Leaderboard

Bit late to this but 2 or 5 amp sockets are both fir lighting ccts only, I think they are great and have fitted them many times, I like the ability to switch on lamps from the doorway/bedside without the main centre light and you can turn of a lounge with several lamps from the doorway without going round them all. My lounge has six sockets of this type in case furniture is re arranged.

Often the crate manufacturer will give you the design, based on your plan, drained area and permeability. That should satisfy building regs / warrant.

You can feed as many 5A sockets as you want from one 6A MCB, that is called a radial circuit. What you are thinking of is a 32A ring final where a spur from that can only feed one socket unless fused to a lower rating e.g. with an FCU

I’ve been doing footings (& nothing else) for around 18 months now since relocating & the norm is to leave all doorways out,so the insulation layer is continuous & runs right out to the external leaf at doorways.

I ran a kitchen company for 20 years. Bespoke high end, and seriously expensive. Range from £35 to £200K. The truth is that all kitchens are not made the same. My ironmongery was Hettich or blum. Some companies use cheap far eastern copy ironmongery. Don't expect it to last for 20 years. It won't. Mfc board (which cheaper kitchens are made of) also varies in quality. Egger make decent quality Mfc. There is a lot of shite Mfc used within the kitchen industry thats full of aggregate and iron filings. When you are looking around ask them who manufacturers the boards that the kitchen carcasses are made of. If they can't tell you, then the cabinets are either shite, of the knob you are chatting to was selling double glazing last week. Moving on. Kitchen fitters. Most top end good kitchen fitters are not carpenters. They are kitchen fitters, and that is all they do. The lower end companies sub out the fitting to all sorts of tossers who should not be let near a kitchen fitting job. Bear in mind that 20 years ago i used to pay each of my fitters £1000 per 5 day week. Be very wary of people who tell you they will fit it for £700 quid gov. Don't get me wrong, a lot of people can make a fair hash of fitting a kitchen. However having a kitchen fitted that you want to last 20 years will, in my opinion require the skills of a proper kitchen fitter with the skills and equipment to know where kitchens are normally put undre stress etc, in order to do a proper quality job. Sorry, i can't give you any advice on laminate worktops, as i never used them. The likes of Wrens worktops are shite, and will not last 20 years. Be aware that if you step up to a composite top, you again need to be aware that the quality varies between manufacturers.

Clay ground and 400mm to 1m existing foundations does not necessarily preclude second floor extention, but does require the right designer and structural engineer. Solutions can include making the 2nd floor loads less than existing, especially if existing has concrete roof tiles, pad foundations to support point loads, ring beam around existing ground floor walls. I know this because my project uses all of these things and we've got 300mm foundations in places, and that's 300mm below dpc which is 150mm above ground level. How many trial pits/trenches have been dug to obtain information? In ours too few so poor assumptions were made until I insisted on digging and investigating more. When was the original house built?

Fingers crossed he is not a one armed bandit. //gets coat

I don't know if this is restricted to particular regions in the UK but it certainly isn't uncommon here on the South coast. Cornwall, South Wales and Counties adjacent to the English Channel see more of the Atlantic airstream and this occasionally carries in mild moist air, on the prevailing SW winds, during the Winter. We had a particularly good example for a few days in early January and I noted a number of posts on these forums where people were suffering from unexpectedly high amounts of condensation. I suspect we will experience more of these types of condition in the future and would suggest everyone factors it into their design stage to some degree.

Hi and welcome. I know that area well having lived there for 16 years. Building plots there are simply rare. In the time I was there the only ones i ever saw were knock down and rebuilds and the prices they went for were way above my means. It wasn't until we decided to move a long way north that I finally realised the self build dream (just completed No 2) Don't let that put you off, but you face an uphill battle finding a plot.

Oh yeah Graven Hill. Seems expensive though. There are smaller custom build sites that are cheaper which are a lot easier than finding a plot for yourself. The nearest one I know is Swindon, maybe that’s too far, but try a search for custom build.

How heavy are the windows and the bifolds? This will dictate what kind of suction lifters to buy and then don't buy cheapo ones, buy ones that are clearly specified for a particular weight. If you're lifting expensive and heavy windows it's also a really good idea to have a suction guage and certificated lifter so you know it's on properly. I've had a non-gauge one let go while moving a window around and thankfully it was still suspended on a proper gauged one at the time so the window just swung around a bit. In terms of specific products, I've got a couple of Faithfull triple pad lifters, Faithful 2 pad lifters and a Grabo. I've used the Grabo a lot as it works on everything from windows to paving slabs and more.

https://www.usedkitchenexchange.co.uk/product-category/used-kitchen/?_sfm__price=0+5000&sort_order=_sfm__price+asc+num from 2k upwards

Okay if it's HEP2O then it's this one https://www.screwfix.com/p/hep2o-hx38-15ws-hot-cold-appliance-valve-15mm/6737f With a tee and a short bit of pipe. One of the proper plumbers will have to come and say if that thread cutting clamp on one would work with HEP2O

Make sure you have actual values specified for efficiencies of ASHP and MVHR units and cylinder losses etc., as opposed to just the default. We were in the same situation as you, with a similar score, and doing this alone boosted our as-designed score into the nineties.

That's for copper. I am not sure it will work with what looks like a plastic push fit system?

This? https://www.screwfix.com/p/self-cutting-tap-15mm-x/21250

Dig a hole 750x750 and 600 deep, look at it every day and work out what is going on. If it fills with water when it rains that is ok, but what happens the next day, does it drop or just sit there. Look at it for a month working out how long it takes to drain and so on. You will work out a pattern.

Facebook.

French drains work really well at directing water elsewhere although they can clog on clay soil. I just think that if the area is naturally prone to waterlogging and it is not affecting the house you may do better to have it as a wetland and maybe encourage some wildlife as well as it could be a valuable habitat.

I contacted Thomas Latzel, they hadnt actually issued the refund by accident. But done it today straight away. Thanks @MikeSharp01 for asking the question otherwise I would t have realised! @cwr you might want to check also.

Absolutely Indy. DM me and I'll give you the details.

Sarna will never look as crisp as zinc or any other metal but is much quieter in the rain and very durable

Sounds interesting on a number of fronts. 1. Controlling a 13Amp socket from a light switch feels like (is) the wrong thing to do - the power handling requirements don't match. 2. Who, in the middle of the night, wants to wake up, fumble for their glasses, find their phone, load the app, locate the lamp (from the 54 others in the house) and turn on the wifi lamp, only to discover that the cloud server running the WiFi lamp from lord knows where is off line for maintenance, OR alternatively, shout 'Alexa turn my bedside lamp on please' thus waking the partner / kids / dog and it won't work anyway because Alexa cannot distinguish your voice from anybody else's without a lot of work and then you have to remember to always sleep on the same side of the bed! 3. There was a third but I lost my thread sorting the second. A simple switch, or double - one by the bed and the other at the door, feeding the 5A socket sounds so much simpler. Naturally you can, alternatively, feed each switch back to your homes CNS (Central Nervous System) and let the Rasberry Pi / Loxone / ???? send the signal to the SSR (Solid State Relay) then wire it back to the socket - many options then become available, none of which you will ever use although maybe, in the future, when you have moved out a Gentleman or Lady of the night might find the whole control possibilities thing amusing either for them or their client(s). Anyway - keep it stupidly simple (KISS - remember. AND yes I know that is not the right way to define KISS but implied insults, on a day like today, seem so unnecessary.)

I brought a second hand kitchen for £300 while we decided if we where going to knock down or not, still in use 5 years later and doesn’t look too shabby. Why waste £4-5000.

Could you make a shallow water feature in that area? If it has soggy grass and moss it may be more suited as a semi wetland with planting to suit.

There's a current Nudura build near Cricklade in Purton if you wanted to get up close and personal? Let me know and I'll arrange it for you. I've attached some pic's I took yesterday. Regards, Steve

+ 1 to airtightness tape or similar. For masonry to other materials I've recently become a fan of the Soudatight LQ liquid membrane that also uses a goetextile tape to seal larger gaps.

If it is only for 2 years get some second hand units. Often free. Otherwise it is a waste of materials.

You can get all sorts of airtightness tapes where you stick between the window or door frame and the substrate - in your case the blockwork. I would not try to use the cavity closer as part of the airtight layer. You will do this after the windows are fitted and before you dry line.

We have Sansfil also. Should only be installed by qualified person, which is a plus. Use exterior grade 18mm ply instead of OSB. Sanafil sits on a flease and is screwed on to the ply with spreader plates and the overlapping seam, which covers the screws is hot air welded. Standing seams are then welded to the membrane, set the spacing so a standing seam covers any joints. Our roof is 12 degs so you will see the effect.

Yes, that's right but the tapes and membranes are are designed and made to last at least the expected life of the building, claiming testing to 50-100 years. I was very sceptical to begin with but after working with the materials myself, particularly the tape, I believe it. It is not like any tape I have ever experienced before. If you make a mistake it does not come off without breaking itself or the material it has stuck to, even to dirty gloves. Rodents are a worry though. My build has 600mm thick stone cladding to keep them at bay but if I only had timber cladding I might have chosen a very different airtight solution.

Perhaps the attached photo makes more sense? pir between trusses stops just above ceiling height. Loft space to be unventilated

Se reply above the post I quoted. It is only ring final socket circuits that are a special case and can only have 1 spur. This is a perfectly normal radial circuit fused appropriately

The BCO may not have noticed that it is structural. Their job is not to do 100% check. What does the stud wall sit on?

The 'right' computer programme is expensive. However it is simply a spreadsheet that iterates the rainfall possibilities and then the volume required is the worst case. A cheaper alternative is available online, or you can even make your own, but they may not be accepted unless you have the credentials yourself. Using the recognised programme shows the Building inspector that the information is likely to be accurate. However, garbage in/garbage out apples, and I have seen proposals that are simply wrong. By all means, do your own assessment for comfort, and to pre-consider the most practical solution., but I think you need expert presentation. BTW in some areas of mass house building but where the drainage is inadequate, building inspectors are forced to agree lower standards for rainwater.

Feed to switched/unswitched FCU with 5 amp fuse in it, then run whatever socket(s) you want from it (ideally label 5amp on it)

If you want be a bit OCD you could use the tray as a shutter & feed some stiff concrete in there. Is it just that corner of the block that’s broken off?

Not sure about the DPC but I believe there was evidence in the 70s and 80s of the plasticiser in the PVC cable migrating into the beads if in contact, and degrading the EPS. I don’t think that’s an issue anymore, I think there’s a chemical additive in the beads to mitigate this (anyone confirm this?). If you were really worried, then just put any cables in some 15mm pipe through your cavity - we are probably just talking about wall lights and maybe outdoor sockets? Anything else going outside should probably be armoured.

You could try submitting calculations based on the BRE Design methodology. Rework the examples with your data.. https://geosmartinfo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/BRE_DIGEST_SoakawaysDesign.pdf

If I've understood correctly you want one with a 60mm backset (backset is measured from edge of door to centre of keyhole/spindle). Dimension "B"... https://www.locksonline.co.uk/community/how-to-measure-door-locks-the-complete-guide.html

why oh why do you still build with a block inner leaf instead of a timber kit down there? move into the 20th century folks, heaven forbid, you could actually move into the 21st century with i beam kits......... ?

So we’ve just been down this route. Initially we were going 100mm pir but after looking into it decided to go blown EPS beads. I increased cavity to 150mm (should be fine if you’ve standard width foundations). Ours is also exterior facing brick. Cost difference: 272 m2 of cavity insulation required : about £4900 plus the labour for the brickies to fit. Pumped insulation by outside specialist contractor - £4200 - with a 25 year guarantee. Means the build will go up quicker (brickies just focus on laying block and brick) and have a much greater chance of a fully, well insulated cavity. FYI the beads are water resistant and don’t transfer water across the cavity. Water that does get into the cavity naturally flows down the beads between the balls rather than across the cavity.

Our architect did the permeability tests and designed the soakaway to suit. However these calculations had to be signed off by an "expert" that had the right computer program. Ultimately the whole treatment system had to be approved by SEPA, including the soakaway and they insisted on a pumped system for the outflow to soakaway. Beware SEPA approval took an age.

That will be up to the Officer. If the Architect has 'winged it' with calculations, you should ask him to resolve it and within his fee. It is not just a matter of ticking it off, as it does have to work. It does need to be right as nobody wants overflow, especially from the treatment tank however clean it is supposed to be. On the matter of being an appropriate person, who knows?. I have the qualifications but am not registered in Scotland, and our Warrant application was responded to that we needed a registered SE for the structure. However my drainage proposal appears to have been accepted.....as they have no further questions. So yes post it here. Perhaps privately tell one or more correspondents of any concerns you have , as this page is public,

I am not sure if this does actually need a "qualified" person to sign it off, but the calculation method is in the technical handbook, so why don't you run the calculations using the percolation tests you have and see what you come up with. If your soakaway only just fits in the available space then no doubt BC are concerned you or your architect have massaged the figures to make it fit and are seeking confirmation that is not the case. Post your percolation results here and one of us will have a go and see what area you need.

Quite. And many of us are wincing with you at the memory of our own battles . You are in very good company. In relation to the contract: Talk. Face to face State the problem clearly, and briefly Be clear about your end in mind Document the arguments put, and outcome (or lack of) achieved Follow up on deliverables Document everything and start a time-line (for future reference) In relation to the kitchen Ours is de-mountable (IKEA's finest) A decent chippy will be able to repurpose almost anything thats already in situ. In relation to getting some sleep Exercise Post on BH for support. Here, you are in very good company indeed. Ian

Nudura have just done two in Stroud, 3 storey bottom storey walk out, all cut into a shale bank. talk to Icf supplies in Essex. steve Burgess they supplied it. I went there to watch a pour being done.

Sorry, i can't edit. I'm an old bugger, and computers were not invented when i went to school. Avoid Corian worktops. Utter shite. They dull, they scratch, and they are basically expensive shite.

I paid €800 to a guy who in hindsight did a half assed PHPP for me. After that I downloaded the manual and started playing with it. Most of it doesn't need filling out unless you are getting certification. It would easily save it's price (about £150 i think ) in optimising insulation. We ended up at 200mm EPS floor, 250mm EPS beads in the cavity walls and 400mm cellulose in the attic based on an hour spent checking where our € made the most difference with phpp. Jeremy's spreadsheet gives very similar results but doesn't calculate overheating which can be significant. If you just want to know you max heating load and you are planning on building thermal bridge free + airtight+ MVHR then a simple calculation will do. Just measure the outside of the house like PHPP not the internal. The internal heat gains from electrics etc cancel the MVHR losses and other sundries. (External Floor area * U value) + (total external wall area * U value) + (external roof area * u value) + ( Window area * U value) Add them all together and multiply by your maximum temp difference you'd expect on a cold day. (114m2 *0.16) + (232m2 * 0.13) + ( 114m2 * 0.09) + ( 30m2 * 1) = About 89 * ( 20 deg difference in the south of Ireland) = 1780 W total heating load. PHPP gives 1497W. Either way a 2000W heater will do ( and is doing) the trick! By the way we didn't bother with a stove due to dust and smoke inside as well as the trouble getting them beyond passive levels of airtightness.

Hence put it on thin to fill gaps and pin holes only. Broom in photo is the size I used for applying hithe parge coat. Mine is on Durisol blocks and you can see the blocks clearly.