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Some pics...

The first drawing has two coils for buffer tank, second has one. So the coil in the buffer tank is to circulate the ASHP water through thereby heating the buffer tank. The UFH then taps directly into the buffer, using the heated water within for the UFH. I'm still working on all of this in the background. I think the fundamentals are there but I suspect a lot of component parts are missing. What I'm after is a 'complete' schematic rather than a 'general overview' which is what I think I have at the minute. As I learn more I will post amendments to the drawing. Not sure why in the four yrs or so this forum has been running that a 'complete' schematic has yet to be posted up. I know that there will be nuances to each install but when you have a ASHP/UVC/UFH setup i can't believe they will be that different in terms of setup from build to build?‍♂️

For me the lead goes in too far on this detail, 20mm plenty, also should go in slightly uphill to direct any water outward imagine a cut running up at the same angle as the roof but 80mm above the tiles - I call it a cover flashing

I built a 6.2 x 5m garage in 2018 - only paid for a brickie. Dug out the area for slab with JCB which was £150 for the weekend (also other garden work) 40 tons of hardcore - some virgin some 6F2 (recycled) which was about £200 Some scrap timber and new timber for the forms £50.00 Drains (bottle gully in middle of slab etc.) £50.00 Rebar mesh £150 DPM £30 Concrete C40 250-200mm £840.00 Block, sand and cement delivery £450. Brickie to build £250 Roof timber £400 Membrane £50 Russel Pennine tiles, 420 of £300 Electric roller shutter 3 x 2.2m with remote control etc. £700 Facias, soffit, gutter etc. £120 Rear end cladding for roof gable £100 Front end timber cladding for roof gable £120 Side door - free from a Merc dealership renovation. Locks, hinges etc to suit above £50.00 Dry dashing materials inc. beads/bellcast about £350 Electrics - I had a new 8 way Wylex metal consumer unit from a skip, so cable, metalclad sockets and 3 LED non-corrosive battens (which I also acquired) £100. So I think it was about £4460. So £143.87 a meter.

Tenant reported today that all her fire alarms were "low battery bleeping" and driving the dogs nutty. (Suspect that it has happened over the lockdown period, as it is the first time I have seen her for a few months). It is correct, and they are 10 year alarms with 6 years to run. Fire Angel have instantly agreed to replace them all by post. Probably not my favourite product, but few 10 year batteries were available then. It should not have happened, but they have handled it as well as can be expected. F

Please do not praise him in that aspect!

Figured I'd update this a bit, foul drainage is all in now, was a PITA but its done. Next lesson - put your land drain in whilst the sub base is getting laid. I didnt?‍♂️ and yes it was another PITA job. To be honest I was thinking not to bother as my sub-base sits on sandstone which drains rapid, no groundwater to worry about so I figured whats it needed for? Quick chat with the SE and I find they include them by default and are reluctant to dispense with them regardless of ground conditions - something about the potential for frost heave. So, dig a hole and put some in?‍♂️ Another suggestion, if you know where your soakaway is going to be maybe get it put in whilst doing groundworks for foundations so its ready to connect to once gutters done. With the way my plot is it would have been far easier for me if I had planned this in. I had a 20T excavator on site for the sub-base, would have got the job nipped rapid, now have a 3T digger and not so quick/easy a job?

Yep it is but you just add 500 mill and put the lid back on, circulate for 30 seconds and do the same again.

Just think if you want to have to have that window for ablutions, from a security POV and also a practical POV. If it’s p*ssing down with rain and blowing a hoolie then you’ll not want to have the stink blown into / through the house would you? Look for a fan with an auto shutter ( do NOT use a back-draft shuttered one as they chatter and clap on windy days plus they will allow heat out / cold air in 24/7 ), one good unit is an ICON. Not somewhere to save money imho.

Well I started my bathroom thread on one forum and (haven't yet) finished it on another. Kudos to those who can plan and budget. I'm easily distr

@Gav_P just shat himself for sure ?

Yeah respect @Big Jimbo ; you (expletive deleted) want to take a swipe big Jimbo who is 5ft nothing and a skinny puny shit will not sort you out ! .

Right all you lot. Leave my buddy Pocster alone. When he glued his soil pipe bits up, It looked stunning. That, and the fact that he had the massive balls to post a pic of his first effort....

Aerogel but it is crazy money

What span are the rafters? Is the membrane under the tiles vapour permeable? If it is then you can save 50mm by not needing a ventilated void between it and the insulation. Aerogel is the best insulation in the world (last I heard) but at best it's only twice as good as PIR and very expensive if you can get it. Most aerogel insulation isn't in its pure form because it's too fragile so the insulation properties aren't twice as good as PIR.

We've had design by enhabit and happy with the service so far. They are also doing supply and commisioning (but not install). We also found them to be cheaper than Paul. Only thing we've noticed is that some of the ducting equipment is other brands and not just Zehnder, so may that be one way they keep their prices low. Not saying this is an issue though... (ublink + fitt) Design has be comprehensive and included flow-rates (based on building regs + PH), 3D design and drawings, interaction with frame desginer, advice on gaps needed below each door etc.

I'm sorry I can't help with your questions, but can only tell you what we're planning. we're having the Q600 and are building a basement and two above ground floors for a total of about 440m2. We're using Enhabit to do the design and calculations as I didn't want to make a mistake on it and their price was really quite good for the equipment and so I thought the design fee was acceptable seeing as the total price wasn't much more than I could've bought the equipment myself online! When I was getting quotes I had 2 companies recommend the Q600 and both of them suggested using the larger 90mm ducts to get the air flow required at lower rates and this is what is currently being designed for us by Enhabit. So, maybe you could consider that to assist with your flow rates? like I said, probably not much help but thought I'd comment just in case it does help.

It just occurred to me that you might not know about Martin Goodall's excellent law - blog.. He specialises in permitted changes of use. Much to read there!

What a change from being fobbed off Well done

Install it above a shelf?

Has a balloon to protect his Nads ... tray would bounce off and damage the ceiling. (The last time I put out a hostage to fortune like that was when I made a Big Bad Wolf joke about @ToughButterCup's piggery. A bit later the wind blew his house down.)

Bet you're wishing you hadn't designed that basement so no one can hear you scream! ?

This is how it was when you lifted and it slipped. Right hand D shackle the wrong way round. I suspect that as you lifted, the pin of the right hand D pushed the left hand D upward. How you have the Ds now is better.

@Jaqueslecont did the consultant give a view on the viability of a class Q application? The barn is of sturdy concrete frame construction and AFAIK there's nothing in class Q about a floor. Probably 99% of class Q buildings would need a new floor. There have likely been similar buildings approved for class Q, though perhaps would have had some brick or concrete infill between the columns. Perhaps you could ask the consultant about the chances for class Q if the farmer were to do some minor renovation to their barn before any class Q application was made? Again - do not speak to the local planners. Class Q avoids all these issues of the local Lord maybe being able to see your washing line if he stands on his grade 1 rooftop with a telescope. There is perhaps the issue of the frame. Those type of buildings were likely not designed to last for long and you might want to get professional advice on its likely lifespan. I guess once a house, the concrete would be much more protected and so increase its life? You might also have an issue with insulation under class Q since you'd want that on the outside, thus fractionally increasing the built volume. One possible approach is to get class Q and then having established the principal of a dwelling you make a full application for some things that would make it 'better'. Having class Q IS a material consideration in a full planning application, so they are required to then explain why the class Q version is preferable to the full version you propose. There's also the paragraph 55/79 approach but that's very expensive.

If it goes wrong he'll blame it on the flooring you supplied, that's the usual get out for fit only jobs.

Fully hand cut roof, basically a 6 x 6x2 purlin roof on 4 no 8x2 main timber trusses - no joists, it is a cathedral style roof. The span was 4.8 as the trusses sit on concrete block piers which are also straighteners for the main walls. So although nominal width is 5m it is less at the columns and used 4.8m timbers with 150mm bearing I did my own calcs with assistance from the SE who used to work with us I can't remember it all off the top of my head but static loadings were about 1.2tons per side spread over 4 trusses etc. etc. plus the gable end support itself which took a portion of the load it worked out pretty good + snow and wind it was close but came in on target. Been up for 2 years, interestingly I was looking at the roof the other day checking for deflection in the main trusses and got the tape out, all good, I think in 2 years the mid point of the truss has maybe dropped a few mm but they were crown up and therefore now sit deadly straight.

I'm 'doing' this at the moment. Well I say doing, still not out the ground yet as waiting patiently for the groundworker to get on site. I have a single garage and I am extending that out by 5 metres in width and 5.5 metres in depth so the footprint will be approx 27.5sqm - single skin block. I have created quite a detailed spreadsheet with anticipated costs, based on materials I have priced up and estimated labour. My 3 wall garage (as I am joining to an existing garage) is coming in at around £15k to £17k which is a fair bit more than others have suggested which is concerning yet perhaps reassuring that I have perhaps over estimated, but I have done a fair bit of research so I am not sure I will come in much under my estimate. How much are you hoping to do yourself, if any?

Yes it came on a recommendation as he did all the flooring in the pub over the bridge. He only lives half a mile away.

It was part of the bargaining when purchasing the plot The seller had had silly quotes So I offered less and said I would build the two garages first I used double skin and insulated the floor as they intend using there’s as an office

I fitted oak and painted the spindles Heavy enough with just myself and my wife fitting

It looks like it! A bit of an afterthought in the design department I think! My only comment would be, apart from yes it's a bit poor, given it's proximity to the glazing, are you likely to stand on it in use? Once you have got it all installed and working for a while, I'd be tempted to silicone it down with a couple of blobs. Just enough to lock it in place and that you can pry it back up.

Yes, completely broke out the old slab on the existing because we wanted the same spec and insulated floor to match the new block and beam. It's difficult to say as it's incorporated into a full quote/breakdown with other work. It certainly wasn't cheap but it was important for us to get insulated floors.

You may be overthinking this. Make sure the cavity trays are higher than the top of the roof and have a decent weep hole at the end. It is sometimes tricky as you may have the brickwork up a long time before the sloping roof. On existing buildings BC sometimes just allow a coat of silane / siloxane on the brickwork above. Lots of connies get put on existing houses and stepped cavity trays are out of the question. I don't hear too many horror stories.

I built two with our build Nothing special Pretty standard I built them in Double skin block with a cavity and K renderd them both Each cost £11250

Ì love fitting LVT. I don't do it for a living, but i have done loads. I can easily do 50sq mt in 2 days, including through doors etc, providing the floor is ready to accept. At £30 a sq mt that's £1500 for Two days work. Nice for the fitter. Not so nice for Canalside. I must be old, because i have a pal plumber. He said he likes to charge enough on a job to earn a minimum of £500 a day. That's £10,000 a month with no weekend working ! Perhaps that's why i am a tight git, and end up doing everything myself. A couple of years ago, i had a brickie do the walls on a smallish extension for me. He did it for £2000 cash. I supplied all the materials, including the mixer, add. Even tea, and bacon sarnies. He bought another brickie with him, and a lad to feed bricks, and blocks and the mixer. They did it in 3 days, so £200 and £150 a day for brickie and lad =£1050, leaving the main man £316 cash per day.

Ok so I’m nearing end of my self build. My builder quoted £30k for a double garage with proper slated pitched roof, but that would be built to a high turnkey standard eg plasterboarded inside etc. As a starting point for you. I’m looking at doing a large double sized workshop and at the moment looking towards perhaps a steel portal frame which I’ll then frame out and roof. For the frame circa £3k supply only so I think I can get something suitable for under 10k

We are finishing off a 6m x 6m garage at the moment, did the slab ourselves, brickie did the block work, hubby put up the roof trusses with help from a couple of friends, sheeted it’s ourselves and he and a friend have done the roof tiles and installed garage door, it has a window and a single entry door to one side.rendering will be done end of this week and gutters, all in has cost us around £7k , decided to diy when the builders quoted us £25k!

You should really pack the sides of the I-Joists with OSB when fitting them into hangers. You could go round after and put wedges behind the joist, or make sure they are tight fitted when they are installed with no slack or slop in the hangers. It is about attention to detail and speed of installation. A normal joinery crew will cut to approx size to allow the joist to slot in easily. You want them tight so it may be a case of cut and trim 2 or 3 times to get that. Also worth using Z clips and noggins even with ledger boards to stop the joists twisting in the hangers.

I have been following class q applications in East Suffolk for a long time now to get experience before we applied. In my experience they will give permission for old pretty barns 'heritage assets' whether they have 4 walls or not. If you have a perfectly structurally sound modern barn then in 9 cases out of 10 they seem to find a reason to refuse. The most common reason seems to be where it is and the sustainability issue. We did get planning for ours in the end, but it took years, 4 applications, contamination surveys, ecology surveys, structural surveys, archaeology surveys, it got to the stage where we had spent so much money that we just had to keep going. In the end I think they got bored of me applying again and again and asking lots of questions in between. Our barn is modern, built in the 60's, does have 3.25 out of 4 walls, is sound and is 100m from our house, so many of their objections were unfounded because it is classed as near other dwellings. It is ugly, certainly not an asset, that was noted in the approval, that it would look much better converted. But, going back to your original point, I don't think a dutch barn, 4 poles and a roof of modern construction has much chance.

How could a new boiler 'struggle' in an efficiently built house with a low demand for heat? If the mains gas runs out? Either go for one or the other, not both. If you're not on mains gas than ASHP is the way to go and it will deliver perfect temperatures for low temp UFH but you need to have a means of heating your DHW to 60o plus to avoid legionnaires. Can be used for UFH cooling (best with passive slab) and can also be used to drive duct cooling for MVHR. Mains gas is still cheaper to run I believe and you have more installation options (trades) as it's the default option. Current boilers are highly efficient, will generate DHW at required temperatures but will need mixed down for low temp UFH. Just be aware that MVHR is designed for ventilation and not space heating / cooling - the flow rates are very low., even on boost. While it will contribute, heating or cooling your space via MVHR will only really act as a trim function and will only be really effective in a very highly insulated airtight house (passive or equivalent).

Interesting points @Gus Potter I remember doing a couple of warrants with the small buildings guidance back in the day too... I guess for me, I have a small group of engineers that I use based on experience of dealing with them, and I've not asked any of them to do a package without SER, the last engineer I used who wasn't SER had hand drawn details (literally biro mark ups of my drawings) ?

If you use individual contractors You will be better purchasing the materials yourself As most individuals won’t want to supply the materials But will be happy to make a list out for you

I am afraid I have reservations about this proposal as well. Planners tend not to like you going beyond the building line of the side street which this clearly does. Do you have PP for the front parking? I am a little surprised that was granted right next to the corner. The new garage will be awkward to get a car in,lets be honest you have no intention of that. I am not convinced the stairs to the third floor, disjointed from the main stairs will meet building regs, but that is not a planning matter. conversion to a gable end will be out of keeping with the other houses in the area. I am not convinced this particular house is the best candidate for a side extension.

I am gong to disagree slightly here after looking at the app. N has objected to 2 things - can logistics be done safely on a main / side road corner site with double yellows all the way round, and a big pile of junk in your front garden. The first one looks trickier, and I can see the Council asking you to show that it can be done safely. Probably not difficult but it is a big extension, and arrangements could have a cost attached (eg where is the skip going?). The second one is not a planning matter as such, but site tidiness may be an issue if it becomes a nuisance, and were they to complain via the correct route (council, but not planning), you would get a letter about your current pile. But tidying up is not difficult. Councils are usually tolerant of safe piles of stuff for the duration of a project. Not showstoppers, but I think you could get a couple of planning conditions. I think a potential issue is trying to go from a hipped end corner terrace 3.5m or so from the sideroad pavement to a 3 storey with a gable end perhaps 0.5m from the sideroad pavement, bearing in mind that there are 3 or 4 blocks of similar terraces with similar corners and none of the others have been extended. You will need some work to show that that is "in keeping" with the area. That is a planning issue. If you can find one done before similarly in the area it should help. I think there is also a question mark over that driveway access. Is it accepted and established with a proper drop kerb and planning permission? From the photo it looks like a hole in a garden wall, and was clearly not there in 2015, or in Dec 2016 when it was purchased. It is very close to the corner. That is also a planning issue, which could be the showstopper imo. What is Council policy on the minimum distance? I am also not sure about all those parking spaces. But your neighbour is clearly not that good at making relevant objections. I would suggest the key thing to do is to watch for the Planning Officer's report and address any points therein well before the Decision Date if the recommendation is to refuse. You should be able to withdraw the app and reconsider then reapply within a few months without another lot of fees if the project is very similar. And look carefully or the consultee response from Highways. That will have relevant stuff in if they object. Check the website every day for these. Perhaps not what you want to hear, but that is imo any difficulties will lie. Personally I think you may potentially need to hip the end or leave the side extension single storey, and put more parking round the back (which will cost part of your garden). Best of luck, however - and I hope I am not correct here.

I don't believe it.

I don't think so. Doesn't seem to be based on valid planning reasons, just a neighbour with too much time on their hands...

Omg. Why? I’m sure you have designed your place around doing every possible job in the most complicated and challenging way. ?

Thanks for all the replies, some really good pointers. I thought I would get flamed of the forum haha. These are some good points. I'll definitely have a look at the video, that could be just what I need. I do like to jump into the deep end, "I built a grow box next job... Garden House!" haha. Thanks!

I would say you need somebody to do some calculations on this for a couple of reasons 1. If you under specified your steel your roof will sag and stop your doors working. 2. If you over specified your steel it could cost you a chunk of cash you could spend else where. Calculations should be done for a couple of hundred or just go and get a dirty big steel from the scrap yard and a steel corner post, for probably less than the calculations. Depends on your risk level. He who dares rodney. A rough sketch and theres probably a few blokes on here who could run the calcs for you.

Another completely random example might be say you were lifting a heavy shower tray with a winch and the straps came off the hook . You’d probably be inclined to “ go and do something else “ at that point in time .... ???