Temp

Did the site investigation involve a proper lab test? We're on clay with a tree or two nearby and ended up with 1.5m deep trench foundations with expansion board linings. Edit:.. Ah right I see they are protected trees so the use of piles is probably to protect the trees from the house not the house from the trees. I suspect they may not allow trench foundations for that reason.

Many GU10 LED bulbs and fittings come in a range of beam angles. The narrow beam bulbs (eg 28 degrees) create a "spot" effect, more shadows but less glare. The wider angle beams (90, 120+) create a more uniform light but more glare. With the old halogen bulbs the filament emits 360 degrees and the beam angle is controlled by the reflector and fitting. If she really hates glare I probably wouldn't fit spots at all. Fit larger fittings with diffusers or uplighters that bounce light off the ceiling so you cant see the bulb directly.

Pretty sure you can't reclaim Polish VAT from HMRC any more. Was possible pre Brexit. Think they are meant to export free of Polish VAT. If they say they cannot export without charging Polish VAT you might have to live with that. But beware you will probably get hit for UK VAT as well. At least the UK VAT you can reclaim. In some cases EU countries can register with HMRC and charge you UK VAT (20%) but i think this is mainly companies like Amazon ES.

I ask if the company has exported to the UK since Brexit and ideally direct to end customers not just companies. Ask for any numbers they need from you. In the EU companies are used to asking for an EORI number which is a bit like a company ID number. I don't think they need one to ship to the UK but I suspect some shipping companies always ask for it just to cover all bases and avoid hold up at ports. If I remember correctly someone on the forum was able to register and get an EORI Number but as I said I don't think it's needed to import to the UK. Remember to try and pay at least the deposit (>£100) on a credit card if you can.

For that there is also Einstein's idea that energy and mass are equivalent. Eat too much energy and you gain mass. 🙂

Ours are oak veneer with a solid nose.

I'd still collect data for the mediator.

Yes solar panels heat up a bit more when they are off. If we assume a solar panel is 20% efficient for every 100W of solar energy recieved upto 20W can be converted to electricity. Of the remaining 80% some is reflected and the rest is absorbed raising the temperature until enough is emitted as heat. The law of conservation of energy means if that 20%/20W isn't removed by the inverter it must escape another way. The reflectivity doesn't increase so the temperature of the panel will increase a bit more until it is radaiting and conducting the extra 20%/20W away.

Problem then might be getting two 6mm^2 into the terminals to connect them together.

I think it's possible to extend the 6mm^2 into the back of a cupboard to one side. There fit a switched double socket. The 13A plugs on the appliances are fused so that protects their cables. The double socket should be accessible but many people have them at the back of cupboards. The 6mm^2 needs extending correctly but I think it can be done with the appropriate sized connector blocks in a recessed box. Are the leads on the appliances too short to do this? Check what your electrician says about this.

Is this going in an extension? How tall is the rest of the house? A more serious problem can occur if the flue is lower than some parts of the building. In some wind directions you get a down draught in the wind shadow of the building. The normal recommendation is 1m or so taller than the highest roof if possible (rarely is).

We had 16 people over for a curry last Saturday. Think I've almost finished the washing up.

Ours are all internal. Make sure they have the special large radius bend at to bottom. The stack furthest from the main sewer should be open vented (according to our BCO) any others can have an AAV.

+1 to this.

I assume its a 9kW output model. If Im looking at the right model here.. https://www.lg.com/uk/heating-awhp/monobloc I think it can manage 8.5kW with -15C Air temp and 55C flow temperature.

How big was the gas boiler before? I would try balancing the system to ensure no rooms are overheating. Then in the next cold spell i would try not using any DHW for 24 hours. Record the outside air temperature, the store temperature and each room temperature every hour. If the Thermal Store cannot reach the set temperature then the heat pump is definitly undersized for those conditions. I know it's a pain but you could then say to the installer - look under these reasonable conditions it wasn't able to deliver the heating load alone (no DHW was used).

I think even East Anglia has a problem exporting the wind energy it generates.

Log burners that are approved for smokeless zones have a stop or similar limit which prevents you turning down the air too much. This helps stop smoke when first lit but can make it burn too fast later once it's settled down. If you know what you are doing id recommend a regular model but keep the airflow high initially or it may smoke too much.

I hired a mini digger and dumper. The dumper was also used to transport concrete around my house to where the slab was in back garden. It's worth paying the ready-mix co a bit of waiting time. Our delivery driver was very helpful.

How well installed was your insulation? The remaining cavity is normally ventilated so gaps between insulation panels are bad news. Any gaps in IWI is less critical as there is a brick wall stoping airflow to them.

In some cases a building is in such poor condition that it makes financial sense to knock it down and rebuild but as yo have discovered the planners treat that as a new build in the countryside which is against policy. You need to tread carefully and not let the building get so bad that it is incapable of being converted. If necessary carry out repairs but only repairs and get a new survey being careful to brief the surveyor. Ideally you want to be in a position where you have planning permission to convert it and then put in another application to knock down and rebuild with something that looks near identical. That would be very hard to refuse (at appeal if necessary) as the end result of both would be the same. If it's too bad to convert then you don't have anything to bargain with. For the planners it becomes a choice between no house and a new house.

We have stone in our bathrooms and our builder was keen to use 12.5mm Hardibacker board. It's quite hard to cut but I like it now as it's great to fix into.

Plinth bricks? If the flat top is exposed as it will be I think the NHBC recommended lead flashing on top and 1" down the sloping face. At least that's what our builder said.

I went into a stone shop two years ago and they had "pillowed" stone at well over £200 /sqm. I understand each piece was hand machined to give it the worn look you get on the floor of a 16C farmhouse.

We have a slight step in/out of our bathroom. Think it's about 8-10mm. Has wood strip with a partial 45 degree chamfer. Never noticed a problem.