NSS

In what way do you fear it won't fit the surroundings; style, size, external finishes? If 'tweaks' to some or all of these could be made you may be able to arrive at a design that you are happy with without the cost of a full re design. I'd sit down with your architect and list the elements that are concerning you and see which can be relatively easily addressed. I certainly wouldn't build to a design I wasn't happy with unless my intention was to sell it and the design offered the best potential for return on investment.

Exactly what I was thinking.

Coming along nicely Dave.

Looking good Dave

Just a brief update. We borrowed a JCC sample board from a local EW which allowed us to compare the 3w and 6w cool and warm in darkness rather than in a well lit showroom. Decided to go with the 3w and when the lighting went live earlier this week we're pleased we did. With 50 downlighters it also saved us well over £400 against the price of the 6w units and will of course reduce running costs too.

Why not tie a tie wrap to the extremities of the pipes runs and leave the end poking up through the screed. If you used them then to mark the free areas after the floor has been laid you can then cut them off.

We left out all that's been mentioned above, but wish we'd also created a mat well inside the front door as don't now want to risk cutting one in the floor due to the UFH pipes below

I assumed the type 1 was just being used to build up the ground level as it appeared to be a traditional block and beam floor.

Tonight's episode featured a 213m2 two storey build on the banks of a Yorkshire canal on a plot that regularly floods (and promptly did during the build). Land cost £160k, build budget £250k, projected finished value £550k. Final build cost was £360k despite reducing the spec and miraculously the valuation on completion had jumped to £795k. If I could get £795k rather than the £550k origninally estimated from the plans then I'd be selling it and building one in the middle of the canal because it would surely be worth at least a million!

Seems that Persimmon are at least building some of their homes with factory made timber frames (see http://corporate.persimmonhomes.com/corporate-responsibility/our-environment/space4). How good they are is another question.

And the recent media hysteria about passiv houses suffering overheating issues has perhaps tainted that 'standard' in the eyes of the wider public too.

You're probably right, but is Joe Public ready for a brick/stone slip exterior rather than solid brick walls (even if, as Dave says, it's just a relatively expensive rain shield)?

Congratulations. The real fun is only just beginning

I completely agree that controlled, factory conditions are the way forward, and the recently promised entry into the UK market of the Chinese may well force the volume builders to adapt or die, but a traditional brick skin and tiled roof can surely be wrapped around a factory built, energy efficient core just as easily as it can around what they currently construct.

Yes, but ProDave (please correct me if I'm wrong, Dave) chose his wall make up for reasons that were not solely to do with achieving that U-value, but also for cost, ease of self installation and the nature of the external finish desired (and he's hardly constrained by plot size). I was referring to a more typical 147mm stud frame and wall U-value circa to 0.16 such as (claimed for) mine - and no I'm not reopening the debate around the the insulation in my build - but also, I would guess, perfectly achievable with alternative insulation types/layers and a resulting overall wall thickness significantly thinner than yours. It goes back to something I mentioned months ago, and your self-admitted (earlier in this thread) attention to detail. I'm sure we all admire the forensic approach that you and Jeremy (for example) have applied to your builds, but it's unrealistic (and I'd contend unnecessary) to expect every self builder, never mind the volume builders, to adopt such targets anytime soon. Even if costs were comparable to the way the Persimmons of this world currently build, the skill base simply doesn't exist to execute the required attention to detail in their volumes. My point is, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that it would (I'd hope you would agree) be better to build many houses that are circa 35% more energy efficient than current regs dictate, than just a select few that are 50% better.

Hi Terry, I understand all that. The point of my query was that you infer in your previous post that twin wall construction such as yours is at least twice as good as single wall. As I'm sure you would agree, comparing the system you've chosen with what may be the norm for the big volume house builders is at best misleading in the context of this forum, where I doubt any of us would settle for insulation values that barely meet building regs. I just feel we have to be careful not to mislead new readers and/or budding self builders that single wall construction cannot be better than that, even if it may be difficult to replicate the levels of a twin wall construction. It is also, I believe, worth mentioning that the sheer breadth of a twin wall construction may make it less attractive to some, particularly where site constraints may restrict the footprint of the property that can be built and, hence, impact on the internal space that would result from its use.

Sorry Terry, but can you qualify what you mean by a "typical" single wall construction? The way you have worded this comparison gives the impression that using the system you and JSH employed produces a house that will be twice as good on u values and at least 8 times better on decrement delay than a single wall system. Some reading this forum might get the impression that you are saying any single wall construction will as poor as you suggest.

Wow, lots of BS involved then

With so much hot air in circulation I wonder that any insulation is needed

Sorry, I missed this reply. I guess I just feel the grey would take less to keep it looking clean than the blanco, but as suspected I lost that discussion so blanco it will be, though not ordered yet so still time to chip away at her ;-)

We've ordered a Schuller kitchen from our local independent. Total of 25 units including 7 X full height towers (4 for appliance plus pull out larder and two fixed larder), 2 X 900 drawer units, 1 X 800 drawer unit and only two wall cupboards. Top of their range true handleless (not J handles) satin finish doors. Total price excluding worktops and appliances is £10k (which was less than Magnet quoted for a lesser spec in their January sale!). What we really liked was that they do two base unit heights and 5 different plinth heights so we've been able to select a combination that will allow the petit Mrs NSS to have a comfortable height worktop level.

I briefly owned a Vitesse convertible in my youth, and my brother had one of the last GT6s for many years.

I once had the responsibility of getting an electronics company through BS 5750 and the best piece of advice I had from the inspectors was to provide the minimum info necessary to meet the requirements. Anything more detailed just boxes you into a corner you may struggle to get out of.

Before I order a shedload of JCC FGLED6 downlights, should I be considering any similar offerings?

Decision made, we're going for Silestone. Now all we need to do is settle the disagreement as to whether it's Blanco Stellar (wife's preference) or the far more practical option of Stellar Grey. No prizes for guessing who's likely to win that one!