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Diagram 44 Page 67 of part j shows that the opening part must be 300mm vertically or 1m horizontally AND shows that a non opening part of the window can be nearer.

Completely agree, any build method can be made airtight with the proper attention to detail, ditto insulation. Don't confuse future proofing with requiring a modern method of construction. B&B has the advantage of being the UK standard so easy to source materials and labour, the trade off against TF is the time required on site, impact of weather and the ratio of spend on labour vs materials. You also have the opportunity to get some real craftwork with talented brick layers. I don't believe planners can dictate how the structural fabric of the building is built and can only stipulate the external finish. A brick exterior can be applied to any structure (block, timber, ICF, SIPs) you just need to make sure the foundation detail supports it and does not create cold bridging. You can also look to see if brick slips would be an acceptable finish to yourselves and the planners. I've had no issues in re-mortgaging or insuring TF, even with a render finish, with high st banks and insurance companies. We chose it because as novices, there was peace of mind getting the whole structure and internals in one package and to a contracted insulation and airtightness standard. We just needed to schedule windows (easy to order off plan ahead of time as the TF is factory made) and schedule roofer and render contractors to be on site when the frame was erected and scaff was still up. That got us weather tight in 8 weeks and gave us a lot of confidence to PM the rest of the build. Do be aware that reclaimed bricks may cost you more than you save and are often shipped in from Eastern Europe or further afield. At the start of our build I found and cleaned over 1500 1970s stock imperial red brick on sites. I spoke to our local reclaim yard, who specialise in bricks, and they wouldn't touch them. They told me that pre-1920 bricks are the premium, especially if lime mortar was used vs cement (as that is hard to remove efficiently). They also told me that the vast majority of recycled bricks are coming from Eastern Europe as previously undeveloped buildings are taken down for new - the labour economics probably make it work there too. Extensive use of recyled materials can generate a lot of wastage and also slow your trades down if they're discarding every other brick or slate. The recycled plastic slates have had good reviews here by others but be aware that not every roofer will want to work with them. My advice (and it is only that) is to concentrate on getting your design as low energy as possible (good insulation, airtightness) and then choose a build fabric that works for you. Understand solar gain - where it will be useful and where it will be a nuisance and plan efficient heating and cooling systems from the outset that work with your house as an overall system. Cooling is becoming more and more relevant as our winters get milder and summers hotter. Acres of south or west facing glass can quickly make your house unpleasantly hot even in spring and autumn when the sun is lower in the sky. Consider how to minimise your need (and match to what you have available on site) for energy to space heat (and cool), generate domestic hot water and use of water through efficient appliances before you consider water harvesting technology and the like. Solar PV can still be beneficial if you have the appropriate roof aspect even without the FiT payments. If you use in roof trays you save on roofing materials. A split air con system can effectively run for free daytime in the summer when it is most needed etc. Anyway, you get the gist. We're a bit more practical on this site vs other green forums

Prob a lot less than 4.5 in winter!!

Dave. We’ve put flues through baffled sections of non opening windows before, blanking them with non-combustible material and intumescent mastic type seal to complete the picture. The reason they don’t show a non-opening window is because they don’t care about a non-opening window. Carry on with the 47’s and tell your BCO to suck it.

I’m more concerned with that wall paper!

Yeah, I can picture you as a Louis Litt kind of character!

I suspect you have TWO problems: Off peak heater has failed some time ago, but has gone unnoticed until now that the TOP immersion (or the timer) has failed. Or possibly vice versa. Either way an electrician, armed with a spare immersion element or 2 should sort it.

When we re-mortgaged our new build (15 or so rooms over 4 floors (inc. basement) ) to come off the self build mortgage to a high st lender, the surveyor was here for all of 10 mins - he just trotted round with his clipboard. Now, given we're a new build no doubt he was assuming that we were up to scratch on BC. He did ask if we had a warranty, I said yes, he didn't ask for further details. However that was one guy, another may have been very different. ---- How you deal with your re-mortgage depends on your attitude to stress and risk. If you stress easily and are risk adverse then get some peace of mind from an independent expert - but probably not BCO just yet as you may want to see where you're at before getting on their radar. If you do not stress easily and can tolerate some risk then just crack on with the re-mortgage and only take action if it comes up. However, if you're going to let this property out and people will be sleeping in that room then this is a very different situation as the consequences are much more severe (per posts above). In that case, get it checked out.

Ah right, @pocster will have to be your chauffer then, just be careful.

Big question is then over warranty issues with a Tom, Dick & Harry installation. Panels are usually warranties for 25 years but you have to get the agent up there eg provide scaffolding etc ( which needs to be put up by a certified scaffolder with all tickets in place ) and then if the installer is at fault then you have to pay that agents fees plus the required repairs If you’re a self employed / qualified trade with building and electrical competency then crack on, if not think twice.

In the past when we've had mortgage surveyors round they've never stayed for long or seemed to take that much notice. If you can get the loan you want without changing anything it would save a lot of trouble. You can always make changes later and get it signed off if necessary.

The orange light is a neon, and they do tend to flicker a bit, but change that switch or take it off and make sure the screws holding the wires are tight, there is a fair bit of current through those things.

I suppose it depends on if the PP requirements for siting a caravan are different than a house--i would think not -- If yuo want a very strong and light subframe then make up plywood box beams and if you want them rot and bug proof -- sheath in GRP I am guessing but do not know that they expect it to be made up off site in maximum of 2 parts ,then transported to site so how about you make up the 2 parts not on actaul foudations -- but very close by then slide the 2 halfs onto final founds then it has been made off site and transported to final location as for building on a bottomless peat bog why not dig it out and use 1m cuubes of polystyrene -as they do in the artic circle ,where permofrost and sinking in summer is a problem 2 metre deep and the whole foot print in ploystyrene will support a lot of weight maybe only needs 1 layer each block will displace 1 tonne of water so support that amount of something else ? will be alot easier getting blocks of that to site than 100tons of hard core I say blocks you could just sheet stuff piled maybe a be a silly idea I leave you to ponder

Ah @Conor and @PeterW got it. The new pics shows the full connection to the Toby. So basically I won't open the white connector. I'll just sever the blue MDPE and connect to it with a new coupler. I measured the MDPE and its nearer 21mm actual O/D so assume that is 20mm pipe. Thanks also @Bitpipe I'll need to dig a bit more around the 'tar ball' to get enough room for the new coupler on the existing MDPE. Got the inserts and cutters.

I cannot see your heat loss as being as high as 250W/K and given some gains of casual occupancy a 8.5kW ASHP would be adequate down to at least -3°C. This assumes air tightness around 0.6ach@50Pa (Passive house standard) or 1m3/m2/hr@50Pa (units used in SAP)

And then there were two. External joints taped with left over airtight tape.

I don't think we can compare a cafe with a house purchase. Shared equity/help buy schemes are a con. They don't help people on the housing ladder, they help the rich get richer. Every few months of so, you come across a BBC article about some young twenty year ago, saying how they saved £10,000 deposit to buy a 2 bedroom developer home and now have a massive mortgage. Young people read this propaganda and fall into the cycle. If you are a young couple, both go to Uni £80,000 worth of debt, struggle to get decent graduate jobs, then buy a crappy over priced developer home with 10% or 5% mortgage and that is you sorted with a chain around your neck for the rest of your life.

And me. Amazon had genuine 4ah batteries for £21.99 last week which I missed

I have contacted a local specialist who told me that if the loft room is 10 or 12 years old, it then will automatically become a 'legal' room is that true? Anyway he will pay a visit soon and advise what needs to be modified to comply building regulations. thanks again for everyone's kind advise

Yes, the same, wheelhead valves each end of all rads. So not quite sure where, or if I have any lockshield ones. Will come back to this: someones gotta fix the leak/ pressure issue, tidy up holes & wires so I'll get them to do this (hopefully) if I can get this installer visit achieved. Anyway now, 2x Vaillant chaps here, plus head manager(!) who apologised for all noise trouble, took my points on board he said (bboy pants on for recent calls, emails demanding they contact germany for definitive answer to noise > solution -before- visit today)... & they did contact germany, & found the (software) problem > ! > have 2 boards to fit as solution, & certain will solve it. Yet another visit to come.. to fit 2nd board! But again, I'm grateful & give much credit to Vaillant chaps here & on phones, its a shame the hardware falls far short of their professionalism.

That is interesting as it used to be the case that customers could not supply own modules, inverters yes, but not the modules. Worth checking on the MCS site about that.

If you look closely in the small print, usually they state "yellowing may occur". Its generally hard to notice yellowing, until you go to repaint, and then you see it a mile off.

I was disappointed that it was a repeat, but I thought that the work done on that home in The Park, Nottingham, was one of the best. It's literally 8 minutes walk from the Market Square, on a private estate. She will have more than got her money back. Just across from the tennis club, I think, and The Park Residents Association seem to have kept Streetview out afaics. I lived around the corner from there for a few months. I think it on this stretch. (There's a building plot in the middle of that, but I suspect you would need to prize it from someone's cold, dead fingers after you had topped them, and have something on some Councillors to get PP.) (Just in case anyone has ideas, those mansions facing the other way are 7 figures if still in one dwellng.)

I know where that is and used to drive past it - it’s got to be one of the most hideous buildings ever built ..! Looks so much better now but tbh that “quality” of construction was pretty standard and I’m less than surprised that they had issues. Overall result was nice and I think possibly better than the first scheme - although anyone who expected the initial one to come in at £80k was probably dreaming ...

Perfect Not only does it show a non opening window, it also males it clear the distances are measured from the gas valve on the cylinder, not the top of the handle. So I suspect I would be okay even if my windows opened. So I will proceed on that basis that I now have a pretty picture to show BC when they object and grounds to argue it.

That isn’t the point I’m trying to make - it will continue to reheat the water - due to losses - over that last hour until the timeclock stops the heating period. You need to be looking to optimise the heating cycle so it hits its peak temperature just before the last point in the time period, and only for as long as necessary. It saves energy and reduces system losses.

The over engineered MVHR pre filter arises from the gash bits of MDF offcuts that litter the house. Some finishing off to be done and it’s kept my son off the streets making stuff for his deluded dad.

Just watching the last episode - they are digigng out the foundations but the field is so wet, the dumpers are getting stuck. Didnt it occur to them to dig out the drive first and lay hardcore - or even lay some matting - there must be something they could use! They do seem rather useless and not a lot happens in any episode.

I would just argue that the regs say “opening window “ yours is not (and the calor website confirms this).

I disagree, otherwise it would have said “window”, not “opening window “ I found this on the Calor website... “There should be no openings into buildings, cellars or pits within 2m of an LPG storage area or the separation distance given in Table 1, whichever is greater. If there is an unavoidable opening within 2m, the opening should be securely covered and fitted with a suitable water seal to prevent the entry of vapour.” it’s all about vapour entering the building and a non opening window is effectively a water seal as above IMO. Tell your BC chap you got this from Calor! ?

I think a pit would be bad to have as can contain leaked gas.

No, that’s 3m from toxic materials !!! Frankly a non opening window is the same as a plain wall IMO.

To get close you 'net zero' on your energy you need to work out the house heat loads (not that hard) plus your domestic hot water (DHW). Then you can calculate the size of a PV system. A guy on here, who has now vanished, has a house with about 150m2 livable area, an ASHP, MVHR with built in heat pump, plus some extra cooling, and got to net zero with around 6.25 kW of PV. That basically sets your roof size, which, for a fairly basic house design, sets your floor area. The important things to remember is that any shading on the roof kills PV performance, and if you spend a lot of time in it, then East, South and West facing modules may be more beneficial. Roof intergrated PV can work out cheaper than tiling, and it can help a lot with cooling as it reduces the solar radiation getting though into the house but about 20%. Forget a ground source heat pump, just not worth the extra money in my opinion. Spend that saved case on decreasing the overall thermal losses of the house, what we call 'fabric first'. This means you need to exceed building regulations' minimum standards, by quite a bit, especially with airtightness. So your walls will be thicker, as will your roof. If you go for underfloor heating, then you need a lot of insulation under for house, and around the periphery with some designs. Airtightness is all about uncontrolled losses, you want to control the losses, via the MVHR. But try and pick an area where people do not burn coal and wood, count the local chimneys. Liking a 'a lot of light' can become expensive. Not just the costs of extra glazing, but extra heating during the winter nights, and extra cooling during the spring and autumn, when the sun is lower in the sky, but still churning out a lot of energy. So think very carefully about this. Putting in blinds, Brise soleils, reflective film, noble gasses and special coatings, is really a patch for poor design. They are just cutting out the light (though some of the films allow more UV than IF though). Careful orientation of the glazing is more important than the overall size. I see some great houses on the south Cornish Coast, they have fantastic view, and then blinds over the windows. The better places are on the North Coast, they only need the blinds in the summer. You can pipe in natural light with sunpipes, or design your own, they are only mirrors. Can't help much about the garden, but trees can be a mixed blessing. They are useful to reduce the effects of the prevailing wind, but then they shade your PV. So choose carefully. And will you need a sewage plant and a bore hole for fresh water? As with any project, make the big decisions first, then research the details. And two important things kW and kWh, they are different, learn the difference and people will be very impressed. Shall leave you to research them.

thanks all. it's very interesting and good to know that a 400mm centre walls/building feels more solid. from the online U-value calculator the 400mm studs adds 0.003 to the U-value which is so little it isn't really worth mentioning! for me this is another tick in the good box for this company. ?

Just a banker then.......

@joe90 is a bit of a banker - you know; loads of dosh and stuff.....

Sire wrost you mean.

SWMBO busy?

13 pages to refresh your memory:

Oh yeah... I remember now. At least you can get it sorted now.... probably another chance for you to take someone to court. ?

I bloody hope so otherwise he is no good ( I could do it but I am 2 1/2 hours away ?)

Oh please don’t ? the mods will ban you!!!,

That sounds like stress tho- being welsh they'll just pull up drawbridge & Im left with this list to sort out. No Im still going softly-softly, Ive got a new idea of seeing if they'll agree to provide some soundproof stuff.. if I say 'instead of the silencer perhaps?' as I was trying them on this addition, before Vaillant offered to do it. IE no installer work, just provide materials pls. Bit of a shock on the thermometer: thermostat room's at 18*, compressor gone off.. in new top bedroom: 11.7* (huge rad on for 4 hours). Lordy Ive got to do this hatch/ insulation job pdq now (& door- some cold coming in here). Can we get joe to swap his o key fir his i key? ir has he git them wring way riund?

Might be safer for everyone else though.

@Nickfromwales Agreed!!!!!! - To early in the morning for me! I meant 4.5kWh/kWp per month (of December)

Trying to cancel a Banggood order, even though you apparently can.....what a mission! Talking to a service bot that states 24/7 working. So wtf does it say "Beyond working hour"? The site, well I'm finding it horrible to navigate. The English is pretty poor. Not sure tbh if I've managed to cancel the order or not. The status says "processing". Lesson learnt...probably not! ?

Might block the filter material up a bit too quickly?!?

Glad this has been sorted, @ProDave try not to gloat when you tell your BCO, it tends to upset them ?

That’s a fine piece of woodwork and if it doesn’t do as a filter, you can always use it as a commode ?