FrankHouse

I am putting in log burning stoves in the 2 front rooms - they are externally vented so should be room sealed but my understanding is I will need them in there

A quick follow up for anyone who is interested or comes across this in the future: Normal house alarms with battery backups in the units are classified as grade D2, a centralised unit with a central battery is a grade C and there is a grade A which is higher spec still. You can go from a D2 to a C or A but not the other way around. There is no B. There is a domestic grade C system made by CTEC which can be retrofitted onto the normal three core and earth wiring you would use for interlinked alarms which has a single battery in the controller. This is quite a simple system and would probably be cheaper overall than AICOs (unless you get a good deal from ebay) and it has a central test and hush function. After all that I am going to use the AICOs recommended on here for the main reason that you can get a combined heat and CO alarm which I cant seem to find for the conventional grade C alarm system. The ceiling clutter is more important to me than the price, especially when you can get the AICO test button which gives most of the same functionality as the central system. So I went round in a big circle and ended up back where everyone else already was... but I enjoyed the journey!

I've just had the lintels on 2 of my windows replaced yesterday. I don't have a cavity and have 73mm brick. The builder removed a course of the outer and inner and used a concrete lintel inside where it won't be seen and a metal angle for the outer leaf. 2 lintels were because the inner and outer courses are a bit different in height as they use different brick and it gives a neater finish. Took him a while but I don't think you can tell it wasn't always like that. <I need to look at the posting dates before replying...>

I assume testing twice a year wouldn't be any more arduous than testing the individual units with a button? I'm not proposing getting into a service contract. is there some requirement for a service contract when you wire them via a panel that I am unaware of? I have had a look but can't see anything. I'm not sure why they would be any different to interlinked alarms. the function is still the same isn't it? I'm not trying to be difficult but am just trying to understand why everyone does it they way they do... if it's just because it's always done that way then fine, if it's a law then ok. HMOs and small commercial properties use panels.

I know this is probably sorted but my bc rejected the brick and slate packers that had been put in as he said the can crumble and we needed to use metal or timber shims. May just be his opinion but what they say goes!

Usually the answer to this is yes... I find a complicated solution then after a few days go back to something simpler. It goes above the interlinked requirements. but it's a good point about the single point of failure. I suppose the only undetected dangerous failure would be a fire in the fire panel taking out the battery. I'd hope that's not credible... as for sounders in every room. I don't think that's necessary but isn't a problem. it's detection nor sirens I want in every room. I just assumed a central commercial panel wired in a star would be better than loads of daisy chained individual units. Being more resilient to obsolescence, easier to fault find and cheaper for big systems. But maybe its overcomplicated

I just like the idea of a sensor in every room. I know building regs specify the minimum but I have gone well beyond building regs in most aspects of the building. With the amount of electronics now, never mind when my kids grow up, with questionable quality li-ion batteries, I think there is a risk in bedrooms particularly. So I am aiming for LD1. I've seen the silence button and like the functionality. I'll keep my eyes open on ebay and reassess the costs

I want to put detectors in every bedroom and living room as well as the hallways. I also need a heat detector in the kitchen. In total I need 9 smoke detectors, 1 heat detector and 2 smoke (or heat) and CO alarms. I'm a big fan of wired rather than wireless and read that AICO seem to be a favourite on this site. Costing these up, they seem to be about £46 for a HD or SD and 77 for the CO and HD combined. This is a total of about £614 excluding cabling. Now it seems to me that for this price I could put in a centralised control panel in the plant room and wire back to it and probably have some change. The individual detectors are much cheaper and I would only need sounder bases in the corridors and say the kitchen downstairs which is central. The central system has the benefit of a single battery which is charged and the sensors are smaller and look a bit nicer as well as being cheaper to replace when they go out of date... So has anyone else made the decision to go for a central fire panel and had problems with it or have I missed something vital? Its an extension so I don't think I have any BC requirements to check it and I'll be wiring it myself so that may be a big factor in cost.

is breathable more forgiving? Doesn't this mean that you will definitely get moisture throughout the structure so won't the walls be wetter? I'm not sure if that's a problem or not... I understand that moisture can evaporate from both sides but there will be a moisture gradient through the wall is my assumption. the difference is that it won't be all at one point so it would look different and would all be in one place (as you have seen) but surely the same moisture is there?

I have read around the subject and all of the posts on this forum I could find so am aware of the two camps. I'm in the camp that hopes doing it myself and taking care will result in a workable outcome. But I also acknowledge that its a risk, but at least its my risk. I put a post in the heat insulation section to discuss what other mitigation I can put in but haven't seen any replies yet. As you say its very anecdotal at the moment and the academic work is lacking. I'd have thought there would be loads of people on here with iwi pir that works as they installed it years ago?

Thanks, I think I am convinced about a star wiring layout now and putting in cat 6 as a loop upstairs and downstairs. I'm wiring it all to a terminal box so it can be jumpers back to standard if required. I think I have convinced myself that the shelly wired switch modules are what I am going to use and the wireless dimmers on a local wireless network just for them. The seem like the knx route to have some distributed intelligence which I like but without the knx module and software cost. Also they have a Web interface so I can use that to start before switching over to my own centralised controller as I have time The only reason I don't like the other solutions is the lack of control as I like to be independent and not tied to any specific supplier. I hear what you ar saying about dealers being available i just dont have the bandwidth to deal with at the mlment. that being said if a replacement came along I would just swap out the switching box for a different solution.

I had to Google what that was am still none the wiser to be honest.

Thanks, i swing back and forwards between admiring the different bits and then disliking the asymetry... but overall I like it. it was a t shaped building with two large front rooms and a small kitchen dinning room, scullery at the back. we are squaring it off and adding a modern looking section to the rear with the usual big open kitchen diner. Inside the old bit, it's back to brick to try and make it affordable in the era of high energy prices, so pir insulation, ufh, ashp, mvhr... all the acronyms you can think of. I'll put up pictures as I move through the build.

I'll go with that for want of another option then. its less than a reel and hopefully means I am as prepped as I can be for whatever comes... feels nice to have made a decision!

This has all been really helpful. I'm keen on installing infrastructure now even though I know some of it will be unused but I never want to take a wall down again. all of my plumbing is point to point so no reason wiring shouldn't be as well. I'm going to run all of my lighting back to the plant room. every switch point will be wired back as well with three core and earth so it can be rewired in any way I want later or be a thermostat location. for sockets I may install smart plugs but off normal radials or rings as needed. I'll run multiple ethernet cables to each location as that was already my plan and I have the cable. I am now wondering if I should run a control cable around the switch points... if I do there are competing standards, knx, dmx, ethernet to each point. I think I might just leave this out as no matter what I do it will probably by wrong!

I'm extending and renovating a Victorian property with 9" walls and am planning on using the warm batten method of internal insulation with 100mm of PIR fully taped and detailed on all external walls. With 25mm battens over the top to create a service void. The insulation will be foam adhesive and screwed through the battens into the wall. I like this method as it keeps my timber inside and all of my wiring as well. I have read a few recent and not so recent posts and realise that this warm batten method may not be the current favourite for some people but I don't think there is a perfect solution for my situation. There are some perpendicular internal walls, adjoining cavity walls, steels all of which complicate the situation and I don't want to externally insulate and cover the exterior façade. It seems to me that there are some symptoms of issues that will arise from this method and if I can treat them individually then the method should be sound. Floor Joists - I have cut back the floors to allow the insulation to run from ground to roofline. The only exception is the joists entering the external walls. I don't see there being a significant issue if they are expanding foam and taped. My only concern is that the timber may be cold and damp and therefore rot. Its treated and I cant see it being any worse than the 120 year old exterior lintels which seem to be OK. I am considering making up some long angle brackets which will bolt to the wall and protrude well into the room. If there were any rot at the end they would offer extra rigidity and maybe by me another 20 years? Am I over thinking this bit? Internal perpendicular walls - I understand there could be some moisture ingress through these points as its not possible to tape around the corners, although I could put an internal DPM up if anyone has experienced damp in these corners? I'm hoping that the walls wont be cold enough to suffer condensation. I am installing an MVHR system so the house will hopefully be well ventilated. Has anyone else had damp issues in these corners and was it due to external moisture or condensation? Did anyone put up a DPM behind internal plasterboard in these locations? Failure of brickwork due to moisture - I am not that convinced that this is an issue, I know the bricks will effectively be outside a heated house but the brick barn at the back of the house is of a similar construction and I don't think shows any adverse effect other than maybe requiring repointing more frequently. Surely any cavity wall outer leaf is in the same situation being out of the heated envelope? Driven moisture through the wall - this is another one I am not sure of. Surely if the rain is driving hard enough to penetrate 9" of brickwork it would possibly form on the inside surface of the wall. As the PIR will be taped to the floor PIR it shouldn't penetrate the internal layers and will just be reabsorbed back into the brickwork at some point. I would guess that the majority of moisture in a cavity wall is condensation from leaking internal air which hopefully wont be an issue for me as I am in control of the taping and sealing of my internal envelope. So do I need to add the joist hangers and vertical DPM to internal walls and is there anything else that people have experienced that will change my mind?

I always wonder if its that way or in 10 years time everyone will expect it as a standard....

I have seen mention of that but also mention that they don't want DIY any more. I'll look at what I need to add to try and do both. Lexonne scares me as a sole supplier and I hate the way term's change over time. for example my Google photos are nearly full now and they want a fee which wasn't the case for years and years...

I seem to have lost the home automation understanding I had.. everyone says its about the house doing stuff automatically, without having to interact with an app or controller... then you get a quote for 10s of thousands for the central controller which brings everything together...

That looks manageable. I'd be wiring everything to one location but I think I have space. When i was doing more searching last night I found some ethernet controlled shelly relays which would work with that kind of layout as well. I'm probably over thinking it and trying to get a perfect solution when I don't know what the technology will be when I finally get round to doing it. I have to build it first.

InsulationHub for me as well. They were the best price when I was ordering on the last 2 occasions. They are a dropship I think so you wont know who its actually coming from until they contact you for delivery.

I'm renovating my house so its going back to brick so have the opportunity to go all SMART. I am willing to spend money on 'infrastructure' now knowing that I can change most other things later on. I was originally going to DIY the solution with Shelly relays and openhab but realised it may make it harder to sell or pass on if necessary... I contacted a company about a KNX and control 4 solution but the cost was eye watering and there were ongoing maintenance fees.... I can see a few ways forward but they all seem to be not ideal: 1. Wire everything as a standard house but add some PIRs for lighting and neutrals to light switches for smart switches. This feels like it could be done to any house so am I making the most of the opportunity I have? 2. Wire all the light zones and switches back to a central point where it could be changed later. I think this would be massively complex and lots of wiring as the house will be a 5 bedroom with multiple light zones in each room. 3. Wire in a KNX setup by DIY to be added to later. I think I have the skills to do this myself if I buy the software, but the switches are expensive and if I don't go down add to it I have overcomplicated what is a pretty simple system 4. Wire in Shelly relays to the lights that I want to control by alexa etc so that it can all be simplified when I leave the house I've read everything I can find around this subject and keep switching back and forward about what the best thing to do. I only get this opportunity once... What flexibility has everyone else put into their wiring?

The original house was build in 1897 I think - We have found the original plans which are drawn on cloth. We are planning on framing them alongside the new ones if we every get to that point!

Hi everyone, I've been stalking the forum for quite a while after buying a farmhouse in Nantwich to renovate and thought I should finally introduce myself. I'm an engineer who has taken 6 months out of work to work with my builder to the majority of the build done. We have put nin steels and are putting in the slab next week so are on with the build but some of the finer details will need ironing out as I get to them. I'm almost doubling the size and the inside has been gutted and insulated so it can be brought up to a modern standard. I'm not aiming for a passive house but am putting in a fair amount of insulation, MVHR, ASHP, rainwater tanks etc. I have a few questions which I'll put int he relevant sections for some help. I really like the forum because it contains a wealth of information and on occasion differing opinions which is something I like as I can choose which one I agree with Here are a few pictures so you can see the project, Frank