Temp

I'm guessing many old houses have 25, 30 or even 40kw boilers and may need them in cold weather. Are there ASHP that will deliver say 30kW at a COP of at least 3 when it's 0-5C outside? Do you have to buy two 15kW units?

Just curious but is there a typical maximum you can install with just a single phase supply to the house?

Is the basement going to be a heated/habitable room or just for storage? One option is to build a beam and block floor over the whole footprint and put insulation and screed on top.

Are you in a CIL area?

Ignore the prices but Mick George have two versions of limestone on their web site with photos.. https://www.mickgeorge.co.uk/50mm-down-limestone.html?tax_display=2&gclid=CjwKCAiAnIT9BRAmEiwANaoE1RdOnbQN0HDdkNj2Rc4FU4pjbNnlM3uofChsbIDzQpEZLz-MzL9eXhoC9gYQAvD_BwE And https://www.mickgeorge.co.uk/50mm-clean-limestone.html?tax_display=2&gclid=CjwKCAiAnIT9BRAmEiwANaoE1SsBsKxcggt5zHzC1EGAXsQulvL_7okY5eMMW7KtYcxCH8_vw1WqrhoCk0gQAvD_BwE Think ours was somewhere between the two in terms of dust.

I don't think I have a photo but the stuff was yellowish rock covered in slightly sticky dust. Once laid and driven on the top layer compacted to form a very hard layer that was a bit slick when wet. If I remember correctly MOT 3 is meant to be permeable and the regular MOT 1 can be but isn't necessarily permeable.

We used limestone hardcore as a temporary driveway and it developed a sticky layer that filled in the holes between the stones. That then set up like cement. Unfortunately we had a planning condition that required a porus driveway and the planning officer pointed out that Limestone MOT wasn't considered porus. I guess washed limestone might be ok but i think I'd avoid it..

I guess it may depend if it's a former piped ditch or something the Highways built for their own purpose.. https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/assets/Roads-and-transport/Flooding-and-drainage/Riparian-Ownership/2018-12-07-Riparian-Ownership-in-Suffolk-Booklet-FINAL.pdf

Google found.. https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/downloads/file/16062/guidance_on_landowner_responsibilities.pdf I don't know what happens to riparian rights when a ditch of the second type is piped and covered over.

PS If it was once an open ditch I believe you may have a right to allow surface water to run off into it if the land slopes that way? I didn't investigate that aspect though.

Yes we did. When we applied for PP there was a condition requiring us to submit plans for surface water drainage. Our only option was a "piped ditch" that runs along the verge of the road. Decades ago it would have been an open ditch but was piped and covered by tarmac when the road was made up decades ago. I proposed putting surface water into the ditch and the planners forwarded my letter to the EA. They responded saying that they "wouldn't want us to make local flooding worse". The planners simply forwarded the EA letter to me. In response I proposed a rainwater recycling tank with overflow to the ditch and the planners agreed it (possibly without asking the EA again). That despite a rainwater tank not providing attenuation when its full.

Is the plot big enough to dig your own pond?

I think the frosted glass is to stop you overlooking them ?

+1 to a non-material amendment. I just went ahead and added a Velux during construction.. Nobody has ever questioned it but its around the back. If what you propose is definitely permitted development (and permitted development rights weren't removed as a condition) then its very unlikely the planners would take any enforcement action of their own accord. If they receive a complaint during construction they may feel obliged to ask you to amend your planning application. Its very unlikely they would refuse such a request because they know you could add the windows under Permitted Development later. The annoyance is the fee and that it may give them the opportunity of removing Permitted Development Rights. If they receive a complaint after construction, again its unlikely they would take any action, but if they did you could file a retrospective Planning Application or possibly apply for a Certificate of Lawfulness on the grounds that its Permitted Development. I would ask the planners which they feel is needed. Remember there are Building Regs rules on the height of escape windows if you plan a future loft conversion. Windows on some elevations (eg side) need to have frosted glass to comply with Permitted Development rules.

If I've understood correctly you are currently setting it to 20.5 dedegrees and sometimes that feels OK and sometime you feel cold? If that's the case I recommend setting up a thermometer to check the air temperature. If that says the air temperature is correct but you feel hot/cold then its probably you not the system. I get exactly the same. I'm 60 and what i eat and drink makes a big difference, even a decaf tea can make it feel like the heating is up 2C. The human body is a very poor judge of temperature and easily fooled. I recommend using a digital thermometer to check the actual temperature if you don't trust the displayed temperature on the stat. I had a look at the manual for the thermostat posted earlier. If its just a programmable thermostat then there are others that allow the daytime setback temperature to be different to the night time setback. Our Heatmiser for example allows 4 different temperature periods which could be... Night setback (16), Early (21), Day setback (18), Evening (21). Others have even more.

Think it might be an nhbc requirement?

I don't know the answer. Who designed it? Ideally you want a sectional drawing for this area. Is it going to be a brick and block cavity wall ? Then I think there should be a cavity tray to deflect water to the outside above the ring beam to prevent water running down the inside of the cavity from sitting on top of it.

There is quite a lot of reclaimed/second hand black granite worktops on the web but I guess finding a big enough piece might be difficult. I've never tried cutting it myself but there are youtube vids.

My builder put me off slate saying it scratched easily. Perhaps some large format Porcelain tiles? https://royalestones.co.uk/categories/king-size-slabs-1200x600.html 20mm thick but not sure what the exposed edge looks like.

I went to visit a stone mason and asked if he had any offcuts of black granite. We found some kitchen worktop loffcuts eaning up against fence all covered in mud, cleaned up and with the gloss honed off it looks great under our stove.

+1 I think the boiler and UFH controller should all be powered from the same switched fused spur so perhaps check that first. This switch is usually located next to the boiler. If ithe controller is not on the same circuit you may need to run a permanent live from the switch to the UFH controller so that it is and a switched live back to the boiler. You also need to avoid using a live from one circuit and a neutral from another as that can cause false RCD trips. See what others say but it might be necessary to run three core and earth.. Permanent live to power the UFH controller Neutral to power the UFH controller Switched Live back to the boiler Earth Alternatively I'm sure there are wireless devices that will send the switched signal needed.

Imported Chinese bicycles to become much cheaper. Good news unless you are a small British bicycle maker.. Bloomberg: Brexit Sparks Battle on Chinese Bikes as U.K. Ends EU Levies. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-30/brexit-sparks-a-battle-over-chinese-bikes-as-u-k-ends-eu-levies Perhaps the reason they only have <1% is the Chinese state subsidy?

Its not clear if they are definitely linked.. In my limited experience I have found that Pressure Relief Valves (PRV) are fragile temperamental things. If the pressure goes up too high just once (so that a little water comes out) then they can start leaking all the time. Not quite sure why but I've had at least three or four do that. So if you get the PRV replaced and need to pressurise the system yourself in future be careful not to go so high that the PRV opens. As you know water expands and contracts when it heats up and cools down. Others have already mentioned that there should be a correctly sized expansion vessel (or two) somewhere that accommodates the expansion of the water so that the pressure doesn't rise too much and the PRV doesn't open. If the expansion vessel is too small (a design fault) or has lost its charge (needs pumping up or replacing) then the pressure can rise too much causing the PRV to open and in my experience its quite likely to fail with a constant slow leak. None of this is specific to ASHP. I've had this issue on both gas and oil fired systems. If you can find the expansion vessel(s) they may have the size writtin on them and if you know how big the tank is it might be possible for one of us to check if the expansion vessel is too small.

As @ProDave said a gas or oil boiler would also stop working if the pressure gets too low. Somehow youre going to have to find that leak or it will keep happening. Is there a pressure relief valve and does that leak a little water when the system is hot?

+1 They need to be separate enough that you could sack the builder without any implications for your purchase of the land.