Gav_P

Of course not, I would never suggest that! ? You could replace the normal worm gear style with a T-bolt style.

Hmmm... unusual. I’ve only seen them fail if they have been incorrectly fitted or over tightened. But I can understand your dislike of them if you have experienced an accidental waterpark ?

Why? Have you actually had one work loose before, or is it just a fear it could happen? They work on cars no problem... stay put for years, even with engine vibration, heat cycling, internal pressure etc.

If it’s that flexi-pipe (like you’d see on a traditional tumble drier) then it’s crap. It has no insulating ability and being open to the outside will bring cold air in to wherever it passes though. Plus it’s probably not connected very well or at all to the exterior vent cover, which will also allow internal drafts. The vent itself, I assume has the 3 or 4 horizontal flaps that are supposed to prevent the back draft? Which are also pretty crap. Saying all this, I’m not sure what the solution is for you, without replacing it all.. eg rigid sealed ducting, decent extractor which closes, and insulation in the void around the ducting to reduce the cold getting in.

Do you mean it’s an extractor fan? And the pipe work is in the void between the ceiling and floor above? I guess you could remove the extractor fan and try to see up into exposed area behind it? See if it’s rigid ducting or the crappy flexi-pipe stuff.

Maybe try to borrow a thermal camera? I know some energy companies loan them to their customers. Can you access the top of the wall, maybe use an endoscope camera? They are really cheap... I got one from Amazon that pairs with my phone.

Trust me when I say... get your self a couple of cases... you’ll need them. ?

Ooo this is a bit of fun Friday night drama ?

We seem to have a bit of discussion about contracts and adhering to the strict instructions, and I agreed in principle... but the reality is, at this level of construction you’re not going to be operation NEC3 or 4 contracts, so the likelihood of either party getting involved with delay claims or any such conflict isn’t high. It will result in a sour relationship. But it does drive home the point that you as the client need to be on site everyday to make sure someone isn’t doing something stupid / wrong / erroneous/ out of sequence, or exactly to plan that is also any one of the above. Which is the joy of self building and having high standards, given the time and effort you have put into the design of your home.

I think I worked on that one too ?

It seems we have people arguing both extremes. But the reality is a lot of trades in the small building industry, whilst technically highly capable are not great at managing clients or following drawing... drawing are used as a guide, but not adhered to rigidly. Some are magnificent at overcoming issues or poor quality architects drawings... others just think they know better. My builder was great figuring it out and finding solutions to my crap drawing which I produced... they were terrible at managing change and cost.

I would expect he has several jobs promised to start at certain times... much like yours. He had to finished the previous one before committing to your contract.

In my experience, it’s only going to get harder and more challenging as the build progresses... if the builder is difficult now whilst doing the big easy stuff, it’s going to be a world of pain when it comes to all the finer details later. Also... in my experience... they don’t like customers with high standards. For example, in my area there are a lot of aerospace engineers - they expect builders to achieve the same level of tolerance as in aircraft.. so a lot of the builders round here won’t work for them ?

I have no knowledge of automated systems, so am following these threads with interest... One bit does confuse me... This image appears to turn up the extractor if someone has a “movement” whilst on the pan... but if they have a “colossal movement” I.e. a big sh*t??.. then all the light in the house flash to warn the occupants!

Hmm remind you of anybody??

Is this your place ?? ?

The cost of living in “gods country”... as my colleagues across the bridge keep telling me!

Most I know start at 8 knock off by 3 or 4 pm. ... by the end of the day their quality of work is definitely dropping off... can’t imagine what it would be like after 10 hours every day!

? I knew what you meant really ?

Yes they are!!!! ... I was talking about mine. I agree with Joe90 on this point. 2.4 would be fine for 3 pane... however if you don’t need a pedestrian door, I’d go for a 2 pane. Mine have compression seals between panels which are fine, it’s brush seals round the outside (between the frame and doors) that’s the crap bit. I would also add that the pedestrian door on the 3 panel set is the bit that’s the most drafty. The 4 panel doesn’t have a pedestrian door and it’s much better.

I love both of our bifold doors (origin). It’s great to open the room right up on nice days. But they are crap for air tightness.

I think it’s just the natural progression of society and tech. We are becoming or have become a instant gratification society and want everything at our finger tips instantly with an intuitive interface, possibly with complete automation or some form of AI.

Much the same control as fitting a time switch, plus you can vary the temp. It provides you with the actual temp of the water. The “smart” feature, is that it ‘learns’ your hot water demands and can adjust accordingly. You can do it from an app on your phone. Plus you can have multiple units controlled in the one app. I guess that may be attractive to landlords? Monitoring multiple homes and water usage?

Just seen this Tesla “smart” immersion... I like the idea, but £107 is a bit steep I think.

Have you considered ‘invisible speakers’ that are mounted in the wall behind the plasterboard?