Dreadnaught

Welcome. @Nickfromwales comes from down the coast in Wales.

"Amtico Premier partner" - oh dear! Concerning. I am planing to have Amtico LVT and thought "Amtico Premier partner" meant an easy life. I wonder if Method Statements exist from Amtico than be can inspected and quoted.

Have a heat pump but no PV or battery. Octopus Agile since 1 April 2026. Average unit rate consumed: 13.9 p/kWh. (I schedule the heat pump to be off in peak periods.)

I have been very happy with this one …

I have a thick concrete raft foundation with wet UFH. I am choosing stick-down LVT for mine, atop 3mm smoothing compound. This is my preference of thermal performance, comfort, cost and aesthetics. Plank design everywhere (with borders and thresholds; living room and corridor in running plank; bedrooms in herring bone) except for marble tile design in bathrooms with grout lines (LVT). All to be laid professionally after painting the ceilings but before everything else (including skirtings and decorating). Ai was very helpful for me in thinking through all the design details.

Affixed my ceiling boards to resilient bar across the joists obviating the need for lots of noggins with added acoustic performance as a bonus (bungalow). Resilient bar is cheap. @Nickfromwales provided the suggestion.

I have the same issue. Will have an attractive landing and steps – and a meandering path for weeding the flower beds to one side that doubles as the access ramp. I am required to meet Part M(2) so the landing needs to be 1.2m x 1.2m.

I have used "3CSharedServices" for the building control for my (solo) self build in Cambridge city. I am currently at first fix and the next inspection is for completion (still some distance ahead). I have been happy with them all the way through. Happy to provide more information if you like. Dreadnaught

Welcome! I am self building (solo) relatively nearby in Cambridge city (at first fix). Be in contact if I may be of any help. Dreadnaught

ChatGPT/Claude/whatever can turn it in to a legal agreement and make suggestions for changes. Those models can now pass the law exams in the top 10%.

Reminder Identify the prevailing wind direction for your location (probably Westerly) Intake should be up-wind of exhaust And on the same wall to ensure even wind pressure.

I am installing 5A lighting sockets in the living room and a bedroom of my new build. I intend to use plenty of "smart" lighting. But I want everything "smart" to be fully removable for a future buyer (or renter) so am designing & building the house with a good non-smart lighting system first. (At switches, I am installing the deepest back boxes anticipating future "smart" things.)

Another one here. Three bedrooms have openers. Only opened for window cleaning (tilt & turn). Two bathrooms. No windows, only large (non-opening) rooflights. All fine.

New build. Had gas available. Chose ASHP because (i) fuel bills are lower; (ii) low-and-steady gives a nicer sense of warmth; (ii) cooling in summer; and (iii) and especially because it gives a whisper quiet home as the main noise-generating part is located outside.

Readings for my Vigor W325 MVHR unit just now … From outside: 8.9º To outside: 11.4º To dwelling: 20.8º Internal temperature is 21.5º.

AI "The revenue from the Crown Estate goes to the UK government's Treasury, also known as the Exchequer, not to the Monarch personally. Each year, the Monarch surrenders the entire net revenue profit in exchange for the Sovereign Grant, which is provided by the government to fund official duties and the upkeep of occupied royal palaces."

I might suggest you need a bit of airtightness tape but other than that it looks ready to me Lovely location!

"petrol station toilet ones" Those are the one's I'm having, on the basis of ↓ I noticed that many of the nicer looking ones don't allow for flow control at the valve (unlike the "petrol station toilet ones", which do). May not be an issue but worth considering.

It's a good question and I don't know the answer. Just to mention there is an Arotherm-Plus setting that could be helpful. A setting which caps compressor speed by an amount and during a time-period set by the user. And I have used this setting to cap the compressor speed during the morning period, when CoP is less favourable. The setting is in the heat-pump controller (not the VRC720): Installer Level > Configuration > "Compr. noise reduct." Range: 40 to 60%; default 40%. The cap is 100% minus the setting value, so, for example, a value of 40% caps the compressor rate at 60%. Once the cap is set, the time period of its application is defined in the VRC720. Obviously the purpose of the setting is limit noise but it can be just as well used to cap the compressor speed for reasons of efficiency.

Late to the game and after the boss has spoken… 😄 "B" here too. Got it down to a fine art now. A few tips… RB1, even not from BG, is a standard width. But I did notice some companies selling narrower resilient bar, which I avoid. I mount the RB1 such that the first board going up is on the lefthand side as in your "B" image. This minimises the risk of the RB1 pushing away as you fix. On that first board going up, the screws can be close to the board edge, risking cracking. To avoid this, I pilot drill those holes as I go (pilot drill in one hand, driver in the other). Got it down to a fine art now.

Welcome to the forum. I am self building in Cambridge, currently at first fix.

Same here - as another data point.

Wait until early-ish 2026 and Ikea (and probably quite a few others) are releasing a large range of devices using "Matter Over Thread" across many categories. They should prove cheap and reliable – as is typical for Ikea.

Fortunately my house isn't very dusty and haven't found it a problem - except perhaps when plastering - and I just turn the system off then (and open the windows). I have been monitoring the filter-from-the-dwelling.

As with @MikeSharp01, for my self-build I have a Ubbink Vigor W325 (same as the Brink Flair 325) with Ubbink ducting for a total cost of about £3.5k all in. I installed all the ducting and the unit myself, solo. I'm at first fix but the MVHR has been running since May 2024. Wouldn't be without it. One of the best parts of my build. And MVHR will be top of my wish list for my next self-build.