Bitpipe

..after moving end of August 2016 ! Our independent inspector has been very patient but we were just about at the end of a 3 month final notification period so were still under pressure to get the remaining items sorted, mostly glass balustrade around the external entrance to the basement. Can now start the VAT reclaim, also able to get the warranty issues (looks like Elite will honour our policy even though the underwriter has gone into administration) and our buildings insurance is now valid Still some work to do on landscaping but don't foresee much more spending on materials. Nice milestone, and as ever, would not have achieved it without the support of eBuild / Build Hub.

Just spoke to Craig, can’t believe it. Thomas was invaluable on our build and always fun to work with - a real character and a gentleman. We saw each other just a few months ago when he brought some prospective clients to our build - happy that we got to catch up one last time.

I used them also, highly recommended - they came to me in Berkshire.

I believe Weebles is using quite a few of our mutual contractors - getting the old band back together

We're due a visit! I remember when Mr & Mrs Weebles came to our site many moons ago to see our frame (we were in the thick of first fix I think) and they were somewhat sceptical that they'd ever get that far themselves We did the same, visiting @JSHarris and @jack before we'd put a spade in the ground and it is equal parts inspiring and daunting.

I blame the kids of today. And their parents. And their parents too. There, all bases covered!

Our LA (RBWM) has a pretty decent amenity centre - there is one for recyclables (wood & garden waste) and a separate one that takes just about anything in about 20 separate containers (from oil to paint, rubble, metal, small appliances, large appliances, etc..). To access the general purpose area you need to show your LA photo ID, the same one we use for leisure centre access (and free entry to Windsor Castle). I can testify that there are no limits on frequency or volume - I disposed of a huge quantity of cardboard (mostly IKEA) and wood (offcuts from the build that I didn't want clogging up the skip. Cardboard has recently moved from the recycle dump to the general one as it now needs to be folded and 'posted' through a slot to ensure it's clean, dry and no plastic or polystyrene. Bit of a faff but they were having an issue with contamination and rejection of the entire container of cardboard. You can get a permit to take a van on site, I did this during the garden landscaping but my landscaper's van was turned away as it had his logo on it and they thought we were trying to dump commercial waste. I stood my ground and the supervisor came to site and OK'd it as I was a resident.

We bought an internet radio / streamer - Revo. It struggles to connect to wifi (keeps dropping out) and it's in the only part of the room with no cat 5/6! Data points are something of a commodity now and while you genuinely may never see a need, the next person who buys your house likely will so may as well first fix them for pennies and only second fix them when you feel the need.

The old adage is that things that move (laptops, phones, tablets etc) should use wireless, things that don't (TVs, printers, media boxes) should be wired. It's very cheap to do it now, it's very expensive to do it later. Think also if you ever want to sell on.

Our sparky was uber tidy, never left anything behind. Depends on the tradeperson I suppose and whether they are just used to being on sites. Second fix is a different story as you will have finished areas that they will be working in.

We purchased a warranty (however, per other thread, looks like the underlying insurer has gone into administration before we got the cert) but during the remortgage off Ecology, the surveyor only asked 'if' we had a warranty - never asked to see it. Obviously some will be more diligent than others!

Had this done in Jan and it still looks amazing, if a little grubby (need to get the pressure washer out). What substrate are they using? My landscaper laid a block boundary (haunched with concrete at rear) and laid about 100-150mm of type 1 and scalpings, compacted in layers. Resin contractor laid 50mm porous tarmac day one and then 20mm of resin bound gravel. The resin laying was continuous to avoid any joins. They used a custom circular mixer that looked like a candyfloss machine vs a bell cement mixer - the gavel mix, sand and two part resin were added in batches, mixed and then dropped into a barrow below before being trowelled into place. They sprinkled ground glass on the top to give a little sparkle and additional grip. As it was Jan, took a day or so to set hard - we couldn't walk on it at all for 24-36 hours. Good luck!

I was originally going with C-R-L (as my BC could do the inspections foc) but their quote shot up before I took out the policy so I shopped around.. Got equivalent from Trade Direct Insurance, Insurer was Ark Insurance Group and policy was about £3600 in October 2015. Just received a letter from TDI saying that another company called Elite Insurance, who were the ultimate underwriters, went into administration back in July 2017! The broker is 'in conversation' with Ark and Armour Risk Management who took over the Elite policy. They have only just been informed of the situation so are less than impressed. FSCS also involved, advise is to contact them if I wish but the broker is looking into recovering finances and finding alternative insurance. Luckily, I paid by CC so have that to fall back on. Also, when I re-mortgaged recently, the valuer just asked if I had a structural warranty. Never asked for details or to see the certificate. Will keep you posted on progress - TBH I only really took out the policy as I believed that it was needed for mortgage purposes or selling - I'm not that confident that it would ever be of much use in making a claim.

We had a lot of 'fun' configuring the kids back to back bathrooms (one with shower, one with bath) and our own ensuite - plans went slightly awry when soil pipes needed to be taken into consideration. Plumber was also adamant that we couldn't fit a bath, shower, wc, double sink and towel rad in our ensuite but we managed and it looks great, not at all cluttered. Plumber was also concerned about back to back wall hanging WCs with one causing a splash back in the other if they were too tightly coupled. We ended up off-setting them slightly and needed to build out the wall in one room by 100mm so ensure space for the fittings. TBH you seem to have plenty of space so should not be an issue. Pocket sliding doors are great for bathrooms and walk in wardrobes, just make sure you allow the necessary gap and height in the TF design as the runner eats some space. Obv you need to ensure that there are no services needing the space where the door will go when in the wall - this is easy done as until your joiner fits the sliding door system post 1st fix, its just and empty void.

Is it just me that goes and makes a cup of tea and settles down to see what Jeremy has now found in his shed / garage? I think there is a TV series here....

We had already designed our house and received PP before discovering e-build and the world of passive standard builds. While trying to settle on a build method (we were considering ICF as we have a basement) we contracted a low energy specialist consultant / PM who did a PHPP and full cost analysis of ICF vs concrete basement with timber frame. We went TF. Consultant was a bit of money for old rope but in retrospect we were buying some confidence that we could actually afford to build the house and manage ti ourselves (he wanted 10% of build cost) and the cost plan was very comprehensive (we came in about 15-20% under his estimate) and was a great help. Can't say the PHPP really changed anything though but it did give us reassurance that the existing design would perform well and our space heating requirements would be low with overheating a manageable issue. Also came in handy when applying for an Ecology mortgage as their requirement at that time was passive standard!

I think this is an interesting point, minimising generating heat within the house in summer. We have PV that heats the UVC when not being consumed - obviously heat leaking out of that system (ours in plant room in basement so impact minimised somewhat). Been avoiding using ovens, cooking out most nights. I also suspect that most fans generate more heat than they dissipate ! I've never been a fan of central vacuum systems but there is an argument that they are better suited to a passive house where the heat generating element is in the garage. I think designing in provision for split air con and relying on PV to drive these for free in summer is a good approach - didn't think of it in time though!

Have to admit, only every notice the odd fly on the house where we are - edge of town and semi rural.

By luck more than anything, we have two large velux in the apex of the roof on the east side, one at the top of a full height atrium and the other at the top of the neighbouring stairs. Both have external blinds and we have them open all day, opening ground level doors or windows on whatever side of the house the sun is not at. Helps create a decent through draft to keep the house cool, and as the house is airtight, when no other windows or doors are closed then there is no air movement. I've been running around closing doors strategically during the day to max the airflow from cool rooms through warm rooms and back to hall - seems to work. Big west facing sliders still an issue in the evening, even with internal drapes (gauzy linen, not that heavy) pulled.

I've often wondered if I somehow managed to work at my peak output all the time if I'd actually be more successful? Maybe, but I doubt I'd be any happier.

I am a huge procrastinator - every since school, uni, work and the house build. However I always manage to pull it out of the bag when required and with decent quality and a while ago I realised that there is a lot of latent thinking going on during the faffing time that makes the active time more productive and successful.

I'm an Irish passport holder by birth in the republic. Even though I moved to NI age 4 and have lived in the UK ever since, to get a UK passport I'd need to become a naturalised citizen and take the test, £800 and the rest. I looked into this when my passport was stolen a few years ago in Barcelona - figured it would be handy to have two as a hedge against visa issues, loss/damage etc but when I saw the cost I baulked. Just about to submit the kids Irish passport applications (as they are born in England) so they can live, work and study in EU irrespective of what happens with Brexit. Very straightforward - just need my birth cert and €26 each!

Our tiler did the wet-room floor tanking (Impey system) and first coat of wall tanking. I did the second cross coat of wall tanking. In another bathroom where we had a low profile shower tray, I did the pre tray install tanking (per @Nickfromwales 'bomb-proof method'), plumber installed the tray and and tiler did first coat of wall tanking, corner strips etc. As for the wet-room, I did the second layer of tanking ready for tiling the next day.

Budget wise we hit the halfway point quite quickly. Demolition, basement excavation & construction & associated groundworks took about 8 weeks, few weeks gap and then frame erection, windows, roofing and render took another 8 weeks. First / second fix & finishing took another 9 months and ate the rest of the allocated budget. Beautiful house in a sea of rubble & mud ... Landscaping started a year after moving in and has consumed about 20% additional money wrt to the original budget. About a year after starting that (stop stat due to trades & funds availability) we're almost done. Should get BC sign-off next week Still a list of snagging / niggly jobs to do so hard to call the halfway point from all of that.

Have to agree, unless really well sealed and regularly cleaned they will get very grubby very quickly - rubber from tyres can leave hard to remove marks never mind oil, and other crap from your car. Would also worry about movement especially if heavy viechles go onto your drive. We did resin bound gravel on our in / out driveway (75mm porous tarmac, 50mm resin bound gravel) and it was about £70/m2 including labour (did not cover the prep of excavating old, new sub base and edging). Looks great and is bombproof.