pudding

Hiya. I've just bought a commuter crash pad/2bed flat for when im at work away from home. I work a fixed pattern of 5 days on/4off/5 on/3 off. The work hours vary completely too so there's no way to schedule the heating to heat the flat when i'm actually there.At the moment, it's got a recent (3yr old) Ideal combi-boiler, which is set to always on. This is then connected to a 7 day Horstmann Centaurstat 7, which is a simple 6 point timer for each day of the week. The always on on the boiler is fine, as the hot water is just on demand so nothing wasted there, but the heating via this thermostat is heating the flat a lot when im not there.I could just turn the thermostat effectively off via the time setpoints, and override when im actually there, but then i'd constantly be coming back to a cold flat. Ideally I want to replace the thermostat with something smart, that I can either access remotely from my phone in advance of going to the flat, or perhaps by geolocation when i get within 5/10miles to get the heating on. And also would have some kind of away/holiday mode and a fall/setback temperature.Any recommendations on what to replace the thermostat/timer with, as there seems to be tons out there from fairly basic simple and cheap stats that might do what i need, to the top of the range such as Nest etc which as supposed to recognise your habits/routines etc (but which would be completely wasted in my situation i guess?)Cheers.

Yes that's right. I've currently got in an open plan area:- 2 circuits in kitchen (1 pendant over island and 1 for ceiling spots), 2 circuits in dining area (wall light and ceiling spots) and 2 circuits in lounge area (2 wall lights and ceiling spots), then also 2 separate plug in sockets for 2 lamps, then a plug in socket for a led strip, so overall 9 controllable elements. I've got 1 mood controller on the wall, and i've got one screwed onto a piece of oak, each set up so each button on the controller does the same thing to avoid confusion. There are 6 buttons on the mood controllers so plenty of scope for different settings. Looks like this on the wood and wall mounted:

Ah I see. You want a controller on the wall that can control all 7 circuits? Or you can use a mood controller to control more than 1 circuit for each button and set the dim/groups via that?

Why do you think it's a max of 4 circuits? I've got this all over my house, way more than 4 circuits.

If this is taken directly from the contract and you've not mistyped it, it says you pay the seller either way, planning permission granted or not?!

Hi all, does anyone have any recommended suppliers for some waney edged oak planks? Looking for some pieces 4-5m long but only 100-200 deep, and say 20-30mm thick. It's to use inside where we have a reinforced upstand around the perimeter of a couple of rooms, and i want to put some wood on top to make them more of a shelf. Best i've found so far is here http://www.englishwoodlandstimber.co.uk/stocklist-coming-soon/?action=search&reset=&sst_page=1&sst_species=Oak&sst_category=BD&sst_subcategory=BD.KD.WE&sst_thick_from=20&sst_thick_to=30&sst_width_from=&sst_width_to=&sst_length_from=4&sst_length_to=5&sst_grade=&sst_country_of_origin=&sst_certification=&sst_order_by=Sort+by+width+-+lowest&sst_item=49495 Cheers.

I've just bought a commuter pad in Weston, a 2 bed coach house, and intend on ripping out the old kitchen and taking down a stud wall to create an open plan living/kitchen area. Things will be on a bit of a budget, so interested in the Ikea kitchen. Which units are they? Did you use the online designer and any tips? I've just started playing around with it. Any chance you could share you're design if you got a pdf or something of it?

Few pics ( hopefully they work), used Lugo 400x200mm slates, 100mm lap and batten spacing, with slate hooks and copper nails for edge slates.

I've just done a small roof on an outbuilding. Turned out well, used these links - https://www.fixmyroof.co.uk/videos-and-guides/pitched-roof/slate-a-roof/ and http://source4me.co.uk/calculate_roofing_slate.php plus im sure a few YT vids.

Thanks, i'm going to just order the roofing specific bits from there tonight and leave the timber stuff until i can get to my local timber merchant on Friday for joists/rafters/battens. Do the roof battens need to regularised/treated, or are the battens you're all taking about that're cheaper just standard untreated timber?

Nope, missed that, cheers, found this so 4 of these wont break the bank - https://www.roofingsuperstore.co.uk/product/rigid-eaves-protector-15m-packs-of-10.html

Cancel the undercloaks, looks like my existing roof doesnt use anything like that on the verge. The slate just overhangs the barge board directly underneath by 20/30mm, should save a few quid.

This one - https://www.roofingsuperstore.co.uk/product/25mm-x-38mm-treated-counter-batten-price-per-linear-metre.html I was looking at about 70m so overall just under £50, so yeah would be nice to get it cheaper but not huge savings to be made.

Ok thanks, i'll take a look at the different roof batten sizes and prices. Any suggested alternative for batten/cloaks, or just a local builders merchants? Sarking is for the roof, and the breather is for the timber walls, as half the building/lean-to is timber, other half block.

Hi all, I've nearly finished building the block walls of a small outbuilding, overall 2.5x4m, with 2.5x2m in block then it will have a timber lean-to 2.5x2m to extend it to 4m wide. I'll be slate roofing all of this, and building the timber walls of 47x100mm timber, onto a block plinth already down . I already have the original clay ridge tiles from demolishing a few old farm buildings around, and intend to use mortar on the verges. Slate hooks will be used to match our barn roof. I've read a few guides and threads on here and now have a shopping list which hopefully will have everything I need. Let me know if there's anything I've missed or better (cheaper?) places to buy anything? The whole list is from Roofing Superstore right now, with prices inc VAT. So, onto the list:- 280 Spanish Lugo Slates 500x250mm @ £1.32/slate 100mm Slate Hooks Box of 500 @ £43.19 100 x 30mm Copper Nails ( for bottom course) 1F Bat friendly sarking 15x1m roll 1200x150mm Fibre Cement Soffit Strips/undercloaking 8 @ £5.44 Roof Batten 25x38mm @ £0.7/m 65mm Galvanised batten nails For structure of the roof and walls:- Protect TF200 breather membrane @77.30 47x100mm regularised treated C16 @ £2.68/m 50x38mm regularised treated C16 for wall battens for cladding @ £1.42/m Thanks for looking.

I got mine from here, had plenty of options http://www.mr-resistor.co.uk/item.aspx?i=13016

Thanks for the replies all. Yes i think it seems like it not going to work without some quite significant re-wiring/plumbing, and at best all i'll be able to do is re-distribute the heat from the directly solar-heated sections elsewhere without that work. Oh well, next is to see if i can link my recently bought portable air-con into the MVHR without issues.

Thanks for the quick reply. Here's a pic of my setup. Is the only way (without adding other stats/pumps) to get the water moving around the UFH loops to somehow set all of the room stats to call for 'heating' in order to open all of the room valves and turn the pump on? So I could set all of the room stats to call for a room temp of 30degrees, and with the GSHP and heating off, it will simply pump around the cool water and never meet the demand of 30degs?

Hi, After all the recent hot weather, our house can hit 29degrees inside by the end of the day. Usual story of too much glazing. I've bought a sail shade to put up and cover 2 large windows/slider. But i'm wondering if I can use our UFH to cool the floor too? My set up is a Vaillant GSHP, connected to a 300L buffer tank for the UFH. There are 8 zones split between 2 manifolds, 1 up and 1 down. These are controlled with Heatmiser Neo stats. I've turned the heating function off on the GSHP, so it's only heating the 300L DHW tank right now. So, could I use my set up to run cool water around the floors somehow? I'm just wondering how to turn on the pumps to move the water? Edit. Also, the floor downstairs is concrete slab, 150mm PIR, UFH loops then screed with tiles or wood on top. Upstairs I doubt it would be of any use but it's hanging UFH speader plates between joists with eng. wood straight on top.

So that Titan is one to avoid due to the lack of emergency shut off switch? Shame as I was v tempted as the rest of the specs seem good.

Thanks for the replies. What about this - http://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb541dbt-530mm-drill-press-230v/17643#product_additional_details_container . Seems bigger and more powerful than most around this price? Or this if it perhaps better quality? http://www.poolewood.co.uk/product/fox-16mm-pillar-drill-f12-941a/

I'm looking for a pillar drill. I've got some 100mm square cedar posts that I need to drill some perfectly square and true 1/2in holes in for base fixings, so I thought now is a good time to ge a pillar drill. Budget say 150-200. Any recommendations or essential features to have/avoid? Ta.

Thats what I've done and it's been sat there for over a year waiting for the next parts of my garden work. Not screwed to a wall though, just sat on the floor. No shorts or problems with it.

I think i've had the same can of foam on my gun since my build finished over 2 years ago in Dec 14, and i've used it for a couple of little jobs here and there since, certainly this year and the foam has still come out no problem, so the cans can be left on waaaay more than 30days without the gun blocking up.

Just finished using the Kreg jig and screws on about 35m2 of Yellow Balau. Worked a treat, made life very easy and consistent. Got it from here - https://www.tool-net.co.uk/p-403397/kreg-kjdecksys-deck-jig™-system.html