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I just stumbled upon the PortaPura treatment plant https://portapura.com/ It is aimed at the leisure market and the largest one they make is rated for 5 persons. But it is a very compact treatment plant working on the air blower principle but in a totally different form factor. At only 800mm deep for the 5 person unit it might be of interest to someone with difficult ground / bedrock? I am not in any way related to this product, just mentioning it in case someone finds it useful

These are what I’ve been doing this morning A real simple system when space is tight

Perhaps anyone not quite 60 could get their parents to order the PV :-)

If you like the look and feel of MK then look at the Schneider Lisse range from Screwfix as an alternative as it’s cheaper but the quality is very good.

I'm flattered and surprised you ask here. This discussion board is a little nest of building nerds: nerds, some by qualification but more by experience some of which bitter. Your challenge strikes me as analogous to those here who need (say) a Structural Engineer. Many will accept work in which they have a peripheral understanding and will do a -for them- competent job. But their customer is given an unnecessarily complex - for which read expensive - specification. I think you might well benefit from a thorough networking exercise - among lawyers. You need a tax nerd - one without an over inflated sense of self-worth. Then, when yer all sorted, come 'n arxk us 'ow ter mix a bit 'o mortar like.

Did you try GSI? https://gsi-insurance.com/

Ducting. Conduit. Easy to access service voids that you can pull new cables through as and when you need to.

Yep, that's pretty standard it seems. I paid for my windows up front too TBH. Bank transfer, no cover. They turned up

I can't see the point in remaining VAT registered if you don't need to be, unless you LIKE all the extra paperwork that goes with it.

Ta da ! Thats all the stud and osb I need to do for now ! Tomorrow re route water inlet onto this osb . Install perimeter drain . That bits then done ?

Indeed. Each time I visit Screwfix and pay their regular list price I consider it a personal planning failure. Screwfix is a self builder's local convenience store that provides impulse retail therapy at a price.

We've been exporting to the grid since around 11:00 this morning. Although it's cloudy, with light showers, we're currently exporting about 1200 W as I type this, and generating around 1500 W. The Sunamp is fully charged, from excess generation earlier, so hot water is "free" for the next day or so.

does not look like it in this picture I see wall -stud then membrane then stud again in corner--must be a trick of the camera looks like it is over the outer stud .LOL ignore me

At least this will stop the scam companies. As soon as something like FIT is announced the price goes up by 300% and they employ double glazing salesmen. Look at the weather today. Doesn’t really make me wish I had a roof of PV panels. Pointless in NW England.

And for @Onoff to try and copy, mock up in CAD and never actually get round to finishing... bit like a bathroom... ?

Thanks This site has been stood foe 10 years All the pb and wiring has been rip out to reveal no fire protectection Poor airtightness So we are having to seal everything

You might get on better using a proper make blue drill instead of a yellow one...

Looking great Sir!

Can't an open-loop system operate on a circulating pump by treating the loop as a syphon? Obviously not over 10 metres but for a metre or two above a lake that should be easy enough to set up, I'd think. Might have to periodically pump air out of the top of the loop but that shouldn't be a problem - automatic air vent at the top with a valve to close off the outlet side.

Makes me glad I went with a bog-standard UPVC company- deposit on CC, bulk payment immediately before install on CC, cash to fitter on installation.

Buy makita. The cost is a rounding error in the scheme of things and everyone else on buildhub can bask in their own smugness.

Are you trying to conduct open heart surgery in this shed or just locate a rusty hammer and old tobacco tin of nails?

Oi, less of the nice ?

He's a very nice man @lizzie, a very very nice man. Ugly, though.

Why go to the bother of sinking pipes into the lake. Why not just pump water out of the lake and feed that into the heat pump via a heat exchanger. I think that is how it is meant to be done.

Yes I imagine that this is how it would work. You would however become liable for capital gains tax on the rental property as would your mother if you were to sell it so if you were to somehow buy your share at a let’s say less than market value price ? the CGT liability would be greater as the increase in the property value would presumably be inflated when / if you sold the property. Definitely still worth getting proper advice as anything on here is just opinion / suggestions, plus caveat emptor!

There could be a transition issue whilst the new property is being built, and your mum become therefore a beneficiary (ie living in) of a property you partly own in the interim. That may imply a rent being paid for that benefit, or it being taxable on the notional rent. But that is a relatively small factor, or could be perhaps be turned into one. Ferdinand

You can set your struts at 400 and the wall will be very rigid As John has pointed out if you choose to use a insulation board you will have a very solid wall Another option is a Sound moisture board Both options will be rock solid We normally site the brackets at 800 apart Closing this off to 600 again will make things more solid With this system you don’t have to use track On refurbs it’s not always possible to get a good fixing Quivk tip for fixing the brackets is to use point tip pan heads not self drillers as they work loose Most vids show the clips being bent back then fixed Ans easier way is set your laser and trim the brackets with your snid where the laser strikes That way when you are fixing you simply clamp to the edge of the strut

800Lm will not give you much light at all. I have run you a quick calc using an 800mm batten. Results show an avg. of 60Lux - to put that into perspective CIBSE would recommend a WC is lit to a minimum of 100lux!! If it was me I would want at least 200lux average in this space, I would say about 2500 Lumens is what you need.

That is about the same as a 75W incandescent, or 2-3 GU10s. I tend to use more rather than less, but that may be old age. F

Welcome. Start with a plan. The Head Gardner in my life spends many happy hours fantasizing about (me? ..... nahhhh) what she's going to get me / force me to do . Mind you, if a digger's involved, I'm right there,Mutley-like - and wanting medals when it's done. Visit lots of gardens - Heres where to start. You'll have an extremely enjoyable time. I envy you: greatly.

OK so a bit further forward today - handrail uprights are fully secured and a temporary handrail attached for safety... Next up are the oak treads and risers, and the full plasterboard handrail / wall.

It is a LONG time since I regarded MK as a quality make, let alone the best (as they once were) I don't touch their stuff now. I have had problems getting cables to clamp in their terminals plenty of times., My favourite still remains Scholmore Click Mode, now available from Toolstation.

I would be very wary of telling them they could do it whenever suits them but for that you want rock bottom prices, seems to me it would invite them to take it on, squeeze it in between jobs, like say ‘oh we’ve got a couple of days next week with nothing doing let’s get that one done , quick as we can cos there’s no money in it but it saves us being idle ‘then you’re inviting trouble, remember, the ground works, foundation and drains form a big part of the build (in my opinion) and if these aren’t done correctly it would only lead to more trouble along the line, I have no doubt you will be able to manage the build since you obviously have the time but it’s not always easy to get tradesmen to work in tandem with each other in fact in my experience they usually create problems out of the least thing and blame each other! we have done 3builds now and the first one 20 odd years ago we had no experience whatsoever, I still sometimes think to myself how the hell did we ever manage that and what made us think we could!

The lack of newel post gives the stairs a modern look, but most firms base the structure around newel posts. We cut our newels down and fitted stainless handrail and glass balustrade.

Couldn't make it up.... https://inews.co.uk/news/environment/renewable-energy-vat-increase-solar-panels-battery-storage/ Environment Renewable energy: Proposals to add full 20% VAT to solar panels and battery storage The changes are set to come in from 1 October HMRC have introduced higher VAT rates for the installation of some renewable and sustainable energy sources In brief HMRC has proposed a price hike for a number of sustainable energy sources Prices would be higher, going from 5% to 20% VAT HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is set to introduce higher VAT rates for the installation of a number of renewable and sustainable energy sources, such as solar panels and biomass boilers. The government body responsible for collecting taxes, announced a hike in rates from 5 per cent to 20 per cent for machinery costs when the technology costs of installation are above 60 per cent. Previously, households that chose to install solar photovoltaic (PV), battery storage or biomass boilers, benefited from a reduced VAT rate of 5 per cent, however their material costs are higher than the new limit. The changes are set to come in from 1 October. Exceptions to the legislation, for which the 5 per cent VAT will still be available, are for residential installations for recipients aged 60 or over or receiving certain benefits, and for housing associations.

We just took delivery of our oak staircase this week and I realised you don’t get much for your dosh, straight flight, glass up the sides with oak handrails, we also will have glass to both sides of the mezzanine, it’s unfinished as they wanted another 1200 for satin finish, what I’m really disappointed in is the back of the staircase , it’s not next to a wall so there won’t be a cupboard under it and it will be visible so we’ll have to get the joiner to finish off the back, 6.5k!