Nick1c

If I use the 48mm batten I planned to put 20mm of eps/pir under the pipes to reduce weight. The ply would give both a straight edge for the boarders to work from & also a working floor for painting before the floor finish went down. If I use 25mm batten there will be 30-40mm of wood over the pipes, dependent on the minimum I need for the slider threshold & windows that run to the floor.

Thanks. @Onoff my suspicion is that the pipe work will be most useful for cooling so I am trying to increase the heat capacity of the floor, I think sand/biscuit mix will give a better & cheaper result than the pre-routed boards. @ProDave was there a reason you used biscuit mix rather than just sand? I will check if we need a structural floor - the battens will be fixed to 160mm CLT, which is unbelievably solid. There is a lot of the 48x48mm batten on site atm which is why I am planning to use it. We are having shadow gaps rather than skirting so the boarders need an edge to work to, the 6mm ply provides this & allows the painting to happen before the floor needs laying. Another option would be to use 25mm batten with ply & 22mm floor over it - but would this act as too much of an insulating layer?

We plan to put some pipe work in for underfloor heating/cooling on out first floor. It is a 160mm thick slab of CLT & the ffl needs to be 70mm above it, my plan is to fit 48mm batten to it at 400 centres, fit 20mm of insulation between them with pipes & kiln dried sand to the top of the battens, cover it with 6mm ply which will form a working floor for boarding out & decorating & then a 15mm engineered wood to finish off. The reason for the insulation is twofold - to help with impact noise (I am not sure how effective this will be) & to reduce the weight on the floor. Is there a better &/or more cost effective solution? There will be a suspended ceiling (fermacell) below.

@Russdl are you doing a new build? If so what are the stud spacing, ours are a pretty accurate 600, I had assumed the batts would be a pressure fit with no cutting! The cost seems to be proportional to the volume, has anyone used different thicknesses & can give a real life opinion of the difference? Once the batts are in we will be left with the holes chopped out for the MVHR duct - are they worth foaming? I assume there will be some noise transfer via the duct voids. Any suggestions of a well priced source that will deliver in these times would be gratefully received.

I am almost at the point of doing this & have been reading this section of the forum for tips but still have some questions. Rockwool have 2 products which look suitable - RWA45 & flexi, there doesn’t seem to be any great price difference - which is most suitable/ nicer to install? Are there better/ more cost effective alternatives? What is the most sensible thickness to use? The gf has 3 beds in a line, with a built in wardrobe separating each one, the floors are separated by a160mm slab of CLT with a suspended ceiling for services & the upstairs is largely an open plan room with a ‘snug’ next to it (above our bedroom). Full fill would £££, but is there significant gains in using over 50mm?

I came across these yesterday https://www.coastal-group.com/blu-marine-grade-stainless-steel-hardware/blu-Lift-and-Slide-Handles We are close to the sea & I am checking to see if they could replace our existing handles.

Materials are a fundamental problem here. Only essential deliveries from merchants, unsurprisingly (& quite rightly) my build isn’t considered essential. I can’t help feeling that enabling work to continue where social distancing can reasonably be observed will reduce in some small way the economic ramifications of this. I have no intention or ability to make people work against their will or work in an unsafe environment, but neither do do I think it is reasonable to effectively force people who have the desire & ability to work safely to stay at home.

With impeccable timing last week was going to be the start of a real push to finish the house as it is finally weathertight! I have looked at the government guidelines and AFAIKS they are encouraging trades to keep working, providing they can observe the social distancing guidance. As a single plot with off road parking this should be possible for most, if not all of the work that needs doing. I did what I could to get materials on site, but for a number of jobs this will be the limiting factor. The planned jobs were: 1st fix MVHR - done by me, materials here. 1st fix plumbing - plumber local (2 miles), materials here. 1st fix electrics - electrician local (6 miles), wholesaler open. Finish slating the roof & install roof lights - roofers local-ish (10 miles), materials here. Install Pv panels (frames already up) - installers 1-1 1/2 hours away, panels in their warehouse. Fit rainwater goods - can be done by me, but no materials. Batten out frame for cladding - I have loads of 25mm batten & fixings, but will need some 50 & 100mm for some areas (for insulation & hiding down pipes) Fix cladding - carpenter local & I have nails, but obviously need the battens in place! Blow warmcell into the roof - installer not local & would need accommodation, but could potentially drive down with their own supplies & stay in a flat or caravan which could be left unoccupied for a period for the virus to ‘die’. The materials are here. Which of these jobs do people think it would be sensible to try & progress? Is anyone still delivering materials (I am in W Cornwall)?

I painted our garden shed with Osmo Country Colours charcoal a couple of years ago & its still looking good. The weather here is pretty brutal, a mixture of salty rain, strong sunlight & wind. It was pretty expensive though & I didn’t get the l/m2 coverage advertised. I would do it again.

Thank you @Carrerahill, that is very helpful. Having read this I reconsidered one of the first manufacturers I came across (Chiara) as they use that modular design. Unfortunately the model I had been considering requires a depth of 125mm, & I will have a maximum of 112mm available. This made two things come to mind: - The tridonic unit you have shown is, I think, the one they use & has the electronics & light generator in the same unit, I have seen some where the two elements are separate, allowing the electronics to sit off to the side. This arrangement allows for less headroom, are there any downsides to these units? - Glare. Is this principally managed via the reflector in the lamp or the position of the lamp in the fitting? The higher the light generator sits in the fitting the narrower the cone of direct light, but there is the possibility of it bouncing off the internal walls of the luminaire to create a more diffused light? I believe the bathrooms need IP65 lights, which I assume require more headroom..... There seems to be a wide variation in quality (not necessarily related to price) & a paralysing range of choice in lights. Any pointers as to where to start looking would be useful!

My main concern is the loss of lumens over time with any of the solutions (integrated, GU10 or GU5.3). If this is noticeable in real life the cost of replacing defective units changes significantly & pushes my decision towards separate lamps. The wholesaler also thought that it would be easier to take advantage of future developments with separate lamps as they felt the fittings are here to stay.

Have any mid-long term led users changed a single light on a group circuit and either noticed (or not) a different level of light from new to old? While GU10 leds may well have initially been replacements for the halogen lamps as @jsharris suggests presumably by now the housings are being designed to keep the lamps cool, reducing unreliability. It doesn’t appear that MR16 (GU5.3) is a simple option, as far as I can see you need to choose the luminaire, lamp holder, lamp & transformers individually, is it worthwhile?

We are getting to the point where we will be speccing the lighting. The two biggest questions are is it worth investing in a smart (probably Casambi based) system and should we go for integral light engines or GU10 lamps. Until yesterday I had come down on the side of the integral option - initially more expensive, but better value in the longer term, Aurora seems to be a popular choice. However a conversation with a wholesaler (who sells both types) has made me uncertain again. Apparently led’s tend to dim over time rather than suffer catastrophic failure, an arbitrary reduction in output of 30% is the point at which they are considered ripe for replacement - this is the lamp lumen maintenance factor LLMF. As I understand it the potential problem occurs if one light on a circuit fails, once it is replaced (assuming spares are available), it will be generating the original levels of light, which will be greater than the older lights on that circuit, meaning that all the units may need replacing to make it even once again. Another benefit of the GU10 option is that dim to warm is available. The wholesaler was talking about the ease of upgrading the lights should better technology become available with GU10. As someone who is new to, & relatively ignorant of, LED technology I would like to hear the opinions & experiences of those on here who are better informed - GU10 or integral lamps & why...

We initially thought about blackened cladding (burnt), but the planners were against it, probably a result as it is ££££. When we were looking at alternatives Vastern sent some brimstone ash, new it looks beautiful, but it isn’t the same as black painted & there has been a post somewhere about uneven aging of modified wood. In the end we went for WRC & will let it silver, but it might be worth getting a sample sent. If it is to be painted as you like the look of paint I would go for larch. We painted our shed black a couple of years ago using Osmo country colours & it has survived some pretty extreme conditions (w. Cornwall) without fading or peeling so far.

No idea if it would meet your planning restrictions, but have you considered an I-beam frame with blown cellulose? IIRC the U-values for cellulose & wood fibre are similar, the advantage of this method is a reduced timber fraction in the frame & ease of achieving the claimed performance of the insulation. When I looked it was also cheaper...

Thanks. 10/15mm everywhere it is. Uninsulated makes life easier & cheaper ? I am tempted to skip the HRC to the far bathrooms as I/we don’t mind washing hands in cold water, which would be the main benefit. Still not sure of the benefit of a cold manifold, why not use a ‘traditional’ circuit & isolation valves? Any thoughts on an accumulator vs upgrading the supply? I don’t understand why the maintenance costs would be different with a different ASHP, I was under the impression that they are by in large effectively one or more ‘black boxes’ which need replacing if anything goes wrong & maintenance comes down to keeping the filters clean.

@joth yes, one of the higher temp ones, I believe they will be available by May when I hope to be needing one. My installer hasn’t mentioned any problems getting hold of a Sunamp, but again it won’t be needed till May.

@PeterW in our last house I found some 100 year old reclaimed Burmese teak strip flooring & used that over UFH. I couldn’t believe how much it shrinked, 3-4mm gaps between each strip, it was only 3” & 4” wide! With hindsight I would have laid it loose, cranked up the heat for a few weeks & then had it permanently fixed.

Our first fix plumbing will start in a week or so and there are a few things I can think of (& lots I have yet to think of!) that I haven’t got my head around. We plan to use a Sunamp, heated via a Vaillant ASHP & Pv which will supply a kitchen and 3 bathrooms ( each will have shower, basin, toilet, one will have a bath as well). The kitchen and bathroom with the bath will be within 5m of the Sunamp, the other 2 bathrooms will be 17-20m away. One of these is our en-suite. The supply into the hose is 28mm from the meter, but only 15mm from the mains to the meter (a 5m or so run). The water company tested the pressure & flow, they got 40l/min at 3 bar. Manifolds - I can see the benefits for the hot supply, other than ease of isolation is there any benefit on the cold side? Pipe diameter - 10mm to hand basins/toilets, 15mm (?22) to kitchen tap/showers/bath? Pipe insulation - yes or no? Presumably a definite yes if using a HRC. HRC - how does this work on a thermal store/ Sunamp? These seem to effectively work as instantaneous heaters. Accumulator - are we likely to need one, if so are they a good idea or is it better/more cost effective to pay to have 28mm put in from the main? I have no doubt more questions will come......

Thank you. The naked offering isn’t really what I am after as a surface finish and is further towards the ‘reassuring’ end of the market than we are looking.

Anyone??

I discussed this with BC this week. Our house is at the top of the foul run, next door has an SVP 20m away. He would accept an AAV in the loft, but would prefer an SVP as belt & braces. He wasn't too fussy about the route but wanted the pipe to be as big as possible (up to 110mm) where possible. The plumber suggested a vented slate which will have to penetrate a 400mm warmcell roof.

I am trying to find oak engineered boards 100mm wide or less with no bevel, ideally band sawn finish. So far I am struggling - wider boards with a bevel seem to be the popular option. Does anyone know of where I might find this for sale? It's to go over UFH, hence the engineered requirement. I used solid reclaimed teak in our last house thinking it would be stable & couldn't believe the shrinkage!

@HerbJ, you have close to double the m2/pp that we will!! I noticed that your dressing room has no supply/extract, ours is specced the same way, I would have imagined circulation around shoes & clothes would be a good thing... As it is next to the ensuite we could have a 'through vent', would this make sense to you?

Not much help with the specific numbers, but IIRC a number of people have mentioned that the building regs requirement is too high in real life, so it may be best to size on boost rather than the 'optimum' setting. We used Enhabit who didn't seem overly expensive, they mentioned that if the house volume is high for the number of occupants there is an increased risk of the RH being too low. We went for an enthalpy exchanger for this reason.