benben5555

Hi clever people, We are finishing the design of our self build house and about to submit planning. We have deposited a building notice with the local authority so we will be working to the existing Part L rather than the 2022 version. Can anyone provide a 'nutshell' summary of the SAP and air tightness process. Do we send the drawings to a SAP assessor and they give us a yes or no answer? What then about air tightness (we are using timber frame), once the build is complete do we just arrange for the test and again it is a yes or no? Are there any other parts to this process I'm missing? Our design utilises 140mm mineral wool batts in the wall frame and 50mm PIR internally, 450mm mineral wool in the loft and 100mm PIR in the floor. ASHP, 26% of the elevations are glazing. Thanks

Hi, I need to turn off the water at the external stop tap. I've opened the cover and the meter is visible, but there is no stop tap. Does anyone know how to isolate the water in a boundary box like this? I'm sure there is a simple answer but I couldn't work it out!

This is probably a simple question, but what are the basic elements that a invoice MUST have on it to be eligible? Looking at various invoices received they seem to vary significantly. The following spring to mind but which ones are required? My name The site address Supplier VAT number VAT amount (shown separately) Thanks

How can I easily work out what our power requirement will be. We will have a 14kw ASHP, 300l water tank, induction hob, double oven, one electric shower (others off the main system), probably a car charger in the future

We asked for 55kva based on nothing except that was the maximum we could have without special metering (or something like that). We already have 15kva to the existing house but with an ASHP and car charges seemed sensible to ask for more. Demolition and rebuild. 380m2.

Was that the full cost or your share of the cost? And did that also include your new connection? The cable runs across our land so the new connection is only around £1,500. The transformer upgrade is the unknown part.

Hi, Does anyone know the cost of a 200kva transformer upgrade? We've been told we will need to pay 20% of the cost of the upgrade. Its pole mounted and they are going to give us a quote, but not for 6 weeks. Anyone had a similar experience? It's Western power. Thanks

Hi, We have bought our plot but are having a delay in submitting our planning. In the mean time we want to put up a new fence. If we buy the materials prior to receiving planning permission can we claim back the VAT at the end of the project or would it be rejected based on it being purchased prior to planning. Thanks

Probably about £8-10k. That's a lot of money to me. And not really messing around, if its a feasible solution I will sleep soundly on a mattress stuffed with the £10k I've saved.

Yes, moderate clay

Hi folks. We had a lot of trees on our site, which have now been removed. Based on the trees that were there the main house requires piled foundations (there was a large hawthorn tree & a lot of conifers). To the other side of the house there is a link corridor and an attached garage with room above. Due to its position away from the trees this would only need a strip footing of 1.3m deep. I've been told that it is not 'acceptable' to have part of the property piled and part on a trench fill foundation. Does anyone know if this is accurate? I don't think there would be an issue with differential movement and I would think a joint between the two could be introduced between the two if necessary. Any thoughts and opinions welcome.

I feel that if I keep paying council tax on the original house and forego the saving I would get while it is demolished I may just get away with it. How would they know

What triggered them to complete the banding? If there was no sale at what point did they contact you and say we want to come round and value your new house?

There is no need to appeal, the properties value will sit in band g. To reiterate, I'm trying to establish when the VOA can reband a property. I know they assign a new band to a completely new house i.e. like on a new estate where no house existed before. They also can reband a house when it is sold. But they do not reband houses that have been extended. So you could turn a 2 bed detached in band b into a 5 bed detached in band f but it wouldn't be rebanded until it was next sold. I can't establish where a replacement dwelling fits in. There is already a band established for that property so they don't need to assign one but that property will be demolished and rebuilt. Will this be similar to the extension situation? There will be no sale so that won't trigger a rebanding. Someone with experience of this precise situation is needed and it would be much appreciated.

Hi, thanks for that information but the project hasn't started yet, I'm just trying to establish if rebranding is possible in this situation.

Hi, has anyone got any experience of council tax rebanding following a demolition and rebuild project? Current house is band c and the new house would be band g. Can the band be changed for any reason following completion of the new house? My research says there must be a sale for the band to change but given this is a complete new house is it treated as a new dwelling and rebanded for any reason. I'd also like to get the council tax stopped once the original house is demolished but don't want to shoot myself in the foot by triggering a rebranding. Thanks

Traditionally radiators were often positioned under a window. With a view on maximum heat retention in a well insulated house is this the best approach? My simple logic says to site the radiator away from the window so as to not lose heat as soon as it is produced. Has anyone got any thoughts or experience on this? Thanks!

Funnily enough one of the timber frame companies I got a quote from before phoned me today and when I dug a bit deeper into the quote they actually supply the panels open and supply superglass or frametherm loose for fitting after erection along with 50mm pir for the cavity. Which seems a sensible approach.

Thanks for the information. It's useful to have knowledgable people to speak to! Firstly, I have no idea what 'heat protection' is! Secondly, what would you suggest is better than PIR? Mineral wool as shown on your detail? Is there not an issue with 'slump' with mineral wool when used vertically as it is not self supporting? Also I'm not questioning what you have shown there in that detail but why does the vapour barrier go between the insulation layers, and not between the plasterboard and the first layer of insulation? And in terms of the service cavity what is electrical cable clipped to? I'm guessing it needs to be run against the plasterboard to avoid overheating?

Would this be the correct detail? Funny thing is according to the Celotex website 120mm between the studs only gives a U-Value of 0.25. But add another 25mm internally and it jumps to 0.16.

Hi, I've had quotes from several timber frame companies for our new build house. They all (more or less) offer a standard package of 120mm PIR insulation between the studs. From the research I've done this does not seem like it will be sufficient to reach even the minimum requirements for Part L. What is the most common and cheapest arrangement here? Is it to line the inside face of the wall with a subsequent layer of insulation? This will then surely make it difficult to have a service void or to be able to fix things to the wall in the future? We are planning part brick and part timber cladding. I'm designing the building myself so we don't have an architect to ask. Thanks

Can I take his details anyway as from your photo I think his work looks OK. I've seen a lot worse on bricklayers websites where they are advertising their own work!

Perfect, I was thinking along the same lines. What is the name of your bricklayer? I'm not far from you, near Grantham and am looking for someone.

Nice one. Just out of interest, what mortar mix did you use and how did you finish the joints. I like the finish in your photo.

That was my first thought, but given this is the base of the wall and fundamental to the stability and integrity of the wall is this really how it is done?