at this point anyone installing it is doing so for more than pure economic value alone. (Be it environmental, or the benefit of grid failure backup - which itself maybe an economic justification in these days of home working)

If he is working day rate then it's £250 each and every day. If it's price work then it's £650 for every thousand bricks built.

https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/all-planning-permissions-extended-until-april-2021

I just don't see the tiny house as anything more than a niche housing solution, they work for people who want them to work but it's not something you could roll out generally imo. Small houses are fine, should always be an aim to not overbuild, but that's still some way off a "tiny" house. The thing that needs to chage, rather than the size of house, is the fascination with home ownership! I think there are much more innovative solutions in ideas like co-housing where you have a mix of private space and then shared facilities which you can access...

Nail on head. Sure, cost is a big consideration (and running the ASHP overnight is definitely of potential benefit in that respect), but the environment and at least a degree of grid backup are also important factors to us. We'll definitely add battery storage at some point, it's just a case of waiting for the cost to drop to a level we can live with.

Thanks Joe, Funnily enough I read as much from your post in this thread: Thanks for the tip, it hadn't crossed my mind to do it that way and is exactly why I'm here to get such ideas/advice !

Devils advocate. Putting a door <2000mm on the bottom step would make the stairs non compliant. (need 20000mm headroom) Why not put the door at the top of the flight of steps?

Welcome. *Waves to Dave*

@davidc In the U.K they come with cooling disabled. Cooling can be enabled by adding a "coding resistor" Once again, @Dan F knows the products better than their own sales people.

@davidc In the U.K they come with cooling disabled. Cooling can be enabled by adding a "coding resistor"

You need proper legal advice on exactly what the right of access says. If it grants your plot a right of access that may also apply to another plot created by a split. If they were canny, they would have worded it as a right of access for one dwellinghouse, in which case you will have to start negotiating.

These are our pre-insulated pipes put in below the sub-base. 3 x REHAU RAUTHERMEX 25mm+25mm/111mm DUO PIPE

without knowing anything other than what you cover in your post these are the things that stand out to me. Agreement made in the 80s....fence been there since then? If so, the land isikely theirs now so you have no bargaining chip there - they hold all the aces. Beneficial situation - yep. If their solicitor is any good they will rightly advise their client to milk every penny they can out of you for this. "Until the build is done" - this suggests you may attempt to address the boundary issue at some point. It will be a costly exercise trying to sort that out and you may not win.

If you have right of access over the land this will normally be inherited by the other plot(s) you create. Clear this with your lawyers before submitting your planning application. The boundary issue and the location and ownership of the fence is a separate issue from the access rights and should remain so. Boundary disputes can be acrimonious and expensive to resolve.

I wouldn’t mention the boundary error We had a similar situation that worked in our favor and was advised that fifteen years had past with us maintaining the land in question So it would be to late for someone to reclaim it Dual ownership would be a likely option As soon as you mention building another house You will leave yourself open to paying some money out There was one on GDs recently that held there build up for 12 months While they had access for themselves The farmer Insisted there was no access for there lorrys for there build Settlement was reached on the day of the court hearing Predictably

Presumably in addition to the ransom strip there is something in the deeds to your bungalow (or the ransom strip?) that allows you access but which would prevent access if you split the bungalow plot in two? Have you had the wording of that checked carefully to see if it's enforceable? Many old covenants aren't because of court cases have changed or clarified the rules. One option might be to dream up a scenario for "dual ownership" that requires the neighbours help without mentioning your plans to split and develop the land. Perhaps something like "My brother wants to lend me some money to do up the bungalow but he's asked to be on the deeds in case I can't pay him back. I can't give him half due to this covenant... "

AIUI this varies a lot based mst of all on the installer, rather than the manufacturer. Some will do it without batting an eyelid, some will insist "metering for usage" needs installing, some will tell you you're breaking the law and deserve to be put in jail if you enable it. RHI itself is now clear that colling is allowed, but the payments will only be made based on predicted heating use. (Or actual heating use, if they require you to do metering for usage) some manufacturers go to greater lengths than others to permanently disable cooling, so the above is based on ones where it's broadly possible. No idea where Vaillant sit on that spectrum. After going around this several times, my end tactic is to install it without cooling enabled, but make sure I'm with a manufacturer with plenty of track record of ppl being able to DIY enable is post-installation (specifically, Mitsubishi in my case)

Glad to see you’re cracking on, keep it up.

As above

The simplest would be to recess your track into the ceiling board. Screw it direct to ceiling joists. The cost is not the track but the labour to create the recess. I did this with track lighting, it is a nice look. Would recommend silent gliss tracks and gliders. Simple, tough and smooth in use. https://www.silentgliss.co.uk/engb/products/view/curtain-systems/curtain-track-systems/hand/6243/

I have lived in tiny homes, cabins and caravans for up to two years in a single stretch and I would go as far to say that I prefer living in a small cabin / caravan / tiny home to living in a standard size house, but I do need additional outbuildings for all my worldly junk ! It’s definitely not for everyone but I really think that there should be more opportunities for people to live in this way if they want to, how you do that without encouraging cheap slums to pop up everywhere is another story. I have various friends that live in tiny homes and they are all very happy with the lifestyle, most of there homes cost about 10k to build and they live on land with permission from the land owner but without the authorities blessing..... I think that generally this lifestyle is frowned upon and the regulatory system is stacked against people wanting to live like this. (Rightly or wrongly I am not sure !) The people I know who do live this way could NOT afford to build a standard size house, let alone buy an expensive plot and did not want to spend there hard earned money on renting. They now live happily without causing any trouble to anyone and are not in debt for the next 25 years paying of a mortgage. I just think that we need to think outside the bubble when it comes to affordable home ownership, it would be great if buying a small plot of land and putting your tiny home on it could be done all in for £50k as this is a figure that many would find achievable.

Sorry to contradict but there must be a min 12mm level change (Part J, Diagram 27 top right hand side). Apparently it's to discourage rugs migrating onto the hearth where embers might fall out onto them.

For anyone who is reading this who may be wondering what order of airtightness is normally achievable on a new build if you don’t use any special tapes or air tightness membrane I achieved a value of 3.7 m3/h.m2 @50Pa on a new-build timber frame bungalow. That’s without taking any special precautions regarding airtightness as the building is naturally ventilated (no MVHR).

Our stairs were designed and manufactured by a specialist stair manufacturer in Dublin - Jea Stairs, Colin Walsh. colin@jea.ie - see www.jea.ie, The stairs were all assembled in the works, for acceptance, diassembled and shipped to the UK, with the glass balustrades delivered separately. They did a great job and Colin was very helpful. with practical advice and support. I attach a few photos

I usually get quips, but this one has passed me by. I am having a bad day. Got new bank card, took it to bank to get it activated as I was there anyway. They can't activate it, only the cash machine can. Put it in, checked balance and all is fine. Since then, done 4 transactions, only 3 have worked. 40 minutes on phone waiting for someone to answer 'because of COVID-19'. Did try the online chat, only to find out it is a chat-bot that does not understand 'my new card is not working'. Been a waste of a day off. Oh, and two of my family members, and their families have had it. And of course, Tim Brooke-Taylor died of it.

That’s cool as long as you knew where you are heading. Lots of people with champagne taste and a beer budget.