Benpointer

Most contractors are honest and decent in my experience; but some are a bit 'fly', and a few are utter ars*h*les. A bit like people generally, really.

I think it depends on your personal confidence, skill set and time availability but personally I wouldn't spend money on a separate PM. Find a builder you feel you can trust - not always easy but personal recommendations, ask to speak to some reference customers, etc. - and keep in close and regular contact with them.

Just looking at my quotes from Norrsken. They came down by about 7% but... we kept opting for more expensive options so we're pretty much back where we started. I could possibly have negotiated a bit harder but Internorm and Rationel were about the same price. End result is £40k exc VAT inc installation for our set of seven tilt and turn windows, two fixed windows, one x 4m wide lift & slide door, and three alu-clad composite doors (one with side- glazed panels). All glazing is 3G, alu-clad frames. Windows: P33A, Doors: S305A, Lift & slide: s315A. If I take off the composite doors and installation costs it's about £1000 per m2 for the windows / lift & slide. All now in manufacturing. Good support from Norrsken so far.

Thanks - all good points. Hand't thought about a first aid kit - will get one organised. Think I am pretty well lined-up with what I need to do for the VAT reclaim. Most contractors are supply and fit but I do have some materials I am buying and I'm keeping a careful record ready for the reclaim. I am currently wrestling with planning - trying to decide how much I can parallel various trades on-site, e.g. 1st fit electrics while my chippy is timber-cladding outside. Coming to the conclusion: 'not much'; it's all looking quite sequential at the moment.

So, we are about to start our groundworks next week - big milestone! As I am self-managing using sub-contractors throughout, I have done the following: Registered with HSE using the F10 form, noting my architect as the Principal Designer and me as the Principal Contractor. Completed a CITB CDM Action Plan using the CITB CDM Wizard. As our is timber frame construction, I have completed a STA '16 Steps to Fire Safety' assessment and recorded our approach (we are Low Risk, so it's light touch). I also have Site Construction insurance through Protek. Anything else I should be doing?

Dumb question but why are you having to scrub (sand/scrape?) the top off your screed? I was kind of hoping that once the screed company lay it my screed will be flat, smooth and (subject to drying our properly, fit to tile onto. Have I missed something?

Just ordered our Norrsken windows - also P33A - glad to hear yours went in smoothly. They look great!

Lol! It was so interesting it too 5 years for someone to reply "That’s very interesting." Easily done though. On topic our quote from HSL was £6k for a 170m2 single storey, supply and commission (self-install). I am sure we could have done it cheaper but I am very happy with their design, which I feel is high-spec, with a Zehnder Q350 at its heart.

The other way round. Go for slab 4 every time. That's effectively quarter-sawn and stable - cabinet-makers generally pay a premium for quarter-sawn timber. The only proviso is that, depending on the species, the centre of slab 4 may be split or even rotted out - but if you can see the slabs you can see any flaws. and you can always cut a centre strip out and joint the two halves, or keep any flaws as a feature - filling splits with resin if you wish.

Hi all, we have five 150mm x 150mm oak posts supporting roof overhangs in our single storey TF design. The TF designers have specified "Stainless Steel Simpson PPA elevated post base or similar" to fix the base of each post on concrete pads. I can only find galvanised steel Simpson PPA post bases online, which I guess might well see us out but it seems a shame to install something that will rot before the posts do. Does anyone know where I can get s/s oak post bases? (In a previous project I screwed in 4x 20mm s/s studs into the bottom of each post and concreted them into the pads, leaving a gap of about 25mm between the base of the post and the top of the pad, so I guess that's another option.) Pics attached:

Just spoke to OpenReach about our single dwelling self-build plot and the very helpful chap on the end of the phone confirmed we will need to pay the £2000 as no fibre in the street. So, I have registered as a 'developer' on there very clunky and confusing portal and uploaded details of our build as requested. I will await an outcome. @SBMS thanks for the info - useful to know that if the cost is greater than £2000 we can be excused the building regs requirement. The 5G speed is pretty good at the site so 5G broadband would be an option. I wonder if I can opt for that even if the OpenReach fibre cost is capped at £2k?

Cheers - I think that may be sufficiently clear even for me 😉

Thanks all. So as I understand it the mains LEDs have a driver built into the bulb - it occurs to me that this is what we've used in the past when replacing incandescent with LED bulbs. Are these LEDs with inbuilt drivers dimmable?

Just reviewed the first draft for our new-build from our lighting designer. Ok, so I was expecting a lot of lights but there are 18 LED drivers which have to be found safe accessible homes for across the house. Given these units all cost a bit, fail from time to time and need to be replaced, are prone to creating interference, and are going to be a struggle to site appropriately within our (currently 25mm) service cavity... ... Given all that would it not be better to have one central driver in the plant room and a 24v DC circuit through the house to power all the lights?

Just got two quotes for our project: Single storey TF build, 191m2 external footprint, 18 months cover, £5m public liability, £10k hired plant: Protek £1,720. Buildstore £2,385. Protek it is then.

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 😉

Sorry, by 'fully closed' do you mean down and shutting out the light?

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?

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.

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

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)

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.

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?)

...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!

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?