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I just like the idea of a sensor in every room. I know building regs specify the minimum but I have gone well beyond building regs in most aspects of the building. With the amount of electronics now, never mind when my kids grow up, with questionable quality li-ion batteries, I think there is a risk in bedrooms particularly. So I am aiming for LD1. I've seen the silence button and like the functionality. I'll keep my eyes open on ebay and reassess the costs

Hi everyone my name is Rachel from Derbyshire. I joined here as I am looking at becoming a Property Developer but all this is totally new to me so I don't really know where to start with it all. I completed a degree in Business & Marketing last year and have since been unsatisfied with my job and really want to try this. I wondered as I have no experience in the trades will this go against me? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Rachel xx

https://www.discount-electrical.co.uk/product.php/342616/3184y0-75blk100-basec-approved-3184y-black-4-core-pvc-insulated---sheathed-circular-flexible-cable-0-75mm-100m-reel

Engineer here. As a minimum, I would ask the engineer to review the glulam sizes (and grades if needed) to match the stock list from your supplier and avoid having special sizes on order. For example, 2 ply 45x253 (floor glulam size) could be used instead of 90x270, or 2 ply 45x300 in place of 90x315. I am not familiar with your roof, but of you have many different lengths of hips and valleys chances are that the engineer's design has been based on the worst case and then the specification extended to shorter beams. In this case it may be possible that the shortest beams can be multiple softwood sections fixed together instead of glulams. If you can get hold of 45x240 C24 or 47x222 TR26 let your engineer know, as sometimes us engineers specify softwood only up to 45x220 C24 (more common) before going for glulam. Regarding the valleys to ridge connections, I suggest to have a look at a catalogue from Simpson Strong Tie and to ask the engineer to specify hangers from there based on their structural capacity. There are flitch hangers (need to be ordered specifying the angle as they are made to order) that will work at funny angles and take quite a lot of load. Otherwise a few long bolts across the beams will usually do the job structurally, or you can even look into large diameter Rothoblaas screws, they can be specified quite easily with the static properties stated on their catalogues and their sales people are quite helpful on the technical side. Hope it helps!

Very nice

@joe90 @Radian @ProDave I shall go looking for a switch, or something in the consumer unit. No idea if it limits the temperature, hardly used this shower. Not a house I have been in much, until recently.

If its a flatish roof youll need mounts to angle the panels which have to be spaced out so they dont shade each other. Youll likely get fewer panels on the roof than if it were the same area on a pitched roof. Go to your local planning web site to find out if theres any planning restrictions You dont need to tell your electric supplier youre fitting panels unless you want to claim SEG Post a photo of the "outside box" and maybe we can work out what it is

Have a look at your contract with your electricity supplier and I think youll find it includes a reference to a "national supply agreement" or something similar that governs your connection to the grid. Youll likely find something in there. Edit-It National Terms Of Connection that you want

That is rough. Taking a guess that they have never fitted it before. Is that something you can check out? Plan for the worse, hope for the best.

I only use CEF when necessary (a local independent does really good prices) but going into branch and asking can often get you 20 or even 30% discount at CEF

Best practice states lots of things you shouldn’t do, but are done regularly. an unsupported crack or fold wouldn’t be good, but over OSB I can’t see any problem unless it’s not getting skimmed.

Either that would be visible with the film on or they purposely pulled the film and re applied stretching over the dents. obviously not bird damage or scaffold stripping so you should have no problem claiming poor workmanship

@DragsterDriver good grief, that looks grim. I would have thought those photos alongside the independent report would be good enough to go to the Small Claims Court with, not sure you’d need expert witnesses, just images of how it should be done. Have you got someone lined up to replace it?

Get 2 or 3 quotes to replace it. Ask them what they think of the job. Bear in mind worse case you could end up paying twice, plus court fees and expert witness. Best case you get the job done correctly and just a bit out of pocket and ball ache.

If you read MCS manual it states "Heat pumps should be selected as closely as possible to the design heat demands. MCS Standard MIS 3005, requires the unit to achieve 100% of the duty at an external temperature condition exceeded for 99.6% of the year, if reasonably practicable. " So the delta T of 25 should really be used - 2.8kW. not 30 degC which possibly only occurs for a day or so per year. So you need to look at the data sheets and make sure at the output can match that. You need to make sure you can turn down enough at warmer temperatures (much more normal than the lowest extreme) so that you don't short cycle

It certainly isn't pretty and some is decidedly rough. Was the substrate all good? I looks like some cables etc are showing through but the damage may have happened elsewhere. The court will take an age. How annoying! Is there an amount of money you would settle for?

A long time ago, as best as I remember, the foreman's comments went: "Well, when we finish this job we will go down to the hospital and carry on where we left off until we're made a better offer alright? Then it's off to that job. The hospital pays less but it means that we don't have to sack you and replace you when the next job starts. Then the phrase was about bread n butter, and jam. The former the basic jobs that kept you going and the latter the ones that pay better money, and then about pulling my finger out and getting on with it.

I don't suppose you can show photos? Have you been back to the installers to show them the report? I would provide a copy of the report together with a strong letter carefully worded to provide them with a final opportunity to reconsider their position and to give their proposal for rectification in accordance with the report within a reasonable amount of time. Explain that unless they do provide a satisfactory proposal for rectification you intend to proceed with rectification by another installer and will seek damages from them. The other thing to consider is if they're members of any builder's/roofer's trade organisation which has a complaints process. Although I would advise caution here as a number of years ago I did this and found the organisation to be as corrupt as the trademan I was dealing with (they exist for subsciption revenue not the customer). However, if the avenue is available, and you haven't explored it first, the court will not look favourably on you because the civil procedure rules require you to exhaust all options to resolve the problem before taking legal action. Do get yourself some legal advice and help. Once upon a time the courts used to be fairly good and permissive with litigants in person but in more recent times, I've found the courts and judges to be hostile to litigants in person and they will make you pay for any minor procedural infraction (both district and circuit judges, but district judges seemed to have become the worst) - years ago they tended to be more flexible and helpful.

About 2000 kg.

Hi thank you so much. I am just looking into this now, there is soo much for me to work out and to make this happen its overwhelming me a bit but I really want to pursue it.

Try this 😀

As someone who has bought many buy to let’s over the years I would say No it won’t hinder you not having a trade Whilst I’m a builder My wife has a far better eye for a good investment than I have Your long or short term return hinges on your initial purchase Worst house in the street Road and rail links etc Good luck Lots of potential out there

Lets start with the basics, and then move down the hierarchy: Naivety Optimism bias Great Crested Newts Male learned helplessness Mendacious tradespeople Criminal behaviour Exceptionally bad weather Osteoarthritis @pocster's car-crashes. If you can be bothered, detailed evidence of the above items can be found in my previous posts. Delay can , with a bit of effort, easily be turned to advantage.

Agreed, which is why I always tank / make bombproof every single bathroom job I do not like cement board, as it doesn’t comply to the uneven nature of stud walls etc. Last time I used it, to an architects spec, it was bonded with Sikaflex as well as screwed. Never had a bathroom fail, and I learned fast back in the day through insurance work. A good way of knowing what ‘not to do’ was to take note of what had been done ( which failed, sometimes catastrophically ) and not repeat it.

Thanks for asking @Shire2020. We move in a couple of days time. I asked the builder to retile the 0.75.m2 or so he got wrong, and he accepted it was wrong and redid it. He still has a wall to re-paper and a room to repaint (long story… but luckily this time it’s not my fault and I’m not having to pay for it). Apart from that, and apart from the vast amounts of missing joinery (we got defrauded by a joiner and haven’t managed to replace the missing joinery items yet), the inside of the house is looking great and although I’m dreading the unpacking, once we manage to unpack, I’m looking forward to living in the place. The outside of the house is looking pretty awful. A lot of external render still hasn’t been finished, the driveway hasn’t been laid yet, no rear patio, garden still looks like the builder’s dumping tip and we don’t have a front door. But I’m hoping once we move in, in a couple of days’ time the builder can focus on the outside and get it all done for when the front door arrives at the end of May. We will still be missing a fully functioning kitchen, various wardrobes and other joinery items (as well as a massive deposit the fraudster joiner has taken), but at least we won’t be paying two sets of bills and pissing rent down the toilet, and can start saving up for some joinery.

Fireplace back out due to regs change can’t use thermalite block now as liable to cracking so all had to be pulled out! All sorted now just awaiting more brick slips turning up. Decorators starting on the 10th but getting tight as also decided to use a boarding system in the loft which needs to be installed asap before decorators paint upstairs. Also had estate agent out last week to get an idea of value so can start thinking about mortgage

Q1) There is nothing magical about ASHPs; they are as capable of heating your house as a gas, oil or electric boiler. However retrofitting an ASHP without changing the radiators is a recipe for a cold house with a high running cost. Q2) Typically you would heat your water to 50 C or less with an ASHP. At 48 C you would suffer second degree burns after 15 minutes; given that the water in the bath would cool you might just get away with a 48 C fill. Q3) That electric stove will be heating your room at least 3x the cost of using the heat pump. But if you put a TRV on the radiator in that room and locate any control room thermostat somewhere else then it should not interfere.

My 1000th post! (And to think here I am: Saturday night doing trigonometry on the subject of laser levels. Is this what my life's come to?)

Thanks again, I'll do my best with all this! We've not yet set a date. The way the system works is that you get to the point you have everything in place that will be needed (including al the information you're supplying) then you book a slot with them. I'm hoping that we have everything in place by the 20th May (less than 2 weeks from now) and then book in. If we're requesting to present to them on site, then we request a specific date. In which case we'll aim for the first week in June. We're extremely fortunate to have a lovely site, and looks at it's best at this time of year. We have a good size off-grid solar array for power, and have 4G wi-fi. I will certainly present to an audience as a trial run. We hosted a presentation (about the proposed build) to a local sustainability group, so I've at least had some experience with presenting the material I'll be dealing with. As I said, I'll post on here with details of how we get on.

All day long. You can bypass the Sunamp and just fit Willis heaters for direct electrical heating, but then you ar stuck with a ratio of 1:1, whereas with a ASHP you’d be more like 2.5-3:1 so around a third of the cost. Completely dependant on whether or not the HP is matched well to the dwelling, and can run at a reasonable CoP.

My wife and I built our own home, the best advice I can give you is location, location, location. We couldn't find a plot in the area we wanted, but found a great plot 1/2hr away from where we lived. We thought just half an hour wasn't a big deal, but it turned out that we ended up feeling isolated from everyone and everything we knew, and missing out on things we wouldn't otherwise. Yes, we were sitting in a great house in a great plot but wanting it to be back in a location we were familiar with and could nip out and easily see the people we wanted to and do the things we wanted. The extra distance from work also became a slog when we weren't enjoying where we were. We sold our 'forever home' and moved back to where we wanted to be for the location alone. commercial link removed

Lots of war stories.. but too many to list. One big one is just generally procrastinating and not making quick decisions. I can be very guilty of completing a detailed market analysis for basic things like buying a box of screws....which albeit I.may find the best ones at the right price. But I've wasted three hours doing so and not made any headway. Sometimes you are better just buying what's there and quickest (provided it's nit a rip off). Get organised with big purchases and make decisions and go for it. Also I find the constant need to having to drive to toolstation and screwfix eats lots of time...especially when I have to go twice because I run out of stuff.

Hi everyone, I've been stalking the forum for quite a while after buying a farmhouse in Nantwich to renovate and thought I should finally introduce myself. I'm an engineer who has taken 6 months out of work to work with my builder to the majority of the build done. We have put nin steels and are putting in the slab next week so are on with the build but some of the finer details will need ironing out as I get to them. I'm almost doubling the size and the inside has been gutted and insulated so it can be brought up to a modern standard. I'm not aiming for a passive house but am putting in a fair amount of insulation, MVHR, ASHP, rainwater tanks etc. I have a few questions which I'll put int he relevant sections for some help. I really like the forum because it contains a wealth of information and on occasion differing opinions which is something I like as I can choose which one I agree with Here are a few pictures so you can see the project, Frank

Thanks very much for the input. The idea of having several different formats sounds like a winner, I'll adopt that for sure. In terms of the written part, we need to submit a document covering all aspects of the project (at the point of contacting the DRP to book an appointment), so I'd assume each panel member will have a copy of this in front of them when we are presenting. It's hard to trim it down too much as it needs to be so detailed, but we can do our best. Right now I'm erring on the side of presenting on site. It's hard to get an accurate idea of the land from viewing photos in an office somewhere. We have a barn on site that we can use to get inside and use a projector etc. I'll post on here with some info about how the presentation goes, and what their response is.

Nonsense. You need a new supplier!!!

NMA. Push on regardless in the mean time.

Interesting. I've just had some weird conversations with them this week. They've claimed I haven't submitted required evidence for my structural warranty. I had the structural inspection nearly 2 years ago which was signed off. I told them I'd received an email from their oppointed warranty inspector that I'd satisfied all this evidence and everything was clear (thankfully I still have the email). They then said that wasn't enough as they hadn't seen the evidence. So I asked them to ask him as I'd sent it all through nearly 2 years ago and they declined asking me to send it directly to them for assessment by their technical auditor. I fear games are about to commence on this one.

Whilst keeping the design simple I’ve seen a few self builds that arnt in a great plot or a particular good design and could easily be bettered buying from one of the mass builders Lots of glass Home automation Fancy bathrooms and kitchens Will all come at a price The plot has to be the main consideration I hate the term forever home But most intend living there till there circumstances change Insulation is pricy but worth every penny Think of The size of the home you want Then make it a big bigger Like insulation it’s something that’s difficult and expensive to change afterwards Weather you building a three bed or a five Your fees and surveys will be the same Exciting times Good luck with your choices

Land Access to the land Planning Permission A clear Design Statement Permission to dispose of foul waste A well thought out financial plan A rock-solid partnership Everything else is optional. Everything

All the utilities. We have moved in (woo hoo!) and still don't have a phone line! Mobile signal is rubbish. So far have had three lots of £50 compensations. Try organising a build with no communications Electricity was going to take three months to install a meter until I told them of husbands extreme bad health when it duly arrived the next day! We were told that all electric suppliers are ceasing the supply of meters. At the time no one was sure who was going to do it (!) but we think, now, that it is UK Power. Worth finding out though.

If I had bought a Persimon box, I would be living on an over crowded housing estate, in the same type of box as many other people, complaining about my higher than expected heating bills and complaining about many aspects of a design meant for the average family that are not to my liking and not tailored to the individual plot. Instead I am sat inside my warm, low energy house, looking out at the setting sun, over fields towards the mountains in the distance still with some snow left on them. I like the fact I can only see a few houses from my windows and the house layout and features are exactly what we wanted and designed to work with the plot and it's orientation with respect to sun and views. I love the individual details like the west facing kitchen window specifically to see those snow covered mountains. I like that all the fixtures and fittings like kitchen, worktops, doors, floor coverings, doors, skirting boards and even smaller things like door handles, socket types and exact position, were all individually chosen by us to our liking. I like the fact that the house was built with all the AV and network cabling we needed all built in and hidden in the walls, including hidden cabling for surround sound speakers in both main rooms. I like the fact we have under floor heating from an air source heat pump. You don;t get many, if any of those tailor made details by buying a developer standard design house.

Surely , with close up of porch roof. Spot the hooks???

You mostly pay for labour. 'I don't want my build to appear that i have gone for the cheap(er) man made option" Then use the real thing.

I agree . I’ve lost years because of this forum not to mention the financial impact . I reckon I’ve lost maybe 6 months of my life just reading @Onoff ‘s novels .

Yes, yes it is. There’s a magical, almost mystical fountain of youth that it pours out from. The more In drink, then less old I feel., ”All hail the ale”.

Aha, but does it? With the camera angle such as it is it's not really possible to determine whether it is level front-to-back for the reasons I was covering. Time to get the level out @Nickfromwales!

I blame this forum . Spend all my time posting crap and commenting on crap . If it wasn’t for this forum would of finished my build years ago . Tempted to sue for compensation but haven’t got time as I need to reply to this post .

Lack of skills incompetence work going to the gym procrastination lack of skills lack of money taking it easy back ache lack of skills waiting for Friday going on holiday lack of skills