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I've just read the officer's report. Paras 6.26 to 6.30 are simply supportive of your proposal in terms of highways. You may have a position were you could air a cost application on appeal if the committee remain intransigent. They have no evidence your access and parking causes an issue. They are having no regard to the highway's officers recommendation. Without evidence they may be considered unreasonable.

Thanks for the replies. A meeting with Planning and Conservation Officers has been booked to look at the options. This info to discuss is very useful.

Started cladding. The thing I’ve looked forward to most. I’m glad I stuck to the deeper reveal for ingo. ‘Everyone’ was saying not to do it. The cladding has been treated to silver evenly and relatively quickly.

My gut feel is that this really matters. It could make the difference, in a significant number of retrofits, between a two a week job and a one a week job. Also between a highly disruptive job and a job which is only minimally disruptive. The difference in price is well over 2K, it's where the excessive margin is hidden, and in fairness, the installation risk lies (which consumers pay for).

@Big Jimbo- thanks for your very useful info, BH is great! >>> Have you dug any holes elsewhere? If so , describe in non technical terms. Only by hand to see the invert level of a culvert pipe to use for potential drainage. It was last year, I don't remember much about it except that it was xxxx hot and the ground was hard . We do have some services to run and a drive to dig though so I'll get some samples at a good depth while the digger man is on site.

For anyone else who's interested, I have it on very good authority that Zappi integration with Intelligent Octopus is expected to roll out in early September.

My grandma in her 70s used to look just like that. All of 4'10", with a hat pin.

It's condensation. It takes months for a house to dry out. Keep windows open 24x7.

Update on the above, for once good news. MCS now accept that, where it is not reasonable to upgrade existing pipework to a retained DHW cylinder, and where Building regulations do not require it to be ungraded, MCS wont insist that they be upgraded. Here is the email I received from MCS today: "Thank you for your patience whilst I awaited a reply from our working group. As our working group is made up of volunteers, this is why it took some time to get a reply. Firstly, thank you for highlighting the ambiguity of the clause around using existing cylinders . As part of 5.6.7 clause a), we mandate that the cylinder and pipes in an existing system are to comply with relevant legislation. Below is a screenshot of the relevant requirements under building regulations around the insulation of pipework: [screenshot of regulations 4.24 and 4.25 in building regulation part L] MCS mandate that the above building regulations are adhered to when using an existing system as the clause states that the insulation shall be upgraded to at least the equivalent of what’s stipulated in 4.24 in the building regulation requirements above. However, 4.24 above uses the word ‘should’ in which MCS use this term as “prescribes and requirement or procedure that is intended to be complied with unless reasonable justification can be given”. Therefore, if it is unreasonable to insulate all pipework (in this instance due to the significant disruption of lifting flooring), then that would be accepted under building regulations and therefore also by MCS. Reasonable attempts should be made to insulate all pipework, however, if this is not the case, then it would be expected that the contractor properly assesses the effects of this on the system performance and efficiency and advise the customer accordingly. As a response to this query, MCS will make the necessary changes to clause 5.6.7 a) with MIS 3005 D in the next rewrite to allow for clearer understanding. " Thank you again for raising this

Your engineer might want to take his own samples however. You can understand that, because you might have taken the sample from better ground, rather than the correct place. It is there PI insurance at the end of the day. But £100 quid for an early indication has to be a good thing.

Thank you @crispy_wafer I have ordered a coupler and seals which are coming today Many Thanks though, much appreciated

It will be interesting if they analyse the present costs of a heat pump install to see if they are reasonable. Somehow I doubt they will.

Yes that's it exactly.

Thanks, presumably you didn't want to publish the tables here. Even if the turndown is better than I expected the big takeaway for me is that they will not achieve 65C flow below an OAT of 5C. As you may have read on this thread, because of the small coil I will need a high flow temp to drive the heat through the small surface area. Hence my interest in R290 HPs which will provide up to 75C flow, the CoP is not good but it would be running on E7 whlile producing the DHW.

And his much more important daughter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace

It shouldn't. While water is often the blowing agent for PU resins, the oxygen gets stripped of the two hydrogen atoms. The free oxygen and hydrogen atoms then combine with carbon atoms that have a free electron. Then you get a mix of CO, CO2 and CH4. Why you are told to keep the area well ventilated. Thermoplastics use hydrazine, much more fun.

I’ve found a solution: I will buy a rifle and some bullets. Lots of bullets. I will buy some <s>bait</s> chickens. (The law allows shooting of foxes to protect livestock, so long as I notify the police within 48 hours as per the Animals Act 1971.)

It’s pretty difficult to keep out determined foxes, think of trouble hen keepers have. You need 6’ fences with a roof and wire in the ground too, or electric fencing to defeat them. You could try the teabags, but don’t hold your breath (see what I did there?). Failing that, get busy with dog poop bags, set up an infra red camera and embrace them. They are very entertaining.

So sorry to hear of your position, shit ain’t it. I too am having treatment fir my third cancer (all new cancers not reoccurrences according to the consultants) fatigue is a massive part if it, lucky I guess that I did my build between my second and third cancer, I never would have finished it otherwise. I am on immunotherapy (just started) so here is hoping for both of us eh?. As above I have found the NHS remarkable, they saved my life from a previous condition and multiple operations. My middle name should Be “lucky” 🤣.

If the only think that is pushing the OP towards imprinted concrete over paved slabs is the weed issue, then I can recommend Marshall's Drivesys cobble system. Each "cobble" is cast from concrete and has a ridge, so that once laid there is a barrier preventing weed growth. The diagram below isn't that clear, but effectively each "cobble" has a 6mm ridge protruding around the perimeter of the bottom half of the cobble, so that when installed adjacent to another cobble, there is a 12mm gap between cobbles (above the ridge). That 12mm gap is then filled with the joining compound to create a barrier. Weeds don't get through. You can get a very nice "cobbled" look, but with the benefits of modern engineering. I think that at most it would work out the same as imprinted concrete, but probably a bit less.

Black basalt gravel for us - personally I think the imprinted concrete looks false - bit like real imitation leather aka plastic. A few of our previous neighbours had imprinted concrete and some wouldn't venture out in icy weather as it was so slippy - the posties hate it too. Noooooooooo - that'll make it like a doctors surgery or even worse a funeral parlour... Simon

I tend to agree, what about those plastic mesh devises you can fill with gravel or grass? https://www.gridforce.co.uk/bespoke-solutions/grass-protection-grids/

That sounds very expensive. Do you really need all 300m2 paved? Won’t it look like a car park? How many cars do you have? 12.5m2 is plenty big to park one car. Even a disabled parking bay is only 16m2. Unless you need so many parking spaces, I would consider some soft landscaping to reduce the area you need to pave. Will work out much cheaper and will look much nicer.

One issue will potentially be the weight of the stone slips on a timber framed structure. If you are doing rainscreen cladding on a timber frame you need a minimum 25mm strongly vented air gap between the sheathing and the cladding. I think you should be looking at a proper system with BBA approval.

Are you sure it's "C3" or is the fishy looking symbol, which indicates humidity boost is on?

Plot, if you can find one. You'll be in competition with lot's of small developer's. Then having to sit on it for 18 month's as the local planning department try and make a decision of reducing your 5 bed home down to 2.

With all the serious illness above, it makes worry about an urban fox rather trivial. Giles' Grandmother sorted it.