Dreadnaught

I am following this with interest. My request for discharge was submitted on 20 April. After a month, I haven't even received a notice of validation of my submission. And I was given information suggesting that validation alone may take another month.

Welcome aboard,Terry/ @Hilldes. I am using screwpiles in my forthcoming build for the same reasons that you are considering them. Mine is timber frame (not SIP). I intend to follow the same project management approach as you. My build is in Cambridge.

I agree with ProDave. I wonder out of general interest, does your plant room have underfloor heating pipes embedded in the floor? Does it have an MVHR extract (I can see the MVHR unit itself)?

I have a similar planning condition (Cambridge England): No construction work or demolition work shall be carried out or plant operated other than between the following hours: 0800 hours and 1800 hours on Monday to Friday, 0800 hours and 1300 hours on Saturday and at no time on Sundays, Bank or Public Holidays. Reason: To protect the amenity of the adjoining properties.

Thanks @arg. Fingers crossed. And in your case, if they let the decision deadline pass without you agreeing to extend, you might be able to reclaim your application fee. I did.

Hi folks, a question for those of you who have a timber I-beam dwelling. Where an internal stud wall abuts an external I-beam wall sheathed with 12.5mm smartply, does the external wall require reinforcement with a noggin of some sort to take the fixings from the stud wall? Or is the smartply sufficient on its own to take the fixings? (The I-beams in the external wall are at 600 centres.)

I'm going for the Protect TF200 but without the foil layer for my upcoming build. Its what MBC use on their double-stud builds. I am avoiding the foil as I have a concern it will block mobile and wifi signals inside the house unnecessarily and doesn't contribute much if anything to the U-value. Not sure if my concern is warranted.

@harry_angel, are you in a Conservation Area or is the house listed in any way?

I wonder if the concern about a y-junction connecting plenums for two rooms is the risk of cross noise transmission from room-to-room. And secondarily I wonder if it could make balancing the system more difficult if those two rooms were of markedly different size.

Just to close this thread: I have just found this document (below) which describes the Permitted Development classes from A to H. It turns out that in may planning permission letter I have only had removed Class A and part of Class B. Therefore I still have my permitted development rights for an ASHP. Good news! Thanks @joth for correcting me. I am still tempted to add an ASHP to any non-material amendment I choose to submit so that I can get cooling as well as heating, but that's a separate matter. The document, Permitted development rights for householders, Technical Guidance: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/830643/190910_Tech_Guide_for_publishing.pdf

Thanks @Russell griffiths, I really appreciate your advice! I must come and see your build again once house-confinement ends.

Thanks @Russell griffiths. Yes, having the meter some 40m from my plot did seem a bit odd, but the water company doesn't seem mind so I guess its OK. Do you think I can proceed as I described, with the pipe capped pipe buried on the road end, or should the pipe be left protruding above ground? At the plot end, I presume I would just leave a coiled pipe of 20m+ above ground until I get the clearance from the council to start work on site and can dig trenches across the plot.

@Russell griffiths, thanks again. Yes I have my quote from Anglian Water. Here it is (excluding the infrastructure costs). As they say, its for "approximately 3m x 20mm nbPE (25mm OD) with a 15mm meter connecting on a 5" CI" main pipe. The access-road surface: yes, a concrete surface (opened once already this year for my electric connection by UKPN). I have in mind to use a local digger and driver from a small family-owned groundworks company, with a breaker attachment for his digger. I am hoping he will charge me on a day-rate basis for the work. Here's the "GIS", whatever that is, from Anglian Water. It looks like a map for the work to me. I am proposing to do the black dotted-line section, the bit that says "to be laid by customer" now, before getting Cambridge Water to do their bit in the proper road later, the actual connection.

Thanks chaps. Super! 32mm is is then, not 63mm. No, no sprinklers @Mr Punter just a supply for a normal bungalow. Good idea @Stones (like the new avatar by the way!). @Russell griffiths thanks, appreciated! I was assuming that the blue 32mm MDPE pipe would left capped and buried under ground ready to be rediscovered when Cambridge Water do their excavation and connection to the mains. But to be honest I am just making it up as I go along. Don't really know what I'm doing and certainly never done anything like this before!

By the way, I am looking at sourcing 100m of pipe. Online provider says they are still delivering with a 2-day lead time. Amazed at the price difference between 32mm and 63mm. £90 vs £350 for 100m. Worth upgrading to 63mm with that price difference?

Just reading my Cambridge Water docs that they sent with the water-supply connection quote. Seems that I do need them to inspect the water pipe before closing the trench. I wonder if they are doing inspections in these strange times. I will ask them. As @Temp suggests, maybe loads of photos will do just as well.

Was that building control who said that? Or the local council planning dept for the planning conditions?

Good point. I got the formal drain-connection approval yesterday from Anglian Water. And then they called me with the usual customer-satisfaction call so I took the opportunity to quiz the guy. He said they are working on five-days notice at the moment. I think I might try and get the water pipe put in. That's disruptive for everyone else using the access road and, I assume, does not need any inspections or permissions. I am in contact with a digger driver who may be willing to do the work. If only I can buy 100 metres of 32mm water pipe with all the builders merchants being closed. (I have the water connection quote from Cambridge Water but that is not in the access road, it is down in the public road, and which I assume can be connected later).

Thanks @nod. Could I work offsite in my access road?

Scratching my head about what to get on with now that the World has stopped. My timber frame and foundations are being designed as I write. All well there. The council, slow even before Covid-19, has basically now stopped altogether so my submission for discharging-of-planning-conditions has not even been validated after a week. And I don't have permission to start anything as some of the conditions were prior-to-commencement-style conditions. What about digging the service trenches in the access road? It is an ideal time with no traffic. It is a 40-metre water pipe. And two sewer connections (storm and foul). Can I at least get on with those? By the way, is trenching in the access road any concern of building control? The access road is not my property and is not an adopted road. Its not owned by anyone. (I have not appointed building control as yet as I haven't got my building regs drawings.)

Following with interest as I am thinking of a similar long run. Pre-insulated pipes?

Welcome @Balraj Appadu. I am building in Cambridge. You can't throw a stone without hitting an architect in Cambridge it seems. Loads of them to choose from, although they tend to be at the top end price-wise. It depends if your after full service and expensive (£75+VAT per hour and upwards), in which case you have lots to meet and review. I am sorry to say I haven't come across an independent AT in Cambridge. For my build, my architect lives in Wales. For SE, sadly I can only tell you which engineering firm not to use (the one I used for my drainage calculations). In my experience, an SE will generally come with the architect or AT you choose. They usually have their favoured ones to use. And SE's don't need to be local as they don't visit the site but instead work from drawings (again from my experience). If you can describe what service you're after and the type of project, I might be able to give you a few ideas to start you off.

Marching as quickly as I can toward starting. Planning permission received last November. Just submitted docs to discharge the planning conditions. That submission times-out mid May. It will be interesting to see how quickly the planning department responds. I offered the LPA Tree Officer to have a Covid-19-suitable conference call rather than the site visit specified by the planning condition.

That's helpful, thanks @joth. I had assumed all my PD rights were removed but now I see that is probably not the case. Thank you!

Any other ideas on my three questions would be welcome.