Leaderboard

Sunday in the Highlands, and the weather has a feel of changing, we've been so fortunate on the build so far, day 105 today, but the last week or so has been wet, windy, sunny, overcast usually everyday. So autumn is on the way. July and August have been busy with the 2 cabins with around 100 nights occupied, that's over 250 people staying, and 30 +dogs 😂. The upshot being we can afford to eat, but the labour for the build has been affected with Mandy continually cleaning and washing. We've got a roof. Again the labour for all this is me and Mandy. The ICF allows the wall plates to be bolted to the core. Getting the trusses, 44kg, onto the roof was going to be by using a borrowed small loadall. We used this to take them off the truck and set them next to the house, but lifting them onto the walls was proving tricky with access and wind. So we resorted to leaning two lengths of 4x2 against the gable end , leaning 1 truss at a time against it and then sliding the truss up the 4x2 onto the wall plates. Then dragging them into place. We had a scaffold erected at 1 end of the house and used this to raise the first truss. Then it was repeat the process. Untill it was done. At either end of the house we used an additional truss to form a timber gable wall, this saved money on the ICF as we are having a cold loft. I drew the gable frame on CAD and created a cut list, then framed the gable out of 8x2 Insitu. I used 4x2 as a sub fascia to support the eaves trays, allowing the use of capit fascia boards keeping a keen eye on the budget🙈 I held off boarding as I had some labour debts to repay to the local farmer, and the wind was up and down. Once we had a clear window The roof and gables were boarded with OSB. At this time I also fitted membrane and battened / counter battened the gables. Black fascia boards, over fascia vents and eaves support trays were installed. The Highland vernacular is for small soffits / no soffit. So working back from the board on board cladding thickness and the battens I should end up with just the return on the fascia showing, about 30mm. I used some 4x1 as the sub soffit that will also act as a fire stop / smoke from entering the loft. Our location, and elevation suggests we can't use enough fixings for the tiles, we opted for Marley Edgemere thin leading edge tiles in anthracite. These were fixed at the eaves, every tile nailed and every tile clipped, more on this with the GSE trays. (Mandy back to real work🤣) I also taped the joints of the membrane with tyvek membrane double sided tape. We tiled the North elevation first as this was straightforward with only two roof vents (for MVHR) These were klober 25000mm2 universal vents as the Edgemere vents only ventilated to 10,000mm2. These are a good vent but it's a struggle with thin leading edge tiles to get them to sit flat. I ended up grinding a little of the back of the adjacent tiles and drilling an additional hole and nail to get them to sit as best as I could. There is a slight kick where the rubber flashing sits under the adjacent tiles but this doesn't affect the rows above, so decided I have to live with it. (Picture from a distance to stop you zooming the vents😂) The south elevation has 10 longi 405w PV panels, so I was using the GSE trays. Incidentally these trays and flashing were 50% more than the panels😔. GSE panels...... The instructions are very in-depth, but to be fair I just struggled with them. They suggest you don't need flashing for the top course as the tiles can sit over the trays, I doubt this works for any flat tiles / slates. Possible for pantiles if your lucky. A few on here @Dave Jones, and @dpmiller (I think) suggested this was the case, and I confirm you need the flashing kit, or use Flexi flashing, but IMO the detailing of the raised sections of the trays ( between panels) would be tricky and ugly. The thin leading edge tiles also caused slight kicking issues on the side flashing as well. So I had to be creative. (maybe this is standard for a proper roofer?) For the bottom flashing I used a 4x1 and timber wedges and used a replacement self adhesive flashing. Annoyingly the width of the trays with the raised section etc and the side flashings made the overall width 6.2M wide, so I had to order another length, and this was held up with Evri for 10days🥲. Fitting the extra battens for the clamps and tray support was painful for my brain, just too much timber. I ended up fitting a row of half trays at a time. Once the trays were fitted we tiled the RH side of the roof upto the GSE tray lateral flashing. This is where I needed to think out of the box, the tiles on there own kicked up into the air a looked terrible. I also had narrow tiles (120mm) cuts to allow for the half bond. These tiles needed the nib on the back of the tile grinding off which in turn meant they had nothing to hang on, and couldn't be nailed as they were on the flashing. So I used a hanging valley clip. To get these to sit flush I had to grind a little slot into the tile face, then to stop the tiles tipping into the flashing, and to give them a second fixing, I ground a groove in the rear of the tile, then once the next row was installed used a c clip to hold it all in place. Picture shows the valley clip and wire to hang the tile. Groove for C clip. C clip in place. This was repeated on all rows, so all tiles have at least two fixings. (Overkill?) The top flashing as I mentioned, had to be ordered and the corner flashings need modifying to ensure they sit flush over the PV panel. I installed two panels, then test fitted the flashing and corner flashing, which needed snipping with tin snips, then the overlapping cut edges pop riveted to reduce the height. This was sealed with lead mate. Once I fitted the flashings, I tiled the remaining roof and top rows. The flashing kit is expensive, but works and looks neat from the ground. Dry ridge installed,l and end caps finishing the roof. Then the panels, these were simple with 8 clamps per panel. Just the gutters to fit and scaffolding can come down. Some more EWI to fit then onto the windows and doors which are sat patiently waiting for us to pull our fingers out.

Option a is normal. This is my parents' place where they have the single groove skirting.

Really wouldn't bother with the loop in the utility room, just spread the pipes across the floor, for all the other loops that transit through that room. I would leave everything in the utility. Am I reading that right, you only have 20mm floor insulation? If you don't have lots of floor installation your are just throwing money down the toilet now, and every year in the future.

and fees 50 k contingency Its what we have after buying the land and plots

I worried long and hard about this. We have an AAV in the internal soil stack in the house and vent externally on a soil pipe on the garage. Seems to work ok. However you really won't loose as much heat as I thought. Here's a study. Basically is states that 25mm of insulation will make it a non issue. 50mm if you're bothered. https://www.elementalsolutions.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Heat-loss-via-internal-drainage-vent-pipes-full.pdf The dual function of the stack can be split. 1. Use a small (maybe 50mm or smaller) soil stack vent to air to allow for gases to escape and prevent pressurisation while minimising the chimney effect. 2. Add an AAV internally to ensure the traps don't empty.

Herein lies the problems with m2 rates - what's achievable for one set assumptions is completely unrealistic for another. Use them as a rough guide, but getting applicable costings for your exact situation is the only way you're going to know if your project is viable.

The project I am working on at the moment which is about 175m2 has fees and service connections working out at £228/m2, so £40k with nothing much to show for it! The watertight shell was about an additional £850/m2, so £1078/m2 total but with me project managing. It will be the same again to finish it.

I would recommend the RWA45 packs. 100mm and 50mm always on offer online. Easy to cut to tight fit with insulation saw. I cut 2 pieces out of a 600x1200 and very small amount of waste. 2 layers of 100mm in between rafters will stay in place, no problem1

+1 for flush, would be a nightmare plastering round the duct

Rechargeable batteries are 1.2V vs 1.5V for non rechargeable, and some things won’t take them, Tado kit is one such thing, none of their stuff accepts it

@richard5800 Richard joseph He has done me a revision with more realistic U values for windows. The thing is, i am not qualified to know whether his design and assumptions are optimal. A worthwhile exercise though.

Agree with @nod. At 120sq m it's not much bigger than my build. I had quotes for around 7k plus vat for an insulated raft add concrete and rebar and your well under 20k. Put your drawings out and get some quotes.

Does the frame need a raft? Footings are usually much cheaper.

First I'd ask the contactor what they think about it. Prediction....its normal. Then see thd delivery tickets. What's underneath determines whether this is a problem or inconvenience.

When we laid tarmac, our groundworker always brought along one particular mate and put him in charge. He barrowed and shovelled along with the rest but clearly had some particular skill....I think estimating how much it would compact. I mean...don't assume it is easy.

They probably added water to keep it fluid. That then evaporates leaving the equivalent amount of aero type voids and weakness. I don't know the product. But ready-mixed suppliers will require a signature on the ticket before adding water. ...because it is a bad thing. Did you buy it or your contractor? Either way, the delivery ticket will say. It isn't disastrous. This happens with all concrete in hot climates. Photo?

Or fan coil unit, for heat and cool. Make best of CoP and cooling ability.

That is why Highland council grant temporary planning for a static caravan only, with the stipulation the static caravan must be removed before occupation of the new house. I bent that as far as I could and got mine amended to "habitational use of the caravan shall cease upon occupation of the house" so mine remains as a work room and store room.

I'm in early stages of setting this up. I'm connecting to an ESP32 and going to log the data in Google sheets. My intention is to have data so I can understand the new house. Also the possibility of running the UFH pump if required. I'm no expert. The inbuilt WIFi connectivity of the ESP32 had benefits over Pi options for me.

cant see a problem as long as the timber cheeks is new so the edpm adheres and the soakers are done well.

If DIY laying tarmac, you can use a wacker to compact it but you must keep it wet with a hose.

Manually switch on off lights? Bit boring but it does work well, light go on and stay on as long as you like.

Ply line that wall before boarding. Makes life sooo much simpler.

Definitely don’t leave 3mm below plasterboard level, just cut it level or slightly recessed. Much easier to plaster and makes no difference to vent going in.

This is actually not a bad answer, in that you could copy what Loxone does. In its default config, after manual operation of lights it requires 1 hr of non occupancy before lights turn off. After that, it's back to the automation program. Vs When lights have come on automatically based on motion, it is only 15mins of unoccupied before they auto turn off. If you manually turn off lights, they remain forced off for 5mins before motion based automations resume. All these extension timeouts are configurable See parameters Met, Pto and Moet on https://www.loxone.com/enen/kb/lighting-controller/

Take a trailer to the tarmac plant for a small quantity. Have it delivered for larger. But laying lots needs speed and skill. Phone the plant and they'll have advice. I found that they charge more for cash payments, because they can and there is plenty of that business.

should be, pop the end caps off and unscrew it.

I agree the use of a hard delineation as tarnac can be tamped against it. I would once have suggested precast concrete channels but they crack under heavy wheels. For light vehicles it could be ok. So I think your use of setts is wise because they can be reset if necessary. A strong bed is essential. Or, if it also aids drainage, use a channel drain system.

My budget couldn't live with the price of those, and that won the argument😂

id put a non material amendment in to add permission for static van during works. if the morons refuse appeal it with costs.

looks tidy, you could use lead as the top flashing as well, the kits that come with it aren't that great really and have to be bashed about fairish to get the tiles to sit nice. I ended up grinding a fair bit out the back of the tiles so when they lay on the tin flashing they were in line with either side.

https://www.buildingregs4plans.co.uk/

A mmWave radar sensor would work far better as a presence centre than an IR-based traditional sensor. They can detect subtle movements such as breathing. (I haven't got one myself (yet) but I hear they can be tricky to set up. ) Example: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aqara-Positioning-Multi-Person-Detection-Precision/dp/B0BXWZMQJ3

Do you mean ordinary UK building regs as published by the government? They are from here. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/approved-documents And a few other relevant documents.

Nod, with all due respect, I think you need to provide more clarity on your context. I believe you did a HUGE amount of the work yourself and are in the trade, so made considerable savings vs the rest of us who rely on trades for the work and approach it from an outsider point of view. OP, depending on a huge amount of variables in current market £2000 psqm for a 1st fix shell may still be ambitious! Esp as you need VAT, knock throughs, and what you might find as you start extending etc. Precovid I'd have been very sure you'd be fine, but the last few years have really made a mess of the construction market with demand, material prices and a smaller labour pool to play with.

We heard directly from the horses mouth when the council visited our site that our Fifth Wheel Caravan was ok but a static caravan would not have been. I think there is precedence for people claiming a static as a separate domestic property and going for a demolish and rebuild planning application after a set number or years.

attached guide. Technical_Bulletin_A_Guide_to_Photographic_Evidence_for_New_Homes (1).pdf

Keep the number plates on it, and the tyres pumped up, and there really can't be much of an argument that it is a touring van. What are you going to do about security? gas bottles are easily moved.

no reason really, exchanged a few emails with the maker of recoup and was impressed with the fast response.

Hi again chaps, been putting this thread off for a while, so exhausted I've been with a HUGE battle with Vaillant that I couldn't cope anymore.. let alone explaining it on BHub. But I have to wade back in. Urgh. Ok. Suffice to say my battle lasted 18 months, & came to a conclusion last August (22). Brief overview: My battle was due to a noisy hydraulic unit in spare bedroom cupboard. Mechanical noise 11pm-7.30am. Intrusive even to a 3rd bedroom. Awful. 8x Vaillant engineer visits. I clocked up weeks worth of calls. They made countless unfulfilled promises to fix; after which, no-one knew what the damn noise even was. Exhaustive research by me to determine what the noise was (a starting point to me, to then explore the avenue of a fix seemed rational: although what it was doing was an impossible task for the engineers, I was determined to know what the ***k it was doing repeatedly @ 3.45 am, & why). During the 18 month battle, I also had a BH thread or two. Extra workload tbh; answering posts, discussing possibilities etc, I could barely cope at this stage, all the while each night my sleep disturbed by the noise. I almost went insane at this stage. One kindly BH member, poured thru my manual (huge bible engineer thing) & pinpointed "FROST MODE". Bingo. I'd already determined the noise innitiated at a certain outdoor temp, so putting 2+2 together = the reason. The cause. Surely. So I call Vaillant with my findings (remember 8x engineer visits & a year of calls ONLY determined it wasn't doing what it should be, not, what it was doing wrong). They replied "yes, that's what it does". FFS. I nearly lost it at this point. I pressed & pressed, another round of long calls ending last August. On meds by this stage I was. Then: WE AGREE IT'S NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE, TO BE DESCOMISSIONED & A REPLACEMENT SYSTEM TO BE FITTED -foc- WITH MONOBLOCK ASHP (ie unit's pump.. the specific noise-related component.. located within the monoblock outside!). H A L L E L U J A H ! My battle was surely over. Hmm not quite. ------ * The new units I demanded manuals for & poured over, to remove any possibility of intrusive house noise: new fan unit & new hydraulic unit. SO FINALLY I AGREE to the swap, & thanked them hugely. Installer visits (August 22), agrees where I plan new hydraulic unit to go (no way on gods earth, was I having it in a bedroom, even with promises of 'pump located outside in this system': NO FKN WAY). So I was finally-finally there!! I had it wrapped up!! Didn't I?? No. Installer throws a HUGE last minute curveball: you need a buffer, he said. A what??!! No mention of this large (1000mm x 500mm) tank by Renewables dept at this * stage. Nothing. So, I had a new chapter of the battle open up. Because I simply have no room for an extra huge tank. Can it go outside?? Pleading with them I was. No, needs to go inside/ needs to be insulated they said. I was in tears at this. I couldn't cope. I gave up. ------ A year passes, & I pick up my sword again to commence battle (no choice- another winter of overnight noise will ruin me, as well as it having ruined 3 bedrooms). I go to head office, demand the offer be renewed (they'd given me an ultimatum last August to accept the offer.. which until I knew where this wretched tank was to go, I couldn't agree to). THANKFULLY.. a kind head office woman, has agreed the offer still stands. But we are at this (buffer locating) stumbling block "last hurdle" resolutely still there. Zoothorn.

I had two identical floors poured on Thursday. Both with Agila 75 mm thick with fibres. The first was fine but the lads struggled with the second due to the heat and the concrete going off very quickly. It was a separate load of concrete for each floor. The second floor is riddled with cracks. I’m not a happy bunny.