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I installed the MVHR unit this week and got someone to commission it. It’s very quiet. You can hear a gentle hum from the kitchen terminal when standing underneath it but the others are silent. The external terminal isn’t as bad as I thought it was going to look but it’s still by the front door. I regret a bit not changing the whole floor plan of the porch/lean to bit of our house putting the plant room on an end elevation. In hindsight I ought to have combined it with the utility room with a wall separating them. The benefit of where it is that’s it’s right in the middle of the house though. The other small issue is the board on board cladding creates a void behind the terminal where the inside cladding board is which could allow rainwater to sit. I’ll need to add a block to fill it in. The board on board cladding has caused similar issues like this across a few areas of the house. Worth thinking about for anyone else considering board on board. Downstairs bathroom nearly finished. The Aqualisa shower was straightforward to fit but we pulled the speed fit hose out of the connection inside the rail which was a bugger to get back in. Bit concerned it came out so easily. I’m not massively impressed with the Aqualisa Optic Q shower control given the cost of it. It all feels a bit loose and plasticky. We have two and both the same. The rest of it is well made. The mixer and diverter are in the coomb upstairs making it really easy for future access as I made the coombs slightly wider and higher by removing the coomb completely on the opposite side of the roof. We gained a bit of floor space and it allowed me to widen this coomb by 150mm. I did this to make fitting the shower controls up here much easier. It would have been very tight otherwise. Doors and skirting fitted. Doors and hardware are by LPD. Unfortunately they don’t do smaller doors to fit the wardrobe. However Deanta do a very similar door (looks identical in the pictures) which can be custom made. Not cheap unfortunately and the lead time is 20 weeks. Also removed all the dust protection from our lights in the vaulted ceiling so it’s the first time we’ve seen them up properly.

Best to put the intake upwind from the exhaust relative to the prevailing wind direction for your location (usually westerly in the UK). And ensure the intake and exhaust are both on the same building elevation to ensure even wind pressure between them. Separation: I would suggest 1.5 lateral metres minimum if you can.

I think I know what you’re asking. So if you had Full Planning approval that removed PD works but you hadn’t yet started those Full Planning works, then you can crack on with the PD works. Once the PD works are complete, you can then start the Full Planning works. However, the LPA could then turn round and say your Full Planning approval is invalid as you have now changed the “existing” house. It’s always advisable to implement and complete any PD works prior to applying for any Full Planning works. One of those reasons being that a Full Planning approval can withdraw your PD rights. But in the OP’s case, should they apply for Full Planning once the PD works have been completed, then the LPA would see how much of an impact those PD works have in relation to the 30% uplift figure within the Green Belt.

Hiya. I'm Scottish base and have family that live on one of the inner Hebrides and have lot's of experience dealing with BC on the Islands. Also I deal with Scottish Building Standards on a regular basis and have done so for the last 40 years. Some of the BC officers I know quite well, we have a chat on the phone about our careers and reminisce on how good the old times were. In other words they are folk just like us.. there is the odd exeption but that is life. In the round though BC officers actually do have your best interests at heart. It would be great to have a BC officer or two join BH! On the Islands there is a lot of politics. Some Island builders are really shite, cut corners in a big way, some are better / good. BC know who they are so maybe you are getting a heads up and not just seeing the wood for the trees about the work that has been done by others. Now you are doing a bit of work yourselves.. well how much and when did you start doing a lot yourselves? It is in your own interests to build your house right? There is always friction on the Islands... BC know this but are not corrupt at this level. There are loads of other Islanders and folk moving there that do DIY projects so you are not the first and last. @JWHIT "surely this is trespass" My advice.. get this right out your head now. If the BC officer can access your site then you have a Health and Safety issue and they can hammer you on that. The HSE law is quite clear on this all over the UK, if your site is accessible then you are on a hiding to nothing. Have a looked at your site security? Don't pursue this route as you will likely regret it. Too late for that, BC can hammer you much earlier. There is no argument in law for shoddy HSE by saying.. hey I'm insured. Insurance is for when you have tried to do your best and things still go wrong. If they can see bad things from outside the site boundary then surely.. you may be making a cock up? If you try and play hard ball with them then they will pull your trousers down and you won't get to pull them back up until they have run you ragged. Now you may feel that the BC officer has turned up with no appointment.. but they are allowed to do this under UK HSE law (not just Scottish law) .. part of their remit is pubic safety.. they can hammer you on this too! To lay it on a bit thicker they may start to ask if your project should fall under CDM regulations., just to give you the run around. In summary: 1/ Yes there is Island politics, don't worry too much about the main Island Contractor not getting the job. 2/ Phone the officer up and ask when they are next on the island and arrange to meet them in person. This is so imprortant. You are on an Island.. you must get to know folk.. the emails you get from BC only show a snap shot.. sometimes they write stuff that seems really daft / aggressive.. but they are pushed for time and under funded. Cut them some slack and cut yourself some slack too. Keep an open mind as while you see this as a personal opinion then they may be able to give you good advice? Also if you hit it off with them then later on when you apply for a completion certificate you'll probably find that part of the process much easier and not get hit with a load of things that don't conform. 3/ Build a rapport with the officer.. recognise that they may be trying to help you rather than hinder. You may have a young and inexperienced BC officer. Be very careful here not to bully as their boss will then give you the big stick! Listen to what they are saying.. put forward your ideas and have a bit of fun.. seriously they are just folk. To finish @Kelvin may be able to give you some advice about how you deal with BC when relocating to the north of the UK ( Scotland) 4/ Some of my family live on Tiree. Clocked this at the end! Well it does.. Some of the building regs are open to opinion / discussion / detailed design. BC officers often hold professional qualifications / have great experience. They are entitled to question. As before one big stick they do hold is the public safety issue (I do it too as an SE) . Lot's of folk on BH think that this is their house and they can do what they want. BC say and I.. that house has to last for 50 years at least and you may sell it to a family in a couple of years time. Our duty is not just to you but all the folk that come after. Just copied this right at the end. The above is misleading as if it is deemed to be a risk to public saftey then the LA can effect immediate access as what they do will call on the Fire service, the Police , gas board and me as an SE. You see.. who knows what building regs have been compromised? Is it just an extractor fan of a serious structural defect that could cause a gas leak? If push comes to shove and I'm acting for the local authority.. I'll find a legal way of getting into your property if I feel there is a safety issue. You are pissing in the the wind! If you have nothing to hide then you should be relaxed about all of this.

Hi all, I’m Welshdrum, I moved to Carmarthen in 2021 and bought a small holding from the early 1900s, I have very little diy skills but am learning as I would need to be a millionaire if I paid for all the jobs I needed, but for the big stuff I get the pros in

Several things there are alarm bells rather than reassurance. And that comes from someone who was an installer who left the market because of the heavy insistence in sales and profit rather than actual green energy. Get several quotes, get several opinions, then trust your gut.

Chicken wire is nonsense, tell them to use an appropriate product. This makes me think they're shoddy installers TBH. Also, why on-roof and not in-roof? Is this a retro-fit over an already installed roof, and if so, what is the roof covered in (tiles / slates?).

The eddi is a great bit of kit, and I would defo use it for diverting excess (once you have established you will have a lot of excess that is ) vs using the ASHP. Pockets of excess are simply too sporadic for this to be a wise choice IMHO. If you can afford the additional panels then go for it, as the economics usually favour it, plus your payback / RoI should be better / shorter too. The addition of batteries throws the question of diversion control into a numbers game, as it may be the case that all your batteries get sucked dry at night and fully recharged during the day so you'll not have any of the usual "excess" to bother with the cost of the eddi, plus the immersion can just be timed to coincide with midday peak generation too, meaning you just use what the panels are producing or what the batteries have stored within your 4 walls, before then considering exporting it at all. A lot of questions here, like do you work from home, is it a south facing array or E/W split, ands a bunch more tbh.....

Pretty bad Even used leveling system on tiny tiles https://www.facebook.com/share/r/dAM3o6NJWjkDZvJx/?mibextid=UalRPS

Personally I think they are superb and used many times , yes fairly expensive but worth the cost i think

Not sure if your talking about the limits set by 2 differing organisations. The 16amp limit is set by the DNOs and as you say is governed by the inverter. OFGEMs FIT scheme looks at generation capacity which is the capacity of the panels

Couldn't you use 100mm blocks and take advantage of the overhang by positioning it on the inside, then running your floating PIR under the walls to reduce cold bridging?

Get the area marked out by a surveyor using GPS. No guess work.

Marmox blocks maybe an option

There are a couple of things going on. While the power may be limited by the inverter, that power could be higher at the wrong time i.e. around noon. This can cause the local network to increase in voltage until it hits the limit, this can cause problems. Then there is the energy side. DNOs have to manage energy flow over a half hour period, if there is a lot of micro generation over supplying unexpectedly, then the planned delivery may be wrong, this costs money, and DNOs hate paying out. Taking a bit of an example, say 10 houses are all at the G98 limit on the local substation. Then say 4 up capacity by 20%, but still let the inverter limit to the 16A. In a sunny autumn morning, there may have been 10 kW being pumped in, now it would be 10.8 kW. Now that should be perfectly manageable, but if 50 houses did it, problems may arise (mainly the local voltage). This basically comes down to the National Grid being designed for central generation, and not distributed local generation. In some ways micro PV is better than micro wind generation and it reacts slower. Having worked on a micro turbine (5 kW), it is amazing how hard they work the inverter. Not unusual for the turbine to hit auto stall speeds as the inverter is playing about with the MPP algorithm.

12mm overhangs don't seem like a huge problem. If 100 is not working for you, try concrete lintels, 140mm wide ? 3 heights available. Or lintels or blocks 100mm wide, and the oversail (inside, outside or both) might be acceptable with some thought. One thing at a time. We need to know the whole wall construction really.

Can you do it with foam glass, I think that is easily sawn to size.

I had one main contractor (who was brilliant) and the advantage I believe is there is no passing the buck, also contractors usually know good other trades for gas, windows etc (mine did, if they were crap he would not use them )

I would split windows and doors off as one package, general building works as another, electrics, roofing, plumbing again separate

The first inch of insulation gives the greatest return and gives a better chance to make draught proof. (It’s called diminishing returns). Eaves can be extended if you want to EWI.

welcome and good luck with your journey

Hi, we have all been there, I knew absolutely nothing when i bought my first house, it was so bad only the local council would give me a mortgage (to save it from falling down). Roll on 65 years and 6 houses later, I built (with help from a main contractor) my own passive esc house. This forum has been invaluable to me with my build and remember there is no such thing as a stupid question, stupid is not asking. No one here is selling anything and will give first hand real world knowledge. Welcome to the mad house……

I think the S2 models are what are shipped to the UK market. The installation manual on the Midsummer website is specifically for those variants. It has come up in the past on the Arotherm plus FB page.

Large format tiles are often slightly bowed.

welcome and good luck finding the elusive plot and design

Hi welcome. 1000 ft2 or 93m2. Compact house. Are you planning to actually build yourself or get a contractor in, to do the work? SIP are good in principle, but you really need to add further insulation to get them to perform well. Once design on paper there is really zero flexibility. I would work with a design the local work force use every day - timber frame built on site, cellulose filled, or block and brick - deep cavity then full with poly beads. Go to town on good insulation and airtightness, and then use the smallest heat pump you can get,with under floor heating on the ground floor only to heat.

I often think that, but in reality you don't really make the time to learn, it's having to learn when all around you obviously haven't, and should know all this stuff - architects, general trades etc. You really should say I want a house and the thermal bridging, airtightness and thermal envelope has all been thought about, developed and the trades know how to implement - but we as a nation are a long way from that.

In a similar situation looking at quotes etc. Parts looking like £1250-1500 of fully installed £5000. My cheapest quote so far is from GatesGates as recommended by @nod on another thread

The Government could buy PV capacity, but the problem is, they would make such a pigs ear of it that it would cost £1/kWh delivered.

Ah now I get it - sorry.

Don't hold your breath

HW cylinder £1k to 1.5k incl vat Depending on ASHP £2 to 3.5k incl vat Plus another £500 for misc bits and pipe.

On the front i.e the principal elevation? It certainly will require planning permission. If the existing house door is still in place then that porch could have been built without regard to building regulations (save the safety of glazing requirements). It may then have little more than a simple concrete slab as a foundation. It could end up easier to take down and start again, only a trial hole would tell.

It's 13lps which is easily what any correctly sized MVHR can achieve. We just ran double ducts to the vent.

Not sure why you think you need anything special. Our was set to 13 l/s with 16 l/S boost with a recirculating cooker hood. But overall we found we were over ventilating the whole house, so it's now closer to 10 l/s for the whole kitchen diner - No issues a year later and very rarely ever use boost.

We have a recirculating hob and a MVHR duct above hob (well just behind) The kitchen extract terminal is set to 52m3/h (roughly the same as you quote above) The hob venting unit has a min max air flow of 154m3/h to 500m3/h with a max boost of 622m3/h.

That, and specified by parasites. they wanted the subsidies and were into greenwash.

Suggest yes, because (a) the drilling will be done by a specialist company anyway, there will probably only be a few in your area, (b) we should all have the discipline to get multiple quotes, especially for big items, (c) the local drillers will have experience in the ground in your area which may be super useful info. Sounds a deep hole. Know what kind of ground you're on? Looked to see whether there are any BGS records close to your area? I think the BH hive mind generally doesn't lean towards ground source. Someone will be along shortly to ask why not air...oh, I see I'm too late already.

With National Grid it's done online. I googled G98 examples and found a few things but it's still a bit confusing.

Welcome. Learning on the job (making it up as you go along) is all part of the fun.

See your other thead, it's all answered there.

I've heard a lot of stories from bcos about incompetent work from self builders....and people expecting a free design service, Deliberate bodging and cocealment, usually by contractors Rubbish work by supposedly experienced builders. Promises to remedy a problem, only to find it ignored or concealed on a quick return. I don't fancy the job.

MY view on this is similar to few others, I arranged a Kick-off site visit with My BCO, this for me has always been a way of getting a positive relationship with the BCO officer, in Scotland with the Warrant the work is very formalised anyway. My invitation was open the discussion similar to "I'm planning on doing X, Y, & Z over the next few weeks, do you want to see any certain aspects? want me to send photo's? etc. and an open offer to visit whenever they were passing. I have nothing to hide, their experience and help is more valuable than then turning up ad-hoc IMHO. This worked to my advantage on the build they did call in one day and I went through the progress, all good, then when It came to pouring concrete, They were unable to visit due to other commitments so I sent photos and moved on with no issues. IF I was a BCO, and the client got twitchy with me turning up, I'd be suspicious. If its purely Insurance etc, I'm sure that could be worked around with a site visitors book for signing in etc. @JWHIT "it also seems to be the case that because we are doing a fair amount of work ourselves, and not using any of the main island contractors, they have sparked a particular interest " My View on this is simple, they don't know you or the quality of your work, so for me it's up to you to A: help them understand your ability and quality - i.e. let them see your work, your passion for the quality etc, B: be cryptic, evasive with them, and expect them to look under every stone to make sure their happy with the progress.

My passport says I'm a citizen of the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland." I do not support Scottish , Welsh or English nationalism in any way. We live on a small island and face many global threats to our way of life. We have a massive immigration problem, some legal, some not. It is putting tremendous strain on us., some is stressing out our health care system financialy.. but there is a big threat from radical "Islam". It is the big elephant in the room. In Scotland we have this new hate crime bill. I have to be very careful about what I say as I could face 7 years in jail for posting this. What you folk don't really know is that if you say something that can be read on the internet in Scotland then you are fall under Scottish law as you are deemed to have published this in Scotland. You could be hauled up to Scotland in our courts. Also if I report you for a hate Crime even anonomously it will go on your record , thus if you are say a teacher in England and they do a full record check then this will flag up that you have been recorded for a hate crime. Do you know about this? Now most of us up in Scotland are absolutely against this law. Also in Scotland the next thing they want to do is to abolish jury trials for rape cases as not enough blokes are gettting convicted. But Imagine if this was your teenage lad that got a bit pissed, the girl is pissed.. now it is down to a single Judge to determine rather than 15 adults. To make matters worse the Scottish Gov have now taken control of our legal system. @saveasteadingI wonder if this is cultural matter that has to be worked around pragmatically. Yes it is. It's basically a contrast between say living in London and contracting where every one is shafting each other and a bunch of adults being fair to each other in Wales or up Durham/ Yorkshire way. If you want to go culture then a Yorkshire man is one of the hardest folk to deal with. I know as have just had a Yorkshire man as a Client, six foot two, retired Quantity Surveyor.. we are still friends. Most folk in Scotland don't get hung up on folk moving about the UK. Some get touchy.. say I trucked down to Cormwall and started shoving haggis down your thoats? Now for you folks that do think that you want to have a bash at English nationalism.. Up in jockland we have 1/3 of the UK land mass. Also we the sea bed and fishing rights that extend 200 miles from the Scottish coast, the defense envelope that comes with that and a bit of oil, yes we may cut out the gas but you'll still need to oil the hinges on your doors? Yes I know when you look at the BBC weather forecast Scotland seems small.. but that is the BBC for you. We also have the land that defends the high north arctic circle, the big submarine base with deep water access. For the English nationalist.. do you really want to give away 1/3 of your country just to get rid of the jocks? Oh and then you'll give away Northen Ireland.. yah dafties! @saveasteading'Can you come and inspect the drainage trenches'? Yes of course: 2 weeks on Tuesday at 11.30 and don't fill them in. No.. It won't work up in the islands.. it needs much more give and take.. also our ferries don't run if they turn up at all. The Scot gov have just spent £400 million on two ferries that are stilll being commissioned, we could have ones that work for £20.0 million.. so we could have had 40 working ferries by now. Bc are still ok but seriously underfunded. All of my posts about this is trying to encourage @JWHIT not to try and apply mainland rules to an Island situation. It won't work. rather get with Island life and enjoy.

If the BCO can get into your site easily what about kids and thieves?

Not sure what (expletive deleted) wit (expletive deleted) bastard mofo (expletive overload) language you are using in your video .

Looks like I did it. Pi$$ coloured grout would finish it off nice.

Certainly lots of miss information and ill informed contractors. One stated he was going to build a passivhaus soon for himself, the next breath, saying I was stupid wasting my money with loads of floor insulation as heat only rises. The guy that bought our digger was a builder and was completely taken back that house was airtight - building have to breath or you get mould, (me) we have MVHR (he) their shite and never work you will still get mould in a couple of months. Another guy I met was building his own house and was planning an ASHP, so was pre running all the pipes, stating how expensive it was, he had been told by the supplier to run 42mm pipe!