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hot and cold manifolds tested, on the wall and with pipes connected! it's been a long time coming but I got there in the end.

Yes. Pointless trying to be too clever. Stick to the rules, collect your evidence, and never get emotional.

Don't worry Joe, we don't all need reams of data and supercomputer levels of analysis to agree something works. When I did my apprenticeship, mechanical engineering types boasted that they worked to thousandths of an inch accuracy. Shipwrights like I on the other hand worked on the assumption that... i) so long as we were on the right ship, and ii) it took no more than six whacks with a 7-pound maul (like a sledgehammer but with a pointy bit in one end), then job was a good'un 😄

Your problem was exactly the one I had a few years back. The short answer is : you can nudge, cajole, hint , suggest - but educate - I suspect thats a step too far with a planner. Look at this image The cottages further down our lane are often called 'a chocolate-box row of cottages' . And we go and plonk a passivhaus 'monstrosity' on the same lane. I'm not known for cutting a long story short, but I'm going to have to. Because you'd die of boredom reading about the ticklish, delicate fussing we needed to do to get the planner to agree. Loads of compromise, lots of patience, many many sleepless nights. And a friggin' brilliant diplomat of an architect. The house has weathered now to a silvery grey - the image shows new wooden cladding. Now, all grey and silver, it looks like a barn conversion - Thats what sold it to the planner. Something new (our house) taking a lesson from what's already there .... farms with solid wooden clad barns; over the years they fade to silvery grey. Compromise, patience, subtle flattery, listening. And nerve. The chair of the council dropped in to our place the other day (about our neighbour who is testing HM Inspectorate a bit) . Originally, she had objected strongly to our proposal...... Looking round she said "I see what you were on about now : it fades into the countryside doesn't it " As ever, Ian puts it well,

I’ve started getting quotes back and one thing I’ve noticed is that the difference in cost between steel and zinc is only circa £18/m2 For our roof it’s about £2500 of a difference compared to the Greencoat PLX. I had ruled zinc out due to cost but the energy crisis has made steel less cost effective than it maybe was a few years ago. I’ve read all the pros and cons for the various metal roofing materials. It was easier when I didn’t have a choice as the cost made the decision for me but now I need to make a choice I’m back to the indecision 😂 Any opinions for those that have had to make the decision and what you chose and why?

As we enter, what is traditionally the coldest month down here, and because I like trying out simple changes to see what happens. I have shifted my E7 heating window from 3 AM to 7 AM (GMT) to 4 AM to 7 AM (GMT). This is party because I noticed that all the heating had happened before I was out of bed, and party to try and use low CO2 generation, which is what the ultimate goal of us all should be.. So as usual, a couple of charts to show the difference. Early days yet, And CO2 charts.

There's your two options. I made a 5mm mistake with one side of the ICF but it won't make much difference. My guess is that extra external insulation will be better for thermal bridging of internal walls and windows etc as with the extra internal insulation the concrete will be below 5 deg on cold days. Given ICF isn't the cheapest have you considered masonry build as you're going to use extra insulation anyway? You'll use more concrete if you opt for the internal option of extra ICF insulation.

There may well be planning conditions applying to a property or an area, forbidding conversion of a garage, or at least requiring approval. This would be because the garage is one of a required number of parking spaces, approved with the original permission. ie if the garage is not available for parking, where does the car go? Plus, an extra room potentially requires another vehicle.

Don’t panic. Garage conversions usually/ often fall within ‘permitted development’ and therefore doesn’t need planning permission, but there are exceptions (look at the planning conditions associated with your house, it may say certain PD righted have been removed. The fact they have invited you to apply for retrospective (in the application you put brackets around what has been already built on the heading) means it sounds promising. Also you can go to appeal, so you have loads of time. You’ll need drawings but might well be able to use your BC drawings to save money. It’s likely to be quite straightforward if you haven’t increased the footprint. You might have to explain about parking and then that you don’t need the garage or some such. It would be good to speak to the neighbours who have done it and find out what they did/didn’t do.

That's fire alarm cable. Us the "earth/screen" core as 0V and interference should not be an issue. So why did the electrician tell you he was using a 4 core cable and then fitted a 2 core & earth?

Difference between the 2 apart from everything that you read before: 1. Zinc needs qualified zinc installers. Ideally these are very skilled craftsmen. That comes at a price. It s most of the time a great result and a "care free package" as they take care of everything 2 . Metal standing seam can be in most cases installed by advances DIY or general builders. This is most of the times more hands on (between a little and a lot) which brings down the price but also varies the quality of the finish (I ve see outstanding results and borderline criminal bodged )

Yes, sarking boards are the preferred method according to the Federation of Traditional Metal Roofing Contractors UK Guide to Good Practice. However, plywood is extremely common as it's much easier, quicker and cheaper to install so contractors naturally tend to go for this. It's also okay to use OSB but screw pull out is much reduced and therefore care should be taken especially in exposed areas where uplift could pose a problem. If using plywood, I'd suggest definitely using a membrane between plywood and metal roof - some installers are known to omit this.

Sorry to hear about this. It sounds like a total pain. If it is to be redone I would just chip off the rest of it and leave it be for the time being. Maybe just patch up any cracks with some sand and cement mortar. It looks like a perfect candidate for EWI come the time when the budget allows. Your only extra cost over a rerender would be the insulation itself.

Yes, they should squeeze in and be nice and snug.

I used it for all my pipe runs from the manifold to the various appliances. You can just see the red ducting for some of the hot water feeds.

Have you read this thread? It's a really useful description of how to obtain planning permission by making it easy for the planning officers by quoting and adhering to planning policies.

The specifications of the Atlantic Calypso (the better water-heater he is now proposing, ducted to outside air) are not bad, but a bit below those of the main Mitsubishi heat-pump used as a water heater. Atlantic Calypso: COP at 7 C = 3.18 When it's -5C or less outside, it stops heat-pumping and becomes purely a classic electric water-heater. (As I said, it's a good product; most water heaters of this sort stop heat-pumping well above -5C - I read somewhere that 5C is more typical.) It can of course do plenty of "classic" (resistance) water heating above that temperature - it never pumps more than 650W, and can produce up to 1800W by resistance. Mitsubishi: COP at 7C (for DHW, not heating - I take the difference is the temperature required): 3.41 The technical information claims the Mitsubishi works even when it's -28C outside (note: it's never even close to that cold in Paris!), though of course I imagine the COP is terrible then. Still, it still does a great deal of its heat production by heat-pumping at -7C (for heating the house, and presumably also for producing DHW). I get his argument for the summer - not annoying their neighbors on those few days when it's quite hot and they may have their windows open. (My thought: one could even install a switch in the ducting so as to take input from somewhere inside the house during the summer, so as to cool it, no?) What would be the arguments for separating the processes during the winter be? Are they strong enough to justify the somewhat lower efficiency? (I was also worried about the noise produced by the boiler - but if it really produces 50 dB(A) and no more (and it's not some sort of measurement taken 1 meter away or what have you) then it's something we should be able to deal with when we insulate the garage's ceiling. We've added a solid brick wall to the side wall separating us from the GP next door - hopefully that will be enough to protect him.)

Not really, she was adamant only bungalows were built in the area (although other two storied dwellings existed in the area), and it was not just one policy it was a few the appeal officer said she was not following! However, if a house is orientated to max solar gain and filled with insulation (like mine) it does not matter what heating or temp it is set at it is still more efficient.

I am always amazed how cheap carpet fitters are. The collect the carpet, carry it into the house, wiggling though doorways and up stairs. Rolling it out, cut it to shape, do the steps, and anything else that needs doing. Tidy up, take the rubbish away, and only ask for 50 quid or so. You won't make any saving on the fitting, and you will possibly end up with a badly fitted carpet, especially if working on your own.

I would say the relationship is already soured. I would have been livid at an £11K charge for being 1 month late. Is there a similar clause that allows you to charge similar if they are late? no I did not think so. I would be calling a serious meeting, telling them it is their issue as you contracted them to do the package, tell them the best technical solution is wider battens so the cladding lines up with the outside of the base blockwork and that will require deeper window cills which they will pay for.

Two ways to hear water cylinders: Fully stirred vessel (heat the whole lot up gradually) Plug flow (heat a small part directly from cold to finish temperature) Conventional cylinders are designed as fully stirred vessels. Combi boilers do plug flow heating so can benefit from list returns. Some big commercial water heaters are heated using an external plate/pump in plug flow regime for efficiency, for power density, and for cleanability of the plate hx. The YouTube "urban plumber" chap has an example of a cylinder heated by a combi in this manner. It's all moot though. You'll be binning the cylinder and replacing with one that has a larger coil and it heated as a fully stirred vessel when fitting a heat pump. Unless you decide to convert the existing one into a fully stirred vessel heated via high flow rate external plate hx and pump. Probably not worth the hassle though!

It isn't. It may be better than other 'forms', but it is not the most thermally efficient. You need to understand Mathematical Topology to realise that stretching, rotating, translating and twisting all affect the physical properties differently, often disproportionally. Is it part of the Planning Departments remit to deal with energy efficiency, or has that be palmed off to another department. The problem with designing a low energy home is that the next owner may disregard the installed technology and design principles and fit a low efficiency heating system and tumble dry clothes, a sock at a time.

You would normally have three options in order to make changes… 1. Non-material amendment 2. Variation of Condition 3. Householder/Full application Option 1 - I don’t think the LPA would treat that change as a minor amendment. LPA’s have their own views on what they would consider as non-material. There would be a fee and a determination period of approx. 4 weeks. Option 2 - A common way to vary/change a condition of which you would vary the condition that relates to the approved drawings. There would be a fee and a determination period of approx. 8 weeks. Option 3 - This would be a revised application of the one you had submitted and received approval for. You didn’t mention whether it was a Householder or Full application. You may be exempt from paying a fee and there would be a determination period of approx. 8 weeks. Depending on the conditions attached to your approval, you may also have the option of submitting a Discharge of Conditions application. But only if there is a condition that specially relates to submitted details and/or samples of the proposed materials.

Going from tile to seam could well cause you issues But from modern to traditional won’t cause you any issues with planners I thought wages would have dropped by now But prices are still going up with trades still fully booked Especially anything specialist I’ve a friend who does this kind of work He has seven lads working for him He’s booked up for most of this year Partly due to the bad weather He hardly worked in the six week run up to Christmas Most others will be the same I hired a bumpa hoist from Speedy in November It took them a week to locate one over 200 miles away I’ve booked it again this week Only to find it’s still at my local depot Roofers will recouped what they have lost over the coming months

Thanks for all the advice so far. there are several similar comments so rather than reply to each, I will try to cover all points here... The house is on a sloping site with a flood risk, so the masonry ground floor is doing two jobs: 1) acting as a retaining wall tied into the raft foundation; 2) providing tanking for rain water flowing down the hill - it's filled with water proof concrete between the two leafs to 1350mm above ground level, i.e. a semi basement. So there's no way that wall is coming down now. The timber frame company were responsible for the detailed drawings for building regs, but they used a structural engineer to design the foundation and masonry ground floor to achieve a complete system for retaining walls and tanking. Unfortunately the two seemed not to collaborate during the design process. I was responsible for appointing a groundwork/building company to complete the foundation and ground floor, who done an excellent job following the structural engineers design to the letter. I've challenged the timber frame company, but their general attitude is that they weren't responsible for the ground floor design, which is rubbish as they are the company I paid for it, but what can I do. I don't want to destroy our relationship whilst their part of the build is in mid progress right now. The timber frame company are providing the windows but they don't provide battens, so that's my responsibility to fit. However they have dictated 100mm of battening and ordered the windows based on that. If I increase the batten depth now, they will fine me for changing the order and for the delays it will cost, which will also cause me to delay the renders and cost me more scaffold rental. The timber frame company are never going to absorb the cost. They've already charge me an extra £11k because I was one month over their deadline for completing the foundations and ground floor. The ledge is not going to look pretty, but it is only down one side and 2.2.m at the back of the house, so won't really be seen. @ProDave The DPC does stagger up the masonry wall to follow the slope. The timber frame insulation is already built into the frame (Ultima). It is supposed to be one of the best insulated frames on the market (before getting into SIP territory) at 0.13U. On the masonry ground floor, I need internal insulation because I can't further increase the perimeter with external insulation. So I can't increase the batten depth, or build up in blockwork from the outer leaf as @Mr Punter says because of the windows. There are a few suggestions for Aluminium trims which was where my mind was at, but I'm also the plinth brick as suggested by @Gone West looks an interesting option I will explore further

Thank you so much for this. It's a big help.

Is it in their planning policy…

Not sure the saving are anywhere near what they used to be (10 to 15years ago) now that an ASHP modulates. You may get a better CoP on the very cold days with gshp but most other times the ASHP could should be better. Internal house plumbing design, can break any efficiency gain of either HP.

When I put my gshp in the rhi helped the decision. You would have to do the sums now. In response to the earlier post, you should get the same cop all year if the system is sized appropriately. My kensa says (on the display when it's running) it gives cop of >5 for heating (38 degrees) and >3 for dhw. How does that compare to a new ashp? Noise is slightly worse than the freezer.

Very easy to knock up something similar to the post puller using 2 bits of timber and a piece of rope or small chain for wrapping around saplings.

The closest I've seen is a post puller. https://uk.vevor.com/post-puller-c_10219/vevor-t-post-puller-fence-post-puller-jack43-3x5-9x5-9in-fence-post-remover-p_010177485256

I’d live with it a while and see if your attitude towards it lessens. You’re angry at being ripped off.

No harm at all, just make sure they are all flat and don't rock about.

Sounds a bit like an NEC Contract. Priced schedules and Compensation Events.

You put the treatment plant at the bottom near the house so it drains by gravity. Then the outflow from the treatment plant drains to a holding tank where that is pumped up to the drainage field. FAR easier pumping grey water than foul water and only 50mm mdpe pipe needed. We had this system at out last house. Some treatment plants can be bought with the holding tank and pump built in.

Have you done a room by room heat loss calculation to correctly size the radiators to the expected load. Get that bit right and you do not have to bother with individual room controls.

Did you just get the one quote? I had about 6 quotes in the end, with Internorm being the most expensive at double the cheapest. Rationel were cheapest and only very slightly poorer than Internorm in terms of Uw values. I chose aluminium clad, as sanding and painting or varnishing wooden windows is something i wish to consign the the "used to do that" pile. I ended up paying £8.5K for 10 windows, two single doors and one double door pair.

a 1 in 40 drop is 25mm drop in a 1 metre run. To measure that, I have a standard 1 metre long level, and I tape a small bit of 2*1 timber to one end of the level, then set the pipe so the level reads level and you have a 1 in 40 fall. You won't get any droops or puddling at that fall. You can go to 1 in 80 if you are short on fall. Then you have to be more particular that you can't get droops in the pipe run.

The elderly parents in law have been in dispute with a nightmare extension. They are very independent and want to deal with it themselves but after a call with the wife the other night they admitted it's really really getting to them to the point they are considering selling up. So called around today to look at the blocked sink and traced it back to this. What you see here is the sink waste exiting the back wall of the legacy house on the right. On the left is the joist of the new extension. We think the elbow bend was the original waste from the old kitchen but it was crumbling in my hands and there's a clear 4" between it and the pipe below. Wasn't connected, the whole lot covered on gravel and old brick/ stones and this is where the kitchen sink and dishwasher has been going for months, FFS.

Bollocks . Shits everywhere . Barks all the time . Can’t go for a walk on its own . Even needs its own hep20 pipework . (expletive deleted) that . You left handed as well ?

Yeah @Thorfun is just an arrogant show off ! . “ look at my manifold “ ffs . Bet the bitch leaks … 😎

Mate of mine got sacked for being 2 thou out … banks work to ridiculous tolerances.

Exactly what I did. Complained about the Planning Dept. to the Chief Executive of the Council. When he supported his Planning Dept. I complained to the Ombudsman, which wound them up a bit. They continued to refuse my applications so took my application to the Planning Committee, with the support of my local councillor, and won unanimously. Now that really did wind up the Head of Planning.

Sorry, I'm stumped.