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We're currently considering a (probably crazy) idea of sinking an 8m long x 3m wide x 1.5m swim spa as part of our self build. We've been looking at ones that are entirely self contained, and just 'pop' into a hole in the ground, with a bit of access either end to change pumps etc. The supplier has sent some construction details which basically outline: - a 215mm block retaining wall - a 100mm reinforced concrete slab - a soakaway and sump pump I asked whether any form of waterproofing would be required, and was told generally no. Likewise no shuttering etc. Am I missing something, or being incredibly naive to think we just dig a hole, build a wall and pour a reinforced slab? This is indoors. I've attached the details sent by the supplier.

Either. I'm thinking of working in a confined space, and not undermining foundations, as compared to open space with the rest of the groundworks.

@Mike @Dave Jones Many thanks for your comments, I got it done in the end. I went for lead valley for now, but will go for a dry valley when we re roof the house.

I too built a pantry with sone shelves, some drawers, door racks, baskets for veg which works very well (I have no photos unfortunately

You certainly can with single module micro-inverters, they just pump out AC at the correct voltages. I am not sure about optimisers, they may have hard wired limits built into them.

We spent ages - months in fact(!) - debating what option to go for for our 600mm larder unit and there was something about the wire frame pullouts that seemed less than ideal. Whether it was the amount of space it took up, having to pull out far more than what you actually need, reaching over things to get stuff out from the back, I don't know. We then stumbled across the much simpler approach of using full-width and fully-opening deep drawers for the section below eye level and open shelves above. There's also a shallow drawer for tins (a lot of tins - must be over 50). We've lived with it for a few years now and wouldn't change a thing about it. The drawers obviously work much better than the shelves, but we just make sure the rarely-needed items are located at the back on the latter. With drawers it doesn't matter as everything is equally accessible. (Forgive the rather messy shelves - I've just taken these photos following a whole bunch of shopping being thrown in today... I'm sure it could be dressed better!)

Don't really like either. So looking at both layouts, you have loads of pipes transiting through hall all bunched up. Delete the dedicated loops and spread those pipes out. The transiting pipes will heat the hall for you. You could also do the same in the utility by using A7, 8 and 9 in the utility. That removed three dedicated loops, making everything a little more simple

You can only ask and it’s helpful if your previous experience was positive. Cost of planning fees is minimal compared to build cost. Get your pre-app in asap.

Used on garage floors, so I think so🙂

I used a 20mm screed to bring the room up to the height of the other rooms and painted it with garage floor paint. the time all the cylinders are in there and water softener and all the other junk, there’s hardly any floor visable.

Yes says connect fail I'm afraid I’m out at the moment, will try and sort the above when home Many thanks for the help on this, hopefully simple, the strange one is only one camera showing on the system, the other 2 must have power as red lights are on when looking outside

I did my porch in quarry tiles and they looked fab and bomb proof Frankly any tile will do the same.

It's not difficult or hugely expensive but needs knowledge and care. by the time you've built a waterproof tank for a basement (waterproof on the outside) you might as well make that your pool, lined internally, so all concrete not a premade tank. I wouldn't want to do it inside an existing house though. That's what takes it from 20k to 40k, or 80k Then add for M and E and damp prevention. Thereafter you may use the pool perhaps 1,000 times at £40 a time before allowing for the upkeep. Sorry, sometimes I can be a bit negative.

The discs that you slide up and bend over are a giveaway.

It's not, it's cement fibre.

Right ok - well that’s not great. It sounds like a basement design is required (or a really big pump running 24/7)??

I don’t get asked for quarry tiles anymore But they are bombproof

@SBMS - save your cash . Do this - value for 15 quid .

Anything you want / need basically. But for ducts and small bore services for my needs mostly. Can be letterbox shaped for transfer grilles I’m sure.

I would and have used solid Foamed Glass.

Once you have dealt with a wet basement you don't want it again. It may depend on the building's location and the ground. If you dig a hole does it fill? It is a reversed water tank really. would you build in brick and blackjack to store water? It works for a while then starts to leak.

I think that was meant to be 'necessary.' Yes ask, and some will include some minor changes. most importantly, to tell the gangs using it they only get one readjustment , ot whatever.

Reducing load will increase the voltage, so Try that at the times you're getting the problem and see if it clears things up

Log into the router . So go into a browser and do 192.168.1.1 That should bring up your router login screen . Assuming you’ve never changed the password you’ll need to enter the default for that brand . Might even be printed on the back of the router . Do that stage next 😊

A readymade tank is a good idea. It doesn't leak and doesn't crack. The slab and base need to be strong, and you need retaining walls for the pit. It's a basement though and will fill with groundwater. When you empty the pool it will float up so clever design needed. A concrete tank needs skilled design and construction or it will leak. In med spain the ground is hard and dry and doesnt move so they get away with rough concrete...most of the time.

5%

I was thinking of concrete retaining wall, lined with maybe 150mm PIR, and then a concrete base - not sure if PIR in the base would make much difference to heat loss? Any engineers out there?

To be fair that included all the groundworks but still crazy

Your MVHR will not move heat easily. That is why you need map where the air is likely to go. It will go the shortest route possible, but you need to manipulate flow paths to make it go a long way. If you a coanda extract in the kitchen the air is actually taken from many meters away not near the extract, same with supply https://www.zehnder.co.uk/en/indoor-ventilation/solutions/air-distribution/zehnder-comfovalve-luna-e125

Thanks @Pocster. I got a quote for a pool and fell off my chair. Then found this which is a fraction of the price... Its just the groundworks I'm clueless about. The builder can't believe it's as straightforward as they suggest (he keeps asking what's keeping the water out - whatever that means) and he's asking if it's not more like a 'mini basement' (which is £££)..

You need to do a proper heat loss calculation, this plus this, plus this with no numbers is rubbish. The flow rates quoted will not support the flow needed to keep an 8kW heat pump happy. Check your dT and run higher flow rates. You will upwards of 14l/min as a minimum. Min flow temp from a heat pump is 25. But most run rubbish at temperature with a lot of cycling. Not helped by trying to set it to run 4 zones and one of those is way to small to allow heat pump to run. 100mm centres no issue, except do you need to have them that tight. Work out room by room heat loss, then look at W/m2 output and fine tune.

In my experience a planning for a garage became a house ! 😊 So it’s hard to judge I think - as all planners are not equal . Regarding parking you should try and provide additional parking though I believe space for bike storage and vicinity to public transport could also be argued ( if favourable ! ) . I personally would get an architect to take a look first and see what might be doable . Can you upload a site plan so it’s easier to understand the space you have .

It appears likely that the inverter is tripping out as it believes the local mains voltage is too high. Before they start dismantling anything it might be worth getting them to check that the actual voltage at the inverter is close to the voltage reported on the app. If the fault is the voltage sensor then it’ll identify which bit to swap out. Good news is that you know how to check operation now.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ULTRICSÂ-Digital-Multimeter-Voltmeter-Ammeter/dp/B00TM0W8ZY/ref=sr_1_8?crid=2UE6HDXZIW6UV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GMoWxDsdxB9y2TrsYb5yPLNSR4dxqPPmAUDWFYk6KUQhFXkMt0BWaSL6Dk6hgLuGhfBly3GQQM1O7z3VqjYIlQ2CTDiDJ8PJvwjIhMM4roAqEEV7mYxFFFeg5mlgqtW40EsyiwATzNrFbj3Zc6fArKiqmp5fT77T5xmooA00yOEHi-tTE_UWBPVViRgI8xjO6fr-UbGt_TIXqJhiNIOaRtlkMA4Jqm45p8THswYH66YjBaqKw053BSWg0aBUKNeFYPUazagXmAMfTF7DVdVNnlPkDXPhnz9VM4JMSKQOyI0.d_GY3pwfwwqEi0bQQY4LpzXiFHqhWFsaRStjEGBXgvE&dib_tag=se&keywords=Multimeter&qid=1733659034&sprefix=multimter%2Caps%2C141&sr=8-8 would be an example. The picture even shows it set to the setting you will need. But please be careful. Or, [good idea alert!] having identified that your inverter is not operating correctly you can get the company in to honour their warranty (but a meter is a useful thing to have around).

Depends where you are. We paid £8k incl VAT 2-storey, 100sqm footprint, 10 weeks with a flexible end date (which is proving handy after the last 2 storms). Went with a big local company, so they have loads of kit (no pressure to get it back), could accommodate the erect 3 sides for the TF company and then 4th side a few days later and weekly scaff tag check is easy because they’re down the road. On VAT you can ask them to zero rate the labour costs if you’re self building.

I think we talked about this a while ago, and it was found that the downwards load was so small there was no problem sitting either heavy sliding doors or windows onto eps or xps. the weight divided over the area was tiny.

Well so far so good. I switched to Tomato Energy Lifestyle tariff on Wed as scheduled. Now on 5p kWh 00:00 - 06:00 and using this to charge my batteries. The standing charge is only 44p and the peak rate if I did choose to use it is still below cap rate, whats not to like. I have shifted hot water heating to midnight and ramped up the temp from 48 degrees to 55 degrees (Vaillant R290) and to be fair not that much of a drop in cop but massively cheaper. So far managing to run 24x7 off batteries. I have to say there is a lot of bad press about TE but I have found everything great, I called them yesterday and they picked up the phone within a few rings and answered my query. The MyWatts portal is working fine, a bit clunky but does all you need. They are supposed to be bringing out a dedicated app early next year. With EON Next appearing to pull the option for battery only users ( I have no EV ) then there is little options other than TE for me but at 5p kWh I would still have chosen them.

Why is the door set so far out? It’s going to protrude beyond the timber frame. Our detail involved threaded bar into the slab which allowed a GRP angle to be bolted to the slab that took the weight of the door. That puts the door further back in the frame. I can post some detail when I get home if you’re interested.

The weight of the frame is mostly resting on the 200mm polystyrene. You could extend this or move is outward by 74mm and finish with the same ali sheet you propose elsewhere.

This is going to take you time to sort out.. allow for 1 - 2 years, if sooner then you have won a watch. For all if you have this kind of thing get a hold of the NHBC and the Blockwork folk. Make sure you identify the blocks! Each well known manufacturer has a different scratch pattern on their blocks. The scratch pattern identifies the manufacturer and the block strength. I've screenshotted the scratch pattern for Themalite so you can see what I'm on about. But.. what's going on here @Will A.. are you declaring all the info you have. If you want a bit of advice then can you expain how the petrographic test came about? Who paid for that? Where are you in terms of the NHBC / Builder?

Thanks. I was coming to that conclusion myself (and its the general approach I have been preaching for some time - get the WC curve right before you anything more sophisticated). My installer is back today to fit two rads that weren't available when he did the main job last week. I don't want to touch too much while he is still around, but once he is gone I consider it to be open season! That said, I can see why he has set it up the way he has. Most wont bother with or understand the tweaking of WC curves and the way he has set it up will get somewhere close eventually I think, without human intervention.

If you're using optimisers and likely micro inverters, you can mix and match panels. We've got 310, 320, 335 and 405 watt panels all on the same inverter. There's a cost overhead, but optimisers have lots of advantages one of which is the ease of alteration/expansion.

It's theoretically possible, but may make airtightness harder to achieve and, of course, you loose the benefits of the insulation downstairs. It may be possible to buy the same cornice pre-made and install that, but if not then there are companies that will cast an identical replacement for you. Standard plasterboard is OK provided you don't paint it with regular vinyl paint.

I think IceVerge covers this in the video, with the main points being you can use standard gypsum plasterboard but don't use latex based paints that will seal it all up. On the point of only insulating 1st and 2nd floor, it would probably make sense to try and remove and refit the coving if you can.

I have Cosy but in these cold temps I'm running mine 24 hours a day at a very steady 20 room temp. I still get 8 hours at half price. The extra cost of the 3 hours 4pm to 7pm is partly offset by the better efficiency of constant running and the comfort of constant warmth and not having to worry or fiddle about with the controls and timer

In the scheme of things, a good result. You've got an unsolicited recommendation for the BS signing it off, and something in writing from the builder just in case an issue should arise. Glad it's worked out, enjoy the rest of your build!

Finally made a discovery which might explain some of the anomalies on the HW side of things. Water was too hot to touch but temperature measurement was only 30-ish degrees. The temperature sensor had been stuffed into some random hole about 2/3 of the way up the tank, I think it is a cable strain relief for the (unused) upper terminal cover. Not a thermostat pocket at any rate, see pic: There was no thermal contact with the tank at all bc the springiness of the cable pulled it back out a bit. Removing it from there and pushing it a short way under the insulation on the outlet pipe at the top of the tank caused the reading to jump from 32.5 to 40.5 and running off some hot water raised it to 42. Explains a lot. Will now have to re-do all the tests I did to find the optimal way of running the HW. The original plan as upthread was to configure the TS as a second HW tank but that didn't work bc (contrary to what Vaillant Tech said) if there are two cylinders they are fed one after the other not simultaneously. Because of this I have now added a switch so that charging the thermal store automatically feeds the coil in the cylinder in parallel. And then the HP isn't working on its HW cycle, so doesn't run up to 70C trying to force 12kW into the cyl (or even 6 in Eco mode). Every day a school day.

strip off more tiles to get the layboards down, then jacks off of them to ridge. klober dry valleys are excellent if you cant get hold of valley tiles.

That's fine, and frequently done these days. Traditionally something like a 225 x 32mm length of timber would be sawn diagonally (in cross section) to create two feather-edge boards that would be nailed to the top of the rafters, fat edge to the centre, thin edge picking up the ends of the tile battens, which is the way I've always done it. Since you have plane tiles on the roof, personally I'd choose to use valley tiles, rather than GRP or lead for the valley.

Some things like MVHR just get in due to how nice it is to live with it there, like nice sanitary wear or cladding that looks right for the location and design. The latter two do not have a payback financially, except perhaps sale value and I don’t much care how much our executors sell for. MVHR requires airtight therefore that’s in too.