Dreadnaught

Ah yes. Fair comment. I have been lamentably lax with my blog posts. Should get back to them. Foundations are done. Timber frame is up, roof is going on. Windows are on site and I am just about to install them. Roof windows too. Hope I will be superficially weathertight (without external cladding) within a a month.

It took my hours of reading (and learning) about screws before I settled on which to use to install my windows (DIY-max install of six big-ish IdealCombi windows).

From your photo, it looks like the one's nearer the ground are suffering more. Is that so? Is it restricted to one region or set of planks or are they all showing symptoms? Are you just unlucky in that you received a bad batch of planks from the production line?

I am generally a fan of buying direct from manufacturers where I can. I tried with Celotex and got nowhere. In the end I used a local insulation firm after comparing prices. I bought a flat-bed lorry full at Christmas for my foundations. I was pleased with the price.

Be aware that back-to-back holes for faceplates might compromise sound proofing.

I had my planning fee refunded. I was asked to approve an extension just prior to the decision being made and after being told what that decision would be (a "yes"). I obviously politely declined the extension request, waited for the decision, and then sent a request for the refund. Out of politeness, I told my planning officer, with whom I had good relations, that I was going to do all of this in advance.

Welcome @bungledlow. I am building in Cambridge. Let me know if I can help in any way. Good luck with your build.

I have corresponded with Thomas on this and he said the following: He ordered through the DE site (the German version of the site as the English version did not work very well). They automatically refunded the German VAT once the consignment shipped (less a small arrangement fee). He then received a message from the courier to the UK VAT and duty. He said the duty on 13 rolls of Vana was about £10. He said it was still a lot cheaper than buying in UK. Hope that's helpful. And thanks to Thomas for sharing his experiences.

(Note that Signify, above, owns Philips Hue). (Both Google and Apple are already selling Matter-based products).

Members of Matter (and many others): Members of Thread (and many others):

A roofing supplier like Bauder would happily give you an opinion. They designed the detail of my flat roof with lots of roof windows. Contact your local area representative.

If you can, wait a year for "Matter" to become widespread standard for home automation. It uses Thread as a communication protocol for lighting, which is superior Z-wave/Zigbee, etc., and I think will be widely adopted. With Matter, you can use Google, Apple, whatever ecosystem you like. It is what I am going to use for my build, inside and out. And I have stopped buying any other home-automation kit for now (despite my natural instincts) while await the Matter roll out. Future proof. The Matter standard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matter_(standard), https://buildwithmatter.com, https://csa-iot.org The Thread protocol: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thread_(network_protocol), https://www.threadgroup.org

My soil survey was done by a company Peterborough. Let me know if you'd like their details.

I'd like it please.

Earlier this year I used a specialist contractor from Suffolk for my reinforced concrete raft foundation if that's any help. Message me if you'd like the details.

I thought this was spot on: – Person 1: Why do we build houses like this? [Picture below] Person 2: Can’t resist taking a shot to see if I can do it in 5 tweets or fewer (as follows) … Tweet 1 1066 - William I establishes a system of land ownership that gives incredible political & economic power to landowners, giving land incredible ? value. Tweet 2 1948-1961- We regulate development but still end up allowing landowners to capture most increases in land value, even though that land value is created by everyone. Tweet 3 1970s-2000s This creates a biz model: 1. buy up potential development land. 2. wait / negotiate for LAs to award planning permission. 3. capture the sudden ⬆️ in land value by ? cheapest (facsimiles of) homes & n’hoods you are allowed to, then sell to the mortgage industry. Tweet 4 2000- Successive policies put ever-increasing pressure on LPAs to award planning permission, compromising on quality in order to prioritise quantity. Meanwhile the land value capture industry is also heavily subsidised because Gov believes we rely on it. Tweet 5 2020s Side-effect: we all end up living in the financial assets left behind by this industry. Even though they were never really designed to be successful places to live (I.e good social, economic or environmental infrastructure). That wasn’t their purpose. – From here:

That's what I found too with IdealCombi, so I am going to install myself (with a bit of friendly help) and use the Illbruck system. I only have six windows.

Yes, I have seen the same with my timber frame. My foundation raft is complete and so the site is in a stable state to sit and wait. I have told my timber frame company to only buy materials at sensible prices and that I will be willing to wait. Who knows how long I will have to wait.

I considered Olof at ADF (great service from him) but ended up using East-Anglian firms for (i) supply, (ii) engineering, and (iii) installation of my 26x screw piles (3x companies who regularly work together). One of the easiest parts of my build so far. Happy to provide an intro if of interest.

If anyone is interested in MF partition walls, flipping through the GypWall White Book may well open your eyes. I like that you can choose a wall build-up based, for example, on sound absorbency vs thickness. https://www.british-gypsum.com/literature/white-book/partitions Of course you don't need to buy the components from British Gypsum. They are standard and commoditised.

This is 60/72 but you get the idea…

My costs (125 m² insulated raft): Groundworks: £15,100 Utilities connections off site: £10,000 Screw piles (x26): £12,500 including design, supply & installation. Insulated raft foundation: £35,000.

They only one I read is Passive House+ magazine: https://passivehouseplus.co.uk. When they review a house, they give a list at the end of all the suppliers, which is useful.

The Passivhaus Handbook by Jae Cotterell. I read it cover-to-over and found it very useful.

On the subject of SVPs, there needs to be adequate provision for ventilation of the foul drain among you and your neighbours. That does not mean every house needs an SVP. I looked at my neighbours and spotted other SVPs so told BC that I didn't need one. BC accepted it. I will just have AAVs.