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Good evening all, Today we received a letter from HMRC dated 16 June telling us that our claim has been accepted (with no disputes!) and would be paid to us in 10 working days. Great news, but even better the payment was already in and made on the 16th. Sharing this news here to: 1. Let others know the current timescales of claims. We posted ours a few days before the end of April this year, so around 7 or 8 week in total. 2. To say a big thank you to the members of forum for all the great advice shared. I spend more than a couple of evenings browsing past posts and learnt considerably more about the VAT claim process here that anywhere else, and it all paid off. Great job.

Here is the progress on the garage, now adding the lean-to. 2 weeks of long days x 3 diy ers. The materials cost above slab is about £5k incl the cladding yet to come The ped door was surplus due to an ordering error with the house. I think a kit would have cost a fair bit more, but be less sturdy. Your next question is about bco isn't it? BUT the garage is under 30m2 and he says the lean-to doesn't need regs. I don't understand that but it's what we wanted to hear.

Bought my first house at about 15% interest, (100% mortgage) new house off plan, got a good discount to have no heating and unpainted internally. Got a full heating system from the local recycling (or dump as it was known as then). But was cold and skint for the first 6 months. Would be outcry now if a 20s something, even thought about doing the same.

Erm , change to another tariff .

It is a fact of life that the BoE has one hammer - interest rates. When inflation is low, they lower them to encourage spending, when inflation is high they raise them to stop people spending. Inflation is rampant.....no matter the source of that inflation the bank only has one tool in the bag and unfortunately, their only tool hits a very specific target - the common man/woman on the street. There is absolutely no other tool available to them and they will continue to use it until Inflation drops. The repossessions/bankruptcies are just collateral damage. It sucks ass but that is the way that life works at the minute. My mortgage is howling and I dislike it as much as the next person but there is no option other than to ride it out as best as can be done.

Currently going through the process of figuring out our a suitable ensuite/wardrobe layout. Black cavas, stud walls are not yet in place and the ensuite window is yet to be fitted, so we can pretty much do whatever we like. We don't have a massive amount of space, approx 4.5m x 4.5m to fit both the wardrobe and ensuite in. My preference would be to have a larger en-suite but SWIMBO wants more storage, a dressing table etc etc. We're thinking of something along the lines of this; Full length infinity shower on the right, velux window over head, free standing bath directly opposite beneath the window. Window has already been ordered and is not toughened glass so would need to sit approx 800mm up, which I think is OK? Windows are all south facing. Are we on the right tracks? Anything you'd change/recommend we consider before making a final decision?

This is a pic of my current MBC TF project, and this shows the counter-battens that MBC installed, perpendicular to the joists above (hidden by the membrane but you can see where the membrane is quilted where it was first stapled to them). This extra 'bracing' is achieved just as simply as affixing 25x50mm counter-battens (larger of the 2 two common roofing battens) to the underside of the bottom chord. There's zero rocket-science

Does it never rain where you live?😅

Doesn't sound like a good idea to me. It certainly wouldn't be for a tiled or slated roof as the membrane could push up the tiles with over pressure behind it. What I don't see is any way for the water running down to your horizontal battens escaping and not pooling up on top of them. While there, water will find its way through the nail holes. Normally if the felt was to be laid over a solid base layer, there would be vertical counter battens to space off the final horizontals - thus letting water flow unimpeded. Draped over a trussed roof, the membrane would deliberately not be stretched tight to facilitate the same thing.

Well yes, with an open slate, not doing a retrofit in the middle of a town would alter a lot of parameters

You may find that you have block instead of brickwork on the cheeks behind the roof.

Shouldn't be a problem.

Keep them upwind of you boiler flue. Ideally on a different wall around the corner.

Flux is pretty much a game changer . My import since joining is 0 ( though the algorithm goes to the grid if it deems fiscally better ) . Daily export is around £7 . Obviously once we approach winter the rates will undoubtedly change ; but ; it could still be potentially making money !

Thoughts: (not necessarily solutions) - Do you need one in the kitchen? - If Bed2 can point towards the door it may heat/cool the hall when the door is open. - If Kitchen can point towards the door it may heat/cool the hall when the door is open - however - see above - if the kitchen doesn't need one & the lounge door is open that may heat the hall too?

As for structural work it might depend on what you have inside. Does the first floor meet the front wall above the current front door or do you already have a stair well? Which way do the floor joists run? Front to back or left right? A lintel is also needed above the top window.

Welcome to the forum, if you find it useful consider donating to server costs. These are sometimes called "full height" doors or windows. Normally used where the ground floor inside also extends upto the roof, perhaps the stair we'll, but not necessarily.

Breathable felt can leak with heavy rain over a prolonged period. The valley is most likely letting water in, doesn't look like it's been felted properly. Is it lead? if it is it's been installed incorrectly. Also the lead gulley, is it one piece? please tell me it has some elevated areas or expansion joints welded in?

Flux seasonal offset couldn't be working better here, I've just hit £0 net bills since joining in mid March - gas and electric including standing orders. I'm now building up a reserve to offset September usage. Average import price 21.73p Average export price 25.16p 8% of the PV/A2A ASHP investment repaid in those three months of Flux

I'd go with your joiners suggestion. I think having the recess on the hall side also looks better.

yep Think up a trading name, set up a suitable gmail and then tick the sole trader box, they will then credit score you against your home address and an account will follow

Depends entirely on where the unit will be situated, the required height above / side for the duct work etc. Ideally they need to be 2m apart to prevent circulation. Not as simple as it sounds as depends where the exhaust / supply points are on the unit and what other duct work and services you need to work around. I stuck two in at that stage and ended up moving the unit and having to core out new holes.

Are you sure it's leaking and not condensation? It's been very humid( in Scotland) I doubt it's different in England. It can be surprising how much condensation you can get.. Also how windy has it been, the pitch looks shallow, (but that could be photos,) are the horizontal laps big enough and are they tapped? We're building in a windy location so will be using felt with tape to prevent water being driven in. Take a Big breath, it's better finding faults now, and fixing them l, than lying in bed and finding it still leaks.. this is a positive although it might not feel like it.

No. We need to know the source - one small tear is enough to let in loads of water. Photos from under the felt will help greatly. The felt itself (if its a common branded felt ) is highly unlikely to leak.

I’ve not used that one but I use Optimix concentrated. At a guess for a typical 4 bed house we would use no more than about 7 bottles.

There are some expensive profiles out there to do this. First link has an installation animation. ~£35/m seems steep to me, but may be the easiest way to go. https://www.darklightdesign.com/led-profilelement-dsl-profile/ https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/273214350882 https://www.iluminize.com/en/shop/product/4604-led-drywall-profile-dsl-2m-long-for-floating-surfaces-with-a-substructure-363#attr=

NO, can you identify where exactly the rain is coming in?

I went for it on my house. Ended up overordering by about 25%. I gave some cuts to people I knew, and it kind of caught on in the way that I started selling it. Lovely stuff! But as @Thorfun said, it is so fragile that just by looking at it you are risking damaging it. But if I were to do it again... I defo wooooood

They’ll still help a little, but the attic trusses are a slightly different beasts!

Thanks very much big jimbo, we'll give it a go!

Looks to me like it was originally meant to have fasia and soffit then they changed their mind to exposed rafter ends. I would expect there to be some sarking boards or T&G on top of the rafters so you can't see the underside of the roofing felt. I've seen a lot worse brickwork. Looks average to me.

Apologies….I’m sorry if my response seemed harsh I was juggling pricing / doing wages and dealing with a kitchen rep and a long hard day at the time and I always want to give something back to build hub members so I could only post a rapid reply. The explanation then … If it’s normal Flemish bond and not Flemish garden wall bond ie. Header stretcher header stretcher then instead of the standard 60 units (bricks) for stretcher bond per m2 you have 30 full brick’s and 60 half bricks so 90 units per m2 that all need buttering and pointing. So that should equal 1.5 times the usual rate for stretcher bond. This is providing the headers are pre cut. This is without taking into account the extra work dealing with queen closers and that one needs to take more care on plumb perps etc. I charge 1.75 x my rate for Flemish and English bond. MNy think that a m2 of brickwork is simply a m2 of brickwork but there are many variables. I hope this helps.

Expansion joints wouldn’t have made any difference with is type of cracking I would cut out 50 mil either side of the cracks with a grinder and replace the render and Tyrolean over the whole area

It's hard to tell in the images but it looks like there's open gaps/missing mesh too - you'll end up with birds/rodents/bats in there if it's not resolved. Agree with JohnMo though, the stuff you can't see will be 10x worse than this (which looks bodged to me). That brickwork also looks a bit shoddy/rushed to my untrained eye. Lots of irregular mortar joints, some of which are huge.

Actually these rooms are upstairs so the battens will be attached to attic trusses rather than posis. Sorry for any confusion!! I’ll still run the perpendicular to the trusses though. That just make sense.

If it doesn't feel right it most probably isn't. If the stuff you see isn't looking correct, the bits you can't see will most likely be dire. Just walk away and find the right property. Don't spend your hard earned money on something not right. Live is to short.

Move the top onen/microwave up by a couple of mm. adjust the top door first and set it up right. You can do this with a couple of pieces of 50mm wide pieces of wood/ mdf sat ontop of the shelf below the oven / micro. The lower oven should be raised by a larger amount using the same method. Aim to get the gap between the Two appliances to about 5mm. You will need this gap unless the top appliance door opens within it's own axis. (most dont) Then set your bottom drawers up, which they are clearly not at the moment. The result is that the gap you have will now be between the lower appliance, and the top of the drawer below. The way to now fill the remaining gap is what a lot of kitchen companies call an oven filler. Don't forget that you will also require a gap between the lower appliance and the top of this filler in order for the door to drop when it is opened. You will also require a gap between the bottom of the oven filler and the top of the drawer. If the oven filler you purchase is to high / tall, you cut it down to fit the gap, and fit putting the cut face down. You can always put a bit of silver tape over the cut edge, but really not needed. Hope the above gets you sorted.

Acting in self-defence is a reaction. Buying a taser and waiting for this chap to come back is pre-meditated, eg you'll be off to jail in a heartbeat. How long you spend there will depend on whether this individual has an underlying health issue (pacemaker etc) and you've inadvertently killed him. Stand down with the Charles Bronson approach!! If all he did was shout and try to intimidate you then it shows he's just got a screw loose and is highly unlikely to take this any further. After the red mist subsides, most episodes become water under the bridge. Take some time to reflect on what went on, and realise this was a case of mistaken identity and not a result of something you did (unless the Uber driver cut this guy up and you were there for him to vent at?). Building gates higher is something to do to protect you against creeper burglaries and trespassers, but they don't shout and scream, they work in near silence. This guy was clearly just a showman, as anyone seriously pissed off and after revenge wouldn't have spoken to you other than to say "have this", upon where you'd have received a swift smack to the chops, or 2. The only issue here is (setting aside emotional upset and you both having to eventually 'get over this') if he comes back to vandalise your property / vehicles. I'd just buy a couple of cheap battery Ring cameras and a outdoor POE WAP, cabled through a window which you can then just close over the cable, and run those for a month or so until this anxiety subsides. Which it will. It's just raw right now as this has clearly shaken both of you up badly. After days, then weeks, then months of nothing happening you'll realise this was just a one-off altercation that shouldn't have happened. The police will 100% pursue this chap through his reg number, so also await their response. They may even suggest restorative measures, where they accompany this guy to your house / you meet at the police station etc for you to discuss it on neutral grounds and to allow both parties to speak. Once you offer assurance that you couldn't have possibly done anything to this chap he will then have to apologies and then you won't have such anxiety any longer. He will then be bound over to keep the peace or charged and put in front of a judge, you'll likely be asked to decide as you'll have to press charges when he is tracked down. Possibly after speaking to him you may decide that him being bound over would suffice.

Agree on this - I adjusted a bit of scaffolding but there were a few precarious moments when the metal boards (which are much heavier and have a momentum of their own once you lose the balance) went precariously close to windows. I wouldn't want to be removing a full house worth of scaffolding - even doing it in a couple of hour shifts I reckon there'd be a fair risk of some unforeseen damage as you tire. Leave it to the skilled muscle.

sounds like they've accidentally included hire, at those costs...

The cupboards in the wardrobe are too narrow to have rails for shirts and coats running parallel to the wall, would have to be perpendicular to the walls or use something like waterfall rails.

Sitting on the toilet has your back to the entrance. Also from a practical view it becomes a pinch point the room, I would have sink and toilet on the same wall.

I'm just starting to wrap my head around the A2W and A2A options. Very early days. A2A does look temptingly cheap and easy to install! I've done a very rough sketch of the basic layout, then two different A2A installs- one central unit in the hallway, or two units feeding four rooms. For context, the house is currently used mainly as a summer holiday let (although we will be moving back in full time at some point). The smallest bedroom is only used for storage. The bathroom has a small electric towel rail. DHW currently supplied by a direct UVC in the cupboard. The north and east elevations of the house are completely hidden from view and would be by far the best places to put an external ASHP unit. S side may be acceptable but not ideal.

Somewhere on this forum you will find folk who have very positive experience of simply heating a well insulated house directly with electricity using an inexpensive "Willis heater" heating water in the groundfloor slab briefly, overnight on economy rate electric. You can always add a heat pump to do it instead later.

Ours for reference. There is now more pipework but the same space taken up.

We're opposites again lol. As the top chord of the posi-joists takes up a good 50-60mm depth or more which is dead space anyways, I always recommend putting the insulation up in between, tight to the underside of the upper deck, and to hold it up with either fishing line or a nylon string and a staple gun. Then we run all the services underneath the insulation. Helps a lot with keeping most of the service void open and clear, and I prefer that for electrical etc so you're not cutting or compromising insulation where there are MVHR vents / downlights / speakers and so on. The insulation can go in early and be done with, and IMO it's a far easier install all round. Much of a PITA when the insulation fitters have pushed a cable off point and you need to go digging through acoustic insulation to find it.

No, there's no need for any third party involvement. I wrote a brief report covering it for building control, but frankly they weren't interested in it at all, so I think I may as well not have bothered.

It's pretty straightforward. My blog has details of how we installed our MVHR and commissioned it.

Yes, several here have done DIY install and commissioning. Not a difficult job, but the commissioning and balancing is a bit tedious. Better to DIY simple and tedious stuff, IMHO, rather than pay someone a lot of cash. I probably spent around three or four days on the MVHR installation and commissioning.

Isn’t the idea of resilient bars to effectively separate the plaster board (or acoustic board) from the joists... thus breaking the direct contact route of noise transfer? So not addressing airborne noise as much as walking or jumping about from upstairs? And posi joists most do this better than normal joists anyway don’t they? Or have I scooped too much red wine tonight? I opted for acoustic slabs between joists, rubber strips between joists and floor boards, and double sheets of 12.5mm standard plasterboard... all the cheapest option for me and seems to work as I can’t hear my daughter on her drum kit.