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that's a good idea to tell them. It might avoid the planners asking consultants if they should be involved: they invariably say they should as it is an earner. I think it is worth remembering that the planning officers are individuals with a busy job, often up against robust developers. If you provide them with an easy to read overview, then it helps them. You can , if you want, give a little tick list of why it is simple. There is only one little tree, no outbuildings, no archaeology or whatever. a couple of photos perhaps.

The differences are speed and certainty. With Full Plans the bco will bring up any obvious issues before you start. That might delay the start as you await approval, and dealing with any issues. but then you are pretty sure that it is going to go ok. With Building Notice you just start. If there are issues at inspection then you may have to stop, even undo or modify what is done. With both, there are inspections at key stage, so there is no difference in that regard. As a builder you will have met bcos, even if it was not your design responsibility. So you know that they are not designers. It is not their job to design the building and they are not insured to take that responsibility.. If a helpful one gives more advice then that is a bonus. It can be an issue if the inspecting officers don't agree, so you do what one wants and another disagrees....another reason for full plans. This confuses some people. But if you look at the building regulations (which you should already be doing) there is the statutory part ( in green at the start) and then the typical solutions. There can be different interpretations. Moral? if you absolutely know how things are done and don't mind the risk, then Notice is ok. Otherwise do the drawings and submit them all and await approval.

You won’t need a report, you just draw it on your plans and state the species and say it’s being retained. then do a landscaping plan showing all new planting and hard landscaping.

More or less done these two rooms now, which after finishing the bathroom were basically just flooring and decorating, making a bit of furniture and then moving some other furniture I already had which was always destined for the dining room. I’ve got planned some bench seating for the wall side of the dining table to make it more space efficient, but not any time soon. I think this will be the first time, certainly in the last 10 years, where I have no outstanding ‘filler that just needs sanding down and painting’ kind of jobs, everywhere has skirting board which is painted… the little things in life. Everytime I walk in the bungalow and see the French dresser, it just melts my heart, knowing that my late wife would have loved to see it where it is now, we did buy it while she was still alive as they were stopping making it and was perfect for the look we were going for, managed to bag the dining table off eBay from the same range for around £200 I think brand new, and the chairs were ones we had from ikea which I upholstered and painted white to match. I know the plug sockets need covering, managed to locate them just slightly too high! The bookcase is to be backlit with an LED strip light (awaiting Black Friday being the right bugger I am!) and then will be filled with all my books, photo to follow at some point. The hallway has also been redecorated and the floor sanded and reoiled - out of anywhere this small passageway has suffered the most during the works bringing everything in and out, so was nice to get it back to 100% again

I was at school with Roger Hodgson's little brother. Roger used to pick him on in his Jaaaag.

We will try to convince you that you only need electricity. Depending on what free time you have while you are looking for a plot, you could go down the local technical college and see what courses they are running.

It wouldn’t be the crime of the century.

I think I'll drop the planning department an email explaining that we are submitting a revised application and can the biodiversity report/tree reports be referenced from the original application. As the site is now fully cleared, there are no buildings, so not bat survey should be required and the trees are all gone, except one at the far end of the garden, which will not be affected by construction.

But can have damp, really good heat loss, especially when coupled with poorly installed PIR insulation. Any badly built building, is just that badly built. Seems a strange preference, you don't want a badly built anything, and accepting you may end that way is poor start to project.

Welcome JoeM. I personally am very wary of bottom up cost builds. If I’m costing up a small project then I’ve got half a chance of remembering to include most of the elements - hopefully all the big ones. But building a house has a big shopping list. So….. many peeps rely on area based budgetary estimates then factor in extra bad things like piled foundations or party wall agreements or an expensive kitchen habit or whatever. The per m2 figure you use is the next question, and they range from just under £1k/m2 (do everything oneself) to maybe £4K/m2 (appoint an architect and accept the keys when it’s ready). Keep reading, part of the power of this forum is that by sitting watching the posts flow by you learn all kinds of things you didn’t know you didn’t know….

Yep . I’ve ordered a much cheaper waterless flexible trap and will have double drains .

Thanks Simon, I’ll get someone in to have a look just in case there is more issues I can’t see.

We often over size the ‘height’ which allows for some adjustment up the roof to work with your roof tiling/flashing kit. Once the window is fitted the opening should have a plumb piece of plasterboard running into the low side of the velux and a horizontal plasterboard to the head. This allows air to flow in and then out of the velux reveal. All standard practice and outlined in the fitting instructions. The rough framing is always better left taller on height to allow for this. Hope this helps. Width is usually 40mm oversized for perimeter insulation depending on supplier.

2. Permitted development does not exist under planning permission. So if doing a new build permitted development only come after build control sign off. 5. Yes 6. Some need a widget adding such as Valiant, most will do it out the box, Daikin some will cool some will not. So be careful with choice. 7. You need to size for heat pump flow temps. 9. Yes 10. Thermostats mean you need a buffer, because you restricted flow from heat pump. Buffers unless very big are useless. Floor insulation, the more the better with UFH. Your floor is hotter than the room, so downwards heat loss can be high.

yes. Politely. ask him if he has shown the tree and description on the plan. you can explain that you don't see any need for other consultants on such a simple matter, unless he is reducing his fee accordingly. Some Architects do seem to suggest outside reports a lot. This may be because they don't know a lot, or simply for their ease and convenience. I inherited one project with about 10 reports submitted along with the design. All expensive and had already taken many £1,000 out of the construction budget. If I had done it from scratch then I might have had input on bats but the rest I could have done myself. It is reasonable that they don't dabble in things they don't have expertise in, but there is a limit. In most cases the planners are content with the design submission and don't need any more. They will ask if they want more, but it may be that you can do it yourself...or ask on BH.

Yes Yes i was told I needed an aborist report about an old hedge near my build by the planners but I contacted the councils own arborist and told him about the hedge and that I proposed an exclusion zone to machinery with sheep fencing and posts and he agreed it was sufficient, the planners didn’t like it but after I told them their own aborist agreed it they could not argue. money for old rope springs to mind

At each end of the louvre assembly, the 3 slats you can see closed. The bypass forms when the solenoid closes the main louvres, and opens the 3 slats at each end. This prevents air cycling through the heat exchanger by guiding the airflow (with the aide of foam on each end of the heat exchange core) around the heat exchange core.

Have to agree with this - I wonder if condensate has formed in the heat exchanger as it's pulling air from outside inside - if the extract air was cooler than the incoming air, and the incoming warm air was moisture laden, it would potentially condense on the intake side of the exchanger fins, then run down through the fins and collect where it has.

I put no heating upstairs but enough sockets in places to run oil radiators or heaters for the odd day or week they might be required. I could not even see the need for wired spurs for heaters as a 13 amp socket is sufficient. How many days a year would heating be required upstairs?

Thanks for the comments @DevilDamo and @torre Think we'll go some some smaller units as the room should be plenty bright enough. Torre yes the additional stud work was added by the chap who did the drawings, we're very much going to embrace the odd angles and not box anything out. It's linked to a very wonky old cottage which has no straight lines! @DevilDamo all has been thought through in great detail already, thanks for the thoughts

I would be tempted to start a new thread titled with issue, most people will not bother looking with your current title. Everyone will see Grant setting and move on. The issue is relevent to any ASHP really. Your issue isn't you need to copy someone elses settings, you have an issue with defrost.

Corrected that for you

Do your own heat loss calculation. You don't need to do room by room just the overall house. Actually calculate for own education and comfort that you know you are doing the right thing. Yes from the info presented I am saying 6kW not 16kW. Here a spreadsheet I did for mine. Was borrowed from Boffins Corner. Plus in your numbers and see what pops out. Heat loss calculator - Sleepieshill house.xlsx

Be careful here. Most thermostats are really rubbish with with UFH as the hysteresis is huge and you end up with big under and overshoot of room temp. When we first build I had loads of issues and found it unmanageable, and uncomfortable. Running weather compensation without thermostats works best for us. That sound huge with MVHR and your U values are you sure, have you calculated the heat loss. I am not impressed with UFH in bedrooms, would do fan coils, way better cooling also, plus response time is good. Hate hot bedrooms, once the bedroom is warm its staying that way with UFH. Sounds a waste of good money No restriction come with grant that says you cannot cool. It is related to permitted development, but you will have express planning permission with a new build so, make sense to go with option for heat and cool. Another waste of cash, it doesn't do much in the UK, check the datasheets for you flow rates you will get about 0.5kW max at super low flow temps. Install in bedroom instead of UFH. Fun UFH and fan coils on same WC flow rates for heating and cooling. No additional piping needed. So standard MVHR (its ventilation only) ASHP with cooling ability Heat pump cylinder Fan coils in bedrooms, they will manage room temps in auto mode or you can run in manual fan mode on WC UFH on ground floor and upstairs wet room. Electric towel rads in wet rooms also. If you can add more insulation to floor. Keep ventilation separate from heating - different suppliers, installers, they are vey different things Think simple not complex, simple is easier to run, cheaper to buy and run

Thanks @SuperJohnG, those figures are almost identical to mine tbf even the ASHP usage was 39kWh and total 58kWh

Or build it from concrete blocks.

Rigid rockwool and cement fibre-board, with suitable top, edge and joint detailing?

Non combustible means A1 fire rated only. Kingspan products as a petrolium based product will not be A1 fire rated no question. Only bricks, blocks, plaster, many mineral wools, steel will be A1. How about a steel shed with mineral wool insulation and plasterboard linings

the constructional hearth is not the finished visible surface.

That is because you are a bear

I’m actually shitting in the woods thanks

Well as it has AI, yes. Likes green people. This is @Pocster taking a walk in the woods, without a dog. Not sure what he expects to find.

Are you accusing my doorbell of being racist? 😉

So only recognizes your black and white friends. Or the hot ones.

It has night vision too!

Does it allow burglars to sneak around in the dark as they are not on your friends list?

Yous me bro

I'm not sure I should admit this but that is pretty much what I've got! Specifically, a Reolink Doorbell with AI person detection that triggers a Shelly smart relay to turn the porch light on. It was born out of an overreaction of being annoyed by the PIR sensor triggering in the wind! Overkill, yes, but it works ridiculously well.

No no no - you over complicate that massively ! So you have home automation running a tpu . Cctv ip camera linked to tpu .You can then identify if a person . Tpu then triggers a zigbee relay . Zigbee relay turns on light . Easy peasy until it (expletive deleted)s up of course ! . Then you can have any type of light .

We have an old cast iron lamp post, by our drive, which I renovated a couple of years ago. I used LED filament bulbs, which have survived pretty well considering where they are fitted. https://www.ultraleds.co.uk/tear-drop-st64-squirrel-cage-led-filament-lamp-b22-400lm-2200k-extra-warm-white-easydim

I've always just used a normal bulb but switched to one that has a flame effect last time I changed it.

I looked at the first picture you posted and held my head in my hands. In a different world you might be able to just lock the site gate and come back in 6 months,or a year, or two years when conditions were favourable. Alas impractical with all the paperwork following building . Another option would be to park the shovels and design some easier to build foundations like piles with a ringbeam or such. However we are where we are etc..... Before trying to pin your builder to the wall with emails maybe try to climb into his boots for a second. Take him to a nice cafe somewhere, on the clock, buy some buns, and have a grown up discussion. Importantly, listen to him. I know it's frustrating to see the budget and schedule slipping but I think it's the ground eating it. Not your builder. Resist for now the temptation to bolster the moral of men, up to their knees in sh*t, with dictatorial emails.

That’s a great album by Supertramp

Send it back. Get another ten.

FFS new doorbell lost pair with chime and won't repair! Grrrrrr

All I know is, if you hear a clicking sound and see a triangle of laser pointer dots... Running won't do you any good.