Leaderboard

Not everyone agrees but compression fittings on plastic are used by some (me) make sure you use an insert. https://www.screwfix.com/p/compression-washing-machine-valve-tee-15mm-x-15mm-x/60723

Triple aim for 0.8 on an opening window, for the whole window not the glazing. Double 1.2, but they are difficult to find. Ask for full u value calcs before you agree to buy, as many salesmen try to talk glazing u value, not whole window.

Seems bloody cheap to me. This is mine:

If we are worried about shrouded (or not) pins on a 5A plug, then I have to ask WHY do we still allow the sale of light fittings with BC or ES lamp holders that have NOTHING to stop fingers touching live parts with the lamp removed? We do lots of things in the name of electrical safety, yet we ignore this one totally outdated, totally unsafe design, and carry on allowing it to be used in new installs.

Used radiator fan inserted in OSB cut to size of a window sash . About £30 of material. Cable and croc clips to your car battery. Much more puff that the official blower door.

As @nod suggests, I'd wait for the Structural Design first because you'll need to know if this requires any design revisions. I found it's also important in that it helps to hang the build together so you know more about how it's going to be built. I know there have been plenty of times I've felt overwhelmed with the number of things I've got to detail, make decisions on and finalise, but often it can be helpful to try and break things down a bit and then deal with one thing at a time only. Are you able to put together a list of what you need to do and by when for the full technical drawings and which decisions are actually down to you and not the architect, SE etc?

Honestly, if there are signs of subsidence then you're potentially walking into a money pit. When I was looking, I found the most amazing property with just stunning views. The only problem was that it was being sold following an insurance assessment re subsidence. The so called engineers report from the insurance stated it was settlement, but our surveyor said the report was useless. The risk was too great that we would sink so much money into the ground without anyone seeing it that I took that risk off my offer. The seller didn't accept so we walked. Sometimes it's just better to walk away from something despite the emotional investment. If you're feeling like this now, just wait until you're committed with your money and a problematic development and then the stress will really hit you.

Sorry but no-one is profiteering here, they are quoting for a job and tbh I don’t think they want it. Most of the contractors I know are flat out and don’t want small jobs that need a lot of detail work doing so will quote off the scale as they know you won’t take them up on it.

Well, I thought I was insured your honour What I took out turns out to be public liability insurance. I may just ring up and check though because the last time I spoke to them they increased the value of the insured property in line with current costings. Turns out the "nice bloke" roofer is coming round to fix it down free of charge At the same time he is going to quote us for replacing the membrane with lead.

Harsh! But I see your point. @oldkettle it will do …. Not in a Yorkshireman way! Yes it looks a bit untidy but it’s also not easy to get surface mounted wiring neat and tidy without a lot of practice.

I’m not really sure how you can compare durisol with anything else really. It doesn’t have a continuous insulation layer, just blocks oddly wedged inside the woodcrete. How can they tell you that has the same insulation value that a continuous sheet of insulation would. Very poor block manufactured, the dimensions are all over the place, does not have a solid core of concrete just a lattice work. So if your block is inherently porous then you could use the concrete core for some element of keeping stuff out, water etc, oh but you can’t because it’s not continuous.

I think lighting along kitchen kick plate looks daft certainly not fancy.

Yes you use scaffold, the same scaffold as you will need to erect to allow the roof structure and covering to be installed. So scaffold up, do final rows of blocks, pour, move on to roof.

I have seen this argument before quite a few times. I think this is based on messaging from the woodcrete manufacturers (designed to "scare"). The question I always ask is, how do you get to the top of the wall to pour the concrete? Surely some scaffolding is required. So, OK, no bracing, but you've got to put scaffold up. Now read on.... I used Nudura (EPS) with the Nudura bracing - this bracing includes a platform level (you have to put scaffold planks on it of course). We did it DIY. The first floor took myself and my wife 5 days to put it all up ready to pour. I'm not against woodcrete, it works for some, but personally I do find the "EPS needs bracing" to be a null argument. Hope this helps

Fugly though if he brings the cable down and round the side of the socket. As it appears pretty sheltered I'd drill a drain hole in the box and go top entry in round pvc from the top. One of these in the top of the conduit. https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/TLTEG2.html?

If it’s cable then no, if conduit then the conduit can fill, hence the drain hole at lowest point. “Sealed” boxes should keep water out but that’s only if the seals are seated correctly etc. As your install if pretty sheltered anyway then you will be fine with bottom entry

Seems well covered but I've done a few recently. 15mm tee. Short length of copper pipe and one of these valves.

Well my air test was done at completion, something like 4 years after all the air tight membranes and tapes were applied, so it had plenty of time to settle.

Ah, @SteamyTea .... you've not had the experience of living with someone whose eyes are hurt by (what they regard as) bad lighting. I have worked hard on this build to reduce the effect of Debbie's photophobia. Driving the car on a typically sunless day often finds her using the visor to reduce the effect of the (to me non-existent) glare. A single light in the ceiling - unless dimmed or otherwise moderated - causes her actual pain. She prefers soft light, indirect where necessary and occasionally sharp, but shaded task light. 5 Amp circuits mean that we can have lots of gentle light sources .

Smart lamps a great in their place but I feel that they are just one way to go not the only way. Actually on reflection there is very little that is ever the only way to go as we need to have our creativity about us and of course you can still connect a smart bulb via a 5A (or 2A) socket and have the best of both worlds.

Unlikely unless you can break up what is there to become more porous. Digging it over would have more effect but short term. Another thing that helps is trees and shrubs. They don't drink the water in winter but the roots can make channels for the water to run away to deeper levels. Not scientific though. ie it probably helps but as an extra,

You use tapes and membranes strategically, alongside the parge coats etc. How good a job you do on the parge will reduce the amount of membrane / tape you consume, so use that to do the major gap filling alongside a quality closed cell air control foam ( Link ) for a complete solution which will last a very long time. We've had great results with Passive Purple, a spray on or brush applied ( 2 different types ) liquid airtight membrane, which we've recently applied over both parged and non-parged woodcrete ICF structures. Very happy to recommend Adam White ( supplier of the PP product link ) whom I have spoken with at length for solutions to attain airtightness in my 2 most recent ( clients ) projects. He was very helpful indeed, and gave us great support for the correct selection, application and integration of the product, vs differing substrate types. He was also very well versed with the world of "passive house". With a recent very challenging Velox build he came out to site to go through everything wit me in person, without any promise of business(!!), and the agreed solutions and subsequent AT test results spoke for themselves . We used the PP in key areas only, after a cementitious parge was first applied to all internal ( outer wall ) surfaces. It was primarily used in the window and door reveals to allow the AT tapes around the frames to have something airtight and uniform to adhere to, but was great for getting into acute angles / difficult junctions aka 'nooks an crannies'. Proper tapes and membranes stick to each other like shit to a blanket, and I pity anyone who applies them to areas where they then have to be removed from. The most important thing is to have the surfaces freshly cleaned / primed / dust and contamination-free to allow the tapes to work well and last a very very long time. Mastics, membranes ( liquid or sheet ) and tapes, in conjunction with parge coating can ( and does ) work very well indeed. The devil as always is in the detail.

Bit late to this but 2 or 5 amp sockets are both fir lighting ccts only, I think they are great and have fitted them many times, I like the ability to switch on lamps from the doorway/bedside without the main centre light and you can turn of a lounge with several lamps from the doorway without going round them all. My lounge has six sockets of this type in case furniture is re arranged.

I contacted Thomas Latzel, they hadnt actually issued the refund by accident. But done it today straight away. Thanks @MikeSharp01 for asking the question otherwise I would t have realised! @cwr you might want to check also.

Buildings insurance normally includes fixtures and fittings and it is most usual for an insured peril to be storm. Unless there is a a specific exclusion for solar panels in the policy wording. If no specific exclusion and you have difficulty, i would remind your insurers of the principle of contra proferentem which in grey areas suggests the benefit of the doubt rests with the insured.

Indeed. the lead flashing around my chimney flue, one corner has folded up in the gales. When the weather gets better I need to get up there to flatten it down again and stick it down with something to stop it happening again.

Even lead In storm conditions can lift but generally heavier so less likely, I would want to stick any rubber membrane down if it were me, glad your roofer is a “good bloke” ?

After about year and being self insured, I think the cost may be down to you. But check the solar company warranty etc.

I am saying that the chances of all those electrical loads all simultaneously drawing full current is unlikely. Ovens and hobs modulate most of the time they are on, so they don't often pull that current for long periods of time. Even if you did go and load up your electrical system the chances are that the full load may only last 15minutes or so then start to fall off. You also need to consider normal use. In my house just now the WM is on a 40° wash, the oven is on too, this laptop and some lighting. Then there are the parasitic loads, so peak power draw right now is probably 25A. I could add an EV charger and ASHP and still only be at 80A, however, as said above, the oven and washer load will modulate, so might peak at 80A but realistically sit at 70A. For the record, a 100A fuse won't blow at 100A, see green curve below: Without going into the technical details of it all, basically even if you did pull 100A for say 10-15minutes it would be fine, not ideal but it would be fine, the actual BS88 fuse would take 100A for over 1 hour, seems odd you may think but incoming fuses are there to do multiple things, one is to protect downstream and upstream cabling. Yes, that fuse also protects the DNO's incoming cable before your fuse, because that cable will probably be jointed to a much bigger cable in the street which is on a 1250-5000A fuse at the other end, but that cable coming into your house sure isn't capable of carrying even 250A. Cable protection is based on time. A cable will not go 1A overcurrent then explode into flames, it will just warm up quicker than intended and may then tip over its maximum rated operating temp and at a point the cable will be damaged, twin and earth is rated at 70° - so if the cable goes overcurrent for say 30 minutes and got up to 50° it would be fine. It is quite common for submains distribution and switchgear to allow periods of time where the rating may exceed for example the cable rating, but it is controlled with MCCB's (big fancy, sometimes micrologic controlled breakers) or even a BS88 fuse like the DNO will fit. The weak point in your system might be the incoming isolation switch(s) therefore a board with a main isolator rated at 125A is a good idea. I personally always spec a higher mains isolator than the supply ought to deliver.

You have a lot more there than just one, or a pair of wires coming out of a hole in the wall to a socket. There are cables inside the trunking, cables outside the trunking, cables going along the top of the wall. A lot more to unravel and understand before you can devise a solution. Is the garage being rebuilt or something else happening.

Ha, sadly the 'kerb appeal' is something I somewhat skimped on based on the Eifel tower principle - https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/09/20/priority-french-writer-ate-lunch-everyday-base-eiffel-tower-place-paris-not-see-2/?chrome=1 I think a landing strip might impress people even more.

That's dog rough! ?

A site I’m working on at the moment The lady wants lights around the skirtings and on all the door handles I suppose when you are paying 1.3 x2 plus a new build cottage You can have what you want I worked on Phil Neville’s old house Which was like a tribute to bling Gary Neville had a sprawling wide staircase with a carved busk of his head on the newel and his wife’s on the other newel The guy who carved them placed his on the newel and went to get him and the joiner accidentally knocked it onto the floor Breaking the nose off

At some point everybody will have a Posh Spice in their livingroom..

Not an expert so I will take the salesman's word for it, why on earth would you do that, have you heard the saying DONT ASK A BARBER IF YOU NEED A HAIRCUT.

Check on AirB&B and see what other services are offered. Or maybe on Bonking.com