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Folks, We are on our self-build journey, we selected timber frame then short listed 4 suppliers and in the end chose MBC. They erect our medium complexity house in 8 working days - very impressive. I think MBC's strength is their experience which shows in the detail / thought in the design office and the efficiency of their erection teams. Our site is constrained so working out the order to deliver materials, how things are stacked, the order that things are lifted by the crane is complex. The team didn't seem to make any mistakes and just kept working, rain or shine. [To confirm I'm just a paying customer and have no other association with MBC]

There is your answer. the conduit is probably crushed by a stone somewhere and sadly useless. For anyone reading, only use a much larger smooth sided rigid conduit. 50mm absolute minimum.

OK. One more turn at being reasonable. Respond to say their message has been received. That you believe you have dealt with all their issues but they have not responded to them. That If they have any new argument then you will be happy to receive it. Small claims judge is a proper judge. It is a small process but no less forbidding. The jusge will not look kindly on any new argument or evidence. It should all have been argued out already. They will look at each item in turn, not at the whole. Make sure you have easy- to-demonstrate proofs of every one of your points. The judge then adds up the sums and tells one of you to pay the other the difference, and who is to pay the court cost. The judge is perfectly happy to score 20 : nil. They don't get soft come item 20 unlike an adjudicator might. BUT if it gets remotely technical they will decide it needs expert reports and is not a small claims matter. Thus try to have a layman's argument plus a technical one. If any of your arguments are weak, compromise on them (only) pdq. Equally you must be ready to summarise your contra-costs. Don't put your papers up on here....they might be watching.

Get a quote. One thing electrical technicians hate doing is verification and sign off of others work.

A couple of pictures of my efforts on the upper floor so far. I have so many of these aiirtight box's to make, so so many.

I've got half a dozen books from when I designed and built my own house. I don't use them any longer, so if some or all are of any use to you I can send them to you. If you donate a tenner to BuildHub that would cover P&P. The titles are:- Building Your Own Home by David Snell The Green Building Bible 4th Edition Volumes 1 & 2 by Keith Hall The Green Self Build Book by Jon Broome The Energy Efficient Home by Patrick Waterfield The New Autonomous House by Brenda & Robert Vale

I'm assuming that the brickwork in this pic is the external skin and the blocks are the inside? If so then you've a 10mm+ gap between the insulation and internal skin... Cold air will circulate through this, negating a large portion of the insulation. I.e. it'll be cold. It's needs to be rectified.

Couldn’t find one to quote as we have overhead wires which prevent crane use. Besides, I’ve an impact driver. What could possibly go wrong?

In that case I would have expected them to build the inner leaf first and then set the insulation boards clipping them tight to the inner leaf. How exactly are they fitting them at the moment? In my view they should be foamed to the inner blockwork, to eachother, around the wall ties, the foam trimmed and then all joints and exposed edges taped with foil tape. I've never seen it done though.

As people correctly say: "Where are the pictures?"

MVHR is one of the best things I did, wouldn’t like to live in a house without one. Self installed for less than £2k.

Thanks. It was definitely flowing uphill! Got him to angle it and clip it correctly.

Yup. 100% solid. Are there joints underground? Or a single pipe run? This stuff is crazy hardy, so I’d be shocked if you’ve managed to damage to pipe. Are you testing wet or dry? Best to just connect it to the mains and let the leak show itself.

Hi all I stumbled on some articles on heat pumps and thought this would be a useful group to join, to hopefully get some direction as possibly add things I have learned along the way. We have been living in Rural France and have found it impossible to get reliable people to finish work, be it electrical, plumbing, building etc. Much of this is a language issue, but even for the locals, they have similar difficulties - so doing what I can, myself. It is turning out to be quite a learning curve, which can be quite daunting as well as rewarding. Anyway looking forward to the ride

You really want a gully trap. The amount of crap that comes off a roof is impressive. We've two at the front of the house that connect to 110mm pipes that just open in to the gravel backfill around the house. Having the gully and the grid means none of the leaves and sycamore seeds can get in and clog up the outlet.

Where is the trap situated to stop the smells coming up that pipe. if you are thinking of fitting a waterless trap behind that appliance then you need that to look at the diameter of it. I can see a way out of your problem, but I do agree with everyone, it’s a bit farmed up and the pipe should come up in the cupboard next to the appliance. will the back panel on this island be removable. I think you need to answer the bit about the trap first and the possibility of moving the appliance first before we start looking for a method of hacking that pipe into a better position.

I cant find this requirement in the definitive MCS document which is here. The BUS rules say that the system must be capable of providing 100% of the space heating requirements, but say nothing about rooms You might reasonably argue that the guidance (but not the actual requirement) of Part L of the building regs requires separate heating of each room so you might want to take a careful look at this (note that most of the document is guidance, the actual requirements are just a couple of paragraphs.) DHW is frequently heated to 48 with an ASHP If you heat rads to 41-45 then your flow temperature will have to be be 41-45 with mixing down for UFH, so you lose the efficiency advantages of UFH. You want a design where the space heating is one flow temperature only (with weather compensation obviously). The towel rail in my bathroom is hopelessly undercapacity according to the calcs (because it wasnt upgraded from the DT50 design). The bathroom is nice and warm from the adjacent hall and, when its in use, steam. I would go with those who say find another installer/designer.

As an aside 3G, Airtightness and MVHR were always going to be included for the comfort, noise, air quality and building health aspects. Payback was considered but it wasn't really ever up for discussion given the other benefits.

We are really pleased with our MBC house. The installation team did run over and it took almost 7 weeks in the end but it was quite a complex build.

Its nearly 20 years old, at the end of its serviceable life, are you not better off starting from scratch with a modern heat pump and redesigning the heating system as best you can.

Get digging, I'm afraid. We had the same issue with a electrical conduit. At least you spotted this before flooring! Another reason to install kitchen before flooring.

As a full time wheelchair user this kind of b******s really p****s me off. I came across the incredibly restrictive stuff in part M4(3) about kitchen design (worktops capable of being raised and lowered, no cupboards under a sink or hob etc.). This is rank 'ablesplaining' - able-bodied people deciding what disabled people need. Fortunately, our planning consultant and architect say we can ignore part M4(3) as we are not specifically designing a "Wheelchair User Dwelling" even though its going a be a dwelling occupied by a wheelchair user 🤔 On topic IANAE* on building regs obviously but I can't see anything in part M that says you cannot have a WC lid. I suspect it's an invention by low-lifes who think they can sell a few more shabby cut-price loos by calling them "Part M compliant". Rant over 🙂 (* I am. on the other hand, an expert on wheelchair use and I would always want a lid on a toilet.)

Is the garage flat roof or pitched? Could be space in the roof area for some kit. Also, general feeling on here and talking to architects seems to be that Planners don't care what happens after they've given approval (unless a neighbour complains) and BCOs don't care what the planners say, so...

I actually like tiling - but the planning to get the layout right takes bloody forever and no matter how well I plan it out I always end up with a stupid thin cut somewhere so I try to make sure it's where I'm never going to see it That one worked out really (expletive deleted)ing well for me!!!!

Sometimes that’s a good tactic . Here though , assuming they do actually start small claims court proceedings- let them do the donkey work and initial costs . They may come back with an offer rather than court . Google the company ; find any evidence of previous similar actions by them . Or hire a private investigator like I do 😊 @Tom has got enough to deal with already .

Don't fit UFH in this situation. Your overlay boards will not have anything like enough insulation to sit directly on an uninsulated floor. If you do proceed expect a lot of your heat to go down and very poor performance.

I had a feeling that would be the response 😆

This is a terrible idea. A terrible terrible terrible idea. Sliding sash windows are on my list of an awful way to build a house. I'll play with PHPP in the minute to give you some numbers on the importance of Airtightness.

😉

BC will not be bothered about the driveway, and will more than likely sign it off without the external being complete. Planning will only be bothered about getting your council tax, and you will have the opposite argument trying to convince them the house is not finished. Warranty will want to see final outside level gives at least 6 below damp course.

It was more a question about the OCD side of not getting it perfect, like having to use 2 pieces is a particular place rather than 1 large neat one because its just not possible to slide one large piece in. That kind of thing.

They take up to the part of zero space, so not seeing an issue. But do you really want your softener in an unheated and uninsulated space? If you have a utility put the softener on there? Cylinder same again, in an uninsulated space? Wouldn't be my first choice. Slimline cylinder is only about 450mm diameter. Can't you find space inside the house?

The only time we ever had PV panels come off was with a zinc standing seam roof. To be fair, the panels didn't come off the roof, the whole roof detached from the building and landed in a field about a quarter of a mile away. [Wish I'd seen it happen - the roof was about 4 football fields in size and it landed in one, (rather twisted) piece]. It seems that the roofers hadn't used the correct number of fixings per metre specified by the structural engineer to counter the PV uplift. In any contract, always ask for photos of the completion of any key stage to prove that instructions have been followed. And ensure that a structural engineer confirms the roof design. Don't rely on an architect for this aspect - they know next to nothing about how a building is put together.

Put all your "plant" stuff along the back wall of the garage, and I bet you will still fit 2 cars in there.

@mads We have venetian blinds - there is an advantage to these - between the autumn solstice and the spring solstice, they let the sunshine through and you get the solar gain but from the spring to autumn, the height of the sun means the blinds stop the solar gain. Ours is a timber frame build with wood cladding - photos at https://lhc.net/projects/ashcroft-creating-a-low-energy-family-home/. As you can see, we also have overhangs on the ground floor. Ours were from Hallmark blinds but I think they are manufactured in Poland or somewhere like that. There's another thread on here about them. As for the build, I don't see why you can't make room for these in any type of build. It's best to fit a cassette during the build, so that it is easy to then install the blinds. I'd also go for a wireless controller, rather than wired. Ours are all wired but they give me quite a headache when it comes to cleaning them on the first floor balcony. I need my other half to be around to open them once I'm done, otherwise I can't get back in off the balcony!! Also, when we were still in the design phase, I came across a system for the lintels across the top of the window that incorporated the cassette, so a good all in one solution. Can't remember the name of the supplier but I'm sure your favourite search engine can find them. If not give me a shout and I'll try to find the spec again.

You can get either a paper services search done or just enquire about electricity only from the dno. Check out the offerings from Cornerstone & Groundsure. You can also probably get a site visit for free from the dno and they should be able to tell you in person.And they’ll bring a cat scanner for underground cables which will be a degree of verification. A couple of gotchas - firstly the dno’s own maps are sometimes not great - they might be using scanned old drawings from an old file cabinet that nobody’s checked for 30 years. Secondly the existence of a power line doesn’t necessarily guarantee that the dno has extra capacity for you. Lastly, you’ll want a ball park figure for connection, probably before you buy the plot, unless there is a cable very close.

Sure, you can check many manufacturer's website: Uponor Thermatop M Look for Wavin Comfia CD-4, it is not yet released in the UK Rehau chilled ceiling Somehow these radiant cooling systems are not widely introduced to your Country, idk why. As far as I know, it is now widely used across europe, even in our almost-third-world county, compared to the UK or Germany. Interestingly, underfloor cooling is strongly not recommended in Hungary, because you may slip on wet floors if condensation occurs, cool floor is unhealthy to the feet, "warm air rises to the ceiling", etc. Btw, condensation is prevented by using RH metering thermostats. On simple systems, you can set a maximum RH level that shuts down the cooling in the room. With advanced bus-type controllers, you set the buffer tank flow temp to a low temperature ( e.g. 5-7°C), and use a motorized mixing valve to constantly adjust the flow temp to be above the dew point for the highest RH room. It maximizes cooling effect, preventing condensation, while acts as a further "buffer" when it uses up the 5°C water to mix it up to 16-18°C. Yes, it works. It has moderately high costs, but can provide the peculiar cool "church feeling", if done right. To better understand its problems: Combining radiant heating and cooling makes the system not ideal to either tasks. As many of you advised, UFH should be as open as possible, and use the heat pump's inbuilt circulator without any buffers. You basically heat the whole home, every room. This radiant cooling system always use some kind of room thermostat, and unless you have every ceiling full with these panels working all the time, you don't necessarily have the necessary flow rates to prevent short cycling. I planned to install these panels only in the Bedrooms, but it results in less than 9l/min flow all bedrooms engaged. A single room uses about 2-3l/min, so you either cool the whole house, or nothing. We are starting to be a Mediterranean country in terms of summer weather, but still, cooling is not used for more than 2 weeks at a time, and it can be switched off at night. Why am I bothering with all these unnecessary hassles? Because a very good, silent fancoil(Like the Innova Airleaf that Panasonic sells rebranded to their Aquarea lineup) costs more than these radiant panels for a given square meters of room. The fancoil costs as much as the panels, but you must buy overpriced modulating thermostats, specific comm. boards, drain pans, etc. Still, the small flow problem persists if you plan to cool 1-2 rooms at a time, and a buffer is needed. If anyone has any engineering data regarding radiant floor cooling, I could awfully thank if he/she could share with me.

Amen reverend. 🍻

Seems timely to replace with something with a suitable output.

It's down to the manufacturers installation instructions (MI's), recommendations and guidelines, eg is the moisture thing mentioned in respect of their longevity, and therefore may affect the warranty of the product if you 'stray' away from the MI's? What if the water gets in and then freezes etc?

Brief update on this one just so the thread and any other troubled onlookers are aware. I've now gone through and inspected the eaves detail for everywhere I can for this extension. Found some horrifying things and insulated it the best I can. Those steps being:- :- Remove all poorly seated wool covering wall plates. :- Seal all gaps between ceiling PIR and wall plate with wool / foam/ tape. :- Reinstate PIR insulation where there was none :- Form Wedge to force wall PIR to be uptight against block :- Seal all gaps between Wall PIR and block with wool / foam / tape. :- Reseat wool covering wall plate and all sealed areas. I'm very pleased to report that this has made a huge difference. I have not had chance to put my thermal cam back on, but you can feel it in the room. It's actually retaining heat through the day now, heating on in the morning for a few hours and you could still feel the residual heat in there by midnight. Perhaps i'd got used to having essentially balls-all insulation in there so im hypersensitive, but very promising so far. and that's without any form of curtain / blinds etc. All the glazing (of which there's lots) is still entirely bare. Not to say im going to stop there, I will be still removing all the roof to fully seal it and add more insulation. But atleast now my horrifying suspicion that I may need to add interior insulation in an already finished room... has been quelled. I'd REALLY hoped I wouldn't have to do that and it looks now that i wont have to, so im very glad for that atleast. Id rather spend the time and money on further improving the roof, glazing and adding exterior wall insulation to the walls if I need to. Anyhow, some more images of fixes for future ref for anyone.

It will all be nice and flat when 20 ton of screed lands on it

Bit of expanding foam to fill gaps.

We did just this with a tired old 1950s bungalow in 2015. It's almost certainly the right decision - far fewer compromises on both design and construction, plus you derisk the job considerably. You'll be amazed how quickly you pick things up. Good luck!

Hi Thats exactly what we did. Do you already have Planning Permision, or have you submitted plans? Good Luck.

Good morning and welcome, knock down and rebuild seems like a big drastic decision but you will thank yourself later on.

Hi we are in the process of exactly what you are talking about. We redesigned a Park 270E to our own specification. We used the northwest agent and can say mostly would recommend them. Particular staff very professional and helpful. The redesign was quite straight forward but has to be done within the parameters of a Dan Wood build. Be aware that standard options were not in keeping with a house of our size and we spent around another 60k particularly the electric upgrades, flooring and additional ensuite. We are just about to receive delivery 3 march happy to keep you posted this is the exciting stage!

I would recommend 215mm solid common concrete block wall. 8 hours fire resistant and sound testing always works good (better than a cavity wall. Because there is no vavity you will not need to consider insulation to avoid thermal by pass. You will have to provide some returns to buttress the wall and limit flanking sound. otherwise it would be too slender and unstable, particularly in the event of a fire next door when everything starts collapsing. Structural timbers should not be built into separating walls to for sound resistance. If you want a stud wall it will generally have to be double stud construction with mineral wool insulation and two layers of 12.5mm plasterboard to each side. this stud wall will also require buttressing to be stable. The separating wall needs to extend to roof level and be fire stopped over to underside of cladding

We used DW and were very impressed. Their site work ethic and attention to detail was excellent. They'll change one of their designs whilst we had own design and they adapted it to suit their system (that took a little time - we had to use their architect and pushed back on some changes they wanted to make). The one thing that attracted us was the speed on site, four days to weather tight and eight weeks to handover. We've been in for for about six months now and are very happy to have a warm, comfortable house. We used the Sheffield agent and found them helpful and experienced with the system.

I used Dr. Rod Williams at Williams Energy Design https://passivehouse-international.org/memberSearchDetails.php?member_id=2349 It was a great experience for me and helped make a number of design decisions. Really highlights where the money is best spent for maximum effect.