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You don't want smart, you want proven and reliable. For me it's Aico hard wired. 2 core & earth mains supply to the first one, then 3 core % earth from there looping to all the others. Aico do some neat combined heat and CO an combined smoke and CO alarms for rooms that need both.

I had this "problem" just after we started our build, the trouble was, when I tried to sell, the housing market was still dead following the financial crash, and it did not sell. So I reluctantly took up an offer to rent it. It was the least bad option as it was not going to sell in a hurry. In your situation now, I would put it on the market and see. If it sells, that's great, end of your problems. If it does not sell or has little interest then I might consider letting it. BUT and it's a very big BUT, do you WANT to be a landlord? If the answer is no, then don't become a landlord. Frankly the rules have changed and are likely to change further in the favour of tenants, and you might not be able to get your house back when you want to, or it may take a very long time, and it most likely will not be in the condition you expected it to be when you do get it back. For a start what EPC does the old house have? If it's worse than a C then you WILL have to spend money to upgrade it sooner or later or you won't be able to let it. And why are you renting now? Is there not room on your plot for a static caravan?

Currently 17% of houses for sale on rightmove are ex rental properties. Be prepared to get it back needing a refurbishment before you can sell it. Your house your risk. Personally I think it's had it's day, and it's about time the government got to grips with the social housing crisis, it's not down to private landlords.

Perhaps this can inspire anyone in the process of renovation/ transformation. This has taken 2 years from purchase, and the rest of the building is still a shell being fitted out. But, yes it's a liveable space, and the caravan is almost redundant.

Thanks. Very neat for 17 cables! Well done.

17 shown there. 7 GF, 7 FF, and 3 external. I'm extending Loxone Link to an exterior cabinet with relays (and could add DI in future) to minimise airtight penetrations for all the exterior and landscape lighting

Would it not be more sensible to just install a plain DHW HP UVC and sell this complicated mess?

I would personally code that C3 which if everything else is okay would be satisfactory. Official guidance seems lacking and a lot of electricians think a CU like that would be a C2 and hence unsatisfactory.

Ok so yes, I completed second fix of my 2nd install today, and I'm much happier with how the CAT6A termination into the cabinet is looking, if still not perfection. Top left corner: To recap, my approach here is I'm still not using external 110 pushdown but instead use 8 way din terminal blocks to fully terminate every incoming CAT6 core (hopefully once and for all), and then any changes (of which we've had a couple already) are made on the internal cabinet lacing side of the terminal block rather than rewiring the external facing CAT6 side.

Yeah I'm going to be purchasing this and installing it at the beginning of the run next to the house. Thanks for the advice everyone.

Check if your old CRT isn't now selling at a premium on eBay. They don't make them any more and some gamers love the clarity they provide.

My understanding is that it isn't much of a problem for A2A. The modulation depth of A2W is much less and this is where the problem lies AFAIK.

Leave the washing machine out for scrap - someone will collect it. Old bathroom porcelain goes in the hardcore bin at the tip. Monitor goes to the electronics skip or area at the tip too

New cavity wall with facing brick outer leaf and an ACO drain down the "gap". Mono-pitched roof (high part of roof to party wall).

Sounds like tell the press and social media then think about. There is absolutely nothing to trial if the array is G98 or whatever approved, it's no different from an MCS install.

Thank you, but this question is specifically related to pitched roofs, because it's mainly about what happens to the tile battens and how the weight of a tiled/slated roof is supported; an issue that doesn't really exist with flat roofs.

300l tank, filled to (IIRC) 270 to the expansion volume. It's a Worldheat cylinder 2050h x 550dia Both the DHW and recovery coils are 3m2 corrugated tube ASHP is a CoolEnergy IVT9. I have it configured to control on return temps and deltaT is 7C, and the circulating pump is under PWM control Heatup and UFH are mainly carried out during the E7 period. First the UFH as necessary, then the TS is boosted to 54C +0.5C (the IVT allows a variable overshoot to stop the compressor from doing a hard stop) just before morning showers . Cylinder hysteresis is -1.5C to cut in. Daytime recovery temperature for the cylinder is 52C + 0.5C CH return temp is 42C so flow can be briefly in the 49C region. The works well as we have some rads and towel rails upstairs and these get to the flow temp before the system trims back. the UFH sips from this and is blended to 32C or so. It's worth noting that as the cylinder sensor is halfway down the cylinder- midway between the coils- and the flow temp to achieve the required 54C is a bit higher, the tank seems to end up being around 57C at the top, 55C at the sensor, and never lower than about 37C right at the bottom underneath the coil

Thats the way to do it, anticipate the inevitable, make as many changes as possible at a convenient point in time. Alternatively stick your head in the sand and expect MUCH bigger bills, migration like you have never even imagined before, wild fires, flooded cities, societal breakdown and dictatorship. The political effects of climate change are, in many ways, more scary than the physical ones. Oh and re rad size, what about fan convectors? OK you might not want them in a bedroom but in the living areas whats the real issue? Are your fridge, TV or for that matter your kids silent?

All that can easily be disposed of at our local council tip recycling centre free of charge if it is your own personal waste. I never had issues taking that sort of stuff. The only complication if you are using a van or trailer to take it there you must register it, and fill out a load of paperwork. I find my old Landrover is handy, it has most of the attributes of a van, but they guys at the tip don't class it as a van.

Local authorities are responsible for all the fly tipping Due to restrictions put on homeowners and builders

Check out your local authority mine collects certain items free of charge. It allocates a certain number of points for an item and you can have a certain numerical amount for free per year.

Yup, sell it. Trying to build one house is stressful enough without having to look after an old one at the same time.

Well firstly congrats - it sounds a lovely site. My theory is that the architect used to 'get planning' puts in the most conservative thing he or she can think of to obtain the landowner's 'planning valuation bounty' with minimum risk. Then often as not, the buyer needs to do the whole planning loop again with the design they want. However, the first loop has broken the ice with the planners regarding size, style etc, so that's a benefit. It's curious to have a structural guy who deals with planners - usually building control is their liaison point and they come in after the architect has obtained planning - which is effectively only 'look and feel'. Not to suggest that the structural person doesn't add great value by taking the architect's ideas and making a detailed building design from them. Occasionally (if the architect has been a bit fanciful) that might mean applying a dollop of common or engineering sense which might involve changing the look and feel a bit and thus some negotiation with the planners. e.g. 'it's great that one side of the building is 100% glass, but that won't really fly for these reasons...' You probably knew that. Maybe your structural guy is branching out or maybe the existing buildings effectively define the architectural style so much that what's left seems like 'only practical detail'. Perhaps ask your structural guy and a couple of local architects to take a look at their portfolios - see if there's some work you admire or that fits with the thing you have in mind?

Exactly that. They'll only make FIT payments on the FIT registered capacity which for you is 4kw. If you double the system size to 8kw then paying for 50% of your generation is paying only for 4kw of generation

Would 2 units heat the remote corners of the house? I plan on fitting one in my family room 60m2 to provide heating/cooling and another at a later date in the ground floor hall to heat the hall/first floor hall and any rooms off it plan will be to utilise off peak electricity to preheat the home and if required top up with the combi boiler if required.

Been there done it, really wouldn't bother again. Sell it move on, have the cash in the bank, so you can use when you need it. It can take you 4 to 6 months to sell and have the cash in hand, even if you started making moves today.

Agree with @ProDave - we became accidental landlords back in 2011 when we bought the house that was eventually demolished to make way for the new build. Sale market was v slow back then (which worked in our favour for the purchase) and the finances were not that complicated to arrange. We let the original property easy enough as it was a fairly 4 bed new build, but it was still a big PITA and it looks like it has got worse by an order of magnitude since then. in 2011 we were able to offset the mge payments against the rent to minimise the tax impact (gone as an option now) but still had a bill to pay when we eventually offloaded it on the captial gain as it's no longer your main residence. Also, very difficult to sell a house with tenants in it as it never looks its best. Ours only shifted when it was unoccupied, neutrally redecorated (especially kids rooms), every room dressed with simple furniture (lots of freecycle couches and bed frames, inflatable camping mattresses under empty duvet covers etc,, ) big non functioning flat TV in living room, dining room set for dinner etc - all the show home BS but it worked!

Hiya not sure if this is still open or relevant, however I have taken on a bungalow to house renovation myself. I am an engineer by trade never done building work and I am currently battening the outside ready for render boards. I put timber frame in stick form straight on top of the bungalow walls and then trusses on top to give us a 11.2 m long by 4.2 m wide, 2.4 m high room in the loft. It’s more than doable. I’m quite the celeb on my main road now lol. I’ve done it all on my own other than standing the trusses up where I had my fiancées grandad help as they were fooking huge ! the hardest bit was working out the connection between the old and new, I chemical fixed studding deep into the bungalow brick walls and fixed the timber sole plate down via the studs plus wall restraints etc as per normal standards. I’m self taught from YouTube mainly I would say the tricky bit is the render transition from timber to original bungalow brick, especially as we are insulting externally on the downstairs so I had to build the timber frame above with an adequate overhang so it finishes somewhat flush with the downstairs EWI. my bungalow is a wonky rectangle, so I had to build a nice true new structure on a wonky substructure. Which will need to be made up and hidden within the battening and render board. I basically have 4 steels running across the bungalow which meant I was free to knock all internal walls down if I desired so gave us huge scope to redesign. There as no point starting a new with our build as the size and shape already made best use of the plot. it’s all going on YouTube too

will be fine, just put polythene down over them to stop any damp coming up and crack on.

Allow for a drain connection/ floor drain makes life so much easier for maintenance

how will i have to pay capital gains? i lived in it for 11 years and only moved out 2 weeks ago?

It looks worse than the inside of my airing cupboard which yesterday I was easily convinced should be stripped out in its entirety. The airing cupboard is the result of successive mods, not a one off design.

Noise, bought a dMEV fan the blurb said it was silent - it wasn't, so really looked at the specs and compared to others. At min speed old one over 25dBA and new it's 10dBA sound pressure level. So really look at the noise levels that will define how much one running 24/7 will p**s you off