divorcingjack

Actually, I just had one more question - based on the advice on this thread, I had decided to put UFH under both islands so as to have coverage whatever the layout turned out to be. We confirmed with the kitchen guy that he wouldn't need to nail anything into the floor and/or could use glue if necessary, but MBC have pointed out another issue that concerns them. Obviously, as the concrete cures and dries, quite an amount of moisture will come off it - they are worried that this could damage the kitchen units. Am I correct in thinking that we probably won't be fitting the kitchen for 5-6 months after the pour, by which time most of the moisture should be out, and leaving off the kick boards should allow air to circulate sufficiently. I had also thought of a small fan pointing under the island. Thoughts?

@Nickfromwales Me too, very often @JSHarris, very reassuring, thank you. Sounds very reasonable. We've moved from a very old stone cottage with slate floors, so this should be a nice change to hopping about in the morning trying to find slippers. @jack - I remember reading about your UFH puncture. I assume there was nothing that could be done, once you discovered the leak? I will have a look at Mike's threads now, I must say, MBC are not keen to do it at all, but we have a contractor who's business is polishing farm shed floors and MBC have agreed to let him take over the power floating of the slab once they have finished to the level they normally do. We've seen his work and it really is great. We're not looking for a highly polished surface, we like the imperfect industrial look.

That's really suprising, all the pilers we spoke to insisted on it being in place before they would undertake work. I wonder if this varies throughout the country. Whar are you going to do?

Thanks for all the responses, I think we are going to just put UFH in the lot for simplicity. I realised of course, that we are going to have a waste disposal unit in the island sink, so probably only recyclables in the actual bin. The floor finish will be powerfloated concrete, so no expensive tiles to worry about. I'm sure the husband will find something else to spend the cash on though @Nickfromwales. @JSHarris, very useful to have a real-life comparison of a similar system, so thank you. Can I ask, is your floor comfortable to walk on in bare feet or does it feel cool? @bassanclan - just about at the same time you posted that, we had the same idea and were very chuffed with our problem solving! Great minds.

Thanks for your reply, that's a bit annoying that the insulation idea isn't a goer. All these worries about UFH not working under carpet ect, and I can't stop mine heating up! I'm more worried about the bin and the dishwasher than anything. I think we'll prob keep dishes etc in the island drawers, so not too worried about food spoilage. We need a field experiment! Someone put their bin on a heating pad at 24 degrees and report back! Cheers, dj

Hi all, I've got a bit of a UFH dilemma which I need to try and resolve pretty quickly to meet materials ordering deadlines. We have a large kitchen/dining/living room downstairs. The architect and us have different opinions on where the kitchen island/units should be. We're pretty convinced on our placing, but the architect has proven himself correct on many occasions and I'm aware of the possibility of having to move the kitchen when the frame goes up. Unfortunately, by this point, the UFH pipes will be in the slab, so we are left with the possibility of an unheated area where we wanted the island, and a warm bin in the new position. So, my question is - if there are UFH pipes under a kitchen island, will putting down a sheet of insulation on top (in the base of the units) or a high tog carpet block the heat enough? Will it overheat/damage the UFH? We looked at trying to have the island locations as separate loops but it was really complicated. The build is MBC passive slab and frame, so very airtight and isulated. MBC have suggested 200mm spacing for the pipe, and I've asked for a counter-flow arrangement. Any suggestions would be really appreciated. Thanks, dj

We got to the day before submission of our warrant before pulling the whole package due to a last minute opportunity to buy some more land. It worked out much better in the end, but I could have cried because we had to basically junk the whole approved planning application and all the engineering and architect work done to date. It was an expensive (but hopefully) worthwhile decision. Tough though. I should add that the reason would couldn't just amend was that we had to change the whole orientation, access and height of the house, so it was a new application or nothing

I would pursue the piling company to see if they can add it on for a reasonable cost tbh. As I said, ours was surprisingly cheap if obtained through the contractor. We didn't have piles, but I was horrified by the amount of vibration from a large vibrating roller used for compaction of hardcore. Good job that you don't need a PWA by the way, they sound like an absolute nightmare.

Even if she paid by debit card, there is still possibly a reclaim option through the bank. A bit more convoluted, but possible. A more direct, and in my opinion, effective approach is to post on their social media, including pics. Twitter/Facebook very often gets a more prompt response than emails. Alternatively, if they are a local company, I would be very vociferously staging my complaint in their showroom and being very chatty with everyone in there until I got a swift resolution.

I'm looking at those duravit toilets too, onoff, they are really nice. Villeroy and Boch do a similar design, but I agree that the seats are v pricey. There are some "compatible" ones on eBay that are soft close too, but it's a bit of a risk tbh, as the colour prob won't match exactly, and who knows how "compatible" they really are. Toilets are a real issue, there's too many aspects to consider. Unfortunately, there are some UK providers that are now the same price as megabad etc, due to the terrible exchange rates.

Hi DeanS, Sorry, bit late - just catching up Yes, we did get cover in the end - but we couldn't get it in our own name as we were not professional contractors. We eventually managed to get the insurance company to add it on to the premium for our contractors insurance as an extra clause for the specific job, the premium was £275, I think, but it was only for 2 weeks and soil removal from around our neighbours. There is an extended liability for delayed damage, which goes for 10 years after the completion of the works. There was a lot of paperwork. Incidentally, have you spoken to your piling contractor about it, I believe they all have this type of insurance as the risk of damage is more for piling. Their cover might be sufficient for the job. Are your works very close to other buildings, utilities etc? It's definitely not a standard clause - our contractor (30 years experience) had never heard of it!

I'm not sure you can be a PD actually, as a self-builder. I believe it has to be someone who has a professional interest in the actual nuts and bolts design of the house, a structural engineer or architect. I'd double check that asap. In Scotland, we have to have an SE involved prior to build start, so it's not so much of an issue for us (apart from the fact that our engineer doesn't offer this service!), but I imagine it would be a real problem for someone not using an architect either.

We're having real issues getting someone to fulfil the PD role - our architect's insurer is not keen on him taking on this role for lots of different projects, but our engineer doesn't do it and there's no one else. Tricky.

here you go : https://www.cml.org.uk/lenders-handbook/englandandwales/question-list/1913/

There is a list from the Mortgage council that you can get that lists every single mortgage provider and what warranties they accept. I only found this after a very few frustrating days on the phone to various providers! I'll see if I can google it for you. I'm going to go with C-R-L, I like their personal account manager and flexible approach to non-standard building approaches. Still expensive though!!

@Barney12 and @PeterW, many thanks for that info, much appreciated. I've just had a telling off from my architect over the PD role, so this is well timed

Thanks @Bitpipe, very useful. Our windows are Internorm, but the architect advised us that the canopies form an important part of the look of the facade, so they are staying, engineering difficulties and all! I might look at externals for some of the other windows though.

I'd definitely consider a course, I wake up sweating thinking about an H&S unexpected visit! We are so overlooked and surrounded by neighbours, that it's a definite possibility.

I'm interested in these too - we're looking at having no fascia trims around the door, so set invisibly into the wall, and I suspect we'll need concealed hinges too. Where would you get them?

I can't remember which way round it goes, but one of them has an "inspection shelf" as common in German toilets, and the other doesn't. I think I googled wash down vs washout. I *think* it's washout, if you don't want the poo shelf. Potentially disastrous error to make. Rimless was a cleaning thing, makes it easier - there's a video on Youtube about it.

Hi all, After another meeting with our architect yesterday, he has brought up the idea of wet rooms instead of shower trays. I would prefer a wet/slightly damp room - we're planning a glass screen open at both ends for splashing, so not sure if it qualifies as a full "wet room", however, i dislike mosaic tiles on the floor and really don't like the way larger tiles are sometimes cut in a union jack flag type pattern to get the fall correct. However, my architect has just done a job where large format tiles were used, uncut, meeting in the centre at a linear drain. Is this possible to do? If so, would I just buy a normal former or do I need something different? Like the picture below, where the tiles are seamless. I have a horrid feeling that this is going to be hideously expensive ... Thanks for any guidance - oh and just to make it more difficult, I'd like to have this on the ground floor of an MBC passive slab

We're in Scotland and used the Scottish version of the JCT, which is much more clearly worded. We basically chatted it over with our contractors, but insisted that they sign something and saying that we were using the same contract for everyone did help to appease them.

From my experience so far, also think about briefing contractors (we have a sheet that they sign) as regards H&S when they come on site, procedures, where the toilets are, hand washing, water, PPE, and first aid, It also has our contact numbers on it and details of what our insurance does and does not cover, as well as parking arrangements - our site is urban and awkward. I also get all our contractors to sign a detailed contract with us - I don't think this is a principal contractor thing, but is useful legally in case of dispute and makes sure that we all know where we stand. I have spare PPE on site for visitors, including hi-viz, hard hats, ear and eye protection as well as a first aid kit. I believe you are also legally required to provide fresh, clean drinking water, somewhere to rest/shelter and toilet/handwashing facilities. I also keep the full H&S file on site with all the signed briefing sheets in it, the plan and copies of all our insurance. Also - who is your principal designer? This is a very important role and MUST be designated. Good luck - it's an admin nightmare! Like building a house isn't hard enough ....

We are building an MBC house with a flat roof too - it's cellulose filled and i don't have too man concerns about overheating through it. The massive south facing window on the other hand.... Hope you don't mind me hijacking your thread a bit, but @Bitpipe, could you offer some additional details about your external shutters? We are having some engineering difficulties with a cantilevered shading canopy and I'm just wondering if external shutters might be a better option. Thanks, dj

Hi Gary, BPC have been fab for me so far - you guys and MBC have been the only contractors I haven't had to run about after and triple-check everything. A small drop of reassurance in an ocean of anxiety Welcome.