Crofter

I'm exactly like this. It doesn't matter if you miss a stud once or twice with the nailer (so long as nobody is standing on the other side!) but once you reach the point where things are going to be on show, you have to be much more careful- I've found that I've slowed down quite a bit. Everyone else seems to think it's daft that I'm more apprehensive about fitting s piece of skirting board than I was about installing a joist, or pouring founds. On the general question of stress and timescale, I've found my enthusiasm waxing and waning throughout the project. I wish I could go back to the very start when I was spending hours on Sketchup trying out different layouts (none of which I used in the end- the final one only emerged after I'd started plasterboarding). If you could bottle than endless energy, and use a bit of it at the end of the build, wouldn't that be wonderful?

Slightly more important question this time! This is the waste that came with the tray. Looks like a 40mm compression fitting on it- I tried a piece of solvent-weld 40mm pipe in it and sure enough it doesn't quite fit. Would one of these be useful: https://www.toolstation.com/shop/Plumbing/d20/Plastic+Solvent+Weld/sd2885/Extendable+Connector+Male+Solvent+Weld/p44138 Or is it a bit of a bodge?

Back to this one again. Shower tray and screen have now arrived. Floor is suspended on JJI joists so quite easy to route services between them (a lot easier than digging up a concrete slab anyway!) The tray has its drain point at the middle of one of the long sides. My instinctive feeling on this is that I should put this edge at the back wall, rather than next to the screen. But it probably doesn't make much difference either way. Or does it?

Interesting article from Which regarding fire safety in fridges/freezers: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41336234 Boils down to what the back is made of- plenty appliances out there with flammable materials close to the compressor/radiator. If an electrical fire starts here, it can get very ugly, very quickly. A fully protected metal back casing can help prevent the electrical fire becoming an insulation fire. Some brands fair much better than others- as might be expected, the more upmarket names are in the 'safe' list, although it's good to see Beko in there too (I say that because my fridge and freezer are both from them!) Now for my hair-brained suggestion: what about fitting an automatic fire extinguisher in the void behind an adjacent kitchen unit, aimed at the compressor? These things are standard fit in engine compartments (boats, rally cars etc) and not expensive- about £30. Would give some peace of mind anyway.

Agree with this but isn't @Onoff's sprog living on their own? Still think half of one cupboard will be plenty. As a carless student you tend to shop little and often.

I don't suppose the microwave could go *in* the wall unit? If you took a door off? In my experience students plan their shopping about fifteen minutes ahead, so won't need all that cupboard space anyway.

My 1500x760 with screen came from the same source, £200 inc waste, not bad at all. Not installed yet but I can't see owt wrong with it.

Interesting one. I don't have any specific knowledge on this but surely the critical thing is the distances involved- your stove should specify a minimum distance to combustibles. You could also shield the cables e.g. in metal conduit.

A minor point, but if you put the turn at the top of the stairs, rather than the bottom, it might benefit the downstairs hallway by opening it up a little. I'm unsure whether the area marked as 'gallery' is a floored space or an open void. Having the lounge as a boxed off corner does seem like a shame... I'd be tempted to make that whole bit open plan and enjoy the space. But if you want privacy to watch a film etc then your layout obviously provides that. I see the lounge has a fireplace... and a south facing window... in a relatively small space. That's going to be one warm little room

Agreed, you can get this if you over-vibrate or otherwise work the concrete, it settles out too much with all the fines and water coming to the top forming a very weak crust. It'll need chipped back to something solid.

That looks fun! I've done all mine with a ladder. Are the cladding boards quite heavy?

Welcome to the forum. You mention kit vs brick/block. Two issues here- build type, which is a major decision affected by budget, preference, and availability of trades; and the question of bespoke vs ready-drawn design. On the latter, I would say half the point of building a house is getting exactly what you want, and getting something that fits the site well (views, sun, how it relates to the garden, the parking, etc).

So the PUR is vapour permeable enough to go on the outside without causing any problems?

It's quite a clever marketing strategy. Flash something unusual and at a tempting price in front of someone, with the promise that if they don't buy it today they may never see it, and you'd be surprised how many people will spring for it. I've got a router and pillar drill both used once or twice max, an air driven impact wrench never taken out the box, various smaller bits and bobs, all bought 'just in case'. And of course it means they don't have the costs of stocking these things permanently. As the song goes "now the shed is full of plastic sh*t I didn't really want..."

Ouch. You're a rational, logical, objective person- these are the traits you need to move from today to the day you complete. If you need to ask how to do every step of the build yourself, you'll be in good company on this forum. Hope you're taking this evening off with a glass of something good.

@ProDave yup my own house is on THTC, but I'm planning on E7 for the new one.

That looks lovely and easy to use- perfect for my guests!

That's rated at 3kw... would I run just the e7 immersion off it, and have something else for boost?

My gut feeling is that it would be the other way round. When you use boost it's because you're in a hurry, so you don't want to wait for the whole tank to heat up, hence you use a higher up element and just boost the top of the tank. Could be wrong, and often am...

Thanks Jeremy, I get a bit confused because my current house uses a rather peculiar dual circuit system. If I could drift the thread a little, I have yet to get my head around the wiring of the UVC- there are two immersions, and I gather that the lower one is designed to go on the E7 supply, with the top one used for boost. There must be multiple ways of skinning this particular cat, e.g. a simple switch for the boost (pref one that times out after an hour, so it can't be left on all the time), and a timer on the lower one set to sync with the E7 times- or is it better to get a fancy all in one box to control both? Perhaps a question for @Nickfromwales?

Quick question for the ill informed. If I have E7, do I need to sync my towel rail's timer with the off peak time? Or does it run off two diffeent circuits?

@Ferdinand I've discounted the Kingspan panels already as I can't really see a way of using them on the outside of a small timber frame domestic building without it creating condensation problems. The other issues you mention are also valid- I think there's maybe a reason why we see these things used to build warehouses rather than houses.

I don't have a specific site in mind yet, it's just a costing exercise at this stage. But you've piqued my interest now...

The sketch that I'm working to is very utilitarian at the moment- minimum cost design. A 16x16ft box, 8ft high with a 4" fall across the roof. Corrugated steel cladding on all surfaces. It's a fairly brutal look, but stick a grass roof on there and you might get away with it. Alternatively setting the front wall back a foot or two could help, but it complicates things quite a bit and you lose floor area.

OK so returning to the original question, I need the two bends to be the same, and doesn't really matter what angle I go for. Inclined (see what I did there) to go for the 112.5 for a slightly steeper fall. Next question- with the small quantity I need, if I go to Screwies/Toolstation I potentially have to mix and match to get the quantities I need (e.g. I need seven lengths of guttering, and TS sell it in six packs). Recipe for trouble, or is everything standard sizes?