Pete

I do not think this is correct @Mikey_1980. My last house was a new build which had a hot water return loop and it was all plastic.

Hi Ian, sliding partition doors as our wall configuration will only allow this type. Try speaking to Anna at doors4uk, I am awaiting a quote but they seem to cover all possibilities

We are after two internal sliding doors to cover a cloak and seperate office area. Each door needs to be about 2.2m long so one side can be in use at anyone time or completely closed. Tried searching but not really finding anything suitable other than numerous smaller section doors. The look needs to be very plain so that the finished result is that you hardly notice them, plain white ideal or that could be painted. Anyone had experience of large size doors or can point us in the right direction. TIA

How many people have bothered with rainwater harvesting? We will be mostly be two adults after September so just wondering if it is worth investing in this facility or just paying for what we use through the water meter. The system we have been looking at costs about £2000 plus associated pipework (fitting by myself) so quite a considerable payback time. TIA

Why did you not need site insurance @PeterStarck, was it because you built in the garden of your existing house

We have the same problem. I am going on a course to fit the standing seam roof myself, issued with a certificate on completion. However, I would need to have a separate guarantee for the roof to satisfy the warranty company! (This is the same course that a roofing company would go on to be able to fit this type of roof) We have also decided not to have a warranty as we are not moving after we have built this house. The local building control where £900 pound cheaper compared to one of the quote's I received. He was very enthusiastic about our build, lives round the corner and when I said that the quote was very reasonable he replied that they have to be competitive nowadays

After advice on decent garage doors. I am after two single doors and have used Hormann previously. It needs to be sectional and will be a Ral colour when I order them with electronic opening system. I will be fitting them myself so it is supply only that I am after. Anybody else recommend doors other than Hormann, they do not have to be insulated as the garage is detached from the house.

@Onoff if you use a pen activator with the glue instead of the spray it will not go yellow. I mean you can control the area you apply the activator to by applying it to the area where the glue will be and over spraying it.

Paslode finish nailer any day of the week. I use this all the time for fixing casings,architrave,skirting etc. Minimal hole repair afterwards which if you have to do a whole house is an awful lot of work.Also gIves you another hand so to speak when you need to tweak joints together when nailing. +1 on the mitre adhesive. Re_sale value of Paslode finish nailer will be very high so you will get a large amount of your outlay back. Some joiners are now fitting door casings with foam and nothing else once they are wedged and plumb in the opening, and they do not move afterwards.

So once I have done a trial pit what am I looking for? My concern is obviously digging a 12 metre trench with the possibility of the old wall coming down or creating movement and weakening it. I assume you are thinking if there are large stones it will not matter as much? Or if the old wall is built deeper than I need to go for the new wall then that also makes doing the trench easier? Really appreciate your advice

Got to build new garage rear wall 12m long running parallel to an old victorian wall which is built using random limestone walling. The new wall will be approx 1 metre away when built but the problem is whether to pour the footings in sections so as to avoid undermining the older wall. I have not dug down to expose the existing wall and see the construction but it looks like it is on large stones under ground before using smaller face stone above ground. I realise I may have to see a S/E but just wondered what people thought may be the way to do this without weakening the older wall. If i poured the footing in sections I could place re bar in between the sections and place an angled timber also on the joint to be removed when set to create a kind of jigsaw effect between sections? I may add the ground is perfect for building on so that should make the case of doing the footing in sections more viable.

We have a very contemporary designed house and thus do not want to have loads of vent terminals and down pipes etc on the exterior facade. We are struggling to position the vents for the MVHR and just wondered if putting them on the roof terrace (which cannot be seen from the ground) would be an issue? I understand that the fan when working does not emit a severe gale but also wondered about noise?

I understand that you can claim plants on your vat claim if this was part of your planning condition. What I am not sure about is do all the individual plants have to be itemised separately to ensure that Hmrc do not query the claim as on our plan the design just makes reference to shrubbed borders but does mention specific trees. Having read recent failures with the vat claim over not being specific enough we do not want to fall foul of this if we can prevent this from the outset. Thanks for any advice

Us too. Going round in circles looking at rainwater harvesting, makes your washing machine smelly, solar pv, cost versus payback term, Passive slab(kore/isoquick) or floating slab with insulation on top designed by PHPP/architect. What will provide our DHW, Sunamp or put gas in and just fit a gas combi boiler. Then do we have UFH, if so ASHP only or gas boiler and hope it works without buffer tank or do we need to fit one? MVHR, do we have an inline heater or GSHP loop BPC have started doing £1800. If we go eco who will design all the systems that will make them work together as most plumbers struggle to come up with the know how to make it all work efficiently. (gas combi looking good) I have wanted to build my own house for years but there is a lot to be said for buying one already built!! We are building to Passive levels but there comes a point when you end up spending so much on renewables/technology that you end up begrudging the whole idea of parting with your well earned money. How did everybody else make all their decisions and what did you base your decisions on?

@Onoff, takes me back to my Navy day,. we used to cut 5L detergent container the same way to put all our dhobie gear in.

I am following this thread with interest as we are very unsure whether to have PV at all. Our roof is only 7.5 degrees and faces South but we would like ASHP and Sunamp. I am waiting for a new Gas connection quote to way all options up before deciding which way would be best suited for our house. I realise that it would be beneficial to have PV if we want ASHP/Sunamp but when we need it most is when the return from PV would be at its lowest, then I have read we can use the ASHP in the summer to cool the house when PV will be at its best. I might add that the figures for our roof pitch and that of one at say 35 degrees only differs by 0.4 kwh per day in the winter months and gives the same return in the summer months. Suppose our biggest concern would be payback time for the Solar panels and what it would cost in electricity to run the ASHP/Sunamp in the winter months if PV generation is poor.

All the advice about keeping it official is really important, but if I can just point out, I went to a flooded village years ago when in the Fire Service and the cause of that was a blocked culvert of a similar size. A small plank had created the initial blockage, which then trapped everything else and the subsequent damage where numerous flooded houses and the main road closed for quite some time whilst clearing all the debris.

I have been using limestone tile sealer on grout in my rental properties for years and it works a treat.

We have delayed our build for various reasons over the last 18 months, but in that time we have altered externally and internally. They are only minor tweaks, some due to architects flair not being feasible, some due to overheating issues and more importantly making changes to suit our lifestyle. We are starting our build in July and feel as though this 18 months has really helped us to really make this our dream home. We loved our design from the beginning, not sure if that is the case with everybody who self builds? Our design is very contemporary and it is being built in a very quaint limestone village in Cumbria so not only did we need to love it but hope our neighbour's would accept it. (Some did,some didn't ) I agree with the comment's above and if unsure get planning and have a re-think? Do you like the look of the design as we did the moment we saw the architect's design.?

Try carpet fitters 9118 kneelers. I have bad knees and since buying these I have no problems. They work on the bean bag principle and are really comfortable. Do not waste your money on the foam ones as they perish.I do not have carpet fitters trousers and they fit ok in my Dewalt work pants. Had mine now 12 months and have had some hammer and show no signs of wear. Mine were about £30 on flea bay, not cheap, but you will not be disappointed.

Depends on your soil. As other's have said, remove topsoil and lay terram. Average depth of planings was 7" and I have had 20 ton wagon on it and it has not moved a bit.

Road planings is ideal. Does not hold water and is quite cheap.

Thanks for taking the time to explain your system

Looks very neat and professional. A brief explanation of what pipes/cylinders actually do would be much appreciated. (after you have finished retaping is fine)

You need border adhesive or a pva glue and that will sort it.