bmj1

I'll get it tomorrow. Which spec details would be helpful ? R value ? U value ?

Why do you rule out blowing additional insulation into the cavity ?

Ok. But does it add to the wall build up in terms of thickness ?

Yes. FYI we're under previous version of building regs as planning granted in first 2021 so not quite as tight. However, 150mm of rockwool would obviously work much better. We had a SAP consultant do the design, was originally spec'd as 100mm K108, but taking out the existing rockwool would be a mammoth task, so that's why I'm trying to think creatively here... We're in London, so price per square foot means we'd be much better filling the cavity if at all possible. I'm not ruling out some kind of thermal lining, but this is last resort. I'll be grateful for any further thoughts.

Our structure is fully erected. We've got 150mm deep cavities (for deeper reveals), and they are currently filled with 100mm of Rock wool 032 cavity wall insulation, and 50mm void. I'd like to increase our u value of our cavity walls... Lining on the inside would be gutting as we would lose space. Can I blow in more rockwool insulation to fill the 50mm void ? Any reasons not to do this ? Thank you in advance

Lintels are the design of the attached (not this brand), i.e. the steel slopes towards the outer leaf.

Thanks all. To be clear it is a single galvanised steel cavity lintel, so there is bridging straight across the cavity. Psi value is ~0.55, so it's material on the SAP. It's deep reveals. 150mm cavity. Plan is for whole house mvhr. Keen for your follow up comments. Thank you! @Mr Punter @nod @Miek @Brickie @PeterW@Iceverge @Temp

Hi all, We're at ridge level now, which is super exciting... however, I've hit a bit of a snag when reviewing progress to date.. we've had some material substituted by the main contractor to use regular cavity wall galvanised steel lintels, instead of the hi-therm/insulated. We've now paused all progress on site while we review state of play. My question is as follows: - Putting aside all the impact on thermal performance, and SAP, etc, which we can compensate for (and live with), in practice, how much of an issue is this likely to be in terms of causing mould ? If this is a problem, is there a solution that doesn't involve replacing all the lintels ? Many thanks in advance.

Very exciting! I'm afraid it takes a little longer to go up... Hope all continues to go smoothly for you

"The contractor who build the house (brick work) charged us vat 20%" All supply and fit work should be zero rated for VAT. You won't be able to reclaim this VAT from HMRC. You need them to void the original invoice and issue you a correct one, and refund you the overpayment. You might need to pay them an admin fee for the trouble. Going forwards, any supply+fit works needs to be zero rated at invoice stage. Providing them a copy of your new build planning permission is usually sufficient for this.

@Telleportello welcome ! I've found this forum full of rich insights, so do ask lots of questions throughout... Every build has challenges (we had our structural engineer unreachable for months at a time, planning objections, and have had to contend with some significant supply chain delays also..) One thing I'd recommend you do sooner, rather than later, is share your floor plans in this forum for feedback.. That's something I wish I'd done earlier in our build. Good luck !

Hi all, I'd quite like to install wired Nest Protects in our new build, I've just hit one snag... We need a heat sensor in the kitchen, and I understand that it needs to be connected to a central alerting system... So.. I'm wondering what people think of the following: - Custom modifying a single Nest Protect unit to disable the built in smoke sensor, such that it becomes a 'dumb' heat sensor. I've got a buddy who is handy with electrics.. That way, I get a nice interconnected fire alarm system, with dedicated heat sensor in the kitchen. And save myself the expense of a more enterprise-y fire alarm system. Thoughts ?

I think you should shrink the first floor hallway to accommodate a larger master bedroom, I'm not sure you need to waste all that space on a first floor landing... I.e. drop that bottom wall of the bedroom down to the staircase

A bargain at £48 / page !

We paid £1,050 for a trial pit in London. Pit was specifically to expose neighbours foundations and check their depth, so was dug carefully with hand tools, and then filled in. There was the need to cut neighbour services, and reconnect them, as part of the dig. We did this once equipment was on-site, during construction, rather than separately.

Hi all, Can anyone please guide me on what is a reasonable range for window fitting costs? In London, so I expect that we'll be on the more expensive end of the range. Thank you in advance

Hi all, I'm looking for the best buy for a high quality aluminium sliding door for a 2.5m wide opening, 830mm wide panes, 3-track, 2.5m height. I was originally looking at the Cortizo Cor-Vision, but I'm wondering if there are better products out there for the money ? Many thanks in advance

Any tips or advice for external window and doors procurement? Planning to have it done supply and fit. Any tips gratefully received. Thank you in advance

We challenged our council band successfully, here is how we did it: 1) We scoured for sold comparables using propertydata.co.uk (Evaluate > Comparables). £14 for a 1 month subscription 2) We used Zoopla to check specifics of the property (bedrooms, bathrooms) to see if it was a suitable one for our challenge (it took some trial + error, but we eventually narrowed down to a few good examples) 3) Through trial + error we found 7 examples of properties within a 2 mile radius of our house that had sold for more than we bought our house for (implying a higher valuation was likely in 1991), that had a lower council tax band. We also ensured that they met the following criteria: a) Same type of house (i.e. detached) b) Internal Area in sq meters equal to or higher than ours c) Number of bedrooms equal to or higher than ours d) Number of bathrooms equal to or higher than ours e) Parking equal to or better than ours f) Plot size equal to or better than ours It was actually very straightforward, and by presenting the data clearly in a table (see below), it was easy to make the case that our house was misbanded.. I hope this helps. Good luck

Perhaps I should do a reddit-style AMA 😅

I work for one of the energy suppliers and have had success lately getting 3-phase meters installed in a typical 2.5 - 3 weeks. Feel free to PM me if you'd like some help with this.

Hi all, I'm planning to use 4x Velux 150cm x 150cm I'm planning on using for flat roofs on our project.. I'm currently planning their triple glazing, combined with the anti-heat blind (MSU5070) to reduce solar gain as needed. I'm just wondering whether the better option is to upgrade the glazing, to one of the special glazings (to reduce solar gain), and do away with the blinds. Any thoughts/feedback on this ? Thank you in advance !

Thanks, appreciate this feedback

@joe90, @Ferdinand, @Kelvin, @NSS, @Onoff, @Temp: Ok, so an update on this one: I realised since posting this that we've actually excavated closer to 1.8m at the back of the site, due to the slope (will measure it tomorrow, hopefully under the key 2m threshold). This retaining wall is 1 meter from their boundary, and they do have an out-house of sorts at the end of their garden, likely within 3m from our retaining wall. However, this work was conducted 6 months back.. Before anyone asks, the concrete block wall is reinforced with vertical steel bars, a horizontal steel mesh, and a heel and toe. We've also got drainage behind it. Planner has reached out to me, and I've offered them a site visit (I figure this will serve us better than photos), and I'd like the chance to address any concerns. I think probably sensible to also have our planning consultant attend the site visit so we can best address any concerns. It would be interesting to understand the neighbour's actual concerns - but as far as I can tell - they just seem to be 'one of those'. They objected to our rear dormer on the basis it impacted their privacy, despite it being 60 metres away from their house... I.e. I think @joe90 has got the right idea.. Any other ideas gratefully received

This is a fun one... We were granted planning for demolition + rebuild, and as part of that agreed levels for our rear garden that showed a patio in line with FFL, and then 8 steps up to the back of the garden In the final event, we excavated a bit more, so just 3 steps up to the back garden (so an extra ~90cm of height has been excavated from the rear part of the garden, and a taller retaining wall has been put in place around the garden) A lovely neighbour has kindly reported us to the council for the levels in our rear garden not matching planning (i.e. being 90cm lower). This picture shows what we have actually done: Our planner has advised we can be fairly relaxed in terms of enforcement because lowering the garden doesn't cause detriment/harm to anyone. But - I wanted to ask the wizards here for any advice on this. Should I be worried ? Any suggestions for points that should be made to the planners to secure a favourable outcome from the upcoming investigation. Any feedback appreciated. Many thanks in advance