Mike

The one I use (free of adverts) : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ridgidsoftwaresolutions.digitallevel

Or from obtaining an injunction. Breaching that could land you in prison.

Agreed. People have died when balustrades have given way. This must be specified by the balustrade company or a structural engineer.

Personally I allow 7.5mm on every side, so 15mm on the width and height. That gives enough tolerance if the brickwork or windows are a few mm out, while also allowing enough space for Compriband / foam. I use Compriband on the outside then, when it's expanded, apply Illbrück FM330 foam from the inside (a small initial foaming to avoid displacing the Compriband). To do that you'd need to leaving a gap between the window and the paster wide enough to insert the nozzle of the foam gun. Note that Compriband, if installed correctly, is rated water tight to 600 pascals - that's a wind speed of around 70mph. In the case of a timber frame I'd add a lead tray below the sill to divert any rain that gets past the Compriband to the outside.

New technologies are almost always stupidly expensive. Once production ramps up cost falls. The first microwave oven cost $5,000 in 1947 - equivalent to around $70,000 today. Clearly they were never going anywhere... And the EU project is working on that - combining heat pumps & PV with phase-change storage, to achieve high COPs, for both district heating and individual homes.

It seems likely that will change. The EU has been funding a number of demonstration projects to the tune of 7.7 million euro, which will build up expertise in multiple companies. One of their FAQs says we expect to see the first real market applications from 2025 onwards. More at https://www.heat-insyde.eu/

That's a common problem, particularly with DIY, but it's certainly not the only way. It's a real issue: Yes, unless they take M8 tails, but I guess you've asked that. I'd be changing them.

The immediate thing that sticks out for me is the lift. I'd move the lift out of the way, so that the staircase is visually unobstructed.

I'm doing the same, so your experience is encouraging. However while I don't fry often, others who will be using the kitchen will, so belt and braces would be useful :)

I'd find it useful to link my hob and recirculating integrated hood (both yet to be purchased), so that the hood is automatically operated when the hob is in use. I was thinking that it would be necessary to rig this myself, by monitoring the hob's electrical circuit and hacking the hood switching. Then I came across Hob2Hood, which does it automatically by using an infrared transmitter in the hob and a receiver in the hood, which sounds ideal. However, it's only found on selected products from Electrolux and other brands they own (notably AEG and Zanussi). While they seem to make good induction hobs (unless you know differently), all of their hoods I've looked up are rated poorly (mostly D) for grease filtering*, which is the key thing that I want it to do. Before discounting them completely, has anyone - especially if you own one of the above brands - found an effective way of upgrading the grease filtering? Otherwise I'll likely go back to the original plan. Maybe choosing Ikea's Underverk, which is rated A for grease, A+ for energy, is suitably minimalist, and for which someone has already come up with a 'Hob2IkeaHood' Arduino-based solution that works with Hob2Hood hobs. *D means it filters out an only 65% to 75% of the grease in the official test, compared to >95% for A rated.

Or it may be available in yoir local library. Preferably with a hysteresis of 0.5°C (rather than 1°C which armed to be standard last time I looked)

Yes. Pointing doesn't take large quantities so I'd do it by hand, otherwise you may spend more time moving the mixer and cleaning it than actually mixing anything.

Personally I'd certainly request that they share the wall, ideally adding an additional leaf for maximum sound insulation. Any gap between that you can't at least walk through will be a pain for maintenance and may put off prospective purchasers of both your house and theirs.

A fair-face block is indeed what you need if you want to skip rendering, but most of them still have the appearance of a garage - just a posher garage. A true fair-face block won't be a problem for building control, but planning may well object. Much better to stick to painted render if you can.

Regular smooth 3.35 x 75 nails as specified, such as these: https://www.fixingsfastenersscrews.co.uk/details/p3380228_21380657.aspx

No, not in a structural element unless the designer says so. Screws are primarily intended to resist pulling out, nails are primarily intended to resist shear (sideways) forces. Stick to the specified nails.

The MCS Foundation published a report on that last year - see https://mcsfoundation.org.uk/news/new-report-france-cuts-heating-emissions-ten-times-faster-than-uk-with-heat-pump-roll-out/ Short version: Strong government action over decades, boosted recently by Macron who campaigned on improving energy efficiency in 2017. Slightly longer version: Started promoting heat pumps in the 1980s after the 1970s oil shock, heat pump subsidies started in 2005, better grants & 0% loans regardless of income (to €15,000, with & quick approvals & payments + 1-stop shop for advice on energy-related renovations), lower-cost electricity (a heat pump costs less than a gas boiler to run), lower use of gas (though higher use of oil - but energy isn't dominated by the gas lobby as it is in the UK), indigenous aircon companies & installers able to branch into air-water heat-pumps (with Government financial support), Government accredited installer qualifications, better consumer understanding...

Just had a delivery of Zehnder Comfopipe in foamed polypropylene. Not too dissimilar to the Ubbink, but with smoother bends (of which I have quite a few). They'll be mostly sitting in the ceiling insulation for additional, er, insulation. Avoid the flexible duct at all costs.

Just spotted that, in France, the regulator is raising gas prices by between 5.5% and 10.4% from July, mainly because the number of gas consumers is falling (by around 1.9% per year) as electrification progresses and the cost of the gas grid has to be shared by fewer users. The trend is unlikely to slow - gas boilers were banned in new-build homes in January 2022 and air-water heat pumps installations were running at 350,000 in 2022 and accelerating fast. I've not seen a discussion of this prospect in the in the UK, probably because the adoption of heat pumps is so dismal (35,000 air-water & air-air installed under the MCS in 2023), but no doubt it will eventually happen. An extra factor in favour of going all-electric. More (in French): https://www.cre.fr/actualites/la-cre-fixe-le-tarif-des-reseaux-de-distribution-de-gaz-naturel-de-grdf-pour-la-periode-2024-2027

I'm using sound insulation that includes 25% hemp 60% cellulose, at 45 kg/m³, but that's in France. Not sure what the UK equivalent would be. It's certainly pleasant to handle.

Yes, good idea. I can't spot that...

Here: https://database.passivehouse.com/fr/components/#certification-methods-info Though it looks like you'd need your 8 litres/minute upgrade to qualify. I agree that it would be a good place to be listed, in terms of your profile.

Note that the Build Regulations require 'fire doorsets', not just fire doors, tested (as a set) to BS EN 13501-2. You can't just fit a fire door to a standard external frame (at least, not without paying to get it tested to the standard).

I think that the renovation / domestic extension market also doesn't require WRAS approved products, unlike new build.

Having looked it up, the innovation seems to be that the waste water is pumped from the tray to the shower, passing through a heat exchanger (with the incoming water) before discharging to the SVP. 6l / minute can give a decent enough shower (if not a luxurious one) and, according to that video, it seems that it can maintain that flow rate with a low incoming water temperature, which is a plus. I can see that there is potential for this among the eco-conscious, and also where the electrical supply is limited - as it often is in France, which doesn't normally have the UK's generous 80A/100A supplies. Futurebuild and / or Grand Designs Live?