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Single zone, if you are well insulated a single zone for the whole floor. The whole system is likely to come on once per day and unlikely to cause any short cycling of the heat source.

Are they Ukrainians?

I’m not sure that many of the drivers who deliver to us would appreciate me wearing a low cut top…. p.s. no tips here either! Will make tea/provide doughnuts etc for guys and girls on site (but not too much - too many tea breaks and they expect it and the work grinds slowly to a halt) but no money here!

Breaking news! Spring statement 2022: Rishi Sunak abolishes VAT on energy saving materials for homeowners. Homeowners will not pay VAT on solar panels, insulation and heat pumps for the next five years.

Has it occurred to you that you might be one of the few people who is willing to talk to delivery drivers? A smile and bit of banter is worth a great deal.

I keep reading people saying that they have changed to LED bulbs etc, insulated loft but bills have not fallen or gone up. It seems that the average person has no idea how their energy bill is even calculated. The right question would at least be how much energy do you use. I have helped out a couple of people who have posted about their electricity bills on a Facebook utility forum. I was horrified that they were using as much or more electricity than we are. Indeed it made me wonder how much overall energy demand in the country could be reduced by explaining to people how to minimise bills. Articles like this do not help in today's DM- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/bills/article-10640385/Vampire-electrical-appliances-sucking-cash-bank-account.html To suggest that not switching off phone chargers and leaving TVs on standby is a material proportion energy bills is nonsense. A phone charger doesn't even register when not charging a phone. It might use 0.1-0.2 watts in this scenario, or 1-2kWh a year (40p) TVs do not use the 4W quoted on standby, they would been breach of regulations. They use more like 0.5W. Maybe £1 a year, not the £10 quoted. Some things are correct. Sky boxes use quite a lot of energy for example and amps are very inefficient users of power. On the other hand a 3kW power shower used for 10 minutes a day would use 182kWh a year. Cut your shower time to 5 minutes (or don't turn it on for 5 minutes and do something else whilst it warms up) and save 91kWh. enough to run a phone charger for over 50 years. Running you dishwasher on the eco mode instead of the fast mode might save 0.5kWh. So that could be 150kWh a year. It soon mounts up. Like personal finance, maybe this is another thing to teach people at school.

No! Lol, to be blunt. The whole American tipping culture is not something to be encouraged in my opinion. It is a moral minefield and encourages people not to pay their staff properly. There are places who ask for a tip in the US now when you buy a bottle of water or pack of candy. I tip where I know that basically the staff aren't paid properly unless you tip, e.g. cruises and restaurants although frankly I would rather they put up prices and paid them. I did buy a load of chocolate and give out little parcels at Christmas to regulars like the Tesco guys who come every 5 days. I consider that more of a than you than a tip. Generally we average 1-2 deliveries a day. If someone was hanging around he probably just had a bit of time and fancied a chat. Most of them don't even have time to wait for you to answer the door. I worked in a supermarket for 5 years at school and university. Was as helpful as possible, got an award for it. Never once got or expected a tip. Just enjoyed doing my job properly and helping people.

I would only tip someone that went out of their way, not just to do their job! Frankly the same with waiters etc, only the nice ones that make a real effort (and in cash to them, not the “pot”.)

There's no point, it'll all end up the same temperature. You can tune the flow rates of each loop if you find some areas are too warm or too cool. We've the ground floor as a single zone.

Okay a bit of a development on this. I have spoken to neighbours in the road, nobody else has been approached. I had a phone call today. I tried to ask if they were considering other routes, they were very evasive only saying "your property is the direct route" So it looks like they have their eye on my garden. Next step is they are going to make an appointment for a "non invasive survey" I am going to use that as an opportunity to point out all the difficulties they would face trying to route an underground HV cable this way, like the septic tank various drainage pipes and the holding tank and pumping station in that bit of garden, and then once they pass through the garden to the field, they then meet the drainage soakaway under the field behind us (with a deed of servitude from the land owner to allow it to be there) Hopefully that will put them off enough to go looking for a different route and I will question why they are not taking the route of the previous underground HV cable through a different and very much easier garden. Because this house is tenanted I have informed the tenant they are sniffing about and she will be involved when the surveyors come. I will keep you updated.

Ive got a pdf version that has informal approval for the G99 application Ive just submitted. You can probably edit it with a pdf edittor or tipex. PM your email address and Ill send it through. If you want to donate a tenner to Alzheimers Society I can update the CAD source file with your details and produce a bespoke pdf from that. PM your email address, house address, MPAN number and description of the location of the PV isolator

@Rubecula, we have a passive-class house, but TBH reducing annual energy use wasn't our primary goal. We made quite a few trade-offs between build costs, run-rates life style etc.. For example: A low energy house allowed to remove a lot of things that we would have needed in a classic build: we only have underfloor heating that was laid before the slab was poured and this is heated by a 3kW immersion heater. No complex central heating, no wall mounted radiators, no cold rooms, no cold ToD: everything in the house is the same temperature 24×7. The house has forced air circulation using MVHR so the air inside is always fresh. We could add ASHP since the UFH system was designed to allow adding ASHP, but to be honest we wouldn't get a net payback in maybe 7 years and especially given that ASHPs have a typical working life of 10 years. We also took the opportunity to make sure the outside was as near zero maintenance as possible, so we won't need to redecorate or do maintenance replacement in our remaining lifetime (we are 140 between us🤣).

To give you a rough idea, I paid £70 ex VAT per 12 m length of 47 x 300mm JJI in 2019. Buying direct from James Jones will be difficult. A single lorry load is probably too little for them to bother about. They have a list of distributors on their website, I ended up using Pasquill as they were local to us in Inverness. If you need any additional engineered timber it might work out cheaper going through a distributor as they can get you everything you need in one go minimising delivery costs and might be more likely to give you decent prices with the volume. Buying smaller lengths or getting the whole thing pre-cut would be advantageous. Although we had a relatively spacious site, moving 12m lengths with a forkilft wasn't straightforward. Having said that, it would only work well if the frame was properly designed - our wasn't and while I got the roof JJI's pre-cut we ended up with a lot of wastage due to the incorrect positioning of a velux on a drawing.

I haven't tipped either, but offer a cup of tea and the blue thing.

I'm afraid so, so it has to be occasional. The worker has a flask, and it runs out about 3.00, so another mug then might help after 'how long are you carrying on'. I found that the drinks and snacks don't appeal to Hungarian workers, as they preferred healthy, robust food. A slice of salami is another matter. And work the daylight hours less 1/2 hour. 9.5 hours work? This contrasts dramatically with SE gangs who disappear for cooked breakfast at 9.00 having got their tools out and had a think, come back , then the work of the day then lunch break, and afternoon break. between 8.10 and 4.00 typically. 6 hours work? No cost difference if on a price but the programme is affected.

Thanks for expressing that as I now don't have to 🙏 I tend to sound like enough of a grumpy git as it is 😁

Never tipped a delivery driver, but probably should do something to recognise our local Amazon and Hermes drivers. For all the shit we read in the news, there's about 3-4 regulars, and over the years they've always gone out of their way to leave the packages, even when it involves them entering a building site, clambering over some rubble and putting it safely in a box somewhere. It's a thankless task, with ridiculous time pressure and having to drive through difficult towns and villages trying to find houses with no number or name.

Builders/window fitters/groundworkers/you can complete the list.... like cake..... If you can't bake, or didn't marry one that can, get round the local cake shop and provide... Simon PS my other half can - thank goodness PPS no tips for delivery folks though.......

Never considered "tipping" a delivery driver and not come across one who "appeared" to expect such a gesture. That said, the majority of delivery drivers I dealt with, seemed keen to stop, chat and look / enquire, as to how the build was going. Never dawned on me that they may have been lingering for a tip! As a complete aside, things do seem to be getting out of hand though - we leave our bin men, postie and local courier a tub of sweets at Christmas, as a gesture of our appreciation but our son, who lives in a major residential estate in an urban environment, told me that on his "community FB page" someone had organised a "whip round" for the local postie for Christmas. He was shocked to discover that the organiser of said "collection," presented the postie with a cheque for £1000 - yes £1k!!! Crazy times!!!

I think some of them are on their own for long periods and value some friendly chat which is nearly always pleasant. Our biggest problem at the moment is that no one is one site just now. They are always told to ring 1/2 an hour before they get there and someone will be there but they rarely do. This week I've had someone call me once they got there with no warning then complain that the "Cedral is F***ing heavy" and he could not wait 5 minutes. Another dumped our oven and hob on the driveway, no call, no warning. We only found out when we went round in they evening. Honestly, I think I would buy from John Lewis just because their delivery drivers are excellent. Still not going to tip them though.

If it is a ‘special delivery ‘ I.e he’s driven for hours then I offer use of the toilet , drink and give him 20 quid ( especially if he helps me unload ( not a euphemism ) ) .

Respect goes a long way., and that can just be a smile. They are doing their job and a tip would only be for something beyond the call of duty. eg hiab driver offloading. then moving a pallet again to the perfect spot. Coffee and a bun yes. If I was managing a 'big day' (time critical) but was not needed for a short time I would buy bacon rolls/ coffees etc for the workers, as they didn't have to stop/ deserved it anyway. Likewise working through foul weather.

For the love of cats I wish people would stop the love affair with PIR, especially in roofs. Cost Fire Ease of fitting, Thermal bypass, Heat protection. Vapour permeability. Overstated K values, Gas migration, Shrinkage poor performance in cold weather. Supporting quantifiably immoral manufacturers. On the other hand the sheep's wool will do fine. 👍

If I know someone has had a long, special journey (and I do live miles from civilisation), I offer them tea and use of my lavatory. But never cash. Don't carry anymore these days anyway.

As we're in the arse end of nowhere I did make the odd cup of tea for the drivers who came a long distance. No tips though.

I did wonder that too! I’m pretty friendly and happy to pass the time of day for a few mins. If I were a driver I’d want the excuse to have a stretch and a change of scenery for a moment. But my instinct was telling me that it was more than that, and then my mum mentioned when he left that she thought he had been waiting for a tip. That’s what I had thought but hadn’t wanted to say.

Oh that’s great. I thought I might be committing some awful faux pas of builders’ etiquette!! The one that hacked me off was the equipment hire chap who dropped off the genie lifting gear at the bottom of the drive, leaving us to haul it almost 100m up an uneven incline unaided, and still seemed to be expecting something. He was the one who told me repeatedly about the generosity of his other customers. IMHO he’s already being paid to do the thing he just did, and was uncomfortable that I couldn’t get rid of him.

I never tip them either. I do tend to put some effort into making things as easy as possible for them though in terms of ensuring sufficient space for them to unload, helping them reverse back out etc and that always seems to go down well. I just try to be a 'nice/good/appreciative customer', but not in a gifting sort of way. I remember as a kid when my Dad used to deliver oil to all sorts of places from houses to warships he'd often come back with all sorts of gifts e.g. crates of beer, trays of Pot Noodles, bottles of spirits etc. Not sure if it was more of a Christmas thing though, and I might be misremembering (and exaggerating) the regularity of such occasions.

Never tipped a driver, never even thought to so. Possibly never will.

Yes, good shout, thanks. East Herts doesn't have CIL in place from the research that I've done, I will categorically confirm this before we start as that would be one expensive mistake!

What heated your previous house? If it was not electricity then you would have paid your electricity bill plus a gas or oil bill? what was the total. ALL fuels has gone up a LOT, it rose sharply last October will rise another average of 54% at the end of this month and again in October probably. We use about 1400kWh of electricity to heat the house with a heat pump each year. BUT our total consumption of electricity is more like 6000kWh per year. Heating cost is probably less than 1/4 of our usage. I am trying to chip away and reduce the non heating usage but unless you never watch tv, never do any washing, don't use a fridge etc there is no solution. And our bill would be bigger if it were not for the solar PV which we self use most of it. I am experimenting with better ways to optimise that at the moment like only running the ASHP for the heating in the middle of the day.

Look, you have PP which you can start to move on - go ahead with some ground works i.e. limited demo works, site clearance and (drainage etc) and get your BC (would always recommend private vs LA) to acknowledge this as a formal start. We did similar bits and bobs - demo of garage, some extension of fouls to connect caravan (but they were part of final services plan) to formally commence some 8 months ahead of the proper works themselves.

I know it's a kick in the teeth to have to go back to planning but, personally, I think it'll be worth it. but ultimately it is governed by your timelines and desires! reducing windows/bifolds from 2.6m to 2.1m will have a bigger financial impact that you think I believe. it's a tough choice and I don't envy you it as there are obviously costs and time delays involved in going back to planning when I can guarantee you're chomping at the bit to just get going! 😉

You'll need to go back to planning as you're increasing the habitable area. Same for building control. I'd suggest you start looking at muck away options. You can save thousands of you can find a local farmer etc that can take the earth (assuming only inert soil and stone) and a local man with digger and dumper lorry. You do not want to be paying for landfill. We were looking at in initial £250 per load to landfill but found another guy with inert waste licence that took it for £130 per load. Saved us nearly £3k. For perspective, our 115m² partial basement excavation, drainage, foundation hardcore and site stoning cost just under £15k

it's 6x10, from C&S in Tullamore. 40mm insulated, insulated roller door.

Shed arrived yesterday. Yay! Roller door being fitted today. Now to get stuck into wiring it up and getting some racking sorted

My timber-frame, built within the original steel portal frame of the shed I converted, derives no strength from the steel frame. ie. the two are not structurally connected at any point. The build up I have is a typical Cullen Timber Design buildup they use for new build, PassivHaus builds. The Egger DHF is the racking strength layer, as well as the air-tightness layer. The first opportunity to air-test would be when all external sheathing is complete, sole-plate sealed to floor, doors and windows in and no plasterboard (and therefore no insulation) installed, so loads of opportunity to fix any leaks. The air-tightness then improves further with the installation of the blown cellulose fibre.

@Thorfun- your right. My architect was quick to fill these out having suffered some hefty fines in the past for previous clients. Ours are already applied for, saying that we had to put a ‘start date’ on the form. The start date arrived and the local planner came to site to check we hadn’t started! Thankfully we hadn’t as were still arranging our planning conditions. Keen is an understatement.

2v1: Benefits: Some level of resilience depending on config Lower start-up currents - less impact on grid if sequenced properly Ability to heat and HW at the same time Greater capacity on single phase supply Efficiency during summer months when second unit not needed Drawbacks: Higher installation cost and maintenance increased complication in controls Increased pipework

Here are the details of our soil tests: Site plan: Ground make-up: Test result from TH2:

Mores the pity 🤷‍♂️

If it wasn't so bad it would be funny. That's not even close to being acceptable. Should be a flashing / saddle type thing. What's the context? New roof? Old roof but new vent pipe?

Both especially irksome for new build snagging but the cracking is ongoing even from doors slamming thermal movements, jumping up and down some go unnoticed being behind dry lining causing additional air infiltration

Thanks for the mention.... just found this whilst looking for something online. A little update.... We moved into the house in May 2021 (about 3 days before BTD aired) and we did build it for just under £300k (after the VAT reclaim) and we have spent about another 30K on top after finishing off bits and pieces, garden etc... The journey was crazy (and over dramatised) by channel 4, but by doing most of the work ourselves, we saved a fortune. For insurance, they advised the re-build cost would be £650k - so a huge saving - Plus we have a very efficient, warm family home! We've had a few valuations since and because the house is so unusual,, they have struggled to value it. They range from £950k to 1.2M - Not bad for a couple fo years of work and yes..... we would do it all again. We over spent in areas and massively clawed back in others!! Wishing anyone who is on their self build journey to keep going, if you dont give up.... you will get there

So these are usually black lichen spots. We had them all over the patio (yorkshire stone) of the the last house we were in. I, like you, started looking for a product and came across the (relatively expensive) No More Black spot. Was going to push the button on it and a commercial cleaner told me that the miracle cure for this is....bleach. As in 79p household bleach. On a dry sunny day I sprayed the patio and brushed off the excess water. Then I got about 3-6l of bleach and liberally poured a 'glug' (that's a scientific measure) onto each flag. With an old soft brush, work the bleach up into a light foam - no pressure, just to get it applied to the whole of the face of the stone - and leave it. Don't rinse it. Do this for the entire patio. Be careful at the edges of lawn etc as it'll decimate anything it touches. I never actually rinsed it off but left it to absorb into the flags. Next day I would say 90% of the lichen was good.

I see dark days ahead. Double digit inflation, but without the double digit interest rates we need so your savings stand a little bit of a chance keeping up. Energy crisis (as if we don't have one already) FOOD shortage. Yes seriously. Ukraine is a major food exporter. Nobody likes uncertainty, it would not surprise me if the housing market in the UK tanked now. (and we still haven't sold our old house yet) The move to green energy and CO2 reduction will take a back seat. ANY energy will do even if it is not green. From a personal point of view my main worries now are I don't think i am yet above the age for conscription if it all really goes bad, and my comfortable planned retirement soon is looking less comfortable and less certain. I am more worried now than at any point in the cold war. Sorry to sound a sombre tone, I don't see much to give me optimism.

Igen is I believe the reply. What a tricky language. I only recognise people's names. Fortunately half of them are Atilla.

No Most sites use the ground workers You could train a monkey to pump liquid screed

Early in the build I arranged for a full skip to be collected. The window installers had nudged it out of the way with their tele handler so it was in an awkward spot. Skip driver came and said he couldn't get it out, I would need whoever put it there to put it back. I said that was not possible, so he replied that he'd do the extra work 'for a drink'. I said 'Great, tea or coffee' and an awkward silence ensued. Penny dropped. Gave him a fiver and he got on with it.

Or a lovely bonfire, which releases all the carbon for no benefit other than 'tidiness'