Nick1c

We have the bottom groove cut off at an angle to form a drip. The insect mesh is u-shaped, the rear held up between the batten & the building, the front between the batten f the cladding.

Isn’t one of the key benefits of a Sunamp that there is availability of water at a constant temperature for the vast proportion of the energy stored? It only behaves like a conventional thermal store once all the material has changed phase.

@PeterW we had hoped to get a pre R32 model as we would only then need the outside unit. I believe that the current model needs a new control box inside & another hole through our (2foot thick granite) outside wall to allow a vent for the propane. We are looking at different manufacturers as I don’t believe that a design which allows a cascade of failures is a good one. @joth they had been running down old stock & got their fingers burnt with the lockdown, but nevertheless that was in March, it seems to me to be verging on the incompetent when the order was placed early August & they still can’t give an indication of when they can supply.

Mitsubishi are having supply problems on at least some models. Our 7 year old 8.5kW ecodan broke down at the start of August, they appear to have a design which allows a cascade of failures - ours needed at least 2 new circuit boards & a fan. We decided not to risk throwing good money after bad & order a replacement unit - we are still waiting & they are unable to even give a delivery date..... This is for a model one generation back, no idea what current model availability is like.

The change in humidity is what causes the movement - up to 20mm in about 1.7m! I have a board rack fixed to the shed with slots to allow movement which show it up. I think it is particular to this style of construction as no nails/screws are used in the walls.

A second vote for Tuin, with a couple of caveats. They come with no base, which adds a fair bit to the overall cost. We got a Leipzig & put 50mm cellotex on the floor & roof which helps make it more comfortable (it is used as a garden shed/store/workshop). They move an unbelievable amount over the seasons, any rigid links between boards may well result in twisting/deformation so fitting it out needs careful thought.

Windows have provided (by far) the most stress on our build. Some our own fault - missed a typo on the schedule & had to order a replacement, some as a result of lying, dishonest, fitters who didn’t want to finish the job. In the unlikely event of ever doing this again I will go over the schedule again & again with a fine tooth comb & insist on references from domestic customers for the fitters.

@Pete, just to be certain - you used the hi-tack on EPS, it would be disappointing to see it dissolve before my eyes!

Thanks Pete, it looks good.

Thanks for the replies. I did try looking for posts, but my search skilzs are clearly lacking. It looks as if I am late thinking about this as our cladding is already on with the battens cut to suit the cladding. We have 19mm WRC on 25mm battens above. The DPC has been turned down & taped as it was holding water onto the frame when turned up (how the framers left it). I assume we need a carrier board if we render, but this looses the majority of the air gap (3mm dot & dab, 12mm board, 3mm render?). The ubiflex potentially looks great - @Pete do you have pics/ details of how you fixed it on. I am concerned that if we use long lengths of aluminium that it will ripple & also be easily marked by the gravel margin. It also sounds expensive. The method @Jeremy Harris used relied on batten continuing down the EPS, which we don’t have. Could the board be glued directly to the EPS, how are they joined - a silicone bead?

We need to get the EPS upstand of our house covered before the paving can be done. It will have a gravel margin next to it & cedar cladding 150mm above for the majority of the perimeter, the exceptions being the thresholds of doors, which are level with ACO drains in front. Our options seem to be cement board with thincoat render, powder coated aluminium or the composite panel as used by @worldwidewebs What are the experiences of others? I imagine it is difficult to get a good render finish tight up to the cladding - but would it be noticeable? This sounds the most durable. The other 2 options sound as if they would initially at least give a cleaner finish, but what happens over time?

I went for Enhabit for the MVHR, Wunda for the UFH & a couple of local-ish (within 2hrs) companies for solar & the ASHP. The ASHP company uses a local fitter who is also doing my plumbing. Being a mile away from lands end limits my choices somewhat vs a more central location! The supply of available skilled labour is another major issue, amplified by the surge in work following the lockdown. So far no major issues, but I will only be able to give a definitive opinion once we have been in for a while, a state of affairs that is a few months away. It is worth re-emphasising the value of references from customers who have had work completed. In my case I paid too much attention to a contractors internet presence & the views of someone who had had their work started, but not completed & nothing had yet hit the fan (it eventually did, they wound up in court & got a CCJ in their favour). I lost a few hundred pounds, other less ‘fortunate’ individuals either lost or spent a lot of time & emotional energy chasing thousands.

@Onoff it didn’t take too much thought to decide not to go with the M&E quote, it was definitely aimed at the Crystal end of the market. What really irks me is that people charge hundreds of pounds as an upfront ‘signing on fee’ and deliver nothing more than a few lines of (very generous) costs with no rationale/ support for them & try to justify it as a ‘detailed high level quote’. This was accompanied by a ‘book early to avoid disappointment’ style offer for battery storage which smacked of pressure selling & further put me off. The heating supplier I went with was upfront about charging for heat loss calcs & for that provided the information - a much more professional approach. With regard to the windows my assumption was that the supplier had done adequate due diligence. They succeeded in pulling the wool over their eyes, much to both our regret.

A brief update on my experiences to date. Slab design: not local (Hilliard Tanner) - good value, responsive, worked well. Frame design and supply : not local, slow, not cheap (I don’t know enough to opine on value), long delays once we were tied in, have been helpful since it went up. Windows: not local, the supplier was knowledgeable & helpful, the fitters an utter nightmare (come the revolution....). M&E: tried not local - paid up front for what I have been told was a ‘detailed quote’, I got a top line cost of over £55k (for a 185m2, 3 bath house) inc. £11.5k project management & expenses!! No heat loss calcs, equipment specifications etc. This excluded electrics.... So far local tradesmen/companies have seemed ok & much cheaper. Non-local MVHR design & supply not bad so far. Everything else has been local. My conclusion is that it depends, & that as for most of us this is a one time experience an awful lot of luck (good or bad) is involved. There has been an awful lot of stress & delays so far - Covid hasn’t helped, but I suspect it is par for the course. The two ‘contributors’ that have been dishonest charlatans are the window fitters & the M&E ‘consultant’, both of whom I have subsequently discovered have been or are being taken to court by dissatisfied clients. I suppose that in the end there is no easy answer, but several recommendations from satisfied clients with completed jobs is a minimum requirement & one I failed to get in both cases. The other big issue is that as a one time buyer of services you will inevitably be a relatively low priority for trades, particularly if they are busy (& the good ones generally are, even in normal times). I find the balance of pushing hard enough to get things done, but not so hard it puts them off difficult to achieve. A prompt, reliable, good value local solution would be the dream....... but sadly it remains that.

You are going for the same combination as us. I have used dulux diamond Matt in the past & didn’t like the sheen. The boarders also mentioned that flat Matt is a much more forgiving finish.

We plan to use some Casambi controls in our build. Vimar do switches that fit a back box, they also have the advantage that up to 4 groups of luminaires can be turned on, off & dimmed from a standard sized plate.

We are using 15mm oak with a band sawn finish. The oak layer is thinner than if we had gone for 20mm - but if we resand it we will loose the bandsawn effect (& it’s cheaper...). Is there nothing in 15mm you like?

Looks great, I like the contrast between the front & back. How are you planning to manage solar gain on the double height window?

We have gone for pb ceilings & fermacell walls, finished by the liners. They have delayed the start by 10 days due to supply difficulties.

Anyone familiar with fixing these boards? They will be covered with cedar cladding afterwards.

@Thedreamer thanks, I think we ideally want in wall ones. I have asked about some other lights they have, but they aren’t 316 stainless so I suspect are not suitable.

As ProDave says we are having a grid switch in the pantry to keep the kitchen area uncluttered. It also means we are not worried about matching the switches - they will be Hager elsewhere, but the Scolmore grid is a lot cheaper!

Thanks @Oz07 they are for internal use only according to the spec sheet. The weather here can be brutal so only plastic/resin/316 stainless is any use.

I am looking for some low level outside lights to be set in blockwork walls & steps. We are within 1/2 mile of the sea & so whatever we get has to be salt-proof. I have found these https://www.peclights.com/product/auroraenlite-en-wu682r-30-mlite-pro-1w-ip68-markerlight?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhNb2yJju6QIVh7PtCh04VAZpEAkYASABEgL0pvD_BwE which I think will do the job. Does anyone have any other (ideally the same price or less) suggestions? There seems to be almost infinite choice in lighting generally & the combination of living at the end of the country & COVID restrictions isn’t helping.

@vivienz what did you go for in the end? We are at the point of needing to choose some. Thanks.