curlewhouse

Restarting work I'm seriously reconsidering my plans for MVHR. We have a SIPS build and I fanatically filled and sealed every joint or gap real and imagined (mostly imagined) during the build. For various reasons (without too much detail, a divorce in middle of it all and a serious back injury) everything came to a halt and I ended up been living in basically an unfinished house and have restarted work only really last week after 2 years. Less than 1/4 of the house is plasterboarded and is all green recycled polythene vapour barrier inside. So all during that time there have been daily showers, cooking etc etc ... for 2 people now, and yet I have zero condensation. I keep wondering where the heck it goes, but its nowhere to be found. Now the house volume is I suppose big for just two people, and the main living areas are a constant 21c except for when it gets a little warmer in sunny weather ( I am really pleased with how the SIPs and my underfloor insulation panned out) from solar gain. So whether the moisture in the air just gets so spread out (not very scientific an explanation, I know, but it doesn't even really condense on the loo cistern which must be the coldest surface in the house when full of fresh freezing cold country water). Air filtration is a bit of a non issue pollutants wise - we have rare lichens growing here which experts tell us are extremely sensitive to any pollution, and its never ever stuffy (I have no way of scientifically measuring Co2 levels like some of the posters on here I'm afraid) even when there have been 4 people staying pre covid. So now although it was considered an absolute in my plans, I'm really wondering if MVHR is necessary for me after all. I was relying on it moving heat around a bit as we don't have upstairs heating so in winter the rooms can be a little cool (though if you leave the doors open during the day, the heat does rise up and they are warm, but if the doors are shut this doesn't happen, so I'm toying with small panel heaters on stats for the very odd winter night they might be needed as a cheaper option if we have anyone staying who feels cold in bed at around 17c). It means I'll need to add bathroom extractors, for regs reasons, but with the money I'd save I'll look at heat recovery ones - not brilliant but better than just pumping heat out. I'm really surprised, as with having to move in whilst working I expected vapour to be an issue with showers etc. yet not a sign. I understand that once plasterboarded theres even more "natural" absorbtion and gradual release of water vapour in a building - and I don't even have that advantage yet.

As regards the day rate/fixed price discussion, a refurb build not far from me was paying day rate and luckily was informed by his neighbours that his day rate builders were clearing off shortly after lunchtime each day! It had gone on for weeks and the poor guy had no idea. It was only when talking to his neighbour about how it was taking much longer than he expected and mentioning the increasing cost that it all came to light.

Just seen this as for various personal reasons ( relationship breakup and a severe back injury) our build came to a complete halt for almost 3 years and I've been off Buildhub for all of that time. I used Aedis for both regs and warranty. The warranty was a nightmare - nit-picking doesn't even begin to describe it. We also lost all our money paid for the warranty of course. They were expensive too but at the time it seemed logical to use them for both and our architect had used them and had a good relationship with their local inspector. I came to bitterly regret it. Their regs guy was indeed sensible enough, but the guy who did the warranty inspections seemed inexperienced, but he was very nice, so much so that I felt bad about complaining - but they literally brought us to a halt more than once with really silly demands. No way would they treat commercial customers the same or they'd have never got a second contract. As an example they wanted me to write to the makers of packing strips to confirm they were suitable for ......packing. Wanted me to get the SIPs manufacturer (Kingspan) to confirm they were "approved". Each section had BBA stickers on it! Yes, really, Kingspan! The guy had not done a SIPs job before and basically they were getting me to complete his education. Honestly, they added so much stress to us it was unreal.

Yes, they also said the same about North Sea gas! Roll on fusion I say! ?

Well yes you will end up with a nice simple roof with no trusses etc taking up space and it will be well insulated. But you know you can have a full SIPs house and still have a masonry outer - that's what we have. So its traditional stone on the outside, but concealing a full warm SIPs house on the inside.

Well house is built mostly and so far not a single trip to the tip or a skip hired! Lots of fires (when wind blowing away from village - I actually caused a cow to start coughing the other day ?) and judicious use of the bottom of the bin and friendly neighbours bins - a little at a time. Plasterboard offcuts a little troublesome but not impossible to resolve. I *hate* fly tippers with a vengeance - one travelled 20 odd miles to tip near our village and I discovered it - fortunately he was dumb enough to leave stuff with his address amongst it ?

My account holding branch tried to tell me I can only buy from that branch. For various reasons another branch is far more convenient to me so I popped in one day and asked if it was true I can't use my account there - needless to say, it wasn't true and indeed I got the exact same price there.

Yep, had this happen to me. In the field I work in I have had these "leaning on the counter" types offering unasked for advice not realising they've probably read about me too ?. Not saying we know it all of course, but probably more than someone who spends his day leaning on the counter in a shop he doesn't work in ?

Yes, after using the SLR and sterling I was hugely. Impressed with the accuracy and weight difference of the later SA80s - but as a left hander it was a complete pain in the backside to have to learn to shoot wrong handed (for those who don't know,you cannot shoot it left handed) & I was never as fast or quite as accurate (though admittedly could still hit a fig 11 somewhere vital every time,but those milliseconds difference could have cost me dear one day). With owning my own civilian rifles I agree, the military stamped metal and plastic feels very wrong, but it works I suppose.

Stabila for me. Bought a full set of them for the build - stupid shop sent them wrapped in polythene only as "protection" and the 1800 one had been severely bent in transit - I mean visibly bent ! The others were ok and I ended up just buying one from wickes which has also stayed absolutely true (I check them against each other from time to time) despite much use.

I know why this is - when I used to sell car parts online, Royal Mail refused to send brake pads by air saying brake pads are prohibited on aircraft...(making the "special next day delivery" I paid for to one of the Scottish islands then take longer than normal mail would have done ? ) . In reply I asked them what they stop their own planes with, "an anchor thrown out the back?" ... they didn't reply ? . So You must have been on one of the special planes royal mail uses which cannot have brakes ?

I see Wickes is now offering immediate* access to their trade card if you show them your B&Q tradepoint card. Since B&Q now want you to spend x amount the month before to get a discount, I noted their tradepoint Facebook page was full of posts from trade people saying "goodbye B&Q, hello Wickes" (or words to that effect). I have to say that although I've now got the wickes card (*their sign saying "start saving today" is false as they won't sign you up that day. I had an argument in store pointing out that the woman was stood beside the sign saying "start saving today" by showing us your B&Q tradepoint card, but they refused to do it - even when I got their head office to ring them, who told them to do it they still refused and said I must go home and sign up! Anyway, B&Q Tradepoint card is accepted as proof of trade status for wickes to issue their own trade card (10% discount on everything even on top of other discounts) but may be worth doing before you intend to purchase in case you get staff like I did who refuse to sign you up that day. Was considering reporting their ad to ASA actually, as their joining system means you cannot start saving that day, but since I got the card eventually albeit after 3 phone calls chasing it up, I really can't be bothered ?. It makes their deals on for instance cement way better than my usual BMs, but ensure you sign up at least 24 hours before you intend to purchase as you'll have to wait for a temporary code to be sent until your card is despatched.

Yep. My 1984 landrover with different coloured doors probably does the same ?

With unhelpful neighbours take comfort in the knowledge that karma always comes into play. At our last house (semi detached) our neighbours did daily DIY ..... for 4 years! Even when we asked nicely for the odd day of respite when my wife (a nurse) had been working a 12 hour nightshift and needed to sleep they declined and just kept going (he's retired so it wouldn't have been an issue to give us 1 day off) This guy used tools like no one else - to knock a nail in was bang (wait 5 seconds) bang (wait 5 seconds ) and so on - sawing was the same ! The suspense waiting for the next bang or saw action was part of the torture. Anyway, we sold up and don't actually have close neighbours now, and I had to laugh when I heard that the the guy we sold it to has all night parties and even plays loud music during the day such that it can be heard over100 metres away even *outside* - oh the irony ? . As they say ,"karmas a bitch" ?

I've noticed that since starting the self build, pretty much everything aches, and realised that it's a shame that by the time most of us can afford to self build, the 20-30 year old body which would have been ideal for it is well beyond that sell by age and a bit knackered ?.

Snap. Ive tried to do it without sounding as if I'm just being mean, but I made a.point of telling builders etc from the start that "unlike Grand Designs" I've no extra money - not £1000, not £100, but I could stretch to 50p over your quoted price at a push ?. I call the idea that all self builders have a secret £100k in their back pocket "the grand designs effect" - as the folks shown on there always seem to pull money out of thin air whem overbudget and I honestly think it's led to various people thinking we can all do that (and therefore they want a slice).

I had this requirement for "fall bags" from.our supplier in the documentation (though in our case I also had to pay for the crane, a generator etc. The crane came with its own outrigger plates, which I'd totally expect. ) - I drew a blank on where to hire the fall bags and rang the (SIPs) supplier for advice who said .... "they are for when we're unloading the wagon and we normally dont bother with them" ! I actually felt that as the guys employers *they* should be supplying what is in effect PPE really anyway. Either way, no one was daft enough to fall off the lorry on the day.

Indeed - there seems to be an ever increasing amount of evidence now that our gut flora is responsible for way more than just processing our food. There's some fascinatingly promising research going on right now in that field.

Its a funny one - since I plan to be carried out of this house in a wooden box (not too soon of course!) the financial value beyond what it leaves for our daughter is completely irrelevant to me - so those of us in that position are probably a pretty rare breed in wanting a low valuation of their house! ? For an awful lot of folks their property valuation is almost how they value themselves these days ! Nice to be out of that rat race (though unfortunately I think we're going to get an absolute hiding with the council tax!).

"For some reason architects love to specify Kingspan K7 which has conductivity of 0.2W/mK versus Celotex GA3/4000 or Kingspan TP10 at 0.22/0.23." - I think for some it has just become the generic term like Hoover or (can't think of another one just now, but you know what I mean)

It is highly unlikely to affect any recent builds of course, but legislation preventing the direct discharge into watercourses even by existing ones comes in during 2020 and Parish councils and the like have recently been sent letters advising about it. Now I know that in rural Northumberland there are literally hundreds of old cess/septic tanks which flow into streams and running ditches, and it's presumably the same elsewhere. It is going to raise some difficult issues - I know for example of properties where it will be physically impossible to achieve the alternative infiltration system within the property boundary, and so package treatment plants may be needed - but I also know of people in houses who genuinely could not afford one! Who knows what happens then? In my own case, we were lucky enough to be able to extend our foul pipe down to join the main sewer. Properties further uphill from us have to have their own system. It is another matter entirely of course if it will/can be policed given staffing levels of the environment Agency, so barring an (unlikely) pollution incident giving them away, I suspect many properties will carry on regardless. https://www.struttandparker.com/knowledge-and-research/are-you-compliant-with-the-2020-septic-tank-regulations

Our architect on the other hand was a Godsend, and kept us calm, prevented me from going postal on the planners, and provided a reassurance and service way above and beyond drawing up plans - and bang on to his price.

Although we didn't have a demolition to do, I've managed so far to burn everything burnable left over from the build, utilise everything masonary based to fill in holes and recycle all the metals. So quite amazingly I've not paid for one single skip thus far! I was certain I'd need to, but by waiting for nights when the wind direction meant I didn't inconvenience anyone with smoke. Some bits and bobs have gone in with domestic waste and the recycling bin, though I'm careful not to overdo it at any one time. I may have to work something out when I get to plasterboarding out however.

Hopefully your drain cocks are accessible - I've seen some crazy settings for them half buried in concrete, or as in my last house, so low that you could not actually get anything underneath or even a hosepipe on to drain out of.

So for the larger ground floor room, we got a professional screeding company to come in. They were due to start Monday morning so I took the day off work. For some unknown reason, over the weekend both my wife and I had we had an uneasy feeling they weren't going to turn up, but there was no logical basis for that. By about 0930 I had a suspicion, and sent a text asking roughly what time they thought they would arrive. A few moments later the phone rings and its the owner apologising saying their forced screed mixer broke down on Friday and he'd gone down South for a second hand one but it didn't seem to be working properly when he got it back. He called again a bit later to say he'd found a solution and his guys would be there tomorrow (Tuesday). Cue me ringing work and offering to work on Saturday if I could take Tuesday off too. So, Tuesday and 0830 the guys turn up. I'm pottering about but notice a distinct lack of noise and by 1030 they tell me that they cannot get the mixer to run and away they go. So another day taken off work for nothing..... I'm back to work on the Wednesday but my wife was at home. She rang me to say that the team had turned up at 0715 (!) and had the machine working. By lunchtime they were done, and the result is excellent. When I got home I even texted the owner of the firm to say how pleased we are. Last night, (Friday) I discovered they'd dumped a barrowload excess mix on my topsoil pile out of sight of the house! Now in front of the future garage is a hole I need filled so if they;'d only asked instead of sneaking out of sight with it they could have actually done me a favour - instead I've now got to take a pickaxe to it and break it up then barrow it back to where it can actually serve a purpose. What a shame to let themselves down like that after doing a good job. So..... next objective is to finish the downstairs bathroom.