TheMitchells

thats what i am hoping. should be fun - if i can get the hubby off the mini digger so i can have a go!

At my bungalow, we are looking to remove a box hedge as it is not looking nice and box blight is in the area. I intend to replace it with a 3 ft fence and then in auturn, add a new hedge, using bare rooted, probably hornbeam. the fence will give some privacy while the hedge gets established. It should be much better in the long term than the box. however, when i tried to get the box plants out, it was harder than I'd hoped. I managed the end three plants but it took 2 of us an hour and was very hard work. they have been there for about 15 years so, while not very tall, they have rooted quite well. so we are looking for quotes from local landscapers to remove it for me. The chap who came today suggested £90 a metre!! when we declined, he dropped it to £65 but as there is 15m, thats nearly a thousand pounds to take it out and get rid of the hedge. Amazing! 😆 I now plan to hire a mini digger and do it myself.😁

usual cavity wall insulation and lots in the attic. windows are fairly recent but before us so no idea of how well they are sealed.

who was that with, please?

I have just had an estimate from Egg for a solar array and, they suggest 12 No. 390W Trina Solar all-black panel with Tesla Powerwall. this whole area is completely bamboozling to me so advice would be great. Their estimate for the supply and installation of the solar PV system is £8,900 and £9,250 for the supply and installation of the Tesla Powerwall. Should we wish to install a battery at an alternate time then VAT rate is 20%. Basically, it is a small bungalow with a south facing (no shade) roof in which my elderly parents live. They have an old large 'box' in a cupboard which heats up at night and then blows warm air around during the day. there are also 2 electic night storage heaters, one in the lounge and one in the lobby. Plus an electric fire for extra heat - mainly in winter when the storage usits have ran out. They do like to keep the place warm and average electricity costs are currently £120 a month as they are on a fixed deal till Dec 23 - phew. they use 2400kW on the day rate (24.1p per kW) and 9000kW at night (9.19p). it is 35.6p per day standing charge. So based on last years use, their bills this year should be about £1,425.16. daytime costs are the usual white goods and little else. They have an electric shower but that is only once a week. it is a strange system in that the storage heaters are all on a separate ring and only come on at night. Everything else is on the day ring and even if put on at night, add to the daytime bill. I am worried that their bills will shoot up when they finish their fixed rate and also it seems an ideal roof for photovoltaics as there is no shade and it faces almost directly south. When my parents no longer need the place, we shall re-vamp the whole place, extending the kitchen and probaby install a new heating system, as this one is so old (probably the origional from the 70's). so - does the proposed system sound good? And would a Powerwall be a good investment? or should we wait and do it all when the re-vamp is done. But that could be severals years away and electricity prices are not likely to come down. There is no gas to the property although it is in the road outside. Hoping for some help/advice/thoughts as I don't know what to do for the best. 🤪 thanks. From their email - We have been installing solar panels for over 10 years, we are an award-winning company our latest aware was for Solar and Battery installer of the Year 2021, so you know you are getting reputable company when you choose us. The panels we install are Trina Solar they are a Tier-1 panel manufacturer; the 390W panels which we most commonly use. They are all black, high efficiency, low profile panels and come with a 15-year product warranty and a 25-year performance warranty. The way we size a solar PV system is to look at available roof space to start with but more importantly, we look at the existing and potential future energy consumption. SolarEdge is the only inverter solution we recommend and install because every roof will benefit from an improved annual performance compared to a standard ‘string’ inverter. This system also gives you per-panel visibility of generation, enabling you (or us) to see how the system is performing and highlight any potential issues if any arise in the future. Although there may be potential no shading on the roof, you will still benefit from a SolarEdge optimised inverter solution. At different times of the day, there will be different light levels (irradiation) on each part of your roof, depending on the position of the sun in the sky (even if the sun is not visible). The Powerwall represents the best value for money per kWh when you consider the storage capacity of 13.5kWh and a built-in inverter which can do a continuous 5kW charge/discharge, along with grid backup and off-peak charging capabilities. The off-peak grid charging is particularly useful for the winter months when it’s likely that your solar generation would not meet your daily household consumption. With the addition of a Tesla Powerwall to the system, we would expect solar self-consumption to increase from 50% to around 80%/90%, thus increasing your overall energy savings.

Personally, I'd wait till September so you have a good chance of autumn and winter rains to get the lawn established. You'd need to water pretty much every day over summer if you did it now.

Please do not use a membrane - it does not do any good as weeds will come in from wind and birds, neither of which will be stopped by the membrane but it isnt good for worms and they are the lifeline of good soil and that includes the soil under lawns. Just make sure the weeds are killed off before you start the lawn. Good luck!

This arrived today. If you've completed a self build in the last 5 years, then NACSBA needs your help. Government is keen to help more people to self build, BUT they have raised concerns about the lack of data on self build in the UK. By taking 10 minutes to fill in our Self Build Survey you can make a big difference to anyone wanting to build. And as a thank you, five respondents, chosen at random, will be sent a £100 John Lewis voucher! https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NaCSBA2022

came across this article and thought it may be of interest. http://www.sofiepelsmakers.com/suspended-timber-ground-floors.html It talks about the different types of insulation used and how good it can be.

Hi Vpip. I have been on here for a good few years but have been very quiet for last 3-4yrs as no chance of finding land. But there is light at the end of the tunnel (hopefully) so I am back. Its amazing what you can learn here. I just hope that this time, i can make use of it. Ask away - there's always someone who will help. Good luck too.

I drove past it last month when attending a wedding at Croyde - i thought it was the lighthouse from grand Designs. it looked fairly close to being finshed.

yes, hubby added the screws and he went in between the two of them so its more like 5-6cm. the boards do seem secure so hoping that adding screws between the nails will prevent any movement. Will tell him to go either side on any more that we do. as there are loads to do all over the upstairs, we may just live with them and i'll concentrate of the joint lines. after all, we've put up with them for 25 years so it obviously isn't too much of a problem. ?

This is another line of plasterboard tape that has moved. I am trying to repair the small one first to see if i can make a reasonable job of it before tackling the longer two lines right across the stairs walls. The small one is on the landing so easy to access. this one will involve ladders!

Have done as you suggest. Am now looking to re-plaster. Do i need anything on top of the nail head before I start? PVA glue or something to help it stick? And does thefact that it is a painted wall change anything about applying plaster?

I am planning to paint the hall, stairs and landing (okay - not me, a proper painter) and am thinking of repairing the plasterwork beforehand. There are lines where the plasterboards are joined as well as numourous blown screw heads. However, when i started to remove the blown heads, i discovered they are nails, not screws! Has anyone come across this before? The house was built by Americans about 30 years ago then sold by the MOD 23 years ago when I bought it. I have put up with the bad plaster but would like to sort them out and plan to have a go at the plastering. Should I knock in the nails and add screws before attempting the plastering? I'd rather not have to remove them all and the plasterboard does seem solid.

I have come late to this party but wanted to add my congratulations on such a beautiful build. i have just read through ervery one of your posts and think you have created a wonderful home - I'd move in like a shot! so when i want to build my house, i'll be on the phone to you - i love everything about it and would hardly need to change a thing. Well done! hope you are enjoying it still. ?

Looks great Mike. can you tell me what flooring you used in the kitchen. I like that look.?

Cannot help with the question but good luck and please do a blog so we can all follow the 'journey' with you. I have heard good things about Scotframe. They did the first Passivhaus in a town near us and the owners gave a talk about the process. they certainly didnt have anything bad to say. Their only problem was finding stuff for the cleaner to do as the MVHR helped keep the house clean too!

water based.

Well, I bought the sheet of mdf and the OH cut it all up. I am now in the process of painting the pieces. two coats each of undercoat, rollered on. it only takes a few minutes to paint then several hours to dry as its so cold in the garage. So the next quesiton is which is the best paint to use? I need something hardwearing. we have a dog and the hall gets lots of use so it must be tough. and ideally not gloss as i think that would show up the imperfections. I did wonder about car spray paint as that must be pretty tough but it would be a pain to spray all those pieces. Would a couple of coats of a satinwood be sufficently hardwearing?

Thank you for all the tips - I am going to tile the wall but need a cupboard as the heating vent is behind/underneath the basin and we want a small cupboard to store odds and ends. I have seen Jali doors which will allow the heat out the cupbaord without having to extend the vent which would be difficult and look a bit silly. Our basin will sit on the cupboard. I did look to buy one but it would need to be an odd size so easier to make one to fit. It fits in the end of the loo so only 88cm wide. I did manage to go to Wickes today and the hardwood ply is really smooth and will make an ideal cupboard. The edges looked okay. and I think I'd prefer that to mdf. Photos to be uploaded when its done.

As part of our renovation of the cloakroom, we plan to build a cupboard for the sink to sit on with Jali doors to allow the heat out of the vent which will be covered by the unit. I plan to use 18mm plywood onto a frame and am looking at Wickes (its open and close so hoping i can sneak out and get it - doubt the police would consider it essential). They have softwood and hard wood but say the hardwood is not structural so should i get the softwood? It seems the opposite to expected. I'd have thought the hardwood would be better? Any thoughts.

not sure - doubt it as it has to go into the cloakroom and round the loo so not easy. but thinking it will add to the insulation of the floor as its just laid on concrete. no insulation that we know of. yes, its nice and level.

We are thinking of replacing the linoleum in our hall and cloakroom with a new one as the dog scratched some areas so much it removed the top layer. Is it possible to just lay the new one on top of the old one? Or does it need to be removed?

Just watching the last episode - they are digigng out the foundations but the field is so wet, the dumpers are getting stuck. Didnt it occur to them to dig out the drive first and lay hardcore - or even lay some matting - there must be something they could use! They do seem rather useless and not a lot happens in any episode.