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@Simplysimon yep, they do and even in the winter the feeble sun is normally enough to reheat it.

Yes you could spend ages to engineer a better solution such as embeding a metal thread into the pole. Or just glue it. Actually i would first try running a 5.5mm drill down the hole and inserting a red 6mm rawl plug for the screw to screw into.

araldite the hole and smear the screw with light oil if you wish it to come back out. screwing it in will allow the araldite to conform to the thread

Glue?

Some research shows that panels mounted close to roof edges can actually mitigate problems with wind uplift damage to roofs. The panel manufacturers seem pretty confident in the panels themselves withstanding extreme winds. Having seen the typical lag screws used to secure the brackets to rafters I'm not concerned with them being unable to resist wind forces on the panels. I could say that you don't see many reports of modules causing problems - but then we've got rules in place making sure of that.🙄

Well if you love it, that justifies the cost.

Comes about from the MCS rules. If I remember correctly, 200mm from top and sides, 100mm from bottom. But may be more as the rules change. Wind and snow loading calculations should be done as well. Should be something on the MCS website.

Sorry, missed that.

I used 2 x 1 to make temp handrails down some steps. NHBC passed them no problem.

A good Danish oil will do it. Make sure to coat all sides (yes, underneath too) with a few coats of it. To use it, wipe on with clean cloth, sponge or brush, allow to penetrate for a minute or two and then wipe off excess. Allow to dry off and then repeat over next few days. If you want to get a more "sealed" type of finish, where the pores of the grain become clogged, you can apply subsequent coats and rub into grain using wet / dry paper of around 360 / 400 grit paper, ensuring to rub "along" the grain direction. As before, wipe of excess and allow to dry. Just to add..... Whatever you do with Danish oil, DO NOT LEAVE IT WET ON THE SURFACE. You'll have no end of fun trying to rub it back to remove it, the surface will look patchy and feel like it's been coated in honey.

I'm currently trying to clarify whether or not planning permission is required for a flat garage roof. Have emailed the council, but no reply yet. I think as long as they are not meet 200mm height on top of the roof then this is permitted development, but that would require the panels to be almost flat, which is not good. You can now get through roof mounts, I don't have the link handy as I'm at work, they have a plate that screws to the existing structure, then a large piece of roofing membrane that's bonded to the mount, then once screwed down is then sealed the same way as your existing roof. This is what I'm looking to use, as I don't want loads of weight on our garage roof, the beams are not up to it. Many roofing manufacturers now accept the above mounts, and they won't invalidate their roof guarantees.

The photo is WIP on a recent extension to our garage. This was done with blockwork. Most of the stone went into landscaping retaining walls to match the building. I posted it as it was the only photo I had showing the pile of cropped walling stone as delivered.

Success Planted 26 April, so 14 days. Time for the slug pellets.

22mm for the heating manifold. 15mm to showers 10mm to sinks and toilets. Supposedly faster heat up time. Works well in our main bathroom. We've only 2.5bar of mains pressure so flow rates are quite low Probably wouldn't bother again as using 10mm stuff is more expensive, you have to adapt up to 15mm or whatever at each end so more fittings needed.

At our last house our neighbour had a Nibe ASHP installed next to his side wall which was around 2m away from our fence. It meant that there was around 1m to 1.5m clearance between the front of the ASHP and the fence.

Pretty sure smart meters are free so no harm in asking for one to be fitted, if thats what you want. As you say, if your solar isnt generating enough power for what the house needs then any shortfall is drawn from the grid and your import meter records the top up youve taken. Conversely, if your solar is generating more power than the house needs then any excess flows into the grid and if youve got a smart meter the export meter records the excess thats gone to the grid to power your local hospital/school/cannabis farm off green eleccy.

I would not bother with solar thermal, it needs maintenance and is a one trick pony. Once the water is up to temp, it then just sits there waiting to go wrong. PV is much more reliable. It is easier to install as well. Wire are easier to route than pipes.

Please don't, it's carp compared to Wavin Hepworth ( aka Hep2o ). 15mm for shower feeds, yes.

Congratulations on moving in, and bigger congratulations that this is the biggest issue on your mind!! It must have gone well Our is controlled by the home automation so it only turns on when people are in the house and moving around. I also give it a burst at 4.20 am (last blast on cheap rate electricity) and whenever the solar is above 5kW or something. It is nice opening the door when coming home to hear the click of the kettle going on and the whir of the water mains stopcock open.

1000 litre in a cubic metre. 3,600 seconds in 1 hour. So Total Litres = m³ x ACH x 1000 Litres per second = Total Litre / 3600 So take a room that is 10m by 5m by 2.5m 125m³ ACH is 6 125m³ x 6 ACH 750m³ Multiply by 1000 750,000 litres To change that in 1 hour, and express in litres per second, divide by seconds in an hour. 750,000 / 3,600 208 Lt/s Can call that Radio Luxembourg. Or lt/s = (Volume [m3] x ACH) / 0.2778 So 125 m3 x 6 ACH 750 / 0.2778 = 208 Lt/s

Areas of your elevations are reasonably modest - I'd go with full sandstone. Not sure how your farm stone would clean up though. I was buying cropped walling stone from Purbeck which comes in random sizes but all fairly close to 120mm deep. Was £150/ton delivered the year before last and does about 4m2 per ton. Lay with a ginger sand and hideously expensive white cement or if you have a very strong orange sand you can get by with OPC (still looks buff coloured).

PVA is exactly the same. Been using both for decades. The big difference is SBR is far more robust, plus it doesn’t reconstitute with water / damp / moisture etc like PVA does. Reading the data sheet is deffo good advice, per differing discipline, but if using to size or prime for tapes, you CANNOT apply AT to ‘tacky’ SBR under ANY circumstances. It categorically must be allowed to dry 100%, before applying, or your very expensive tapes will peel straight back off. The purpose is to create a surface that is not friable with the dilute applications being applied liberally and allowed to soak in and dry fully.

Same as last and current then, as these were / are woodcrete. Cementitious parge which was left to dry, then PP applied to all the joints after it had had a couple of weeks to shrink back and dry. Hairline cracks appeared on just about every joint / mortar line, so, parge alone will get you so-so but parge plus PP will get you as good as it gets. AT test of 0.88 on current one which was not expected. Tres bien. Only let down by the doors and Windows tbh as I recon the fabric of the build would have scored sub 0.6 if tested independently. Use SBR on the perimeter of the slab and then seal the walls to the floors also if you want to go for belt ‘n 3 braces. (Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR), is a water resistant bonding and sealing agent, and shares many similar characteristics with PVA. One key difference is that, whereas PVA remains water soluble after drying, once dry SBR is not. Ed)

How are building warranties dealt with if built under notice? Quick look on the planningportal.co.uk seems to show little difference. If the architect has done their job, then no need for full plans. If the architect does not trust their own work, then full plans. Seems to say more about architects than builders. Building Notice You can apply for Building Regulations approval from your local authority Building Control Service by giving a building notice. Plans are not required with this process so it’s quicker and less detailed than the full plans application. It is designed to enable some types of building work to get under way quickly; although it is perhaps best suited to small work. There are also specific exclusions in the regulations as to when building notices cannot be used. These are: For building work in relation to a building to which the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies, or will apply after the completion of the building work. For work which will be built close to or over the top of rain water and foul drains shown on the 'map of sewers' Where a new building will front onto a private street If you decide to use this procedure you need to be confident that the work will comply with the Building Regulations or you will risk having to correct any work you carry out if your local authority requests this. In this respect you do not have the protection provided by the approval of 'full plans'. Once you have given your 'building notice' and informed your local authority that you are about to start work, the work will be inspected as it progresses. You will be advised by the authority if the work does not comply with the Building Regulations. If before the start of work, or while work is in progress, your local authority requires further information such as structural design calculations or plans, you must supply the details requested. A 'building notice' is valid for three years from the date the notice was given to the local authority, after which it will automatically lapse if the building work has not commenced. A local authority is not required to issue a completion certificate under the building notice procedure and because no full plans are produced it is not possible to ask for a determination if your local authority says your work does not comply with the Building Regulations. Full plans You can apply for Building Regulations approval from your local authority Building Control Service by submitting a full plans application. An application deposited under this procedure needs to contain plans and other information showing all construction details, preferably well in advance of when work is to start on site. Your local authority will check your plans and consult any appropriate authorities (e.g. fire and sewerage). They must complete the procedure by issuing you with a decision within five weeks or, if you agree, a maximum of two months from the date of deposit. If your plans comply with the Building Regulations you will receive a notice stating that they have been approved. If your local authority is not satisfied you may be asked to make amendments or provide more details. Alternatively, a conditional approval may be issued. This will either specify modifications which must be made to the plans; or will specify further plans which must be deposited with your authority. Your local authority may only apply conditions if you have either requested them to do so or have consented to them doing so. A request or consent must be made in writing. If your plans are rejected the reasons will be stated in the notice. A full plans approval notice is valid for three years from the date of deposit of the plans, after which the local authority may send you a notice to declare the approval of no effect if the building work has not commenced. Your local authority will carry out inspections of the building work once it is in progress. They will explain about the notification procedures which the regulations require you to follow at various stages of the work - e.g. in connection with foundations, damp proof courses and drains. In addition, if you request one when you first make your application, the local authority will issue you with a completion certificate provided they are content that the completed work complies with the Building Regulations. A further point to bear in mind is that, if a disagreement arises with your local authority, the 'full plans' procedure enables you to ask for a 'determination' from (in England) the Department for Communities and Local Government or (in Wales) the Welsh Assembly Government about whether your plans do or do not comply with the Building Regulations.

Not surprising as they look exactly the same!

What are you doing for climate control and energy recovery? There have been some studies that show the workforce mood is improved if you let them open and close windows. It gives the impression they have some control, though I would not want to work in an office, in winter, with 2 women going though the change. If the temperature swing don't get to me, the wrestling would.