Mike

It should all be no fines. Yes, pea-shingle should be just shingle - no sand or other fines.

MOT Type 1 is a specific Government standard for the sub-base of roads, with multiple requirements that must be met. To be precise, the specification is technically now 'Specification for Highway Works (or SHW) Clause 803 Type 1' - the specification was originally written by the Ministry of Transport, hence the snappier 'MOT' is still widely used. Crushed hardcore is just that - it doesn't necessarily meet any specification at all. It could be close in composition to MOT Type 1, or not. MOT Type 1 is frequently specified because there is no doubt that it will perform well long term. If you choose something different, you need to satisfy yourself that it's up to the job.

Depends what you're trying to achieve. Your spec would exceed building regs (provided you weren't choosing 70mm stud due to the ceiling height / load bearing capacity). However it won't block impact sound - for that you'd need two independent studs - effectively two back-to-back single sided partitions.

Yes, it's not often done domestically, but for the sake of a few pounds it's worthwhile adding a Y-strainer on the incoming water. Ideally add others before each pump and mixer.

A few ideas to start with: 1 - You don't have to put anything there. You could just blank them off for possible future use and stick to other light sources - floor & desk lights, for example. 2 - You could loop a flex from them to a light suspended in a more convenient location nearby. As you've chosen Moroccan elsewhere, perhaps something like this one, to shed some interesting patterns Fretwork Moroccan styled pendant? 3 - For the home office (if it's only a home office), then you could indeed choose functional spotlights, either tracked or individual.

When I did something similar I just used load tables for rafters and for the glulam beam. Done within the hour.

This for me.

I remember seeing a house in Bristol that someone had stuck stone cladding to - right in the centre of a new brick-build housing estate. Hideous. Think it would have been in the 90s.

It also depends on you - or your representative - checking it at the right stages, to identify and remedy the leaks. Don't underestimate the ability of the builders to install it incorrectly. Get the BBA certificates are check that they're being followed. The builder will just go to their regular suppliers and pay what they're invoiced, plus a mark-up to cover their time, effort & profit. If you have the time to shop around, particularly for high value items, you may make savings even if you do have to pay the VAT. Or arrange with your builder that you will identify certain suppliers and they'll buy the products at cost + an agreed markup.

This! You can find heaters that look better or take up less space, but they're not going to be more efficient.

I don't have the EPC software, and a air-change value isn't mentioned in the report, so can't elaborate on what's included in that. However the Fiabishop spreadsheet gives air change options for 4 building standards (5, 3, 1.5, or 0.6 air changes / hour), or a custom figure, in addition to the controlled ventilation of the MVHR system. It also allows you to compare 2 different MVHR units*, or one MVHR unit against regular mechanical ventilation (i.e. kitchen & bathroom extractors). It also allows you to input the m² area, m³ volume, location, expected occupancy, lengths and insulation of the main air supply and extract ducts, whether or not you're using hygrostatic controls, whether or not you intend turning it off in summer (and open and close the windows instead), takes into account the local climate, wind sheltering, orientation, the use (or not) of earth warming tubes (puits Canadian / Provençal, with or without pre-heaters), and a few other factors. The figures I gave above are for 0.6ACH, comparing the Zehender unit with regular mechanical ventilation. *The spreadsheet is pre-loaded with data for 32 MVHR units from 12 manufacturers, with the option to add more entries yourself. So, comparing the Zehnder unit to a Brink Renovent Exellent 300, it forecasts that my energy bills would be €8/year higher.

Still no for me. I'd only go EWI if the entire street was being done together.

No, IWI at the front, maybe EWI at the back and the side.

As noted in my post, this particular apartment is in France. What I'd forgotten is that UK EPCs are still based on a hypothetical predicted fuel cost; in France they are based on primary energy use (kWh/m²/year) & CO2 emissions (kg CO2/m²/year) - the lowest of the two scores determines the rating. I guess the UK may eventually catch up. My French EPC is calculated on a saving of 2,000kWh when using MVHR - too round to be unit-specific. However, the free Fiabishop.com MVHR calculation spreadsheet (in French only) does calculate based on specific models. It forecasts that my Zehnder unit will use approximately 148 kWh to run for the year, and cut space heating by 1,687 kWh, and overall saving of 1,539 kWh. Assuming gas heating, at the current UK average rates of 10.3p/kWh for gas, and 34p/kWh for electricity, that's a saving of £124/year (or £523 with electric space heating).

A battery powered lamp is another option, but I actually suggested USB-powered :)

And a 5th option - a USB powered lamp. Mostly intended for desk use (e.g. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lepro-Dimmable-Brightness-Powered-Reading/dp/B09XF3HRGW ) but there may well be others if you hunt. Over time there may be more choice as USB PD (Power Delivery) chargers become more common. They can theoretically deliver up to 240W, though I've not seen one over 100W. https://www.usb.org/usb-charger-pd

Have you got any photos of this? I will need lights in the near future for vaulted ceilings. My photo collection is on my main computer, which is currently in storage, however it was something like this (but more atmospheric): https://www.lightingstyles.co.uk/simple-adjustable-low-voltage-tension-wire-lamp

You wouldn't do it these days, but 30+ years ago it wasn't uncommon.

Forget ceiling downlights - there are more interesting ways to light a room, especially a room with a vaulted ceiling. The last one I built included spotlights suspended from tension wires hung from gable to gable, for example, as well as wall lights.

Probably. Not necessarily the glass, could be the frame or the way it's fitted, as previously mentioned.

I recently bought the Festool CTL SYS - a vacuum built into a storage case. I like the way it stores away so compactly, and how the vacuum part can be detached and slung over the shoulder. I found exactly that with Festool. I imagine that if another manufacturer produces an M class then that would probably apply to their L model too, but maybe not if they don't, or if they're skimping on the filter to cut the cost (though it may be upgradable).

Impact sound is when there is a direct strike on the wall - a football, door shutting, switch being switched - so you're not dealing with that. If the structure of the building is vibrating as a result of impact or airborne sound, you need physical separation of the interior of the room from the exterior - a room within a room set on dampened springs, but that's not at all viable for a regular domestic room. Airborne sound therefore the only thing you can easily reduce. And I'm sceptical that any treatment behind the bookcase would make a difference because, as you say, that's been substantially reduced by the structure already. Meaning of several different densities Yes, you can buy sound-reducing drapes that have multiple layers of fabric of different densities. They may make a worthwhile difference since the window area seems the most likely problem area and the most readily treatable.

Cork is a good insulator for impact sound - for example between floors - but for airborne sound you normally need weight. Ideally heavy materials of several different weights to broaden the frequency response.

Standard modern 4/16/4 glazing without lamination or toughening gives a reduction of around 31 (-1; -4) dB, so 38dB is a worthwhile reduction (though you'd need the bits in brackets to take into account the frequency range - they are correction factors for speech and traffic respectively, so for traffic noise a reduction of 31-4 = 27dB). FWIW I've just ordered some with a nominal 39dB reduction - actually Rw (C;Ctr) 39 (-2; -6) dB - so my nominal 39dB becomes 33dB (39-6) for city traffic. City traffic - around 80dB - therefore sounds like 47dB (80-33), roughly the normal level of noise generated within a home, and 6dB (approximately 1/3) quieter than 4/16/4 would have been. Unfortunately I've not done any calculations for drapes.

From the look of the photos, it looks like the house is of traditional masonry construction, so the walls should already be pretty effective against airborne sound - and I presume that the BioFib is internal wall insulation, which will have boosted that further and broadened the frequency range being damped. In which case I suspect a bookcase would only make a marginal difference. It looks like you could be on the top floor; if so, did you do anything to reduce sound transmission through the ceiling? Windows are likely a weak point unless you specifically chose double glazing units & frames with enhanced sound-resistant specifications, rather than just new double glazing. And, as @saveasteading says, noise also get through gaps.