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Hey all, We've just submitted our pre-app for our potential forever home in Northamptonshire. Outside the village boundaries and currently on my OH's family farm so having to go down the paragraph 79/80 route. Ideally ~300msq, 5 bed, 3/4 bath, open plan. I've found this forum super useful so far and fingers crossed we get approval!

Green Building Store. Job done.

Fit them yourself. You then have the choice of fixings and what products you use to seal them to the walls. I've fitted all of my aluminium frame windows (some documentation in my blog) but as PeterW suggests, I have not fitted my own bi-fold doors yet since I am waiting for some professional assistance (and I need help lifting door size laminated glazing units because I'm an unfit desk flyer!).

If BCO is signing off the whole build then anyone can fit the windows - most of us have done that with “standard” windows, when you get into the big Aluclad or big sliders which are best left to the professionals

Yes, fit them yourself. Lots of the approved installers charge a fortune and do a crappy job.

I think you will find it’s because gas is heavier than air and if a leak occurs the gas will sit in the boat bilges and be an explosion risk, whereas caravans have a low level vent so the gas can escape. You can’t have a low level vent on a boat ?.

Well we finally started on 23rd of June and the groundworks are done ✔waste and water drains are in and quite a bit of (un budgeted) stone everywhere, brickies start tomorrow morning . I know many who have had ,and those who are having issues with builders ( and you have my sympathy) are quite right to call them out on this forum but i would like to say so far the trades have been spot on so credit where credit is due .

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

I made all my penetrations after brick/block was up so did nothing to the external membrane. Internally I just used some orcon f and some tescon vana - no gaskets or owt like that. We got 0.2ACH on the test we had done?‍♂️

Some roofers kick the ends up slightly to drive any water away from the gable end.

Both, neither. Clarify what exactly each one of them needs, as definitely not all the drawings. SE will need dimensions and concept to do the calcs, draftsman can then adjust the design to accomodate requirements (though if that designer was any good, the initial design should be sensible enough to not need any)

EN 14428 is the standard for shower screens so highly likely it is toughened. When you say it is smoked can you see through it at all ..? You can paint the back of glass to make it opaque and then bond it or use a channel to hold it to the wall - will be fun to try lifting it over that bath ..!

Yep find that when the brickwork is slightly high and the tile battens run over the gable. More noticeable with those sorts of tiles but top marks to the roofer to cut the second to last ridge tile so you don’t see a cut end.

If you are targeting a high level of air-tightness, self adhesive gaskets for small wiring penetrations and gaskets + tape for large penetrations such as ducting. Sealing to your air-tightness layer. Mine was the external t&g DHF egger board, so all gaskets and tape went to the outside sheathing layer (under the cladding):

@Ferdinand it's a tricky document to get my head round. I found a couple of statements that suggested you could still use gas/solid fuel but you will need to do a lot of work on the building fabric to meet the emissions and energy targets. It will be a lot more straightforward to just say you are using a heat pump and so I suspect this is one way of incentisvising heat pump use. Many people around us seem to install woodburners for aesthetic reasons rather than as a significant source of heating and there's nothing obvious in these proposed changes that would prevent that. Incidentally I was speaking to an acquaintance in a small off grid community on the Scottish West coast this afternoon. They have a private wire electrical network fed from a small hydro. Heat pumps may not be particularly suitable there - they might quickly overload the grid at peak demand. They're a bit of an outlier, but it will be interesting to see whether any exceptions to the move towards heat pumps are made.

Much to recommend this, my mains foul drain was connected under the public road by a small approved contractor based 8 miles down the road, think they only employ a handful of guys and the boss does most of the work. The OP might get better quotes off local outfits. The best policy here might be some temporary sewage storage tank onsite that facilitates occupation of the house and buys time. In a year or two the current commercial madness might have passed or even some new self builder might be looking to share costs.

I think you should run 2 UVC's of around 350l each, but have some control that only brings the 2nd one into to play when you need the capacity, ie. a "party" mode. It will save quite a lot of standing losses on the system when there are only 2 people in the house. You would need to include the unused cylinder in the Legionella cycle every two weeks. There doesn't seem to be a lot of ASHP cooling experience with the installers. Probably due to it being disallowed on RHI up to a couple of years ago. It is "relatively" simple, as long as you pick an ASHP that can do this out the box (There's an add on for the Nibe and you need to use the SMO40 controller I believe) But, I don't believe standard UFH controllers can handle cooling (they couldn't when I specced in 2017), and not all installers will know how to get the UFH actuators opening for cooling. (assuming you'll have multi-zones with potentially different temp requirements) I'd assume on the build you mention you are considering some home automation. If so make sure it can control UFH actuators for cooling as well as heating and don't bother with a dedicated controller for the UFH manifolds. Edited to add: The Nibe's mentioned need 100l each of buffer (or permanently open UFH/Radiators) so a 500l buffer seems overkill

I’m just looking into ASHP To my disappointment All three have said it’s not worth reversing for cooling

That's why we only have four teams across the UK and when we do take on another team, we vet them for a few projects alongside our other teams before we go down the road of training on the products etc. We then get them involved with some service work before given them a full project. It doesn't always work out but you put it down to experience and learn from it.

+1 to this. Recognise the risk you are taking on. If you are installing, then you are likely receiving a kerb side delivery, so responsible for handing and any damage from that point on. I had around 96m² of glazing and doors Installed for about £8K iirc, with 16 man days for the install, delivery costs, consumables, hiring lift equipment, contingency to cover corrections and repairs - it's a premium, but removes the majority of risk and arguments about where damage was caused.

As above, fit them yourself and you will more than likely get a better job done. I’ve seen some horrendous “accredited” fitting jobs

I was told by the Installers the recommended Max distance from (a mono block) ASHP to UVC (not just the distance outside the house) is 10m. I assume the manufacturers' COPs and SCOPs etc. are based on that Max. I put my UVC quite central in the house so had a 20m pipe run, 15m of which is under the slab to the ASHP. To mitigate the extra length I used a pre-Insulated twin-pipe duct from Rehau - the Rauvitherm SDR DUO 32+32/150 with a claimed U Value of 0.26 W/m-K A quick hand calc suggests that with a flow temp of around 50°C and a ground temp of 8°C (I've used the twin-pipe duct for the underground portion of the run) the energy loss is around 11W/m (7.25W/m for a 35°C flow temp) For your 10m run that suggests quite a small 110W loss when heating the cylinder, and less when space heating (assuming lower flow temp). So with a worst case COP of 2.5 that shouldn't be costing you more than 44W extra electricity into your ASHP. A small loss, but with you for the entire life of the installation.

Hi, We've recently moved into our small farmhouse in Cumbria and just starting renovation. First project managing ground water and installing underfloor heating.

Could always give the flint work a couple of coats of Thompson’s or similar to stop any water ingress but I’d also want to get the lead in a decent 30-40mm. Don’t give it any opportunity for water to sit on the lead.

I’d go with what you have, alternatives are unlikely to warrant the work involved

The pressfit tool was a godsend! I did quite a bit of hunting online to find one at a reasonable price (~£400 with 3 jaws and deburring tool), and it definitely paid for itself in piece of mind, speed and ease of use. I marked every single fitting to ensure that the pipe was inserted to the correct depth prior to pressing, and that was really it. The only word of caution is that you need to be pretty much perpendicular / square to the pipe run when pressing the fitting; I attempted one at a bit of an angle and the back of the fitting didn't quite press to the same shape so I ended up replacing it. The other thing that can happen if you're not quite square is that it rotates the fitting as it clamps which could be troublesome if it's a 45 or 90 bend...this also only happened to me once, but I also made it a point to press bends before any tee's or straight connectors to give me the freedom to make any adjustments downstream! Lastly...the jaws I was using could happily wrap around the fitting with the pipe clipped into place on the wall, however some of my pipe runs which ran close to one another were a little too tight for it... I found that I had to plan which sections I pressed prior to clipping in place, and which sections I pressed in place when dealing with these close proximity runs...it just takes a little bit of thinking to ensure you've got your pressing sequence right if in a tight space like in my case... Either way, big thumbs up from my side

Pragmatic approach would be stick with existing - it will very likely be OK

Having read this- I think the Graf sounds a better option than the biodisc

This sort of thing really gets my hackles up - and you know for sure the builders will be shaking their heads and raising their eyebrows at each other, simply because you are insisting on getting it done correctly. You can also be equally sure they won't be seen for dust after the build when your floor starts creaking... OP, get it redone properly - yes, perhaps they might cut corners elsewhere to recoup the cost, but equally they will pay more attention when you next explain how you want something done.

A present you get a good extra margin if buying as a main residence due to the Stamp Duty holiday, I think.

What will be the return on finishing it at that price?

My dad once made them move a wall that was 18" too close to the boundary as the house design did not fit on the claimed size of plot. If he had not caught it at foundation stage it would have got restrospecive permission.

The council told me that a S73 on a pre CIL consent, still triggers a CIL liability so I would be careful with this one

Photo as promised. The container is 300mm high, the trees directly behind the container are a normal willow planted 3 and a half years ago, there is a row of them along the front, they are about 6-7 foot high the ones behind it are the very quick growing willows and are one and a half years old.

If I could be a diva and make this all about me for a moment please... ? I started this thread as I was concerned about noise. Replies (for which thanks) have covered : 1. Whether an ASHP is right for my SB or not (at least one learned poster has suggested it won't work). 2, Whether they are any good at all. 3. How noisy they are. 1. I think an ASHP will work for me. I have full plans approval which includes a SAP calc based on 90mm PIR insulation between my RC slab and my 65mm UFH/screed, but I can alter that to 100mm insulation and 50mm liquid screed, plus I have ceramic tiles (a very good conductor), I will have significant south facing glazing, allowing heat to soak in the slab and walls in summer and release in winter (overheating to be avoided with a canopy), and I have good overall insulation standards, which matters as much as under floor insulation as far as I can tell. I will place my insulation inside the building, not under the slab. I appreciate the cold bridging effect this can create, but most UFH suppliers advise that my arrangement leads to more efficient performance. 2. The ranting video from SkillBuilder actually captures some good points (the 'rant' element is for humorous purposes largely) and is quite clear that whilst ASHP tech isn't always a great fit, it very often is perfectly good in well-insulated new builds with UFH, and especially where the overall system is designed holistically by an engineer. I do not have, nor do I intend to develop, the interest in and knowledge of the subject that some on here clearly have, and so for me the question is who do I engage to produce a holistically designed scheme, and can I implement bits of it myself to save a few quid. I'd guess the UFH is one, and then ask the installer to give it the once-over. What I've learned from some of the replies on here is that there are a number of small elements that can matter greatly, and which I will pay an installer to do. 3. The only thing I remain concerned about is noise. As some have said, the quietest ones still run at 45-50db, and the fact that the permitted development regs themselves include maximum noise levels speaks volumes. I have gone to new builds to listen to ASHPs and consider the noise noticeable. I will need to better understand this aspect. Does intermittent use vs steady constant use help? Is it as simple as to say that they are more active (and noisy) in winter when windows are closed, and generally sit silent in the heat of summer when windows are open? Can I fit any kind of noise-reducing housing around the pump?

I hope it’s correct!! although having it in writing means I could rely on it if they were wrong. i read the judgement carefully just in case, and we are definitely not going to do anything towards building the house until the s73 application has gone through, and we’re in a position to apply for CIL exemption, even if the CIL is £0. Better safe than sorry!

Thanks Gus, some good things to look in to there. The only thing that has changed recently is we had to replace the pump, might have a chat with the people who did this and see if they have any ideas.

I have not looked into legal avenues yet. At the moment I have a commitment from the plasterers to rectify the problem, if you like the plasterers have baled out the manufacturer? It is complicated. We bought the materials from the then UK supplier NBT and bought all the beads, corners, starters etc from them with the render. They no longer exist. A different company has taken over the UK distributor now. the manufacturer referred our complaint to the new distributor who "answered" it with what looked like a standard letter blaming poor workmanship, wrong materials (supplied for the job by the previous supplier) So now I am just telling it as it is, wharts and all. IF that results in bad publicity for Baumit.com then so be it. I am only publishing facts. And you guessed it, I could not recommend this system to anyone else, mainly because I would never recommend anyone use something like this where the manufacturer has a history of not helping the customer. It is all very sad, because the previous supplier had a very good and knowledgable rep, who would have visited and looked at the issue and tried to help. He is no longer with the new company and attempts to contact him in the hope of tapping into his knowledge have failed.

BCO has been today, and is happy (the first thing he said when he came to site was 'that looks solid'). Conctrete booked for Thursday, woohoo.

Cheapest combination is probably some kind of rockwool between the rafters and PIR below. If you used really cheap rockwool with 0.044 conductivity at 150mm between the rafters, this costs just £2 a square metre. Something like Knauf Earhwool 44. Then 100mm PIR under the rafters at £13ish a square meter then your insulation cost is around £15 a square metre. U-value looks to be between 0.13 and 0.14. It is around £10 more a square metre in materials to use PIR backed plasterboard, but there is less labour involved. However, you would struggle to get 0.15 with rockwool and PIR backed plasterboard. You would need better insulating rockwool which is much more expensive. To use PIR between the rafters and PIR backed plasterboard under the rafter would come in at about £30 a square metre - 120mm PIR plus 72.5mm plasterboard - I kicked off a couple of pounds for the saving on plasterboard. More insulation below the rafters tends to be more efficient as there is no bridging from the rafters, but you will lose some head height.

Don’t do it…!!!! Fit the pump and the blending valve from the outset. Do not rely on the ASHP to blend the UFH - it just ain’t worth it. You also have no control of the flow as when the zones start to close down you will be restricting the flow on the ASHP and you will get ASHP flow errors. You need to make sure you have a decent bypass valve too.

From DraughtBusters website https://readinguk.org/draughtbusters/going-further/dot-and-dab/ and a brief article from 2013 https://readinguk.org/draughtbusters/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/gbf-blob-and-dob-20131.pdf

Down form near Plymouth, I nearly choked on my hob nob when I worked out it was £17 a ton delivered. A pile of 20T of stone is a site to see, especially when you know it has to be shifted to behind a retaining wall.

Some of the private firms are sketchy, I did a few jobs with Aedis ?, but now I find our council building control best. If you want to cut corners deffo use a non local independent- they’ll let you get away with murder.

Absolutely certain that I'd cut this straight ..... Sometimes, when working on your own, you really can't see how knackered you are .

You're either reading this for one reason or the other. If it's to help plan sticking stuff through walls and sealing this then great. If not...you need a different forum.! SIPS kit is up, roofers starting so turning attention to getting ready mounting the rendrboard and cedral fibre cement. I will have a ventilation gap (45mm) and hence I would like to add as many penetrations prior to doing render board so I can seal them effectively from the outside at the membrane and also add supports battens for bigger penetrations like MVHR ducts which will go through walls to get a good fixing for renderboard there. Looking for any input in whether I should seal inside and outside? What you used to seal outside? Was it just air tightness tape too? Any things that you learned doing so etc and any handy hints. Also what things you had forgotten about and had to do later. Go....

This is click bait ! Worked for me though !

My genius idea is to split the 125mm pipe into two smaller pipes and vent them through the soffit. (This is totally my genius idea and totally not the genius idea I got from @Nickfromwales)