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If not already included, according to our SAP assessor, 2.5 kWp of PV would add 4 SAP points. Your SAP report may have included suggestions of simplest ways to get more points? (But PV almost certainly the simplest and cheapest)

The simplest solution, is a door handle extender. Works on the same principle of leverage and longer gives more leverage and easier to operate. They ain't the prettiest but do work. Whether it helps your mum is a different question. You may need to buy one and try it before buying more. https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=door+handle+extender&ref=nb_sb_noss

Hi all, sorry for the delayed response its been a busy few weeks. It worked anyway. I scraped the excess hardwood back with a fresh Stanley blade until the delamination would push down without resistance. Then I got a pic under the delamination to lift it just high enough to fit a 14 gauge blunt needle under and filled the cavity with cascamite. I then pushed it down wiped off the excess with a damp ragand weighed it down with a piece of damp first layer, then a 2"x2" tile with four 7n blocks on top for 24 hours. To finish it I'll rub a small amount of adheasive (same colour as the floor) into the slight gap but it's hardly noticeable then rub it down with a damp cloth. Worked a dream. Thanks all for your input.

So my house design has a full height hallway, so the skylight is 8.5m above the ground floor. I'm wondering if people with a fear of heights will enjoy standing on the loft walkway or not since it indeed is 6m straight down. And if we're thinking about safety, accidentally flying over the rails.. any thoughts on that one?

Here is a very contemporary version: Here is something similar where the spindles are lighter in colour, though I wouldn't have done the treads this shiny or this colour really:

Mondays are generally a high demand day as people return to work and industry ramps up after the weekend. This year has probably been more pronounced as many people who have not been working because of holidays (last week was very good weather) and the drawing to an end of Furlough.

No problem at all. Indeed that's one of the benefits of using a 5A socket for plug-in lights as it prevents you plugging something else in (e.g. TV) that wouldn't like being fed by a dimmer. Make sure your bulb is dimmable though.

It isn't just us, the whole of Europe has the same issue. Seems to simply be a matter of supply and demand, so expect very high gas prices this winter. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-06/europe-faces-energy-price-shock-with-gas-and-power-at-records

I think he may end up taking the tiles up He should know that you have to be so careful with limestone

Drains should be at least 300mm deep unless they will be driven over so perhaps start that deep. Then 25m at 1:40 would go down 0.625m so the depth below surface is now now about 300+625 = 925mm. Then you say the garden slopes down 2m over 60m.. 60m at 1:40 would be another 1500mm fall but the ground slopes down 2000mm. So the depth below ground at the treatment plant would be 925 + 1500 - 2000 = 425mm How deep does it need to be at the treatment plant?

Don't start at 1m deep if you can avoid it. Run the drains as shallow as possible allowing for the type of traffic above. 1:60 is acceptable for 110mm pipe. This make inspection and rodding much simpler, as well as easier installation. You can have the gradients steeper if you want to but if you change gradient you should have an access point. The 40m from your last IC to the treatment plant is near the maximum but should be fine as you have plenty of fall.

I don’t know of any specific distance requirements but I assume each toilet will run out of the building to pick up a line running parallel to the build, in this case a chamber at each branch makes sense especially given the depth making intermediate rodding points a PITA.

Going slightly steeper isn’t a problem especially with flush points at different locations as this will help to keep the line clear

OK … How..??! Standard box to min standards with a gas boiler ..?? Lots of glazing ..? Not enough insulation ..?

You might as well make a weekend of it then it takes the pressure off the NSBRC having to live up to any expectations!

Can you squeeze in some more insulation or add PV panels?

You need to be careful, large vans are not particularly robust and easily damaged - a lot of the value of these experienced movers is their ability to get them though tight spots (like the small gap we left after building the house )

+1 for Ecology, although you do need to meet their SAP / PHPP requirements with your designs. Genuinely delightful to deal with all the way through the project. Plan B would be to somehow borrow the additional funds to demonstrate the required balance and then give them back as you don't need them.

The 2 times I bought one, I just bought from the caravan dealers that have their own transport wagons and delivery was included in the price. The one time i sold one, the buyer had trouble finding anyone to transport it. the 2 local companies would only deliver vans they had sold, he ended up getting a company from 100 miles away to transport it. Just phone your local dealers with a ficticious 'van and ask for a quote to deliver it from 50 miles away to your plot. Also check what "delivery" means. When mine was delivered, they unloaded it onto the road and said "there you go mate"......

In a previous life I had dealings with ecology and they were brilliant, and yes approached directly. also had dealings with Buildstore who were rubbish even after proving exactly which date I had my tonsils out as a 9yr old. Ridiculous process, wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole even if they were the only option. Just my 2p worth!

Melton BS do self build - very good too

Sorry to hear that, but perhaps there is Plan B to be written. I'd perhaps say try not via Buildstore, as you seem to be in a position to look around, with your bungalow ready to gobble and PP in place. Why would Newcastle be your only lender? Do you have 3 heads? Or is there a good reason? Ecology BS?

Yes I have one for my hood over the cooker. The fan is mounted in the space above the kitchen. I removed the original fan motor from the canopy and connected a TD Silent 500 150 with 150mm rigid ducting, with flexi where it links to the fan. I used a REB 1-N speed controller to operate it but it was rubbish and the fan would stall on low speed. I swapped this out for a wall mount switch. I think the new fans have 3 speeds. I use the lights on the original canopy. The fan is really quiet and brilliant at extracting. You need big ducting.

One angle your consultant might consider as part of a full PP application is citing the potential for Class Q as a future material consideration in any full PP application. I.e. if farm has used PD in 2016, Class Q should be available again in 2026. As such the planning dept can likely expect an application from someone then for a Class Q conversion, potentially covering multiple barns on the plot. The availability of Class Q is a 'material consideration' when considering PP i.e. a planning dept should explicitly consider this as a factor when considering the full PP. The idea is you argue that your full PP application is in some way 'better' than what might be achieved under Class Q. In your case, even though Class Q isn't available now - it will be in future (assuming legislation doesn't change). Class Q as a 'fallback position' I suspect is / will / should become a common planning consultant approach in mitigating the issues with Class Q. I.e. Class Q encourages difficult and often unsatisfactory conversions, and using it as a fallback position to aid a 'better' full PP application seems like a good idea. One might apply this approach to any of the class Q conversions flagged on buildhub @adamr7747 ? See the Mansell appeal 2017: https://www.michelmores.com/news-views/news/planning-potential-improve-class-q-consent I don't know to what extent this approach has been tested again legally, but your planning consultant would know.

If it's a s creed then blue strip will suffice. If a slab, probably needs an upstand of EPS or PIRR about 25mm or so thick.

Are they handles or knobs?, I avoid knobs fir this very reason, plus unless you have long mechanisms you catch your knuckles on the door frame. +1 fir oil or a spray of WD40.

N0 1 oil the door mechanisms. they might have seized up. Second, some door handles have a spring built into the handle each side. If so try removing one or both springs.

Thanks for the replies, yes we were planning on taking the motorhome and staying at a nearby campsite, which would give us the option of a return visit the following morning if needed. Thanks Nick, looks like there's also a BiuldIt Live in February in Kent which is closer to home

Steel plate

Limestone should be left to dry out before sealing them grouting 2-3 days

True in my experience. But some of us suffer from perpetual vertigo, which is not the same thing at all. Did not stop me rock climbing, but then you are looking for your next handhold/best route, and what is below is irrelevant.

Toilet pan to be located directly above main soil pipe (running at small gradient under the floor) Builders don't give a sh!t and claim normal 90° junction (pictured on the left) will do, but when I imagine it, any (semi)solids will splash equally in each direction and some have chance of remaining upstream from the junction. My thinking is 45° bend + 45° junction (on the right) is superior, as will change the vector of the attack from vertical to horizontal, and so direct the impetus goes where it should. Fellow thinkers welcome to contribute

They always do groundworks. This is groundworks not plumbing

Seems PolyPipe after a quick google. 18mm will of course attract a longer / large bending radius too....

what 18mm system is it? 16mm is more common...

I'm doing 100mm centres as standard these days as it's much better to have the additional cross sectional area for heat transfer, plus it increases the water volume in the system which helps mitigate against requirements for larger buffer tanks with HP's. If this is going into a screed, I'd say a minimum of 150mm centres. The No.1 suicide mission with UFH is to not install the pipe in the floor correctly / fit for purpose. A quick google suggests that 18mm pipe is from PolyPipe, so I assume the plumber would get the design FOC from his merchants!! You asking how many loops there should be etc says there is not a design at present? I would want to see evidence of the requirement, for the heat loss of the room, being more than adequately met by the system. Do not accept anything less. Also ask if the UFH will run independently, eg away from the rads, as this can provoke a requirement for a buffer to stave off short-cycling of the heat source ( boiler in this case ). It's usually in the boiler manufacturers installation guidelines to mitigate against this by design. The reverse / inverted method of laying ( above ) also gives considerably less resistance to the flow of water. Serpentine gives you a barrow-load of 180 turns where the water must continuously completely change direction which is not great. Plus if you google some heat signature images of the two layouts, you'll see the serpentine has a warm side and a cool side, eg where the heat diminishes from the flow to the return. Reverse / inverted does not suffer this way, and this is quite significant in a system where the pipe is in screed vs slab. Challenge your plumber, as you are the customer and it's your home and your money being spent in it. Use the Heat Pump / future proofing as your "angle" if you need to 'convince them' that this needs doing.

This is really your call as the customer, if you are happy with the basis of your view.

Wouldn’t 100mm be more efficient for a gas boiler based system as well, on the basis that you could run it at a lower temp?

I'd think of the future.. https://underfloorheating1.co.uk/blog/article/Underfloor_Heating_with_a_Ground_or_Air_Source_Heat_Pump

One on the right with the Y laid flat and then a 90° elbow pointing upward. Will push the flow down the line. Upward tee is a bad idea.

You can get a No mar rubber tip for them.

Just to let everybody know, I bought 13 rolls of Tescon Vana tape from Latzel Dammstoffe for about 16 Euro each. A few points worth knowing: - Post brexit your order value with them has to be over 200 Euro. (They are not registered in some way for the below £135 scheme where VAT isn’t refunded). - They refund you the German VAT less a few fees (approx 25 euro in my case). - You pay the UK VAT and UK Import Duty to the courier before the parcel is released for delivery. Even with the additional charges, it’s considerably cheaper than buying the tape in the UK. The above is probably obvious to most but it was the first time I’d bought anything of any value from the EU post Brexit so it might be useful to some.

If this is the Honeywell, you can't operate the head off the valve. the head needs to be on the valve to centre the gear mechanism. If you try and operate it off the valve it will not stay in place and the gears will disengage and appear to be faulty. The spindle on the valve head should freely turn at least a quarter of a turn so I would say yours is stuck or partially stuck. EDIT: Just viewed your videos. the head looks fine. The spindle of the valve body is not turning anywhere near enough. You need to change the valve body and since you normally buy it as a complete unit use the new head that comes with it and keep your old valve head as a spare.

Our plot had a footpath across it but the paperwork to divert it along the edge was in place when we purchased it. All we had to do was level and grass the new route and get the paperwork finalised by the footpath officer. Sounds easy but... Footpath officer was a pain. We got the route levelled and seeded but Footpath officer wanted to come and inspect it. He came, looked at it and said we had to wait for the grass to grow before he would finalise the new route. Until then our builder couldn't legally start because the old route was still live. So overnight we turfed it and called the Footpath officer to tell him it had "grown". He still wanted to do another inspection before allowing us to proceed and drove over 35 miles each way to do so. All this despite there being another official footpath exactly parallel with ours just 1m away the other side of our boundary. These two paths meet up at each end of the garden. Fortunately this other path is the route everyone walks because its through a church yard. In 10+ years I've not seen anyone walk the footpath through our garden. We haven't bothered to fence it off. The OS maps are still wrong. Things to bear in mind.. You need permission to put a gate on a footpath. Suitable justification could be to contain livestock. Not sure about other valid reasons. Every now and again someone gets a bee in their bonnet about access to the countryside for the disabled. I've no issue with this at all but I've had people suggest footpaths should be tarmac. After leaving our garden our footpath leads about a mile across a farmers field that is heavy clay ploughed a few times a year. I usually tell people I will consider it if they persuade the farmer to do his field first.

Or been offered more money next door

Thanks for this guys - some useful info. So pi**ed with Buildstore who intimated along the way that it was a 'done deal' and wasn't at all and at this late stage too ! Paul

Comes as a solid lump these days.

I used to live in a set of flats with a similar stairwell, slightly more generous proportions. One poor visitor had to face the outside wall, put her hands against it and 'slide' up the stairs, eyes tight shut, cheek against the wall. The 'well' had a lift she would use in preference, but needed to crawl across the walkway to my front door.

Oh well my initiation starts tomorrow- cement arrives for foundations. Mind you my pristine toilet facility might be the least of my problems - just told tonight brickies struck down with Covid. Hey ho.