Leaderboard

I wouldn’t be paying for rework if he’s missed the brief by that much ....

Have to agree with this. If you can stretch to it solid surfaces such as Dekton, DuPont, Silestone, etc are the way to go but even in these you've different price points like Corian, HiMac, Dekton, etc. Corian and HiMac can get scratches which can be buffed out but Dekton is more durable again. I'd specify these products a lot for hospital reception desks, university canteens, etc where they need to last and be easily cleaned. The abuse they can stand up to is incredible. Going back to the kitchens I've Ikea carcass (all joints glued giving the solid feel) under an expensive solid surface worktop so the whole kitchen feels and looks good. We 'Ikea Hacked' some of the kitchen units to provide custom designs and purchased handles ourselves.

Granite and marble are natural materials so although they look beautiful they do absorb liquids, which mean they do stain. Vendors will tell you that it has been sealed blah blah blah, but in my experience those seals rarely last, and even if it's possible to reseal, by the time you've noticed it's usually already stained. Wood is the only other natural material (apart from maybe slate) which is worth considering. That will also stain, but it is easier to care for if you have the discipline of regularly treating it with boiled linseed oil (a gentle sand and a coat of the oil once every 6 months should do it). I would still never lay a wooden worktop around a sink though. Worktops are really an example of you get what you pay for. If you are prepared to invest the £££ the man made composites like Dekton and Silestone are really incredible products that can almost look natural but have the benefits of man made products. Dekton in particularly is virtually bomb proof.

Join the I'm-Annoyed-With-Myself-Club. You're the 55 millionth member, this year. Have this badge: wear it with pride. ?

Plywood drilled to match the bolt pattern. If you are not sure of getting it placed correctly then foam cones should be added to the bolts to give wiggle room for lining up later. the pockets are filled with grout later when the steel is fully fitted.

Well Here's the finished article apart from the juliet balcony balustrade were need to order.

It goes really well with Gaggenau appliances as well!

Hi all been an unregistered lurker for a while but thought it was time I signed up as I’ve now reserved my plot on graven hill. it’s a 3 bed detached, very early stages but I’ve kinda had my heart set on ICF construction from an early stage due to the fact I’m planning on most/all of the build being DIY I felt like it not only gives great insulation/airtightness but importantly easy and fast for me to erect. However.... that’s not to say that my mind can’t or won’t be changed. im sure I’ll have plenty of questions in the near future but for now I have a lot of reading and planning to do. thanks Matt

I have really limited experience of architects, but, if I were in dragster drivers position, I'd be massively pi**ed at what has happened. Reading the op's posts, I don't see confusion in how the thoughts are conveyed. Everything is clear enough. With that in mind, and, when it comes to detailed instruction on requirements for their design, it seems to me as though nowhere near adequate attention has been paid to what the customer has asked for. In view of that, I'd say dragster driver has every right to be pretty annoyed. I think if it were me, I'd be seriously considering whether to continue with this architect.

We are 300m2 PH and have approx 3kW heating load. Going with: - Vailant Arotherm Plus 7kW (+ the Vaillant on-wall buffer tank) - 300L Mixergy Tank. - MBC installed in-slab UFH operated as 1-zone with Salus auto-balancing actuators for heating + cooling. - Comfopost on first-floor MVHR supply for supplementary first-floor heating/cooling. - WWHRS for showers (to save energy, but also to effectively increase the capacity of UVC and make the reheat time less critical) We are going to try to run the Mixergy using the indirect coil which allows for partial "charging", but may revert to using their ASHP approach which is to use an external PHE if needed. We are only just starting to install elements of this setup though, so won't be able to report back on it for a few of months.. ASHP/UVC is about sizing it for you requirements plus any preference in terms of brand and also supply availability, not sure that is a huge amount more to it. Use of Sunamp, Mixergy, ComfoPost, WWHRS etc. are all alternatives or optional extras that you need to consider if make sense or not for your setup and what you want to do.

See, you're using your architect wrong, getting a person who's skill is in design to do cad plans from your scaled drawings is a waste of everyone's time and expertise. Maybe he's taken your plan and made into something that will achieve planning or comply with regs? You've said you've paid him for his ability to get things through planning and his relationship with the planning department, but then you've given him a strict design to follow? If you just want your drawings made into a planning set, use a good local technologist, they will do that cheaper, faster and without trying to develop your design. If we have enquiries from someone who "just needs a set of drawings for planning" and doesn't want any of the design stage we always recommend a technologist who we work with. It's just not a valuable exercise to pay Architects to do the mechanical process bits of a project.

three months! Good Lord no!

All the info was in labels on the plans so he understood the materials and what each room was, to save me drawing toilets etc in. honestly- using an architect is because I need their planning experience and relationship with planning- I can’t afford a rejection. I submitted a pre app in January @£400 and haven’t even received the report back. The planning system is in meltdown around here. I need to get it right first time!

It's a common theme on this forum. I had one bad experience when we started. Expensive, and just didn't seem capable of designing something that met all the requirements of our brief. We'd have a meeting, point out what was missing and what we didn't like. They'd come back three months later with a new design that fixed many but not all of our concerns, while throwing out a couple of things we liked and changing a bunch of other stuff for no apparent reason. We then found someone else to take over, and their first design just blew us away. It had everything we wanted, was set out on the block in a way I'd never considered (and yet was perfect for both planning and tree preservation reasons), and just needed a few tweaks before we signed it off. No way we'd have come up with something like this ourselves.

So was it like you asked for a townhouse and he designed a wonderful bungalow?

Out of curiosity, why did you give him all the other info about your needs and wants if you were just asking him to do CAD drawings of your design? Also, usually it's very clear what is involved (and what you're paying for!) at each stage, so again it's surprising that you could have been at such cross-purposes with each other. It sounds like he's just completely misunderstood what you wanted from him!

I admit I am generally not a fan of architects, come across too many problems with designs in the past. I did use an architect for my self build but only to convert my drawings (proper drawing board jobbies) into CAD as I can’t do that, he got so many things wrong several times but at least he didn’t try to charge extra (he recognised I was not impressed ?).

I doubt they're trying it on, but missing so many clearly listed essentials (I assume they were all listed as essentials, not wants or "nice to haves"?) is a red flag about attention to detail. Like every profession, there are good and bad architects, with most sitting somewhere in the middle. Certainly getting something so completely wrong from the start is not the usual way of things.

Very strange, what have they been working to if not your brief?

lol had the same exact thing, was so frustrating after the 3rd or 4th or 5th time! lol

Our main contractor ordered some aCupanel samples. I've just ordered some Akupanel and Slatwall samples. Will report back. (One of them, can't remember which, sells inividual depper slats that allows you hide the backing from the side if you surface mount)

My house is beside a very busy road and the triple glazing really helps to kill the sound of lorries going over the speed bumps that my lovely council decided to place right outside my bedroom window.

That's presuming floor finishes aren't laid. Can @Jen B confirm if the floor finishes are in yet?

The plywood works well. Just make sure the bolts are tight in the plywood or use two layers of plywood to keep them vertical otherwise they can be in the right place but at an angle and not vertical.

Thanks for the nudge. The hole in the wall is ready and waiting..... bit of a cold bridge but , what the Hell.

Protek - though I think I saw they are not taking new business at the mo. Called them this week and super helpful to extend my building insurance.

Slimline cisterns in thin walls are fine, wall hung pans and thin walls can cause wall flex ... broken tiles and mirrors etc. If the cistern+pan are close to a corner then its much easier to keep the wall stable. A couple of times ive had to double stud either side of the frame

I don't want an areal on the roof and as the roof is metal can't put it in the loft. I'm planning on putting a satellite dish for Freesat on my garage and running cables back. I think that should get me all the channels I want and it's less of an eyesore.

does the unit have a humidistat? You might need a means to put it into boost mode after a shower or a serious toilet episode.

I don’t have any but some here do, for example one in the kitchen will enable you to select boost in case of burnt toast!!! Or one in the bathroom when having a shower instead of waiting fir the humidistat to kick in (if you have one).

Our aerial is in the loft with a signal booster

@WWilts are you referring to things such as site toilet, heras fencing, scaffolding etc .?? There should be a line in his costs marked “Prelims” and all of that goes in there. It’s paid at the point that is agreed and the only issue will be when he’s estimated a build cycle of 24 weeks and you get to week 25 - who is paying for the price overrun on hire etc (which should be in the contract) Heras is sometimes cheaper to buy than hire as you can resell it at the end if it’s looked after.

As I understand it, the answer is no. We have fitted two ; excellent video support (YouTube), good instruction booklet. Hell even @pocster can fit them ...?

best pic I could find quickly.

UVC on cheap electricity for water. Fan heater for heat. Spend your time and effort on airtightness insulation and mechanical ventilation. Your heat demand will be so low then heating may not be needed.

Hello everyone! I came across this forum a few days ago when I was researching possible electric heating solution (UFH + HW) for my outbuilding (office + gym + bathroom) that I am building from scratch. I come from an IT background and honestly speaking I am a bit overwhelmed with the task but after reading the threads here I formulated a few options. I would like to politely ask for your advice on them. I hope it is acceptable if I create a thread that shows my outbuilding plan and what I am thinking of. Many thanks! Martin

We retained 5% for a year. That 5% was deducted from each stage payment. Our builder provided his own WC, site office and storage container included in the price quoted. At one point he asked if I could help with his cash flow and I agreed to purchase the windows myself. If you do that you have two choices. Write him a cheque less the VAT or pay the window company Inc VAT and reclaim it. The latter is safer.

Post away Martin. Lots of good people on here.

Much depends on your circumstances and what you have cover wise to fabricate the panels on site for example. I have a job that comprises a 210m sq bungalow to go up this summer just south of Glasgow, warrant all approved etc. The client has a shed next to the new house. The contactor is going to stick build the panels in the shed. I did a set of panel drawings / nailing schedule for the contractor to follow. The economics seem to stack up for the client. The timber frame is 145 x 45 C24 for the external panels. 95 x 45 C24 for the internal panels, some of which are racking (shear) walls so they are sheeted on one side for building stability. The roof is formed in prefabricated timber trusses with some cut roof infill. The ceiling heights are 2.9m and the house is in a windy spot hence the use of the 145 deep C24 timber for the whole structural frame. This C24 throughout is partly to avoid anyone mixing up timber grades accidentally. In Scotland we have been building TF for a good while.. both stick and prefabricated. In recent decades this has become more mainstream in the southern part of the UK. There are many advantages to stick building so don't rule this out as an option to look at. Here are just a few examples: 1/ You can buy the timber on account at a merchants, no kit deposit to fork out for up front or worries about the TF fabricator going bust. 2/ You can just build the panels you really need for structural stability, stand them up and get the roof on. 3/ It's easier to change your mind as you go.. maybe move a non load bearing wall.. it's your frame! 4/ You can shop about for all the insulation, metal fixings and so on. 5/ If the brickie has not got the found true / square then you can often adjust the panels as you make them on site.. that can be a real bonus as it can take a lot of the heat out of a potential nasty argument over who is to blame. 6/ You can be more sure of the quality and accuracy of the nailing and so on as you can examine the panels before the vapour membrane say is stapled on. 7/ If using say local trades folk it gives them a good run of work, in some ways they can come and go in terms of flexibility, wet days make panels, dry days put them up, that can lead to a saving.

Looking at Suppliers of German kitchens. Anyone have any dealings with a company called in-house. We are looking at a Schiller from them

Wren did this "luckily we have a promotion at the moment" scam to me recently! Incredible how these kitchen companies don't have a basic understanding of the law of contractual misrepresentation. Inducing a customer to enter into a contract on the basis of a false representation about the availability of a price is a misrepresentation. Knowledgeable kitchen designer, just shame about the company's ethics.

Well I have had some numbers back from the truss designer: 2-ply truss 6.3kN (factored) 1-ply truss 4.4kN (factored) ? Must be all that snow on those two days a year we get here. That makes for a total load on a ledger board of 35kN which falls into my scary category. I phoned Rawlplug asking about options. They were very helpful and have since done some looking. "the concrete screw gives quite good loadings 2.3kN recommended load if you need higher loadings then you need to look at Resins". That's not a scary number of screws 35/2.3 = 15, so would be one every 300mm. He shared a datasheet which included this: I guess he is using the 8mm tension figure of 2.3kN, the shear figure is actually slightly higher. His email had a potential killer sign off though "There is no load data for concrete screws and bricks but we have used concrete screws into bricks and they work well the only issue is all bricks vary and it would mean doing on site pull out tests to prove the brick is suitable." My bricks are 25N/mm2 but I don't have the equipment to do a pull out test. I hate having to talk to by Structural Engineer. Of all the people so far, he has been the most difficult to deal with as there's always a vibe of "why are you bothering me with this".

Would again: - Architect - designed an ideal layout - Timber Frame - quick to erect and easy to adjust on site - Passive insulation - can't feel the outside at all - triple glazed windows - great at noise reduction - MVHR - air always fresh - Sunamps - no gas, compact - ground floor UFH only - all you need - recessed skirting - easy and never have to dust - IKEA kitchen - DIYable Would do better: - acoustic insulation - more, everywhere. - double up joists - reduce floor bounce - Battery - capture solar power for self use - Fixed price - no hourly paid jobs - Completion payment - never pay in full until 100% satisfied Doubtful: - Project management - definitely going main contractor next time - Fermacell - cheaper and easier to double up on standard PB or back with ply - Graven Hill - worse than you can ever imagine (the developer, not the community) - Larch cladding - high maintenance, would go composite

I am too old and ugly to worry about any suppliers. I have brands which I have worked with for years, have full confidence in the product and I will not sell anything else unless I am offered a solid reason by someone else who can match what I have for a better price. I am waiting but I doubt if this exists. PM me and I will point you towards a few other products. Only you can decide if the 15-20% lower price is worth the drop in quality/detail/finish. Builders discount IMO is a load of nonsense as well. If a bag of cement is bought for a tenner and sold retail for 20 but to a builder for 15, the principle is that the builder gets the price because they but a truckload of it. This argument I can buy. In reality I would like to see if the same scale exists for kitchens. When Howdens offers 80% on its units for trade accounts, you have to ask what a reasonable markup is.

I guess one challenge I have is I'm trying to figure out the final estimated cost of my house before committing to 'anything' (of course some fees and even deposits are OK).. but indeed they are asking 35, and with 'devices' (hob/oven etc ) I'll easily hit 45K then.. Instead if I can "assume" 15 (+10 devices) = 25 it's quite a different discussion... What's the best approach to get a leicht or nolte kitchen for 'as cheap as is reasonable'? Try to find a local(ish?) kitchen designer who has a deal with them? My builder will likely be happy to fit the stuff so presumably not even needed to ever come over in person, I can have kitchen dealer in Glasgow for all I care?

Wren learned from Magnet, they have been at it for so many years..!! I had a Magnet trade account, went in with a friend who was looking at a kitchen and they priced it at about £18k. I went back in after they left and they offered me the same kitchen for £8k... trade ..! Week later I got a call for same kitchen at £6k, you can tell how much margin they make ...

Ah, classic double glazing sales techniques. (also used extensively by US car showrooms). Right down to the "surprise" phone call mid consultation from their manager leaking some brand new "today only" discounts if you sign in the next 30 minutes. Also used by the major bedroom fitted wardrobe units, and various snake-oil electric heater sales teams. Small local companies _tend_ to be more genuine and not do this. But introduces new reputation (or lack-of) risks...

Knocked out 57m2 of the old concrete, excavated the sub floor then sand, dpm, 100mm of PIR and more dpm. Then approx 400m of UFH pipe. 25mm of PIR upstand along with expansion strip foam and 75mm of free flow screed (laid by contractor)....... kept me fit over the summer doing the project and is now keeping us toasty warm over Christmas..... probably the most enjoyed end product ive ever done!! i echo the above comment in that it is easier to install than radiators etc. one thing to remember- keep the pipes under pressure when you have the screed laid. You dont need to hire or buy an expensive pressure tester, i bought one from ebay for £11 and it works fine.

I made some concrete worktops for the kitchen and utility, 40mm depth, two with under mount sink. Kitchen sink worktop is 3.6m, utility 2.4m and the island 1.2m x2m with hob. Major challenge was the weight but they are in. Tiles are temporary. I had a quote for 5.4K so thought I would give it a go.

There's no internal fuse on any duds that I've done an autopsy on. The particular problem with GU10 LEDs is that the driver circuit is in the base and runs warm. GU10 fittings designed for use with halogen lights are designed to keep the heat in, as halogen lights are more efficient when run very hot. LED lights hate heat so need a fitting that will allow heat to escape, especially from the base, where the driver circuit is. What then happens is that the base runs hot and over time components start to fail. The electrolytic capacity on the input smoothing side is especially intolerant to heat and it's life will be drastically shortened by running hot (this it the reason why it's much better to fit PV inverters is a very cool location - keeping they capacitors cools significantly extends their life). Once the input capacity fails, then there's a god chance that there will be a chain of failure of other components in the using, leading to the catastrophic failure you have seen. To stop this happening again, make for the GU10 filltings are well ventilated and allow the base of the lamp to receive some cooling. If run cool their life with be significantly extended. As a final note, I don't like GU10 base LEDs for this specific reason - they cram a constant current driver down into the narrow base and will fit into lights that were designed to run hot with halogen lamps. MR16 12 V lamps look the same from the front, but have the advantage that the driver is remotely mounted, so can be fitted somewhere in the ceiling void where it will get some cooling.