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Benpointer

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  • About Me
    We have had an offer accepted (STC) on the following village-located 0.85 acre plot with existing Planning Permission for a 160m2 2-storey house but we want to build something more imaginative that better suits our needs. We have sold our house and soon plan to move into rented while we do the self-managed build.

    We are aiming to build a distinctive, modern, eco-friendly, single-level house of circa 160m2 with an attached or separate garage/workshop of circa 40m2.

    We would like our house to incorporate the following elements:

    • High insulation levels and low energy use; target u-values of 0.12 max for walls, floor and roof.
    • Light and airy inside
    • Open plan living areas
    • High ceilings including pent ceilings where appropriate
    • Underfloor heating throughout
    • Air Source Heat Pump
    • Whole house Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery
    • Triple-glazed windows
    • Solar PV panels and battery storage
    • The design needs to be wheelchair-friendly - one of us is a full-time wheelchair user.

    Construction method yet to be determined but we are open to modern sustainable methods, including SIPS, timber frame, insulated steel frame etc.


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    Dorset

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  1. Benpointer
    Cheers. I'm going to rely on the triple-glazing to keep me asleep... and my wife manages to sleep through my snoring, so she'll be fine too 😉
  2. Benpointer
    Sorry, by 'fully closed' do you mean down and shutting out the light?
  3. Benpointer
    Regarding Seconds and co, they advertise their PIR boards as being 70/80mm or 90/100mm but I want 100mm, not 90mm nor do I want a mixture of 90 and 100mm. How do I know what I'm going to get?
  4. Benpointer
    Thanks on both counts. Got it! Were we live the rainwater is pretty clear and not at all grey but I was not planning on pushing it through the STP. Thanks for the clarification.
  5. Benpointer
    Wait, does the grey water need separating from the sewage for a STP? No mention of that in the Klargester Biotec installation instructions. https://www.tanks-direct.co.uk/files/pdf/2698_1014179-03-biotec-2--3-installation-manual.pdf
  6. Benpointer
    This is exactly what we are aiming to do, and I have a good plumber in a similar position. Is there a hint in there somewhere? Just need an MCS umbrella scheme to cover the Panasonic... ('cos: £7500 innit)
  7. Benpointer
    I just used Midsummer Wholesale Heat Pump Kit Builder (Samsung 8kW + UK cylinders 300l tank, + fittings = £6657) and the Underfloor heating store (180m2 kit - £3486) to get a rough price, then added a generous amount (too much probably) for labour. Take your point though - should be able to get it much cheaper.
  8. Benpointer
    Brilliant thanks - looks like just what I need. I've already called Cool Energy and they are sending me through details. Build Hub comes up trumps once again! (Can I still use the word trump?)
  9. Benpointer
    ...that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous profiteering from an MCS registered company, Or simply buy the ASHP and UFH kit myself for our self-build, and have my local trusted but non-MCS plumber install it? Quotes so far from a couple of local MCS registered companies for an 8kW ASHP, 300l cylinder and 170 m2 UFH pipes, manifold and controls are: £16k or £20k... those are after the deduction of the £7500 grant. Or with my local plumber I could buy the kit myself and have installed for £14k, no grant. (It would be nice if I could find an MCS person to check and sign it off for a share of the £7,500 grant.) Regarding cooling, I had this classic suggestion from the £20k company who clearly don't understand the basics of physics: "A simpler approach might be to install marble worktops and insulate the room to minimise unwanted temperate gains". Who'd a thunk it, all you need is some stone worktops, what a marbleous suggestion!
  10. Benpointer
    As per the title: Klargester BioTec+ 2 and Clearwater BioAir CW2 - are these the same unit just badge engineered? I am struggling to spot the difference tbh. https://www.tanks-direct.co.uk/klargester-biotec-2-sewage-treatment-plant-6-person/ https://www.tanks-direct.co.uk/clearwater-bioair-cw2-sewage-treatment-plant-6-person/ Anyone know?
  11. Benpointer
    Fair point but we have zero interest in ever doing that so will leave it to those who follow to worry about. It's 170m2 house, which is plenty for us.
  12. Benpointer
    I am struggling to understand how the 'coefficient of friction between the die and the workpiece' is going to affect my foundations... I an only conclude that Yr Afin a L1/2
  13. Benpointer
    @SteamyTea These days when Elton comes round ours for a cuppa he doesn't do so much jumping up and down on the piano.
  14. Benpointer
    Ok thanks for all the replies, especialliy Gus's - very imformative. So... We are not engaging an SE for the foundations because neither our architect not our groundworker think it necessary; the ground is pure, solid, Kimmeridge clay (for hundreds of metres down). We have one nearby oak tree, 15m high, with 10.2m radius root protection area, and the tree is 14m from the nearest edge of our foundations. So I am thinking we can use the NHBC foundation tables (https://nhbc-standards.co.uk/4-foundations/4-2-building-near-trees/4-2-13-foundation-depth-tables/) which gives 1.75m depth in the corner closest to the tree, reducing to 1.0m deep once we get 20m away from the tree. Hopefully the BCO will agree.
  15. Benpointer
    Hi all, I have this from our TF co's designers, which will presumably dictate the foundation depths. Can anyone help me decipher it? I don't absolutely need to know but as part of our self-build journey, I'd like to understand it if at all possible. Presumably "15/5" "12.5/5" etc. means something important but what? I assume the loadings are all quite light, at it's a single storey TF construction clad in a combination of timber and render/cement panels. Thanks in advance for enlightening me! 1829 - 01 Frog Lane-LP.pdf
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