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

Ah, that makes much more sense, cheers for that. You should still have 2-port zone valves at each manifold though, as it’s those which should be bringing on the buffer > manifold pump according to demand ( as per my diagram / wiring / valve arrangement ). It really boils down to how often the heating is on with both manifolds routinely having at least one open loop each, simultaneously, for the duration of each heating on’ period. That will decide if you should relax or start cutting.

You don't have to use it to do heat loss calculations. There is a way you can just plug in numbers from PHPP or SAP or something else. Not yet, but they will be. A single 24v output from Loxone will drive all 9 actuators. The balancing aspect of these actuators is self-contained. I've put a probe per room. I haven't decided exactly how to control heating yet, but I'll use a combination of slab temperatues and room temperatures along with other variables potentially including outside temperature, occupancy, tarrif etc. On other thing that temperature probe is useful for is ensuring, when cooling, that you don't cool the slab beyond the dew point (which can be calculated using humidy).

That slider was £3079. Roughly double what I could have got a local cheap double glazed slider for. But the rest of the house has Rationel and it would be a crime to fit cheap UPVC to the sun room. I am sure prices have gone up a lot since we bought the rest of the windows nearly 5 years ago.

We can't get hold of one, been told July/Auguest by one supplier, September by another and min 6mths by another. Might look at Sonen. I don't see the value in using 3 (one per phase), unless you want a 3-phase inverter to keep running disconnected from the grid. But the an expensive solution when power hardly ever goes out in most areas in the U.K. We were planning to use 2 as a single Powerwall has limit of 5kw charge/discharge, but if we go on the telsa energy plan (not decided yet), then net metering means you don't need to fiddle around optimizing timing of usage or if/when battery is charged, all that matters is the kWh cost (11p) and your total imports/exports over the year.

Must it be aluminium? Would aluminium clad timber be okay? Just fitted this Rationel aluminium clad timber slider. Just under 3M wide and 2.1M tall triple glazed. Very pleased with it. All I would say is Rationel don't do triple sets, so if you must have 3 panes they probably won't do what you want.

I'm pretty sure that Tesla sell these things like hot-cakes so I doubt there's an issue with getting old stock! yep, 3-phase electrics will be installed and a 3-phase inverter. need to figure out how to fit it all together but that's what I'm paying Enhabit for. ?

@TryC that soil stack above in black is fine - could do with a bracket on the fascia but nothing major. In terms of yours you need to track that drain entry and if it flows into the foul sewer. Quickest way is a bucket of water with some food colouring in it, and lift a manhole cover.... flush the toilet, see where the water enters the chamber. Then tip the coloured water down the trap next to that downpipe and see where it ends up. If it all ends up in the same manhole or flows down through it then happy days. You then take the gully grill out, and you can insert a clay to UPVC seal connector into the pipe and put a new stack in. In terms of coming through that wall, a pair of 40mm pipes through the wall is about the same diameter as a 110mm soil so you would only need to chisel out the edges I expect.

thank you @jack. puts my mind at ease. I also asked for them to just make it all one zone after reading on here. I think with a slab this thick the response times will be so slow there's no point of having individual zones and we'll just keep the whole basement at a constant temperature, assuming we even need to turn it on for most of the year that is!

Any decent bricklayer can do this, either a lintel or corbeled brickwork will do this.

That’s good, I don’t think they are worth the paper they are written on.

Only a small example. My sun room, the last bit of the house that we are just finishing now. Maybe not the clean look some want as there is a stack of beams between the 2 panes to support the roof ridge beam.

50% more storage on newer version Greater output on a firmware update https://electrek.co/2021/04/22/tesla-increasing-powerwall-power-capacity/

You're right that Wunda is thinking about spacing for a normal building regs (at best) house. I believe just about everyone (including me) on here with an MBC slab has 200mm spacing, and I don't recall any complaints.

that indicates the trap is not tight on the tray!!! so is probably where it’s leaking. ? If you can remove it make sure the nut goes far enough along the thread to tighten on the thickness of the shower tray!!! I like using a smear of Vaseline (on plumbing washers) ?

In the depths of my bathroom thread there's some words of wisdom from the Welsh Wizard. From memory he said a lot of rubber washers on traps are generic. His, the method I used, was to ditch the rubber washer. I then filled up the gap with I think white Sikaflex EBT. When tightening though you MUST ensure you compress the trap without turning it which will tend to smear it too thin. Baby wipe it and walk away until set. Now I'd probably use white BT1. @Nickfromwales feel free to jump in! ?

Ecology told me two days ago they don't require a warranty

15kW of boiler output will be enough if your heat demand is lower than that - and with insulation work it is likely to be the case. Also in well insulated building the full output of the radiators (as specified at supply temperature at 70°) will not be necessary, so even if ran straight from ASHP at ~40-50° they will do what they're intended to - keep the required room temperature. Actually the result should be better, as with lower output the temperature changes are slower than in full steam ahead - full stop mode.

We have Structural Warranty quote of £1900 premium and £1700 for site visits. £3600 for a build less than 200 sq m!! It is supposed to be our forever home but you never know what life throws at you so luckily as no mortgage is involved we will not bother and if we have to sell will look at buying retrospectively if required by the purchaser.

While I’m sitting here with a mild dose of man flue I thought I would spread some of my pain around. Enjoy.

Hello gc100. If you have the right relationship with your SE then you can explore the option that is a little less formal in places. Ask them how much for say two site visits to confirm the structure is build as per the structural drawings. Here for example the SE will formally check the layout, spacing of main members, founds, connections and so on. But in doing so the SE also (should) look at all the other bits and give you a heads up. What I am suggesting is not really recognised under many formal contract conditions that don't include full supervision (call this an old Clerk of works function) but it does work so long as the SE and the Client agree the boundaries of liability. I work on a lot of jobs say where someone wants to take down a couple of load bearing walls, they don't have the funds for a full managed and supervised contract but need a bit of help to deal with the builder. I would rather cast my eye over work just to make sure that it is safe. I take the view that best to do this as then you don't have to worry about a later failure where someone may be hurt. Yes, what I have said may raise a few eyebrows but my PI insurance allows me to be flexible.. but sensible.

We used one of these from HSS to remove vinyl floor tiles from screed. It's better than the hand held breaker as it has a sideways oscillating blade which is much more controllable. It didn't damage the screed at all but I don't know how it would do with wooden flooring. Certainly up to the job. Tried a manual blade on a long handle first and managed about 1m2 in an hour. This machine did a 12m2 room in about the same time.......!!!

We did have a buzzard a few weeks ago but it managed to electrocute itself so the hens are safe for now.

So that is probably a clay or cast iron pipe in the ground. The old WC would have been the type where the outlet went straight down into the pipe in the floor. That flexi pipe and the cement is a bodge. If that pipe and hopper in the last picture is the basin waste and is going into the foul drain then you can convert that to an external stack but you will need to dig up a bit of the patio around the open gulley to do that.

Evening MP1. I used the Firestone EPDM 1.5mm thick, a little more expensive that the thinner stuff (1.2mm) but a failure here could let water into the warm roof. If this happens it will not get back out easily, the OSB would be particularly vulnerable. Considering what I was spending on the insulation, the labour effort, all the seam tapes and work to dress the second storey cills over the EPDM then I was ok going for the heavier EPDM. If you are going to do this detail you show for the roof then you must make sure you get a good draft blowing through the 50mm air gap and that can be hard to achieve.

that's. Before this whole process started, after doing a few renovations I thought I was quite knowledgeable. Now I know I know nothing, or very little. But, one we can't afford to get someone in to do everything and secondly when we do get trades for some bits I want to know if they are taking the micky so I'm trying to learn.

Hello all. we are awaiting legal completion, so excuse lack of address and details for now. It is not superstition, but experience. Highland will do for now, and it is quite big. I am juggling my own experience in commercial projects with the more relevant experiences in your projects. Conversion of farm steading, not new, but will be airtight and well insulated. question 1 space and water heating. My thoughts are to use ground or air source heating but also have oil or propane as security, and as best capital outlay value. Plus a wood burner. I feel that most of you are going for AS with perhaps electric backup. in commercial buildings i have specified and used AS many times, but never GS as the ground is heavy clay where we live. AS is noisy though. And solar panels? I think underfloor is a given for a new floor, which we would have. I'd love to hear your opinions. question 2. rock wool or foam board in the walls and roof (see how I am avoiding trade names)? I was tending towards foam to keep it skinny, but I like good quality rockwool, and see it on some project photos here. thanks

Video calls you want diffuse light coming from in front of you and a quiet room. North facing window. Desk with you looking at screen and out of window. Light comes from behind screen onto your face. Or desk facing white wall and a desk lamp (or two) face away from you, bouncing off the wall, and hitting your face. Windows? They go in walls. Same problems as downlights for an office. Noisy in the rain too for calls. Difficult to seal around. Difficult to fit blinds to. Get covered in bird poo. No windowsills for plants and other ticky tacky. Roof? Make sure it still has a fall after all the wobbliness of the roof. Make sure that your drainage detail can't go wrong (e.g. all water falls ff the side into an external gutter rather than any internal drainage) Then pick a covering that's adequately waterproof and will remain so after UV, extremes of temperatures, birds pecking at it, cats with sharp claws dancing on it, etc. I don't have any experience using EPDM for a whole roof. That stuff is attractive for being one piece but 1.5 mm doesn't sound like a lot. Ask a pro flat roofer what they'd use on their own home. Probably 3-layer felt applied properly if they have all the tools. It's laborious but will last >30 years. Porch? Entry door overhang for rain?

Its possible you become liable for the developers CIL from day you purchase the land even if you haven't formally accepted liability for the CIL.... https://www.michelmores.com/news-views/news/community-infrastructure-levy-–-what-residential-developers-need-know If you dont own the plot yet I suspect there aren't many ways out.. 1) reduce your offer by the amount of the CIL. 2) persuade the developer to apply to get his PP changed to a phased development with you plot specifically a phase. Be very careful if you ask the council. Its possible they will give you a stock answer that self builders are exempt without fully investigating the exact situation. Then later when they get their act together they hit you with a demand for your share of the developers CIL. Councils don't normally issue legally binding decisions outside of a Certificate of Lawfulness or similar.

Wouldn’t have thought so. If there is no way of now gaining an exemption then that’s too bad on his part I think, or maybe he can try to make a non material amendment as per the conversation in the link.

If you have already completed on the plot can he force you to take the transfer?

I’m not an expert but I believe that it depends how the planning permission is structured. If the whole scheme is under a single planning permission with no phasing then the CIL liability is due as soon as the developer starts the first property and no subsequent owners can claim CIL exemption for one of the plots. If the planning permission is phased then CIL is due dependent on the start date for each plot. It sounds like you are reapplying for planning permission? Have a read here as this might help https://khub.net/web/planningadvisoryservicepas/forum/-/message_boards/message/147502813

This sounds like a golden opportunity to renovate the bungalow while doing the extension. Start by under floor insulation (I bet it has absolutely none at the moment) and UFH in the original part, probably a closer pipe spacing for the UFH in the original part. Carry on with the oil burner for now, I suspect in the next 5-10 years there are going to be serious grants to insulate and replace old fossil fuel boilers, there has to be with yesterdays CO2 reduction plans.

I am going to be doing a similar project, could you share your Middlesbrough supplie?

Hi I built my own TF on site in all weather's, saved a bit of money but next time I would buy a frame in and I'm a chippy Buying one means you're inside and dry a considerable time earlier. I would erect a company supplied myself though John

Hi @Ben100, I'm in the middle of a stick build timber frame self build. I weighted up the options but choose a stick build timber frame because: It was significantly cheaper and it is the opposite for cashflow, instead of paying upfront for a kit package you get building merchant's credit (two months) We have a great joiner We cut and build the kit in June/July so it was great weather. Stick building allows greater control over the quality of the materials and the time when you need them. You can more easily adjust for changes and if for any reason your measurements between your timberframe and foundation are slightly out this is not a problem, but would be disastrous for a manufactured kit. Fitting the insulation and ensuring air tightness will take time but my time is free in the evenings Of course there are plenty of reasons for arguing the opposite. But for me I considered the self builder's triangle (quality, time and cost) and being able to only select two, I was happy to take cost and quality. It also worth considering where a stick build ends and a kit starts. I.e what was done on site could have been built in a factory/large shed and perhaps some would call this an open panel kit? Here is my blog which has a few entries on that part of the build which might be of interest.

My general advice is do not assume the other party will behave like a rational logical human being. I had no idea how wicked, delusional and evil people could be until I started self building.

We've just had the quantity surveyor report back for our planned build, a ~170m2 Passivhaus which will have a heating load of <2kW. It includes the following line: How on earth did a sum of ~£500 per m2 on radiators not get noticed and queried? More worrying, is there anything else in there as dodgy?

Go on - how many pw’s do you plan ? 3? - one per phase ??

This issue has raised it's head again today. Neighbour says the survey hub is definitive and is going to peg it out on 17 May and reclaim his land. We would let him have one meter only!

If you have a mortgage you will need a warranty. By by £3000.

Don't know what I was thinking, it should be called 'Site Club'