Dreadnaught

It is a comprehensive list (from which I stole a few ideas, thank you). One thing I thought was missing was a sense for how long you intend to live in it, which dictates the balance between a design highly tailored for yourselves and one designed for a generalised buyer. I also felt that because of its level of detail, a sense of prioritisation was somewhat lost. Optional or even whimsical ideas were blended amongst requirements. Love the idea of the pipe organ!

One adjacent thought: on the couple of examples of a slab pour with UFH which I have seen, the area where the tails emerged was boxed and filled with sand rather than concreted from the start. I think that this makes it easier to manipulate the tails later on. Others may be able to add more detail. Is that relevant for you?

In my current ongoing experience of my planning application, neighbours wait until the end or even beyond the end of the consultation period. And comments received by the LPA after the deadline are still considered in the normal way. Its not a hard cut off.

Perhaps this one, https://cvcdirect.myshopify.com/products/conus-airvalve-125mm-1, from Jeremy here:

I bet the on-shore Naval radar on the hill north of Portsmouth (Sampson?) does a good job for its section of coast. What's the range of something like that?

Way off topic: can't the Ikea Tradfri items connect to the Philips Hue hub?

Previous discussions (I take notes): https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/topic/5187-shower-heat-recovery/ https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/topic/10061-working-out-a-scheme-for-dhw/?do=findComment&comment=171407 https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/topic/11509-recirculating-shower-system/?do=findComment&comment=193785

Price example … €440 from Austria inc. VAT. Haven't found a UK supplier. https://www.rabmer.at/en/shop/produkt/zypho-izi-the-innovative-recovery-of-shower-heat/

I wonder why none of those trenching guides show drain pipes (either waste or storm water) in the shared trench. Can they go in the same trench?

Beginners question as I prepare for my build, if I may: what are the uses of water during the phases of the build? Which trades really need it? I assume that usage for tea/coffee is only a tiny part. In my case, I have a water supply under the road outside the plot but I haven't thought about when to connect it or whether to have a stand pipe.

To add to the avalanche of (well-meaning) concerns about overheating, I read somewhere (was it the Passive House handbook?) that the lower part of a floor-to-ceiling window contributes very little in terms of view-out or light-levels inside… but adds greatly in terms of heat ingress and overheating in general. For my forthcoming build I decided that my large windows would be from waist-height upwards. The design aesthetic still works (I think) with contrasting exterior cladding for the section beneath the windows that would have been glass if I had stuck with floor--to-ceiling glazing. My other concerns about floor-to-ceiling glazing is that: (i) it puts on-show the clutter of daily living; and (ii) prohibits furniture under the window.

Good idea for full-sized one. In a previous flat, I had a mini counter-top dishwasher on the draining board next to the sink. Worked really well. Talking of which, how about a counter-top dishwasher for pans instead of two full-sized dishwashwers? Perhaps located in a utility room or built-in somewhere? (By the way, I picked up that counter-top dishwasher for peanuts on eBay.)

The circumstances where I saw this was in a large household with a maid. The maid would be the only person to run the dishwashers and having two prevented crockery piling-up on the surfaces or in the sink, especially at weekends. I imagine one would need copious crockery.

It is an interesting point to raise. My personal view is that the caveats usually emerge from other contributors in a thread on this forum. The diversity of viewpoints, and the general willingness to let diverse opinions stand, is one of the strengths of BH. Moreover few people would be led by any single individual, even someone as accomplished as Jeremy. Moreover, supporting @Bitpipe's point, even giving-a-go to something complicated like a SAP calculation, even if that effort is then aborted, would, in my opinion, lead to some valuable learning. And, in my view as a forthcoming first-time self builder myself, the most valuable commodity is learning.

Very nice job. Out of interest … How do the hinges on the lefthand side work such that door does not collide with the wall? Or does it hinge upwards? What type of joints did you use for the side panels?

Welcome @Richard T. The mention of Passivhaus grabs my interest. I look forward to hearing more as your project progresses. Good luck with it!

Original poster here. Thanks everyone. Very helpful indeed. I will await the final planning decision and only then consider action. Much appreciated as always!

Oh, is it possible to claim it back afterwards, I didn't know that.

Advice please. Should I claim back my planning application fee, or not so as to be kind to my planning officer (who I rather like)? I spoke to my planning officer today and said that I was thinking of asking for my fee back. He said it was my right to do so but he would prefer if I didn't. Background My planning application was made in January this year. Because of over work and short staff my application has taken an age. And at no stage was I asked to extend the planning deadline. Under the regulations* my planning application fee must be refunded if it all takes more than 26 weeks, which it has. My application is at long last going to committee shortly and the planning department have said they are recommending its approval. So what to do? Claim the fee back, or don't so as to be kind and maybe generate some goodwill? * regulation 9A of the 2012 Fees Regulations of the The Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013.

@ryder72, out of interest how would you choose to rank worktop materials? The ones that come to mind are Dekton, quartz, marble, wood, and no doubt you know of many others that I don't. I ask because I will be specifying a kitchen for my new build in the coming months and I know very very little about kitchens. In fact, all I know is that kitchens sell houses, so I want one that will look highly desirable to a potential buyer.

Compriband or similar?

My planning decision is dragging on too. Sorely tempted to follow in your footsteps.

And you also had your local micro-climate issue, with a particularly sheltered plot location. As standard, PHPP uses local climate data for a broad area. I can't remember whether that is county-by-county or something more granular based on postcode. Either way it can lead to discrepancies from reality.

To quote something I read this morning by Jae Cotterell (co-author of the Passive House Handbook, and the architect of at least one of the houses featured in Ben Adam Smith's House Planning Help Podcast) (my emphasis): Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/timber-passivhaus-unforeseen-consequences-jae-cotterell/.

As the dust settles, and for other the benefit of future readers, here are two articles that I found to be a good summary of the matters being discussed here … http://www.greenspec.co.uk/building-design/decrement-delay/ http://www.greenspec.co.uk/building-design/thermal-mass/ (Source: here).