Nickfromwales

How many layers of ply are under the membrane? 1 layer of 18mm OSB3? When you factor in the weight dispersion of the pedestal sitting on top of that it already behinds to spread the issue out, vs you considering it direct to the PIR. You could also make some plates for the pedestals to sit on, maybe 300x300 porcelain, and that’ll prob suffice. Talk it through with manufacturers and suppliers reps to see what does/doesn’t work, and what been reported to have failed over time, which is for you to do for your own diligence, is the correct advice obvs.

2.5kW solar, even tracking, won’t do diddly-squat for heating, and if you need a 21kW heat pump you’ve got far better places to look at for practical energy/efficiency gains I assure you! Leave it all A/C, and keep it simple. Installers and repair/service agents will take one look at a Frankenstein setup, realise it’s completely illegal (ergo unsafe to work on), and walk away. It’s a “no” for this one I’m afraid, but also can you get more solar? That’s where I’d put any funds from “avoided tomfoolery” tbh.

You (tiler) can build that out with cementitious flexible tile adhesive, no problem at all. Just dub the low areas out in a few sets to get the wall spot on for a nice even finish, and a good consistent line across the bath edge (so you can’t see that the wall bellies basically). Do not use acrylic/ready mixed stuff there whatever you do!

I doubt there will be an existing found there tbh, and last garage conversion I did had to have one dig in and poured to satisfy the BCO before the dwarf wall under the window could be installed. Was some specified curing time for the concrete also, iirc. Not sure how practical lintels would be vs pouring a found, as these will need concrete pours each end to take them anyways. Maybe direct the pipe work / services after digging out, then protect them to build over, then do a pour. Depends if you can get lintels in, services under, and pads each end I guess. Are you DIY’ing? If not, make it the builders problem

That’s all good. Doors and windows are a relatively permanent feature, so buy cheap buy twice is my advice. Heat loss argument is instantly outweighed by how draughty shitty-quality doors/seals/locking gear will become when they begin to fail with use, so that is where I’d focus my attention when buying. I’d favour bifolds over sliders every damn day, as you can almost fully open up the….opening. A reputable supplier will sell reputable gear, so don’t buy these from the middle aisle in Aldi

Sales persons think the simple sale will be the quickest sale. Simples. These people have overheads to cover so cannot go a month with no sales caused by their integrity.

It won't in practicality, hence why most plumbing installs for new houses that I do (where this matters) have :- hard water > softener > all non-consumption outlets, plus then :- hard water > water conditioner 'cartridge' filter > faucet/fridge/Quooker tap for human consumption.

Oh, you've simply not lived...lol Mostly chlorine and other such things, but there are many threads on here so search away and reap the rewards.

Every single drinking tap ’kit’ I’ve ever fitted has had a cartridge filter. Consensus seems to be not to drink or excessively consume softened water, specifically. Every fridge with a drinking water outlet or ice maker has one for example.

Why have half a tap saved from hard water crud and early demise, and not all outlets? Filtered water taps from hard water via de-chlorinating / carbon filters seems to be most clients choice when I explain these things, for drinking water. Often with a 3-in-1 kitchen sink tap, but defo wouldn’t advise on a 50/50 setup ?!

The softener “flushes” when it regenerates, of what I know of these devices.

Just remember you’ll need full building control evidence for the foundations if you wish to go up with the second lift retrospectively That’ll need photographic evidence and measurements recorded. Possibly get them signed off as if for a 2-storey extension first as last is the safest route. Strip founds are quick and simple, and for what you’re looking to achieve I’d prob stick with KISS philosophy here, more so to attract a simpler builder, if you’re not DIY’ing the whole thing. Raft is better, but you’ll need a structural engineer report before doing anything to check what options work; you may find only a raft will work here/with current soil conditions/being on made-up ground, for eg.

Thank feck you didn't use Denso tape!! The grease bleeds into the plasterwork and out to the painted surface, and you'd have had to hack that all off and do it all again in a couple of months, especially when the heat gets to the grease!!!! Denso is now banned in most instances, bloody ghastly stuff tbf.

As long as they're installed A1, as with anything. These are the types of jobs started out with the very best of intentions, but fail due to employing useless cocks to actually do the install. Buyer beware etc, so do your diligence on the contractors and tell them you want FLIR evidence from before and after. The cocks won't come back, so will be quickly identified and omitted

Quite often so, when a lot of work on IWI terminates at the inner leaf of the cavity. Will probably help more with summer overheating, but won't do much for heating afaic, vs the IWI. All boils down to managing cold air infiltration to the dwelling interior, from atmosphere.

Overall heat loss primarily, and then part O ( and common sense before it ) for overheat. TBF, it varies very differently house to house, with a live survey and some grey matter applied accordingly, and then you can get a proper handle on which 'ends/sides' of the house will need some better thought and strategizing. I dislike fudge, as installed systems are expensive to amend retrospectively. Not had to do that, yet, 🤞

Do the rooms, spaces etc, add it altogether, and utilise the average. Then look at the dwelling fabric / solar gain, and so on, and include any other known peripherals to the mix. Rooms and spaces are simply boxes within a defined global "heated and (sometimes) airtight envelope", and IMHO what happens within that divisible space is very difficult/near impossible to differentiate.

1,000,000% It'll be the best time/effort/money you spend (IMHO). I promote airtightness over insulation every day; with a house that has MVHR obvs.

Get your insulation from https://www.secondsandco.co.uk/ and please send me 10% of whatever you save so I can buy beer for the needy (myself). It's a genuine cause, I assure you.....ahem.....

Not really, and I've been installing for 30+ years. Just look at getting more pipe in than you will be recommended by the "knee-jerk" posse, and install at 100mm centres on an 'inverted loop' pattern. This will promote better W/m2 with the lowest possible flow temps. This takes heated water to the centre of the room quicker, vs 'serpentine'. Insulation will be the biggest issue, and the more you put in, the less heat the floor will require to do the same job.

I've stopped doing room by room, you just end up chasing your M&E tail tbh. Most rooms achieve an ambient, regardless, and rooms with lower temps attract heat from adjoining spaces, so seems a more pragmatic approach in most instances to just copy/paste/calculate.

You’d just use a Hep elbow for that and then clip the pipe where it’s on show to keep the pipe from moving?

When fitting these in bathrooms, I use the compression ones with a short piece of copper and then Hep2O on to the copper. The pressure there is low because it’s feeding an open-ended outlet, so it’ll never see static cold mains pressure anyways. I use brass for strength, but I’ve also used a brass compression 15mm tee with a 1/2” centre Link with a 4-6” piece of copper in each side. One side as the feed, and then the other end to a hep cap end with 2 clips either side of the tee to hold it all steady. That was for a heavy shower arm where I wanted a bit more ‘beef’ to the fixing methodology.

Are the radiators all going to be changed (upsized) to cope with the low flow temps?

Bonding will be fine, just don’t try to fill it all in one set. Half fill, leave 24hrs, then final fill just a bit shy. Then finish with Easi-fill or Tupret filler which will sand back easily. If you need to remove the plumbers foam then it’ll just scrape out tbh.