lizzie

@newhome there is a separate register for Scotland the one mentioned above is only for England and Wales. Try www.scottishepcregister.org.uk sorry cant get the link in on ipad

History now...Ive put it behind me. Sorry didnt mean to but in on the conversations. It just jarred a nerve. Its back in the box now, onwards we go.

I am still furious at the debacle with my epc/sap. To end up with a low B after all the time effort and money that went into making the place as good as possible and then end up with the same as a new build on a development down the road....just another of the many c***k ups that took place on this build. I understand there is some form of appeal or rectification on a new build but whats the point Joe public dont care about epc ratings its only people like us that do. It is a record of our achievement on the build and the effort put in for all of us. Makes me angry so I try not to think about it.

I was totally set on cedar, had samples from everyone, looked at untreated and the sioo from Russwood. I did a last minute swerve into siberian larch after being sent a random sample. It was sivalbp with the sacrificial coating so no uneven weathering. I had larch with new age gris so already greyish and it will just weather evenly. I swerved to the larch as the grain was so beautiful on the sample I got. Sivalbp only available from Vincent timberin Birmingham. My carpenter said it is some of the best cladding he has fitted no waste or rubbish pieces every length inspected for quality before they delivered it. I am delighted, they do cedar too.

Can’t you just put a pc sum in the contract and then specify at the time. If any difference in price you make it up.

My Internorm windows are Triple 48 coated clear glass - glass spec is 22b.2(laminated)/16Ar/4/18Ar/B22.2(laminated) I am still investigating the film and they are getting some thermal calcs from the manufacturer. One film supplier told me not to have film on these windows another says its fine. Any help please I dont want cracked glass. I dont understand the glass spec I just asked for laminated for security

My installer and man who specced system both think I dont need it. They say live in the house for a while experiment with various suggested measures of purging etc and they think it will be fine. Will see how I go. I had the issues with nosebleeds etc when first here, was keeping windows shut and mvhr on boost, its not such a problem now I have changed the way I use it.

Ive held back on changing to the enthalpy exchanger and am experimenting with how I use mvhr on the advice of my installer. Its £850 plus install for the enthalpy change now...installer thinks I dont need it. I have my by pass set to manual open so it is permanently open. I am getting higher temps inside than out at certain times of the day due to the solar gain issue. I am running quite a bit of the time on the boost setting to get more cool air in. Running on boost reduces humidity of course but with all windows open its not much of an issue. House is at about 38% humidity which is a bit low but then humidity outside is low anyway. I have not been using my tumble drier in this weather other than for short bursts to finish towels. Due to dusty external conditions all other laundry is drying inside in the utility room on a folding airer. Its not increasing humidity in the house because there is an extract vent in there. Laundry dries very quickly, its not like a conventional house at all and you dont have to worry about damp from wet washing as you might usually.

I’ve had a lookback and my Alumasc was £93sqm ex vat....its silcone on an aqua board and comes with a guarantee.

@JSHarris thank you I would be interested to see. We are right on top of a ridge wind comes clear across the valley 40 miles or more from the Malvern Hills nothing to slow it down. We have extra strapping on our roof to make sure the wind does not lift it. It was all engineered for wind and loading and our lovely carpenter put more strapping on as he didnt think the engineers had specified enough....he had been working up there in all weathers so knew how fierce it could be. Local houses have had ridge tiles taken off by the wind. One of the things I liked was the exposed location with clean air constantly blowing in.

Yes architects seem to ignore practicalities like sun and summer!

Good idea if you can do it. We are exposed on the top of a ridge it wouldn't last 5 minutes LOL

Thanks but I don't think so. Our roof is not truly flat but is technically a flat roof for pitch I think however we actually have 2 roofs one on top of the other. We have the insulated flat deck roof provided by the TF company which is I believe a warm roof and on top of that we have another roof formed by shaped trusses to create our angles this I think is termed a cold roof as it has no insulation. In effect it is just decorative creating the angles. Whole lot topped off with single ply membrane. There is no doubt the problem is cause by the unshaded glazing If I can get some shade on the glass the temp will drop rapidly. I said we needed more shading as the house was being built, it seemed obvious to me we were creating a potential problem with solar gain. No one took any notice of me. There are a lot of things on this build where I was too trusting, we took the view we are not builders and so pay a professional to do what we could not so how/why would we be trying to check what we were being told........big mistake............. when it became apparent a short way into the build that we had problems in all sorts of areas it was too late to undo some of it hence I am still trying to sort out issues - unrelated to solar gain - lots of the problems can be traced back to the slab not being right and the frame being erected lop sided and not square on the slab. It has cost umpteen extra thousands and of course delays. Where I would be without some really wonderful tradesmen who have gone over and above in trying to rectify and/or compensate for the problems caused by slab/frame not being right at the start I don't know but thats a whole other story!.

@SteamyTea moving home to the coast (Wales) is long term plan when work life is over. Wont have same problems there for sure...... Advice of film specialist who did not recommend film for my windows was to cool the house as much as possible by whatever means (portable aircon if nec) get through the hot spell and live with it for a year see how things are. As he said this weather is extreme and it may not occur like this again for another 10 years....by which time I will probably be mad or dead. LOL

@Onoff if money were no object........LOL

I have huge overheating problems and I am single storey. High on a ridge and open to the elements no trees etc. My big south and west facing sliders are opened up at 6am every day. I have big garden parasols outside as temp shading. I keep some of the east side windows wide open too so I have a through draught right across my open plan living area. I close the windows when we go to bed but I keep the en suite open on tilt and the bedroom (west facing) slider open but locked at about 2 inches to give air without anyone being able to get their arm in. I have blinds at the bedrooms but not at the big living sliders. The internal blinds help with shading but not hugely with heat, External blinds are not really an option now our building is finished. We would have major problems with getting power around...I. consulted our electrician and carpenter and both said not easily done. I have been getting quotes for the film but have not gone ahead as I have been trying to find out about using it on 3g laminated. The spec only reads for 2g and the one supplier says it will be fine......another specialist company locally have looked at my window spec and said they dont recommend film. They would be relcutant to do but if I went ahead then I would have to sign a disclaimer. They say the risk of the glass cracking is very high. They actually took the trouble to look at my glass spec properly the other company have not hence just sending a quote based on my measurements and my intital enquiry. They are the ones who only had 2g in the spec sheet but said it would be fine for 3g. I dont trust that I dont think they have properly looked at my window spec. Mine are laminated in and out with the third middle pane not laminated. Be careful if you have laminated windows to my spec is the message. My search for a solution is ongoing meatime I am praying for rain/cloud just for some respite.

Looks great, well done

@nod Thank you so much. I thought it was a try on. Just have to find someone to give me a sensible price or learn how to do it myself.......yes i wish you were nearer too!

and a hat!

This may need to be in garden section......please move or tell me to do it if required. I have had some garden planters built in block, they are open to the ground below for drainage. We will use blackjack type stuff on the inside to waterproof. I just want the rendered in sand and cement ready for painting. They will need a bead at the bottom and possibly on the corners. I want the render to continue over the top and down a little way inside for neatness. I have 2 that are 2m long and an L shaped one 3m x2m all are 450 high. Some pics attached. I have just had the quote..... £1075 inc materials! I am shocked I had thought about £600 would do it. That price is for us doing waterproofing and painting its just for the render. Any thoughts?

The erstwhile project manager.....please dont tell me its the wrong stuff!!! We do have a french drain all around but its not in that.

Born in Wales to a Welsh mother and Italian/Irish father....an array of passport opportunities there (would like one with a Dragon really).....also have South African citizenship but chose not to take up the passport.

@Weebles found the detail on geotex amazingly quickly given my filing system is a big box! We used Wykamol Kontract Geotextile 1.9m x 20m long. It was £197.80 plus vat per roll. I think we had to trim it we didnt use 1.9m over the eps.maybe half as wide feels about it.

I have a whole roll of geotex unused was taken away by the project manager to sell...we bought 2 only used 1........not heard any more about it or of he ever sold it but as he took a job with mbc after getting involved with them while working on my job if you get offered a bargain roll by an mbc bod it is probably my surplus. It was about £250 a roll, I will look out invoice from BM so I can tell you spec. We fixed to eps with things that looked like enormous plastic nails...mushrooms I think they were called....will have detail somewhere. Our alu flashings are deep they come right down over most of geotex and go down below ground build up around eps. I think we just brought the type 1 up to alu nothing further, will check with my man who did it. I dont think rodents will get through the geotex it is very strong....underneath well who knows but where do you stop....the attached pic gives a clue...this is where we had to dig out to find why a toilet was not flushing properly and found it had not been connected to anything in the ground but thats a whole other story, just thank goodness for a second fix plumber who noticed a slow drain on the w.c. he was installing.

We had a letter at the start telling us the stages they wanted to make inspections and also that they could come at other times at their discretion.