Mike

It does look fashionable - I've seen similar styles in several 'boutique' hotels over the past few years. Which probably means there's a new trend coming around the corner soon...

I'm not keen on either, but maybe that's because - in older homes - they've often been used to hide something. Maybe (if you have the budget) you could divert her towards decorative plaster finishes - Venetian / polished plaster / microcement / tadelakt?

I've build in single skin Flemish bond (using snapped headers) to match an extension to the existing, but on a modern looking new build stretcher bond would be normal.

They're referring to different circumstances. In particular A.8 is referring to the case when the ventilation pipe is separate from the soil pipe (the old way of doing it, before combined SVPs took over). As for a solution, I agree with the others above - vent at the STP, or via a convenient nearly garage / outbuilding.

After playing with glazing simulators, this spec provides the best sound resistance within a standard frame: 4mm standard laminated / 16mm cavity / 6mm acoustic laminated. See my post at https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/topic/32665-further-sound-insulation-through-bookcases/#findComment-480975 for more. In my case they're fitted in oak frames & perform very well. If I had trickle vents, they would be a key weak point; see @JohnMo's suggestion above (though I'd want more information backing up the sound reduction they're claiming). Getting airtight seals on a vertical sliding sash would be another priority and maybe a challenge (I've not tried).

Either way is fine - there just needs to be a minimum 100mm overlap. And, in your sketch, it's the 'lower' DMP that's acting as the DPM; the polythene over the top of the insulation is a slip membrane to maintain separation between the insulation and the screed.

Yes, that's essentially the reason most modern machines are cold only; they use so little water that the hot water often won't reach the machine - it will just cool down in the pipe, so it's more energy efficient to use cold.

Ask him why he thinks that ASHPs make up over >90% of heat pump installations in Norway. https://openresearch.surrey.ac.uk/esploro/outputs/journalArticle/Current-status-of-heat-pumps-in/99822136002346

There was (notching the timbers so that the hangers are flush) but, from where you are now, counter-battening is your best option.

Filling in to one side would also spoil the symmetry of the roof, so I'd avoid it even if you could get permission. Leave it alone and enjoy the space as it is.

And I've a further thought too - what's been done at damp proof course level? There's a risk that it may have been damaged or become discontinuous - it need checking out.

The the copyright holder will be whoever - the company, or the person if there's no company - that created the drawings.

Agreed. You can't remove half of a sold brick wall and rebuild the removed half in new bricks as is currently being done; it's almost certainly not going be structurally safe. And, since you're not replacing like-for-like, you also need Building Regulations approval.

See also the previous discussion on this:

Yes, it probably is :)

Yes, would make a small difference and I've installed one myself (though it's unlikely to be operational this summer). However I've only done that because it was the only practical method - no chance to chill the UFCH or add aircon in my case; if I could have done either, I would have. +1. Mount it on the ceiling if necessary (using a suitable unit).

Your architect may offer a site monitoring service, though probably not at the level of checking all the work in detail. For that, on large contracts, a Clerk of Works would traditionally have been employed; there are still some around (I hear that the numbers are growing again) and you might find one who would provide a visiting service. But, as indicated above, most people tend to rely on their contractor.

There is no significant benefit from omitting heating under the cupboards. The floor beneath will heat up anyway (it's in contact with the rest of the floor) and the cupboards will heat up too (they're in contact with the rest of the room). Omitting the pipe just means that it may take them an extra hour or three to reach a stable temperature. Just put any temperature-sensitive foods in the fridge.

Bit black and white, likely to be a mix not straight to hydrogen. AIUI it would be 'easy' to get to a 20% blend, for an estimated 33%* increase in wholesale cost, but that only cuts domestic CO² generation by 7%*, which is totally inadequate. The above CCC report targets a a 33% reduction in residential emissions by 2035 and 66% by 2040 (from 2023 levels). *subject to UK variation - these are estimates for the whole EU from '12 Insights on Hydrogen', Gniewomir Flis & Matthias Deutsch for Agora Energiewende (page 22). An interesting read.

No. At the moment., but: 1 - As more renewables come on stream & the UK gets more connected with Europe, the electricity price will tend to fall. 2 - As people quit gas the standing charge will rise - it's already happening here in France where heat pumps are already much more common than the UK. 3 - The latest Climate Change Committee report calls for the removal of levies from electricity bills (and onto gas) to make electricity cheaper, which would accelerate item 2, if/when it happens. Because: 1. Higher standing charges are on the way - see above. 2. The cost of upgrading the gas grid to take hydrogen will be huge. Pipe pressures will have to be increased to compensate for the difference in molecular weight, needing new pumps, and appliances and network equipment have to be upgraded to stop the smaller hydrogen molecules escaping. Replacing methane with hydrogen is either wishful thinking by the gas & boiler industries or, being more cynical, a deliberate ploy by them to hamper Government decision-making, prolong the use of natural gas and delay electrification.

Acetone works for me.

The cause has not yet been identified. You'll have to wait for the ENTSO-E report for that, which may take a few months.

And another link: https://passivehouseplus.co.uk/magazine/insight/radon-in-passive-houses , where MVHR is the key factor, not being a PassivHaus

There are official UK & International PassivHaus Open Days too. There's a UK one coming up from 27 - 29 June, though I can't spot any detail yet - https://www.passivhaustrust.org.uk/events.php

That does look a little flimsy! It's a few years ago now, but I remember seeing timber scaffolding, looking rather more robust, in Switzerland. And, I think, in the French Alps too. I wonder who had the idea of using water pipes instead of timber, and when?