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I have just completed a multi year battle with a window supplier for a faulty pane. Just like you, their initial response was "send a photo" and like you although it was plain to see with the naked eye I could not get it on a photo. They would not budge on the photo requirement. Ieft it just over a year and contacted the supplier again, but not wanting to enter the same silly send a photo lark, I said I have a window pane that I think might need replacing can you send someone to advise. I carefully did not say which window and what i thought was wrong. No doubt thinking they were going to get a sale, they sent someone. As soon as he saw it he said "you want that replacing because of the fogging between the panes." I then wrote to the supplier telling them one of their surveyers had pointe out the problem and seen for himself what the problem was I expect a replacement glass unit under warranty. It was fitted last week.

Hello, Thank you for letting me join the forum. We broke ground on our ICF self build near Newmarket in March 22. Currently at first fix, cant believe its taken over 2 years! Hoping to learn lots about ASHP, MVHR etc in the coming months.

I have one and it's a Myson iVector 120, 4 pipe, so has two heat exchangers (normally one for heat, and one for cooling) but have these are piped in series, so both are always engaged allow me to heat at much lower temps.

Hi @Gone West Thanks for your message. At many points with the renovation I have thought it would have been easier to start again ground up so would be interested to hear how you compare the two. The main house is okay but the dormer add was terrible so took a lot of work to straighten it up and make it workable. Unfortunately the house hadn’t been maintained so lots of repairs along the way but it’s headed in the right direction now 😊

At the end of the day my gut feeling if you have trees is to go for a strip found if you can. You compensate by using more insulation elsewhere. The trees are a big thing. Can't say much more with the limited info you provide. The raft designs I do are nearly always goverened by the compressibilty of the insulation.. and I've been doing that for decades like Olaf. Tanners (TSD Ireland) also know their stuff, working with them just now. Look folks this is nothing new. Like Olaf and the Canadians putting insulation under concrete is not that hard. In Sweden and Canada the frost heave is a big thing.. in the UK we assume the frost only goes 450mm down tops. For insulated rafts we need to know how much each layer compresses by. If you take an insulation that states it has a 150-300 (tops) kPa compression strength.. that on the face of it looks like much more than a soil with a kPa of 75 -100.. but the fine print says that it will achieve 300 kPa at 10% compression. Now say the insulation is 300mm thick. You load that up and it needs to compress by 30mm to achieve its design strength. Now 30mm compression will play havoc with the concrete slab.! It won't work! When desgning these things I look at the soil first to get a handle on that, often I can put that to bed and just look at the insulation, it's U value and compressive strength at 10% compression.. Then the loads and flexibility of the slab.. see how much it can bend by without cracking and not needing daft amounts of rebar. I do a bit of juggling to balance the loads and the job is nearly done in terms of checking the structural strength. Unless there are point loads! Now the nightmare starts. You look at buildability, how much you can pour in a day, where you need joints for shrinkage etc. These are actually the hard parts! This idea that folk have.. you put insulation under a slab (to make it a passive slab) and now you need to be a specialist is a bit off the mark.. the insulation is just another layer above the soil with a different elasticity. Semi flexible passive rafts (a nuance but designed slightly diferently) tend to work down to soils with a bearing capacity of 40 kPa if the ground water is well down. The insulated raft is not often technically a challenge. The trees are important as these are the things that can add value, ammenity and don't forget.. things like shading! it looks like you are going for the PH concept.. so you have maybe lots of glass.. try if you can to look after the trees and not consider them as an obstical and take advantage of them. Can they provide shading when considering over heating in the summer. As an SE/ deisgner I look at the site.. what makes it attractive.. say the trees and then try an find a solution that preserves the character, ammenity and then see if we can say use the shading effect and greening/ colour contrast to enhance the surroundings.

I had to comment on here because the start of this gave us some inspiration for building our pallet woodstore.... for anyone who remembers the motorway barrier fence they will know we have a log store outside our bungalow back door but due to the huge amount of wood we had and 50 odd pallets from the block paving we built one at the rear of our garage as we have cut a lot of trees recently so have about 15 ton of wood all split. Lots of screws, brackets and bought the sheeting for the roof. Absolutely solid.... The 'container' next to it was our temp garge but now the garage is built it's not needed but it is stuck there so painted it and using it as additional storage. One day may replace with a greenhouse .... Progress of it is here https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-inkP7iC6L/?igsh=YmNwOXRwaDM0Z3k=

If there is no wayleave in place, they will have to move it, if you insist. If there is a wayleave, then you'll have to pay for the privilege. Your legal pack when you bought the site should have this info. If not, request from the network owner.

If they won't replace the window due to the lines on them, they will if the seals go and they are under warranty.

Why? The plasterboard isn’t the airtight layer is it?

We have had quite a few power cuts, no alerts or anything

Everything kept going as though nothing had happened, equally when the power was restored there was no indication that it had been restored except for looking at the app and seeing that grid electricity was back in the mix again.

removal of PD rights is not looked on favourably by appeal inspectors. The National Planning Policy Framework (the NPPF), the granddaddy of planning policies, states that (paragraph 52): “…planning conditions should not be used to restrict national permitted development rights unless there is clear justification to do so.”
 The government’s national Planning Practice Guidance (the PPG) goes further, says that: “Conditions restricting the future use of permitted development rights or changes of use may not pass the test of reasonableness or necessity.”

I think there is another loophole, only general purpose sockets have to comply with minimum and maximum heights and being accessible. So if you have a desire to have a socket outside those limits, it is okay for a special purpose. That is what allows high up sockets for a wall mounted tv for instance. If your BC gets awkward stick a label on it to say "tv only" for example.

I was just back-tracking through my emails to read the exact responses I got from the CIL guys at my LPA. I came across this (below) FYI. I assume that comes out of here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/948/contents ... but I haven't checked. So, your root investigation work would not be a 'material operation' according to those definitions. (e) is hilarious as it's fairly tautological. Development is to be treated as commencing on the earliest date on which any material operation begins to be carried out on the relevant land. “material operation” means— (a) any work of construction in the course of the erection of a building; (aa) any work of demolition of a building; (b) the digging of a trench which is to contain the foundations, or part of the foundations, of a building; (c) the laying of any underground main or pipe to the foundations, or part of the foundations, of a building or to any such trench as is mentioned in paragraph (b); (d) any operation in the course of laying out or constructing a road or part of a road; (e) any change in the use of any land which constitutes material development. Clearing the land and preparatory works not included above are unlikely to constitute commencement of the development.

I did exactly this. Emailed them in June shortly after we got PP, saying we expect to start work in September but in reality it's likely to be long after that. They got back to me within the same day confirming no CIL responsibility so I now just have a note in my diary/project management stuff to call/email them about completion idc.

Well that's interesting, I think it's wrong, but I would then check with them 'what if the investigation work turns up information which means I need to move my dwelling footprint?' I think this area of the CIL law is a bit vague and untested, so different LPAs and even different staff may take different views. Bear in mind that CIL is a revenue raising activity, so anything that nets income for an LPA is fair game.

>>> In terms of working with the existing plans we have several issues Ah, I might then just either put in a simple pre-app with a single storey - sketch the footprint you might like in the approximate location and size that you fancy. It's a big plot, so go for whatever size you want from say, 160m^2, up to, say, 30% bigger than the biggest neighbour. Even better if your LPA will engage over the phone for that kind of early enquiry. I'm going to challenge your 'don't want an architect' statement. Either you have a very good idea what you want and can sketch it out (however badly) enough for a technologist to draw up. Or, if you're looking for concept and design ideas, then just interview a few architects and choose one to do enough design to get you through planning. Say, external look and feel and room layout only. You don't have to buy any services past that point. There's a couple here on the 'ub. Depending on how difficult you think it's going to be to get it past planning (a local architect will know) then that's with or without a planning consultant .

You will have a dpm in over the insulation, to stop the wet screed from washing through between boards (it floats!). That also provides your air tightness and yes, lap it to the walls.

Which takes me back to my argument that rather than subsidise the installation and create a closed shop of subsidy harvesters we should subsidise the consumer directly. If the unit is monitored (power in vs heat delivered) basically using a prepackaged meter system provided as part of the subsidy, you can monitor how much heat was delivered. The scheme then looks at the difference between how much that heat woukd have cost if you had used a gas boiler vs how much you elec did cost. It then subsidies that difference - so the consumer never pays more than they would on gas. But also if they are more than 3.5 efficient they actually make money. The subsidy tapers off after (say) 5 years. Any money left unspent from the £7.5k pot would be split 50/50 between the installer and the consumer. This woiod give consumers certainty, 5 years to troubleshoot any problems and an incentive for both the installer to get it right. Would also allow a picture of installers efficency to be built up. The key but woukd be the monitoring package which would be a box with 4 ports (flow and return in and out) plus power in and power to heatpump and a radio/modem unit for sending results. Basically an open monitor but in a tamper proof box Would be adminstered by energy suppliers so all done via your bill. This way the installers have zero incentive to inflate costs as they just won't get the job. It will go to another company who didn't pad the job.. But also an incentive to do a halfway decent job so they might get some windfall split in the future (the scheme might do it annually to improve incentive). As the payments are based on actual performance not estimated we coukd ditch the approved installer approach. The only qualifier beyond basic industry training eg electrician, would be thr installer using the monitor box (supplied by government) Would also build an amazing database of performance

your solar will not "need" anything like 100A. your 60A connection will be fine. It is only when you get to wanting 2 EV chargers or any other big loads like multiple electric showers that it will be an issue. If you want a new cable, start by examining every mm of the existing one looking for signs of cracking or other damage. If you can find anything that might be "dangerous" it will be replaced free of charge.

Hey. We haven't got as far as getting quotes yet. We're most likely going to be going for uPVC over aluminium and our architect assures is that larger areas of fixed glazing aren't that expensive, especially if you can keep each panel relatively small. Good luck with your plan

..beam and block also allows for heave. Clay can swell (as well as shrink) if trees have been felled nearby. The void under the B&B will help accommodate this.

Yes, a S73 is a minor amendment - in our case we just moved and re-sized a few windows to match the significant internal re-design, and changed a velux window to a dormer. The internal changes were not of any interest to the planning dept, and as the outside looked very similar to the original consented design they were happy to wave it through. It is simply a case of replacing the original design drawings with the new drawings on the consent. All of the other original conditions remained unchanged.

You will need some form of insulation to stop the cold bridge through the studs. an easy thing to do would be to look up loads of timberframe house builders, look on their website and find the technical drawings, steal some ideas from there. look up mbc timberframe, copy their twin stud idea and it will be the best extension in the street.

Hi @Susie Instow is beautiful isn’t it? Such a lovely place. I bet your Greyhound loves it 😍 Your also in a beautiful location, especially with Hartland and Bude being so close! Good luck with the build, I bet it’s exciting 😊

While the EPS300 typically used under the integral ring-beams of an insulated raft is rated at 300 kPa @ 10% compression, it's not going to see those loads in a typical foundation for a timberframe structure. For mine, worst case is less than a 10th of those loads, on the top layer of EPS, that obviously spreads across a greater area as it goes through the the EPS layers. We're talking 1 - 2mm compression.

Yes please could you PM me details? Thank you.

Correct

I dunno Dave, looks like white edge insulation and white pipe insulation are both in place...

hard to tell but looks like your screed is thermally bridged to the blockwork turning your walls into giant heat loss emitters? whats the other un-insulated pipework at the back ? Hot and cold feed ? Not good.

We have ours set very very simple. Dial in a temp you want and leave it on auto. in our case we chose 16C and if its above this it will cool if its below it will heat. DHW will override this depending on how you set it.

I'd squirt some foam in there just to give the filler a bit of backing else you will just keep pushing it up?

I would want that bit replaced. Pressure test would be done without the heat source. You can test with air or water. I would want the whole UFH system testing while they are at it.

For anybody doing this in the future, the better method is to cut the plenum tube flush with the plasterboard, then the plasterer will fill the gap when he skims the ceiling.

Plus 1, Go back to planning with a new design TF While more expensive than a solid build Is perfect for the novice Absolutely no need for a project manager Just someone to coordinate and make on the spot decisions

I would not do the above at all. You can do quite a bit of investigation work before CIL is involved. In fact, I would not trigger CIL unless I was very sure that I was proceeding with the design exactly as approved by planning. The downside is that it fully commits you to the design and you will find it tricky to change without a big penalty - say if you have to move the footprint a little to avoid some roots. Just email the CIL guys at your LPA, tell them what ground investigation you are planning and ask them to confirm that you won’t accidentally foul up your self-build exemption. Wait for the reply and then proceed. I’ve done this 3 or 4 times already.

Decent deep fill filler, couple of coats, deep fill to fill the gap and the second a fine filler to take up the shrinkage. Your terminal will cover it also.

Your turn to clear the pump might concentrate the mind. I lived briefly in a tenement where we took turns to clean the stair. If you didn't, big Aggie from downstairs knocked on the door! Then you did it.

We had a catchment tank at the previous house. Shared by 8 homes. This had a pump in it that helped pump the waste to the main sewer line that was several hundred metres away. I repeatedly had to tell the neighbours to stop flushing the wrong stuff down their loos as it blocked the tank. Consequently I’d never share anything like this with folk again.

Passive slabs are more expensive than strip foundations but your soil conditions are the same as ours, although we have no large trees close, so no reason not to. You need to get a proper structural design based around a few cores taken by a soil mechanic as we did. The rest was just hard work - but worth it.

It's taken me a year to get there!

You can and mine does it all the time. I run pretty much pure weather compensation so the heat pump is energised and ready to go and circulation pump on all the time, except 1. During cooling the house drops below 20.4. 2. During heating the house goes over 23.1 A thermostat stops the cooling or heat demand. During cooling and heating I have the temperature settings set, so they automatically modulate the heat pump output to match demand. So in cooling when the house is sitting at about 21 the heat pump compressor will run for about 10 mins every the hour or two. When the sun's out and we get plenty of temperatures rise, the heat pump compressor can run 40 mins an hour every hour. All done by the heat pump sensing the return temp - the restart hysterisis of 4.9 for the compressor and flow temp target set to 14.5, so when the floor goes above 19.4 the ASHP compressor starts. Heating is done in a similar way. The continuous circulation helps even room temp and gives the fan coil a flow of cool water for continuous slow cooling effect.

that's a very broad brush. \As a parent who has just had a youngster get through his GCSEs and seen the amount of graft and determination required to get a commendable outcome I cannot agree with your viewpoint. Although in NI we're not saddled with the comprehensive system...

We're doing a renovation and extension of a 1950s house. Structural work needed. Would love to include more energy efficiency and include more tech to reduce CO2 emissions but build costs for the basic fabric have made us scale back on those plans. Sadly ASHP and solar will need to wait..

Possibly the most patronising post I have ever read. Get over yourself and own self importance.

Another data point - for our basically 200m2 liveable area MBC two-storey Passive house and UHF-piped & screeded slab - with a couple of extras like a 3m roof extension over a balcony, a full OSB cover for the planned standing seam roof (from others) and their external masonry footing - comes in at almost exactly £200k of which £50k is for the window/door set, all erected/fitted and airtight to less than 0.6ACH. Hopefully going up just before Xmas '24. So £1k per square meter. If anyone out there has a certified MBC house I'd be interested to compare notes........?

Thanks a lot

Hi all, Another ask for thoughts on MVHR design please. I've attached some general plans and am trying to work out what, if anything is feasible. We're really tight on room which obviously doesn't help and the isn't a great deal of height so the joist depth won't be massive. The proposed 2nd floor plan is all new work and we'll be getting a reroof at the same time. We've got initial plans but these can still be changed, e.g. currently the joists between 1st and 2nd floors are standard and could potentially be swapped for something like posi joists. The ceilings in beds 1 and 2 will be lowered. But overall it's 9 rooms worth of ducting to run and I'm struggling to see how everything can fit in... The main desire is for better air quality. At the moment we've got extract in the kitchen and bathroom but no trickle vents and the chimney is sealed (i.e. boarded over at ground floor level). Measuring C02 in Bed 1 and it can get to 2000 with 2 of us sleeping in there with the window closed at night. The House itself is a 1900s mid terrace, some insulated render on the external walls of the living room, bed 2 and bed 3. I can't imagine it's particularly airtight at the moment but it is really stuffy with the windows closed and keeping humidity under 70% is a struggle. Part of me wonders if it would be worth just running extracts from bedrooms 1 and 2 and supplies to the living and dining room, supplies down through the chimney breasts, then supplementing with single room units in the annex section. Or decentralised everywhere. Or giving up completely and going with positive input or something else completely different. Any advice/thoughts etc much appreciated!

Do you care to share your MBC cost?

Hi all I see a few threads talking about single room MVHR and lots of threads covering whole house MVHR but what would you recommend for something in-between? We'll have a single-story garden room that was originally to be connected to the main house via internal walkway (and also to the house MVHR) but due to the need to reduce costs this will now be a standalone building and need it's own ventilation. The building will be around 45m2 in total and comprise of an office, a gym and a small WC. I'll be spending 40+ hours a week in the office so want good air quality, else I'd probably just opt for trickle vents. What would be your go-to ventilation setup in this scenario? I was contemplating 3 x single room MVHR units but it seems these can be fairly noisy (similar to a typical WC extractor fan) and I'm also assuming the 3 separate units will draw a lot more power. With single system I'm also unsure of how to balance supply/extract as I'll want supply in the office and extract in the WC, but what about the gym?