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You can get oak veneered plywood and add a bull nose. Might work out cheaper. Some of our window cills are left over engineered oak flooring. When I built an oak clad out building my neighbours had some of the left overs for their window cills. Only last week another left over board got used you make a coat rack for the village hall. Can never have enough oak.

Hikvision cameras are good quality and good value in my experience. I use BlueIris to manage / access them - but agree with other comments that this needs a pretty serious PC to make work. I did also buy a Hikvision NVR - but never really got this to work well - and stuck with BlueIris. The key to this kind of IP camera setup is having good CAT5/6 cabling between the cameras and somewhere you can install a PoE switch. Good luck.

@Conor I saw someone who left one stud wall just with one side boarded out and then when they had nearly finished went through and used cheap NoNails adhesive to stick all the offcuts into the cavities. It created a very solid feeling wall and the wastage was minimal into the skip.

He was an architect and couldn't deliver his own house on budget, God help any of his clients.

In the early days of the build SWMBO said she wanted an interior designer. When questioned why and what she wanted it seemed her No 1 thing was "I don't want every wall plastered and painted" I quietly resisted, but made a point of showing her on Grand Designs every "non plastered and painted" wall they featured, and when I said I can do one like that bloke with strips of old pallet wood (really that was what one guy did on his new build) I got a firm NO. As it happened everything in the house was planned by us as we built it. It meant a LOT of visits to the shops as everything was individually chosen. Wooden flooring, tiles, multipanel for the wetrooms, doors, door handles, kitchen units, worktops, taps, basins, toilets, lights, and so it goes on. So we ended up with an interior designed by us. And all the walls are painted plaster........

There is an interesting article here about compressor modulation technologies https://climate.emerson.com/documents/understanding-compressor-modulation-en-us-3844210.pdf The best technology - 'variable speed' - which is more or less what it says on the tin - is claimed to be capable of a 7:1 turndown ratio ie probably good enough. The article speaks quite a lot about the challenges this presents with oil management. Another (which involves PWM of a solenoid valve) is simpler, but achieves only a 3:1 turndown ratio - definitely not good enough. Both are described in terms of scroll compressors. Multiple compressors is indeed a third option discussed. I don't know which technolog(ies) are used in domestic ashps, Obviously having 2 small heatpumps to increase the turndown ratio is indeed an option, and also gives an element of system redundancy, but yet again its making the system significantly more complex and expensive to circumvent a technological/design limitation. One off custom engineered solutions, or solutions with large buffer tanks, are fine for early adopters and enthusiasts like me and others on this forum, but for your average person in a 3 bed, moderately insulated, semi who is replacing a gas combi which delivers instant heating and hot water whilst taking up less than the space of a kitchen cabinet, they are, for the most part, a non starter. Unless gas prices increase significantly compared to electricity prices, so that a much lower CoP (say 2) than those of us on this forum aspire to still delivers savings or at least parity, ASHP will remain a niche market. I'm getting concerned for the planet! We need to build a shedload more wind farms to drive down electricity prices fast!

Installation went smooth . No problem at all with the right flashing kit https://tintabernacle.blogspot.com/2022/04/standing-seam-2nd-side-and-rooflights.html

I rewired my house a couple of years ago, and I ran individual t&e to every switch and light fitting to two central junction boxes, one mounted on a board in the loft for the upstairs lights and the other in the cupboard at the top of the stairs for the downstairs lights. Again easily assessable and mounted on a wooden board in the cupboard. Inside each JB the terminals are all DIN rail mounted and ident sleeves put onto each core to identify it. Did it that way so that I had the option to easily make it SMART or easily modifiable in the future. Just found a pic of the JB at the top of the stairs when it was about 3/4 done.

If you can get a USB one then yes, but they've been unavailable for a year now I think. I managed to get an M.2 dual tpu and installed it on PCIe via a double stacked adapter board in an old server. Duct tape special but it's working!

This thread details how I made my own Oak door liners

I tried a hikvision dvr aswell . It was crap . Blue iris is ace !

Purely heresay, but someone else once said install the duct and drawstring and then accidentally the overhead cable mysteriously snaps. The pole must be leaning and putting too much strain on the cable. Encourage the replacement to go in the duct provided.

No ! No! Finish all the other jobs first ! Tempted to contact DIYSoS for you 😂

I think there's been 3 reports of ecodans. @joth is seeing reliable 5.5W average standby load (266 Wh consumed in 48 hours). I have high confidence in this figure, as 2 different CT clamp arrangements agree (one dedicated on the ASHP, and another pair measuring grid import and household "indoor" consumption) @LA3222 is seeing 200W continuous standby draw. There was a comment that "To be honest I haven't scrutinised the system too much." and "Not sure how accurate the readings are that I'm getting", so I'm not sure of the confidence here. @Kenway is seeing 300W standby. They appear confident in that number, however I'm a little suspicous of the line chart showing kWh plotted against hours (is that kWh per hour, or extrapolated to per day, or something else? kWh is a quantity of stuff so this should be a stacked bar chart to make mathematical sense, not a line chart) We certainly could use another few readings. I have a friend with one, I'll ask them.

Hey there - I love tech and I've just done a total house renovation. I was going to install the TheBen KNX RF smart home system and I even started to before I discovered that the modules that were supposedly compatible with any switch weren't compatible with my glass touch switches from retrotouch. I'm here to help others not to make the same mistake when it comes to smart home installation!

If you are planning to keep a car a long time, a sort of rust coloured brown is good.

I have a friend who is a quite talented interior designer - her hourly rate is not that expensive but the recommendations can be depending on the client's budget and taste. She has trades & suppliers that she can recommend but no obligation to ever use them. As you would expect it's mostly higher end clients, rarely new builds and often just a single room or 'problem area'. The interior design masters show on BBC 2 gives a flavour of how they usually work.

Well I painted everywhere magnolia and used existing furniture (mostly), I think you have to live in a house fir a while and the colours and “bits” will develop as you live in it.

There seems to be a reluctance to fit cylinders and buffers outside the house (in a suitable enclosure). Flats are a different matter. But then the energy usage is generally much lower, so A2AHPs, combined with larger MVHR could be the answer. But it does seem odd that many people think that loosing 1m2 of floor area to a cylinder is worth more than the same area as 'storage'. The tat I keep in my house is just clutter, a heat pump may save me £300/year. Considering how long HPs have been used globally, the reason they do not modulate much is probably because it is just not worth it. The UK likes to think it has a unique climate, but it is not so different from many other coastal areas around the globe. I was not quite old enough to remember the nuances of the transition from Town Gas to Natural Gas (though I remember the man coming around to change the jets in the cooker and boiler), but I bet many people thought it was not as good as after. Probably the same when coal took over from timber.

Would be so much easier, clearer and sensible to use the proper derived units of joule for energy and watt for power. I notice that Gridwatch uses MWh regardless of the time period. So regardless of if you look at the 5 minute, hour, day, week, month or year time intervals, it states it in MWh. Makes the 5 minute figures look horrendous.

I have just watched tonights episode. £300K for the plot and over £500K build costs for a retired couple, or rather a trying to retire couple. Over time and over budget leaving them with no savings and still working when they expected to be retired. This just emphasises what I worked out 20 years ago. WHY when you retire and no longer need to work, would anybody want to remain living in one of the most expensive parts of the country? You coul build your dream house comfortable for half that in a cheaper place and have the proper retirement you dreamed of.

Having an interior designer is like having a personal shopper spend all your money on sh*t you don’t need, don’t like and will never use in a month of Sundays. Oh and don’t forget the “iconic” piece of furniture that we found in a flea market in Hong Kong which we shipped x thousands of miles that we “just thought was typically you” which will go with the £1000m2 roll of gold wallpaper from Venice hung by a trio of Italian circus tumblers. Not for me thanks.

Don't have a 1 bed flat.

Ah the missing h. I apologise for my sit units. It was apparently 313.31Wh if we’re being pedantic. And only applies to the iVT26. And I’m on economy 7 so it was less than 10p in standby for each unit for the day. But hopefully the information is actually useful to the thread.

Dwelling footprint is 125 m² approx. A bungalow. Prices from 2020 through to mid-2021. Foundation design: £1,762, no VAT. Screwpile design was £780 ex. VAT. 26x screw piles were £7,886 ex. VAT. inc. delivery. Screwpile installation was £3,840, no VAT. Raft installation was £‎16,240, no VAT, including the concrete & steel, etc., but excluding the insulation and heave protection panels. Insulation (PIR): £3,421 ex. VAT. Heave protection panels: £2,400 ex. VAT. Hope that helps.

An aircon can heat the place just fine and you don’t need to fit radiators then. yes, you’re doing the heat loss calcs wrong. The heat loss has nothing to do with the delta-T of the rads. It has everything to do with the delta-t of indoor to outdoor temps. I know you aren’t planning an ashp now, but I really like a freedom heatpumps toolkit spreadsheet for doing heat loss calcs. It seems to have a nice mix of stuff in there, does rad sizing for you too. They were emailing it out to anyone who asked on their YouTube video, but that video has since been removed. I've attached it here 1702058696_2021FreedomHeatPumpstoolkitV3.3forallinstallers-Copy.xlsx

IMO That’s a whole new roof, those “w” trusses can’t really be altered without massive work, the flat roofed dormer will give you much more room but i agree with you will not look as good as the individual ones, then again, can it be seen much and by whom? i think you’re main problem I’ll be height, with only 2.25m you will loose lots with roof structure and bigger floor joists so may not leave enough head height.

Assuming it's unregistered land you have to possess it "to the exclusion of all others" for 10 years before you can claim ownership. That normally means fencing it off with no gates others can use. The land registry are fussy, you will need to prove it with evidence. Whoever erects a fence continues to own the fence and damaging it could be criminal damage. Only the legal land owner can evict someone that has occupied land. The council can only do do if you are creating a statutory nuisance such as letting rubbish build up, pests etc. They can still enforce planning laws. So I would erect a 2m high fence either around it or down the middle so you each get half. Install cctv. Call the police if anyone damages the fence by removing it or cutting a gate etc. The police can and should take action for criminal damage. If there is a confrontation you can call the police and ask them to attend as you are concerned there might be a breach of the peace if a neighbour doesn't stop removing/damaging your fence. Keep calm and let the police find an angry neighbour ranting and raving. Point out you own the fence. Produce receipts. Note It would be no good arguing with the police about the land itself as that's a civil matter.

Do the same as them and they will know you are playing the same game. hopefully this will lead to a positive conversation

You can probably see the Norboard factory or pass it every time you go to Inverness, you would think it would be cheaper here. I wouldn't want to do more than 2.4M wide sections or it will be hard to lift. Beware, OSB is available in metric or imperial sheet sizes. You really want metric or your stud spacings at 2ft won't match the plasterboard. God knows why they still make it imperial sizes.

Nobody uses the bathroom, it's still too cold in there!

so where does she get this idea?

I've just noticed that this tread was started 3 years ago. I assume you are on day rates. Heaven help you, if your on a price! (Must admit there looking the dogs .........)

You don't understand! Clear the room, any room, back to bare bones and it should be easy and quick. Like the bathroom...

Got saw, will travel. The painting I did, at my Mother's, in two afternoons, was quoted at £800.

You wait until you are the sparky tasked with "add an extra light switch there please". You carefully drill down into the wall from above, expecting as usual to just find it full of some kind of glass wool, only to find it stuffed solid with all the left over plasterboard offcuts.

People vote on prejudice of the opposition, not on the lying, cheating, and now, porn watching, policies of the current government. Or just give a compulsory 1 hour lecture, repeated everyday, on energy and climate change. Just today I had to explain to a builder, yet again, that it does not matter if it is a fan heater or an oil filled heater, 1 kWh of electricity can only be converters to 1 kWh of thermal energy at best. Oil in the radiator does not cause magic to happen.

Like choosing the colour of a car. Black or silver. Can't really go wrong.

This was tidy for me: My trouble is I need to differentiate between working space and the "that'll come in handy one day" tat I can't say no to.