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Measuring/monitoring CO2 is the best way to check that your MVHR is running properly.

I had one BCO try to get me to change an RSJ after I fitted it, I had full plans, I told him my SE was more qualified than him and I would be contacting his boss if he did not pass it, it stayed and I am not on his Christmas card list now 🤣.

I would keep it simple, just run 28mm Hep2O, then without working anything out it will be fine. You also have to allow for the pressure drop through the UFH system as well.

Agree on the 10mm all round but just to add, if you're ordering off drawing then allow for beam deflection at the top, on larger windows or if you're measuring the as built openings, check the height in the centre, not just at the sides.

I had never heard of them until they kept getting mentioned on here. Wife and decided where we wanted light switches and lights, I marked on a plan, electric contractor quoted and installed. If you are using a plumber, mark on drawing where the cylinder and heat pump goes, put UFH manifold in same location. UFH install at 100mm centres in bathrooms, 150 to 200mm elsewhere. Operate single zone. If you want cooling consider installing fan coils in bedrooms, plumber will sort out pipe size and routes. M&E Consultant will tell you less than above and charge you £10k for it.

You are correct if the excavations do not go deeper than your neighbours foundations. However the work has already started, so the party wall act would not apply now. Just crack on. But note as the work isn’t covered by the act you can’t benefit from it’s protections from claims of trespass or nuisance. If your neighbour does something like appoint a surveyor at your cost, that will be an expensive mistake for them.

I’m surprised your architect doesn’t know anyone. Most architects will know an M&E consultant who should be able to knock up a few layouts. The other option is to speak to your local friendly plumber and electrician who can do a few proposals on the understanding that they will get a shot at pricing the job.

£8117 with no grant. So WHY are people eligible for the BUS grant of £7500 not routinely being quoted £617 total price to them?

To add a more rounded picture, MVHR isn't all about cost recovery / return on investment - the same as many kitchens and bathroom suites will never recover their investment. Apart from any cost savings (which can be real), if MVHR is properly specified an installed it can filter the outside air, maintain a healthy internal atmosphere, avoid noise transmission through trickle vents, reduce condensation & mould risk, and avoid blowing warm air out through rattling extractor fans. And probably some other things I've not thought of. As for air-tightness, the Building Regs standards are very unambitious. Passivhaus requires no more than 0.6 air changes per hour under 50pa of pressure, and values as low as 0.2 are possible. However that is only achievable if the architect designs-in adequate airtightness measures, if the various contractors and installers know what they're doing, and if someone is checking the quality of the work and materials used.

...and it is easy to blame only them. It's everybody's responsibility. Some will take it, others will live for the day. Some care for those downsteam, others only themselves. Does the same apply for recycling? People range in attitude from fly-tippers, through chucking it all in the bin, to thorough recycling, to not buying disposable packaging. I say we should all dispose of our water thoughtfully*, whether the law requires it or not. * which requires education and opportunity. Or might not. Eg the Paris Olympics. The Seine was more dangerous after rain.

+1 But you don’t have to do it, you could get a chippy to do it. Take the door to them, shouldn’t cost much at all. But once you start playing with a router you may well become addicted to the precision, accuracy, and the finish.

The summary was that the LPA's argument was poorly founded as the main issue, that of it being solely for incidental use, was a straightforward case to make as far as they were concerned. It was clear that none of the anticipated activities supported by the outbuilding could be reasonably viewed as being anything other than incidental, e.g. a garage, swimming pool, plant room, shower/WC/changing area. I agree that the reduction in space, and the existing pool, shouldn't have anything to do with PD but, in this instance, the LPA cited case law to backup their claim that, although all of the formal PD requirements were met, the overall scale of the outbuilding was unreasonable or, to put it another way, wasn't proven to be "reasonably required for purposes incidental to the enjoyment of the main dwellinghouse". It was therefore necessary to prove that the overall size of the outbuilding was based on reasonable requirements which is why the existing pool was mentioned, i.e. here's the original pool, and its size is the basis for the new pool (in terms of length at least). We went into additional detail regarding the size of the plant room, and how it was based on a suggested size from a pool installation specialist. We also discussed the amount of walkway room around the pool, again referencing pool specialists, and the need for an area to house the pool cover (under the walkway) and the skimmers and associated pipework. The aim of all this was to show the LPA that the outbuilding's size wasn't in any way arbitrary, and was, in fact, based on good practice and industry recommendations. Regarding the garage, I provided a detailed plan showing all of our current vehicles, drawn to scale on the plan, to demonstrate genuine and complete utilisation of the available space. In the end, although I'd written my own Statement of Case, I decided, on reflection, to have the planning consultant handle the appeal process for me. The appeal was validated successfully and is now lodged with the Planning Inspectorate, just before the six-month deadline, luckily.

Decent make, brand new, 1/2" router bit against a fence will make a dead straight, razor sharp clean edge on the bottom of the door. Better than a planed edge.

Think company are going to give me another head

just used those screws last night for a radiator batten into block work and they are my go-to for most medium to heavy jobs to be fair. Drill hole, clean it out, drive it in. Works every time.

Why not these (as you don’t need 100)

You could plane the 5mm off (electric planer) or use a concrete grinder on an angle grinder to remove 5mm from the lintel but this will make a real mess. Using an electric planer allows you to set depth of cut (max 3mm usually) so several cuts. How are you going to finish the ceiling next to the lintel?

Not best location, keep inside the heated envelope. You also need good access to service. It's pretty much mandatory to sound insulate all internal walls. Mine is mounted on a stud wall in a cupboard between two bedrooms. Did two layers of 18mm marine ply to mount it on. You cannot hear it at all. It's not an ideal location next to bedrooms, MVHR is only one noise source. Your architect should be discussing with you and it should be clearly stated on the house specification and drawing. If you are not going airtight better than 3. Don't waste a load of money on MVHR, do MEV or dMEV with demand activation controls. MVHR requires airtightness or it's just another draft, that costs quite a bit to run, for a negative impact on heating costs - not a positive one. As mentioned all this should be sorted at and defined as part of the design stage. Adding and changing stuff, without a sound strategy, is a good way to waste lots of money later.

I'd strongly urge you to take an in depth look at airtightness, it's fundamental if you want a draft free low energy house and needs to be designed in from the start. MVHR noise even with a loft installation should not be a problem, just a very low background hiss that you only hear when there is no other noise. Re-allergies, our kids and visitors lover our house during pollen season as they don't suffer with their hay fever.

I try to avoid 'boxing up' plasterboard in an insulation sandwich, so I would like to take off the exg plasterboard 1st, probably lose the exg VCL, and ensure a new, tight VCL on the warm side of your PIR. Yes, warm batten idea is good (what I used to use when I did PIR IWI) and just room to run your 22mm, as long as you don't use push-fit or compression fittings. I don't understand no.2 (no diagram) above. So from the exg plasterboard, inwards: 'new insulation', 25mm stud and then more insulation? ('standard insulation board'). Or should that have said 'standard plasterboard'?

Avoid IWI if at all possible. Fill the cavity if possible (if there is one and not yet filled) with EPS beads. Then EWI. This assumes you’re going to have at least 300mm of loft insulation, and will top up if needed. To be honest, I wouldn’t bother with IWI anyway unless you’ve got some massive thermal bridges that need avoiding, as you probably won’t get the payback. I’d focus on the efficiency of the heating system, getting the lowest possible flow temperature possible to get the highest SCoP. But that’s just me.

It looks like they could do all the work from your side.

Use isolation rubber feet to mount the MVHR, this is what i am planning for my loft mounted Brink 400.

I would do dowels and glue and coach screws from behind. That should cover all bases without spoiling it with visible fixings.

You're building with SIPs, which aren't easy to deliver high air tightness with. What's the Air Infiltration rate you are targetting for your build, and has the SIP supplier and follow on trades signed up to it. MVHR has a negative impact at an infiltration rates greater than 3m³/m².h@50Pa, and only starts to pay for itself, typically, at less than 1.5m³/m².h@50Pa.

Unless the verge is wide enough for a mini digger I suspect they will want to close 1 lane of the road. What sort of road and how busy? I doubt you will get very far arguing it is not necessary. Post a plan of the proposal. Is there any way it could avoid running along in the verge, i.e. enter your plot at a different location? One thing I found when getting services in, is don't expect anything to happen quickly, forget any notion of trying to get different service connections coordinated, and don't plan a holiday in the 3 month window after your inspection as there will be no flexibility to change their date.

If you look at the quote its the traffic management thats killing it. Any pics of the road and verge? Seems a mistake.

3 months from passing inspection I've never had that before even on a busy road with 2 way lights

I fitted Deka CO2 monitors in each bedroom and the study so four of our rooms are monitored. They record current level, 8 and 24hr average and 24hr peak. Google says: I couldn’t sleep last night so used the small guest bedroom. Guest bed ( 1 occupant small room low ceiling window closed) - 8hr average - 789ppm 24hr peak 906ppm Master bed (1 occupant large room high ceiling Velux trickle vent open) - 8hr avg - 540ppm 24hr peak 625 ppm Upstairs sitting room (unoccupied large room high ceiling Velux trickle vent open) - 8hr avg 345ppm 24hr peak 503ppm - monitor is beside a wall mirror that other half uses to get ready for work Study (medium sized room low ceiling variously occupied throughout day window closed) - 8hr avg 402ppm 24hr peak 473ppm The guest bed has peaked much higher than that when we’ve had two people sleeping in it so I open the window.

That's weird, there are loads of items on the land registry that say 'land 40 paces west of the duck pond' or somesuch. Maybe a new rule. Ask your lawyer what LR suggests for a block of land that doesn't have a street address? Most land doesn't unless it has a dwelling on it (and never will).

This is a major purchase, usually your house is the most expensive thing you ever buy. It IS worth a good long day trip to thoroughly look yourself. Depending where you are anything from 3 to 6 hours driving. If you don't think you can do it in a day, book a B&B. Get that carpet up and look at the slab, in particular look for crack. and as I say buy or borrow a good long spirit level.

>>> My builder assistant thinks that dowelling and glueing will be sufficient. I am minded to use stainless steel threaded bar and nuts/washers. Traditionally a dowel or two only, no glue - say, 20mm. Huge oak buildings used to be built with nothing but woodwork joints and dowels. Taper it a bit so it's a tight fit when it's malleted in. From memory, you can do something clever with a slight oval so it pulls up even tighter as the oak dries out and shrinks (although that looks like dried oak already). Or sure, biggish SS bolts, threaded rod, coach screws etc. A4 SS because oak is quite corrosive. Anything of the size that looks right (M10-M16 say) will be crazy over-specified for the shear load.

Yes our plot is on the registry as land 50m east of (neighbours house) Street naming is another fun game to play later.

Why are you running a branched ductwork? Far better and easier to install with zhender manifolds with attenuators on top of the zhender unit and then 90mm semi rigid ducting to each of the rooms. And probably less noise transmission between rooms (hence all the silencers in the ducts on your plans) Is your loft space warm and inside the airtight envelope? If not then do not even think about putting the unit in the loft space, too much hassle insulating ductwork and sealing penetrations.

My Land Registry has the following entries A. Property Register " Land On The West Side Of xxxxxxx Lane, XXXXXXXX. B Proprietorship Register Tiltle absolute PROPIETOR my name and Home address and email address. Hope that helps. Which reminds me now we have built and moved in we probably need to change the Land Registry entries to our new address.

What is the difference between a drainage field and a soakaway? To summarise the difference between the two, a drainage field is designed to add additional treatment to the water. Whereas a soakaway is designed to store a large volume of water allowing time for it to release into the ground (i. e. in a heavy downpour).

Youve only got a certain thickness to work with its not like you can fit 50mm insulation between brackets and plasterboard. Is the thermal performance of such a small amount of insulation really going to make much of a difference in this situation? Id be inclined to just fit plasterboard up that reveal with a full backing / bed of that fm330 air tight foam stuff hopefully then seal up those cavity closers

Are you happy with seeing the threaded bar and washers? Could you use some kind of coach screw from back of trimmer that the newel sits on into the back of the newel so not visible.

That assumes that the flow rates are correct. IMHO most MVHR systems are not commissioned properly.

One aspect of the Passive House PHPP I paid close attention to was overheating risks. As a result we looked at shading and extended the downstairs porch to shade the downstairs bedroom window. The upstairs we though about using Brise Soleil and have 3 canopies over the 3 main windows. I've been working on this for about 8 months with more than half on design and structural engineering and manufacture taking place in June. Then I spent most of July / August trying to get them to fit before bring back the bricklayer to finish some work and the day before scaffolding being taken down, finding I couldn't get the blades to fit....!! So the idea was get briese soleil drawings and have my timber frame SE come up with a plan to support them. This involved extra vertical posts either side of the windows and a big metal "caison" as I call it bolted 360 degrees into the timber structure. I got the timber frame lads to do this bit for me as it was a 2 man job and I'm a solo worker. Then it was over to me to fit the arms. There are two arms per shade with 5 x blades between them. Each arm has a baseplate, a thermal break plate and is bolted through the timber frame and caison and meets another metal plate and then washers and nuts are attached and the whole thing fits together. There were a number of issues, the first was the hole centers for the mild steel caison didn't line up with any of the the powered coating aluminium brise soleil components. Well, Aluminium is an easier material to work with so I used a step drill to enlarge the holes in everything but the mild steel. 1 Arm fitted, then the other. Next a dry fit with with the inner and outer solar sail in place so we can see how we are doing and nope, wouldn't fit! I ended up having to go at the mild steel too but it was much tougher going and I probably only ended up hardening it. Eventually I got the six arms fitted and knocked out the sails so that the brick layer could finish the final course. Last weekend I left re fitting the sails until Sunday, and the scaffolding was off hire on Monday. Not chancing my luck I went at it and found the arms for the longest blades (1.8 meters apart) 30mm too close. It was too far to wedge my body in the gap so how do I solve this. I know it was tight but thought I'd finagle it somehow!?! In the end I figured out how to use a car jack to create the space I needed and managed to get all 5 blades installed this way on all arms but it was a close thing loosing light towards the end. The rooms do look darker but I'm hoping the scaffolding coming down will offset this a bit. Of all the house projects so far, this one was my hardest! Advice: never give up, never surrender, unless it's tea time!

@MortarThePoint These are the ones I have, they look to have the same plastic strip as the screws on your post.

6x2 stud here. Coach screws in from the side You could even consider doubling up on the studs either side: On the wall a length of unistrut. Studs off that to the Geberit frame. You can just see where I used studding connectors to extend the original Geberit studs. I'd be thinking on the lines of insetting a chunky bit of steel angle into each face of the stud to bolt to. Pass the fixings studs through that it replaced with longer studs/ hex extenders etc. I also marine ply faced the lot: Then Aqua Panel: Sikaflex first: Self drill screws into the Geberit frame: More Sikaflex: Aqua Panel:

Just a thought here, if you haven't built it yet. Every about putting a step in the blockwork? The bottom two courses could be wider blocks. Eliminating the need for screws completely.

https://www.toolstation.com/masonry-torx-frame-fixing-screw/p60986

Why not just do the wall in 200mm deep studs. You could have some nice feature pockets or an inset medicine cabinet.

This discussion also took place a few days ago. My summary was: If you know exactly what you are doing, the building is conventional, and you accept risk. Building Notice, and you can start more quickly. Otherwise, Full Plans.

It depends upon the proposals.

I imagine yours is a new-build (yes?), which is a Big Thing. In that circumstance, unless I'd done it many times before, I would go Full Plans. Get them agreed at the outset and then all you need to worry about is the 'execution' on site (BTW I bet that's not all you have to worry about in a new-build, unless you are doing it all yourself!). For smaller works such as extensions and insulation measures I always used Bldg Notice. If you are entirely confident of every detail, and confident that your BCO will agree with your confidence (*not* a 'given') then Bldg Notice is OK, but for a whole NB I would do full plans. I never had any knock-backs using Bldg Notice for smaller stuff.

I always went full plans as I wanted to know from day one the structure was approved. Never make assumptions.

I used the BUS Grant and got a Veismann system installed for a total cost to me of £1800, the retail on the system alone would be in the region of £10k so I was well happy. The best advice I can give is to design your house so the ASHP is just the other side of the wall from the plant room. My installer said mine was the simplest install he’d done, hence the labour cost was low, and he only charged me cost on the system