Susie

You can get external AAV https://www.floplast.co.uk/article/external-air-admittance-valves

Looks like you will definitely be moving in before us though. 😀

Ground workers collected their digger today and we have sown some grass seed just to cover the ground a bit. It is nice to see the finished levels, around the house. David has compacted some hardcore so we only have a small step to enter the house now. Our list for inside is still huge as you know.

Weeks 40 to 56 So it’s been a year now since we started the build and I’m happy with our progress but perhaps more importantly I’m still enjoying it. If you have followed the blog from the beginning you might have thought this was going to be a quick build as the shell went up quick but don’t worry work is continuing as we expected at our own slower pace, we have no definite finish date but it would be nice to be in for winter next year. The cladding is finally complete. David started the cladding at the end of March and I think it’s fair to say it took him a lot longer to complete than he expected, but like me he likes to get the details correct ie drip angles on bottom edges etc and neat finishing around the doors and windows. The photos show how the Thermo Pine has already started to fade. We are happy with the colour changes it is greying nicely and hopefully will blend in with our working barn after another summer. Above is a sample piece that has not been exposed to the weather and the other image shows the first signs of the greying colour change. This is our working barn the wood on here is a minimum of 20 years old more likely 40 years old. Inside I have completed most of the insulation above ceiling height, we have slopping ceilings in 2/3rds of the building that will be completed after the screed is done. The MVHR ducts are in the roof, I carefully insulated around them as they pass through the Rockwool layer and the Celotex, then the VCL layer which is Gerband SD control. Not the most expensive VCL but still a reasonable price for a control layer. Putting the VCL up on my own was tricky I used double sided tape to attach it to the Celotex initially pressing it on top, middle and bottom as I unrolled it for 12m. This held it in place surprisingly well leaving me ample time, (days as it often too hot to work in the loft) to tape it up properly with Gerband airtight tape. I finally took a break from the roof insulation and moved on to floor insulation which is a much nicer job on my knees. Back in June we had a Cornwall/Devon meet up of fellow build hubers. It was great to put a face to the user names. The weather had one quick shower just as some arrived but then cleared up so that we could all sit around eating pizza and chatting. The waste for the two wet rooms is completed ready for the screed. I’m now ready to lay the UFH separation layer for this I have chosen something a bit different https://www.laminon.co.uk/. The material is a bit like weed membrane which if any body has ever pegged down knows how those pegs don’t want to come back out easily. It also has a grid marked on it that might make it a job for me on my own, together with the decoiler and stapler I have borrowed, or David will help me. Like many on here I downloaded LoopCad, input all the data about my location and the build then designed the loops. For reference I used the Ashrae load calculation method, rooms that didn’t need UFH e.g. the pantry I input as already having a heat source. I have kept my results and all the print outs but in the end I have chosen Wunda because they are very competitive compared to me buying the manifold and pipe from an online UFH trade shop. They have saved on their costs because they can send the coils out in lengths more compatible with my circuits e.g. I have 5 circuits between 109m and 117m so they can send out 5 x 120m coils. No matter how I combine different circuits I always ended up with a lot of wastage pipe. They don’t use LoopCad to its full extent e.g. the whole house modelling for the load calculation but from what I discovered most UFH suppliers don’t either so I might need my LoocCad summaries for the flow rates as Wunda are not accounting for a well insulated and air tight building. They are for now not supplying the pump or any thermostats as our plan is to get the house fully insulated and the VCL layer completed on the at least most ceilings so we can monitor the room temps with a few data collecting thermometers. This will hopefully tell us how cold its going over winter without occupation, and so far its certainly feels warmer than our current house. We now have drains connected to the main sewer line and our soak away is installed. Next job will be the guttering. I had to take down my potting shed for the build but hopefully next year I can reassemble my potting shed in its new location which is the opposite side of the cow shed than it was previously, but my view is a lot nicer. I also finally finished the Gabion wall, I used all our own stone and rubble. Most of the stone was from the initial groundworks that we had moved down to the lower field. This meant that I took the lawnmower and the garden mini dumper down there, climbed the piles and picked out the best stone and brought it back up to the house. When I was nearly completed and I knew the groundworks team would be returning for our drainage connection and soakaway I decided to wait for them to hopefully unearth some more nice stone. They did but I had to work fast to use it before it was back in the ground around the house getting the levels correct. There is still a lot of stone in spot on the lower field but for now I don’t want to build any more Gabion walls. Of the trades people we have had on site so far the groundwork’s have been the best and I would be happy to recommend them. To the left of the photo is the old stables you can see how this wood is aged, hopefully our Thermo Pine will age similarly and blend in. The photo above was taken just after the Groundwork's finished for the day, you can see the mist has blown in and the cladding looks different again when wet. The following day and we can see how great a job the groundworkers have done, its hard to believe this is the same soil I have picked the stone for the Gabion walls from. They sorted the soil with the digger and buried the bigger stones leaving quite good soil on the top. They are returning next week with a bigger dumper truck to bring the soil back up from the lower field. They will then fill in the bit to the right of the photo and round the front.

We are waiting to see what it’s like over winter. we are XPS ICF, 200mm insulation in floor and 200mm in roof, triple glazed and a basic rectangular shape so should be very good airtight. We will have heated towel radiators in both bathrooms and wood stove in open plan kitchen, lounge. Add to that were in Cornwall and haven’t had a frost last year or seen snow for a few years now. The back up plan is the Willis system, leaving space and planning this. I designed it on loopcad first then I told Wunda what I wanted.

I have just had a good quote from Wunda. I made a list of what I would need and shopped around for prices buying the pipe and manifold etc rather than a package but found the lengths of pipe I needed just didn’t add up to easy lengths e.g lots of 120m runs and no 80m to add up to 200m or buy 300m but no 60m needed or 500m lengths. Wunda beat my price because they can just cut what I need and send 120m for example. They have also agreed to supply the manifold without the pump for now and we can buy that later.

I have used Newton Hydrobond Self Adhesive membrane on my ICF build. https://www.newtonwaterproofing.co.uk/products-systems/products/external-waterproofing-and-drainage-membranes/post-applied-self-adhesive-waterproofing-membrane/ I did about 50cm of the lower wall, over the join of the footings and below ground. This was because of different ground levels and having 2 level entry thresholds. One wall is rendered and they rendered over the top of it ok.

My BC and architect has also said the door should open outwards as in the green UK documents WC facilities 1.17 d (shown above) mentions opening outwards. The red document you are quoting I think is the from Technical Booklet R NI Section 10 Sanitary Convenience in a dwelling which does seem to allow opening inwards. Does the OP build fall in the NI guidance rather than UK? I am based in the Uk and would love my door to open inwards if possible so guidance documentation I can show my BC would be wonderful.

This became the final straw for us with our builder he quoted for the roof but omitted the cost of the facias, soffits and barge boards, which also were not in the cost for the walls etc. when quizzed on his reasoning for not including them it became apparent that the facias and barge boards are before the roof is slated. We waved goodbye to the builder at this point and the roofer who also had a chippy took over and fitted the the facias and barge boards. the roofer fitted the Velux and the eaves vents. We fitted the soffits our selves after the roofer but note we are a bungalow, we just felt happier ensuring the roof insulation and insect mesh was spot on and our exterior wooden cladding could run up into the inside of the soffit and facia area.

My two cameras are continuously recording on 512gb card then over recording I can get 3-4 weeks on the card but it also records snap shots of events that trigger the camera so if I get a lot of snapshots then I might only get 2 weeks of continuous recording before it start over recording on the loop. it’s all easy to access on the app but you would have to down load the recording or probably swap out two cards to give you more time to copy the recording if your busy on the build. the cameras are good security they track movement of possible humans and cars and in my case although it didn’t track it did record a bat flying around. and a blue tit and woodpecker who came right in front of the camera to investigate the new wood cladding.

I’m happy with my TAPO cameras but have Wi-Fi , as you said there are solar ones and if you have power this one 4G LTE/PoE Outdoor Pan Tilt Cam, 1080P, Tapo C501GW

Going to the store is much simpler for you than me, 20 miles round trip and they only have the rubber bung and can’t get the SP22 any more. I have sourced some white SP22, colour doesn’t matter once in ground who knows but obviously most people prefer black hence why only white is available.

Hi I’m back on this again and have a question about the boss adapters to use in the 3 way soil. There seems to be an image mismatch on the SF website I think floplast sp22 solvent weld is unavailable now and the alternative is a rubber bung but SF website and many others are showing both images incorrectly ie ABS version and rubber. is the rubber bung ok or would it be better to use a coupler instead and solvent weld. Still ok for me to play with the entry to 3 way soil not drilled out the blanks yet.

You are doing great. 🙂 You are much more hands on self build than me. I basically started once the walls and roof were up. I wouldn’t be out of the ground if I had done the groundworks.

The blog is on buildhub

@Nickfromwales is that boss going at existing pipe? Perhaps should have said pipe is female coming out of slab with male just resting there for now. in which case is this what I get. I have the Impey linear 4 just arrived today and toilet and sink arriving Monday. Just so I can play around to get things dry fit, probably take me a month just to do the insulation in all rooms so plenty of time. Then box out all areas pipe will be and fit after the screed. thanks just noticed the <1300mm comment the shower waste to existing pipe is more like 2000mm.

@BotusBuild so just checking I understand a swept T at existing then 110mm across to basin area then the shower, basin and plant room in 50mm to the 110mm But not the other way around all in 50mm coming together at the existing 110mm can you explain why? Thanks

I have 180mm insulation to go down and 55mm of screed minimum so I have worked out the 1:40 slope will get to the drain in the insulation layer but not sure about the coupler that I need.

The waste pipe is where the toilet will be. I was going to use 50mm pipe for the connections.

I’m planning in advance of the floor insulation and screed how I’m going to connect my shower waste and sink waste into the soil pipe. The shower is marked out bottom right of image and will connect diagonally across room to the soil waste pipe. The wall hung basin marked out with its waste either going across room also or through stud wall into the plant room where a washing machine will be and it can join the waste from the washing machine following perimeter of walls back into bathroom and to soil waste pipe. My options are then 2 or 3 connections into the waste pipe. I found this whilst searching for waste couplers anybody any thoughts on this or alternatives.

I’m in the same position I have a Macbook 2011 version with a partition running Window 7 and luckily loop cad has installed ok despite the age of everything. it does seem that loop cad is the most used software for UFH. The tutorials are good as well.

Just trying to clarify. The neighbouring property that joins at your chamber they didn’t have a connection to the sewer previously so it’s all the pipe run from your neighbour to chamber and through the car park is all new. sounds like an easement was required but as the neighbouring property also joined the sewer at the same time maybe they have the details as they needed an easement over your land as well as the pub land. when you applied for the connection you probably sent a lot of emails and was given a reference for the water board they will be able to find the details you submitted try giving them a ring. My water board tracked my initial contact by the reference even though 2 years later were still not connected. When you connected it automatically became a private sewer initially but you can pay for the water board to take over ownership that could be worth looking into they will probably check for easements. Did the water board visit to check the connection to the sewer or was it all done by photos, don’t know if it will make a difference but the photos might date the connection and help with paperwork trails.

Your welcome another time, DM me when you’re free.

Update on costs so far B/f from previous blogs £212983 I added the windows in twice when paid for and in the window blog, -£20869 B/f should have been £192114 Solar internals final fix £4217 Render £3090 Consumables, insulation, electrical and alarm £3450 Total cost to date £202871