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There is an advantage to curtain twitchers in that they are keeping an eye on your place, give them your phone number and ask them to phone you if you see anything suspicious. We all keep an eye on each other’s place where I am, quite reassuring.

Hi all, I've just realised I started a thread before saying hello here so hello ? We have had an offer accepted on a nice plot near Blairgowrie that has planning in principle. I am just going through my due diligence at the moment before parting with any money. The plot won't be the easiest plot to build on as it's on a slope, drainage will be private, the electricity supply estimate is higher than we expected, and the water supply will be via a borehole although the land owner is going to cover the cost of drilling the hole. We are currently looking at two options in terms of build, one is using a local architect who has a good reputation and the other is a slightly customised Heb Homes Longhouse. Very early days

Factually incorrect. A radiator size is related to two factors - heat loss and delta-T. Heat loss is the same irrespective of the radiator size, as it relates to room size, shape, insulation levels and windows. Delta-T is the difference between the water temperature and the desired room temperature. All new radiators under BS-EN 442 are sized at dT50°C assuming the flow is 70°C and the desired room temperature is 20°C. Taking an example room heat loss of 885W (2720 BTU), this would require the following : Using a flow temp of 70°C (std Gas/Oil) then the radiator would need to be something like a 500 x 1000 Type 11 Single Rad Using a flow temperature of 47°C (ASHP) the Correction Factor of 0.43 would require an equivalent output of 2058W (6325 BTU) which would require a 500 x 1200 Type 22 Double. That’s 200mm longer, and 25mm deeper than a single rad. Not 3 or 4 times the size. Let’s stick to facts and not conjecture and guesswork please.

incorrect on most counts but hey, that’s your opinion. 145sqm 3 bed, brick and block with UFH. 300 litre UVC (no loft tanks), 9kW ASHP and stats set to 19°C and there is a post heater in the MVHR and all that costs around £120 / month in coldest part of winter last year on Bulb E7 tariff. That was for the period when it was -5°C and sometimes down to -8°C last winter. For an ASHP to not work requires temperatures below -16°C for the older units and -22°C for the newer gases. Newer gases can produce 56°C water temperatures, and can still hit CoP of 2.5. I think you’re not using the term Luddite correctly - that would be someone who doesn’t move on with the times and prefers old technology … bit like 1980’s combi boilers .. They do - usually when badly sited, and undersized or incorrect type. As said above, the variable speed or inverter drive ones are much better. Sound can be reflected very oddly by walls and buildings, soft landscaping can soon change the noise levels.

Just looked your a bit far away from me There must be someone on FB that would come and put you some cuts in Once The cuts are in and a piece is out The rest will lift easily

Your breaker just needs to be more powerful. Can you not just use a normal sthil saw much cheaper to hire

Maybe whoever has bought it has been inspired by this house a bit further down... https://goo.gl/maps/5ZEkfRWNNnEfTce8A

You have two choices in life with any visible product that is heavily used, either buy the most expensive thing you can that is renowned as strong so it looks good and you can enjoy it (& don’t fret but be careful) or get something cheaper that still gives a similar effect which you are happy to replace when it looks a bit tatty! Same applies to nearly everything in life. I wouldn’t really want to be putting a protector on something I want to use if it’s also supposed to look nice but that’s my take on it because protectors undoubtedly look worse than a cheaper product I’m less worried about and then I would wonder why I even bothered, unless you really just want a kitchen as a show kitchen for when friends are over ?

A Post Scriptum can sometimes become essential knowledge. Thanks ?

Looks like an aerated concrete block, I hate them. Easy to drill and fix to 5.5 hole not on hammer red plug no10 (4mm) screw 50mm ok for rad, dont overtighten

P.S. ASHP from what ive read on other threads not suited for this type of house D efc rating.

Use a concrete head on the inside but only bed it at the end away from the window so you leave 100mm with no motar. Then when the time comes you can slip the catnic in under the concrete head and point in the gap.

You should be able to de rate it by changing the burner jet but you will need an OFTEC plumber with a flue gas analyser as the burner will need to be set up from scratch with new air settings etc to get the combustion right.

Yes, if you put an "@" in front of their name they'll get a notification that they've been mentioned. ie @Selfbuildsarah Assuming the the TF/SIPs Supplier worked in 3D CAD, ask them for the Exterior/outline models.

A reason to nip it in the bud before they refuse planning. If a planner can see a copy of an OS map and the location of the build within the borders what’s to object to?

Ours is exactly the same set up as yours by the sounds of things so two vertical steels to go on top of the ones already there and then another horizontal at wall plate level (this is a bit different from yours) and then the triangular section. Amazing to hear your guys manhandled it into position, that must have taken quite some doing! The structural engineeer wanted the vertical steels to all be one peice, from floor of GF to ceiling of 1st floor, but the builder went back and explained how impractical that was, and so it's been broken into two sections to attach to one another, exactly like yours by the sound of it!

This is our gable as it stands at the moment with the steels having been built around.

Exactly, AGA/Rayburn etc. are the quintessential farmers choice for good reason, makes complete sense if the environment is right, like a working farm, but for the rest of us there is no practical argument for them at all, just a very very uneconomical fashion statement. Much cheaper to buy a couple of Spaniels and an expensive pair of Chameau wellies if you want to cultivate the country look.

Acro either end

IIRC with beam and block and Southern Water means you have to insulate as it's a potential freeze risk. Personally I did a 100mm twin wall duct and armacell un-split insulation slid over the incoming MDPE until it is underground outside the foundations.

I think at 750 you wont have any problems - below the frost line, mine will be laying in the b+b void at ground level close to external wall. I'm not sure it will freeze down there but NHBC quidelines state adequate precautions when above 750 8.1.3 Water services and supply - NHBC Standards 2021 NHBC Standards 2021 (nhbc-standards.co.uk)

I used 110mm soil pipe with large radius bends as the ducting for my mains water pipe.

You are allowed cameras as long as it picks up your property and no one else's. If you cover another person's property or public areas like a path or road then you have to put up signs informing people they are being recorded.

110mm drainage pipe is fine.

At my last house our neighbours had a Nibe ASHP fitted which was 2m away from our fence. We lived in a quiet rural spot and standing next to our fence it was inaudible until it went into, what I guess was, defrost mode, when there was a hissing sound that lasted a couple of seconds.

Hotter than I can stand. Although I can stand putting my hands in 48 degree water for washing up. that is too hot for most of my body. The fact I can, if I wish get the shower water too hot for comfort suggests it works with a lot less headroom than the manufacturers suggest.

There are basically two types of ASHPs. Fixed Speed/Fixed Output Variable Speed/Variable Output (inverter driven) A fixed speed is like having a car that only runs at maximum revs, all the time power is needed, then it shuts down. An inverter driven one can work at full speed if needed, but is usually working at a 'lower speed'. If the system is designed correctly, it will very really work at more than about 70% capacity. As the noisy bit is generally the air fan, shifting less air reduces noise. It may seem counter intuitive to oversize a heating system, but with HPs this is the norm, just like it is with cars.

When you pull a hanging weight to one side the tension in the suspension rope goes up by a factor of 1/Cos(angle), where angle is between suspension rope and vertical. Example.. if you pulled it sideway until the suspension rope is 45 degrees to the vertical the tension would increase by a factor of.. = 1/cos(45) = 1.4 If the object weighs say 100kg then at 45 degrees it's equivalent to lifting 140kg. The force required to pull the object sideways can also be calculated. The same sideways force would be applied to the rafter or whatever the winch is fixed to.

OK so you have.. 150mm -10mm slate -5mm adhesive (more if stone is bit irregular?) = 135mm -65mm screed =70mm available for insulation, DPM and blind. I'm thinking a 20mm closed cell insulation, DPM and 50mm PIR. Not ideal though. We have around 80mm of PIR insulation under our UFH and would definitly put in more if building again. I'd probably aim for at least 150mm. If you really don't want to raise the door sill there are some UFH boards that can be tiled over without screed. They are typically 20mm thick and intended to go on top of suspended timber floors but it might be possible to adapt them for use over insulation or insulation and OSB. No screed required. One issue is that insulation boards don't always lay flat and need screed to weight them down so the don't move under load causing cracks in tiles/stone flooring. https://ambienteufh.co.uk/tiling-over-underfloor-heating/ https://www.wundatrade.co.uk/shop/home/quick-shop/wundatherm-quick-shop/boards-quickshop/underfloor-heating-board-wundatherm-ultimate/ Who is your UFH vendor?

@harry_angel I will get pictures tomorrow no problem

Our steels at the glazed gables are portal frames - below in pink...

Re: Steels, Same two storey affair here. Our steel fabricators managed mine, thankfully! We had two columns bolted to the foundations, these were about first floor height, then a cross bar was bolted between the two (goal post setup), these had plates welded on top, two more steels were then lifted onto the first floor deck and man handled onto the plates and bolted down. The angular pieces were also man handled into place and bolted together, and a steel ridge beam was then bolted to the top of the gable. Hopefully this picture (not the best) gives an idea,

I simply do not know where to begin commenting on that white paper. Just looking at the number of caveats and get out clauses, not to mention the rowing back on certain proposals, GHG which died as a farse, then the promise of banning gas boilers in new houses has been rewritten to a promise to 'consult' on the idea. Almost every substantive proposal has something like, if cost effective and practical, or if parliament has the time. Oh and then there's a very comprehensive promise to maintain expenditure, maintenance and development of the gas network to transport gas. The investment cited is a piffle compared to what is really going to be required, but the excuse in the white paper is that the cost will essentially be pushed to the private sector and public, all smoothed over with a platitude that their role in promoting competition will reduce cost. There is no significant investment here by the government. There are some glimmers of sense mixed in the waffle, like they recognise the power distribution networks will need to be significantly modified in light of renewables, but only a minor note that policy and network costs form a significant proportion of cost to customers and that this cost is going to rise. Not much mention of changing network policy to actually further promote transition of energy, something that is holding things back right now and which favours the old boys of fossil fuels. And when it comes to housing, we're still years behind where we perhaps could have been if the government hadn't decided to scrap the zero carbon homes policy that was due to come into force in 2016. At least they're honest in saying they have no idea where things will be and that they are relying heavily on technology that doesn't exist yet, or that has yet to be developed at sufficient scale, which means massive risk. All I can find myself able to give them dues for is publishing a white paper that does seem to acknowledge they're aware they might actually need to do something.? Okay, taking a deep breath, rant over ?

Yeah for aliexpress orders I've always added up the price, lifetime I'd "like" to get out of the thing, the hassle of completely replacing it or repairing if it dies, availability of UK based parts or replacement, and how much loss of function it will cause if it does fail. Most my AliExpress orders were for solid state relays, low voltage lighting drivers (feature lighting: easy to live without if it fails, and central cabinet installed makes it easy to replace), motion sensors (I thought easy to live without, but I admit would be very annoying if the did all go, but each one is easy enough to replace on its own anyway). Probably the most critical item is the DMX amplifier / splitter. For a wall-integrated tap / mixing valve, or for a FCU (esp one that is "burried" in a ceiling void) it's not very promising. Mostly the hassle of trying to get to it to repair/replace is going to be high Also note that cheap mixer taps like that (we got a similar deck-mounted one) don't have integrated TMV so the hot temp varies a bit unpredictably depending if the sun has been out (PV redirect was on). You can add central TMV to limit highest temp, but that is annoying for running a bath and can limit overall flow/pressure. I guess having a central manifold would restricted temperature DHW to some taps, but unlimited to others where it makes sense (bath, shower, etc)

Ok so I planted very specific willow and it grew 14 foot in the first year, it will now slow down and the trunks will thicken up. It’s designed for fuel production as a crop that can be harvested within 6 years but it would be the perfect screen for curtain twitching neighbours ! Use it as the quick fix and then plant some slower growing more ornamental plants that will take over in 6 years time, you can then cut the willow down and poison the stumps or cut it and let it regrow. It’s non invasive and only costs 60p per cutting. Salix Viminalis x Schwerinii DRH Brown https://mammothwillow.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=24&products_id=88 if you want to see photos or need more information just let me know, I have no affiliation with the company just a very happy customer.

Hi Jack. If fixing to a slab then "underhanging" removes issues of the reduced edge fixing distance, that being the distance from the fixing into the concrete to the edge of the concrete. If over hanging then this problem arises. At 10mm variation between the high point and low point you are in the ball park regarding mortar bedding thickness. If you have 5.0mm mortar bed at the high point then you'll end up with 15mm thickness of bed at the low point.. all within acceptable limits. The following is based on the assumption that you have not cast the slab to high! If you have then that is for another day. Enough of the theory! ..some practical stuff. Here is a method of bedding a wall plate to get a quality job. The first thing is that timber is not straight when you lay it down on site.. it may have been when it left the merchants! Lay your wall plate down on plan and it will often have a bow, look at it sideways on elevation and it will be bowed that way too. And just to add to the dilemma it will also often be twisted. Usually you have a DPC between the timber and the slab. Staple the DPC to the bottom of the soleplate. Next get some wet timber, say 100 x 22 mm soft wood. Rip this down lengthways so you have little strips of different thicknesses, say 4 x 22 , 6 x 22 , 8 x 22 and so on. Cut these into 150mm lengths.. like kindeling for the fire. Put the sole plate on the slab, pilot drill it so the screw can slip freely and part fix it down to the slab with say 120 mm x 5mm screws and plugs. As you do this get the sole plate as straight as you can on plan. Often you only need screws at 900 to 1200 mm centres so it's not to onerous to do. Also, you can use the screws to take the twist out as you can either put them close to the edge of the slab or more inboard. Fine to do as they are just temporary fixings and non structural. Now work your way along it putting in the timber packers to get the top level. Try as best you can to keep the packers away from the stud positions. You'll not always get this bang on so don't worry. Just don't put them where you have a cluster of studs say taking high loads from lintels etc above or too close to the corners. You need to slacken and retighten the screws as you go to get the packers in. You'll not get it perfect but do the best you can. Once you have got it all as straight as you can unscrew the sole plate, put down the mortar bed and reposition the screws. Slowly tighten the screws while giving the top of the timber a tap down with a hammer. Leave it all to set. After a few days of dry weather the packers will shrink and you can wiggle them out easily. Point up the small holes they leave. Don't use dry timber for the packers as it will swell and lift the sole plate.. and you won't get them out later. Leave the screws in place as this helps keep the sole plate in place while you are putting up the kit. Once the kit is up follow the SE's instructions for permanant holding down fixings and so on. For all. The above is a bit lengthy but if you are self building and ordering a kit (TF) the manufacturer will often have a clause in their spec about how level the sole plate has to be. Deviate from this and it can let them shift the blame to you if something is not quite right with the kit. If you are going traditional masonry construction then you may have a trussed rafter roof. Again, the wall plate tolerances are covered in the manufacture's clauses. Traditionally, less so now we used to make the bedding of the wall plate part of the brickies work package, particularly in Scotland when doing TF. This gives a clear line of demarcation. Brickies are not so keen on this now as.. All the best Jack and hope this helps, or you can adapt the above principles to suit your slab.

Unfortunately, it's too expensive and dangerous us for us to be getting involved in lending this type of tool, plus a nightmare trying to figure out how to cover wear rates on blades. We only accidentally got into lending the couple of other things in the loan library, and it isn't a service we plan to expand.

No, wood burning stoves. Dik Guerts Bora in particular.