Pete

We have a similar setup on our roof terrace. Once window was sealed I used external window tape to seal to the purenit under the window frame and then the external sill was fitted using sealant and screws. (Internorm windows)

I now what it is like to win the lottery. Thanks everyone

I am relaxing more with these responses. I have had enough with heart failure today. The guy doing the sign off ready for Monday told me I had used the wrong ducting this afternoon when he looked at the pics I sent him on the phone. As my mind was computing having to dig it all up and do it all again he informed me he had made some calls and they would allow it. I had used red 117mm ducting in a 50m roll instead of the short red ducting in 3 metres lengths which is what he expected me to have used. I explained it was not very clear in the specification and he said do not worry about we have allowed it. Hence me now worrying about the smaller ducting pipe. Life of a self builder eh @recoveringacademic (Ian)

I thought it was about that size and then this gives an allowance to pull through easily enough. Fingers crossed I think. Thanks

Can anyone please tell me the diameter of the incoming mains cable to the main fuse. I have the red 38mm ducting required by my local electric board into the house and I have been informed the incoming mains cable is 35mm diameter which seems a little tight to pass through and round the sweeping bend underground. My electrics are being connected on Monday and I am a little concerned I may have to dig down to ensure the duct is as straight as possible.

Great house, nice drive. Do you put your slippers on before you step on the drive?

I worked back, decided on what render I wanted and then got the spec of them for our build

Good luck. It is amazing to watch your house take shape right in front of your eyes.

Hi Lizzie. The photographs I promised are the same as those posted by @Barney12 and @JamesP so no point in duplicating things. To be honest we have had a nightmare with Internorm Windows. Today we have finally got our installation completed, 13 months after our frame went up. Next test is the weather to see if we end up with leaks like so many on here. If people want a slightly more detailed explanation of our problems pls PM me

It is all sorted now but the answer to your question is no, that is why it needed to go inside. I suppose we could have put it in the detached garage but this would have meant a further 40 metres of 3 phase cable which was getting expensive. I just wanted people to know it can be positioned inside but you also need to know the downside if anything goes wrong with the ducting/cable in the future.

Many years ago the building to the rear of the fire station where I worked was being completely stripped and it was full of rats. One of the lads came running into the brew room and said come on there is a rat under the I beam that we used to cut up when training. So three of the largest firefighters went outside armed with shovels and got ready to turn the I beam over to give it a smack and when they saw the size of it they all run like mad and the rat just run off. Needless to say the banter was very good when we got back in the brew room.

Reminds me of two houses I have completely renovated, not as remote as your's but in the same condition. Just thinking about those ceilings makes me remember the amount of work and dirt involved in taking them down as they where not repairable. Will look absolutely fabulous when completed. Welcome.

Had the pre site check the other day to see if the trenching we had done prior to the electric being installed and everything was fine until the guy went into the house and said the incoming main was positioned to far inside the house, it was meant to be no further than two metres from the outside wall. I explained I had spoken to someone about this when I first contacted ENWL and that it was a Passive house and I did not want unnecessary penetrations in the house walls. I should add that it is not possible to have an exterior cabinet anywhere so our only option was to bring it up inside the house, a distance of approx 4 metres of cable length. He was not happy and went away to make a phone call. The reason for posting this is I asked to speak to the person on the other end of the phone and explained the situation and that I had told ENWL at the beginning what I was planning. She was very understanding and accepted the fact that we would have a 4 metre run of cable under the house and that they would have to look at Passive principles in more detail. Hope this helps somebody in the future

I am trying to order our front and back doors but trying to satisfy BR for Part M and maintain a good u-value for our near Passive build is proving difficult. What have people done to meet both standards? Currently we will need a two part sill, one to fit to the concrete floor and butt the floor tiles upto and then a smaller sill that sits on top which will be the door frame. When I have looked at a few manufacturers they have a really small sill that looks really neat and it actually sits on top of the finished floor so in our case tile and then fit the door which does not work for us at all. So currently we are looking at a Pirnar door which can supply a traditional sloping outer sill which is the only one they do and then the smaller sill on top. RK doors do a similar set up but have a choice of sills for varying situations and this would suit the way we finish off outside. We could pave right upto the door frame with the RK system as it does not have the slope on the lower sill which is our preferred choice but we prefer the Pirnar door to the RK door overall. If we use a 10mm floor tile on a 10mm adhesive bed what will be the finished thickness, I am thinking about 15mm as I need to be careful to order the the correct door height to achieve the Part M and maintain a decent u-value. (Mods please start another thread if you feel this would be better on it's own) TIA

Looks fab and moving at pace. Hope everything comes together for you

Our mice did not produce any smell at all. The kitchen extractor in our old house was making a high pitched squeal and I thought the bearings had gone as it was only a cheap thing. So I purchased a new one and began to strip the other one out and as I removed the ducting I found the reason for the high pitched whine. If you imagine a hamsters wheel and the mouse had obviously dropped on top of this and could not get away. So it was wedged in the top of the outer casing where the wheel spins and had a slight coating of grease allover it. I was gutted I had bought a new one as well as there was nothing wrong with the old unit.

And I am still waiting to complete my window installation!!

We have Magnets sliding doors. The ones we chose are the mirrored type but they are good quality, good price and easy to fit and you can adjust them for out of plumb walls, not that I think you have out of plumb walls Dave!

Try using Catnic for the roofing. Same product as Tata but a lot easier to deal with.

You need to decide what render you are going to use as most of them will give you a list of approved boards that they recommend. I used Parex render and on their list was Moisture resistant render board which I got from Berrys of Leyland. The exterior render board is not cheap so sit down when getting prices. The more you get the better the price.

Coming along nicely, wish our's was to!!

I will be in the same position soon so let me know how you get on. On line is a good place to start and then play one merchant against the other is the norm. Usually cheaper to get a bulk order but with p/b you need to get it stored so you not continually moving it about. How will access be for your site as it could come on an articulated lorry as part of a multiple order? If your local merchant gives you a good price they may have a smaller wagon for delivery.

12.5mm minimum. Do not think you can get 9.5mm in 8 x 4 so making more work for yourself

We have Internorm windows with a spruce wood interior and are planning on laying an oak floor so a bit unsure what type of window cill to fit. I want a low maintenance house so not keen on MDF/HDF which will need painting.I should mention that the window is 3.5m wide so brings with it a few problems. One thought we had was to make one using the flooring but I am not sure this will look right. Other options are a stone cill but may need a join due to the length. What have people used that we may consider?

Give Paul a ring at On Target Scaffold. Helpful and you can have it for as long as you need it.