jack

Windows (or the installation thereof) were by far the biggest frustration on our build.

The corresponding European application is undergoing examination at the moment: https://register.epo.org/application?number=EP14732596&lng=en&tab=doclist

@Onoff, I seem to recall that there are patent applications in train for this technology. At least some of what you're after will be published in those (assuming they've yet been published)

Cetirizine is another modern antihistamine with similar results/dosage etc. Give it a try in place of loratadine.

Oh dear. Are you on metered water? We were going to bite the bullet and plant our back garden in early summer, knowing it was a bad time of year and accepting that there'd be a lot of watering. But then it just didn't rain for week after week, then we had that really hot spell. In the end we decided we can look at the weeds for the rest of summer and plant when it's cooler.

Seems plausible. Hope you get the right answer from the contractor.

[Poor attempt at light-hearted topical post deleted by me at request of another member]

Definitely this. We were originally looking at a standard plate-warming drawer, but then my mother in law (who'd recently had her kitchen done) mentioned that she couldn't get any of her casserole dishes into hers. If you have hopes of heating anything other than plates or a shallow platter in your warming drawer, get a deep one!

All of them. Why assume we only have one bath?

Pretty common to raise baths on a plinth, apparently. The plumbers who did our install suggested we look into it, and we ended up doing it for our freestanding bath. https://www.houzz.co.uk/photos/3620452/pinebrook-residence-modern-bathroom-cleveland https://www.houzz.co.uk/photos/556484/master-bath-remodel-contemporary-bathroom-san-francisco http://www.homedit.com/10-modern-freestanding-bathtub-designs-to-take-in-consideration-this-year/bathtub-cleaning/

Wonderful news! Thanks for letting us know.

I haven't time to post on the calamity that is the ducting you've shown, but a base rate of 35L/second seems high to me. We have ~290m2 4 bed house, and from memory our unboosted flow rate is something like 20 L/second. We regularly run it at less than that with no ill effects.

I like the "open" end - we have that in marble. Much better, I think, than having a row of four stools along one side of a long island.

We wanted honed, but I think a lot of (at least marble) slabs are pre-polished. You can return them to a honed finish at extra cost.

We have two worktops: an island and a long run along a wall. The island is calacatta (white with grey veining) marble and the long run is white Corian (TM). Our kitchen supplier asked us to sign a document saying that we understood that marble was a relatively weak material that would chip easily, stain if you left red wine on it for more than a few moments, and etch the moment any form of acid (eg, vinegar, lemon juice) touched it. The Corian surface has the sink in it and was chosen in response to our request for a low maintenance work surface for around the sink. Fast forward 18 months. Yes, the marble has etched in places (NYE lime base cocktails did a proper job in one area!), but it still looks amazing. It was sealed professionally when we had it installed. Other than that, we take no special care of it other than using a specialist marble cleaner/sealant now and then. There are zero stains. In contrast, the Corian is an absolute nightmare. You just look at it and it stains. Put down a cup of tea beside the sink and not realise a bit's spilled? Pick the cup up in the morning and there's a stain. Wash up some steel skewers and accidentally leave them in contact with the surface while they dry? Deep rust stains. I know that these can be scoured/buffed out, but having to do that every time a cup of tea is put down for more than a couple of minutes is ridiculous. Frankly, I wish I'd never seen the stuff. I suspect we'll try and get a few years out of it and then replace it with something that ages more gracefully.

My wife bought one of these about 18 months ago and I was convinced it would sit unused. To my surprise, she uses it every day for breakfast, and usually has a higher protein version when she comes back from the gym (she's a pretty serious gym-goer). The trick is to buy frozen fruit somewhere like Costco. They sell big bags that last a long time. She also buys bananas in bulk, waits for them to get very ripe, then cuts them up and throws them in the freezer (it's my job to break them apart once they've frozen into a solid ball ). I don't know how good they'd be after a few hours sitting around though.

I was amazed when I arrived in the UK and found that it was free to go to the tip. If they kept the price really low - 2 or 3 quid a visit, say - people wouldn't query the cost, and it would be low enough that few people would fly tip. Where I go, that would cover at least the staff costs over the course of a weekend day.

WTAF?

Good review, thanks Ferdinand.

They might be for locking the vent at the correct position. I believe they shouldn't be easily adjustable once balanced.

Agree with all Bitpipe says. I'll add that I wish we'd thought about insect screens. When it's this hot, it's very pleasant having the windows open once the temp drops in the evening, but being eaten alive by biting insects is less fun. We can also get blowflies stuck inside if we have windows open during the morning or late afternoon at this time of the year.

She probably did it on purpose. Be thankful she still likes the look of you minimally clothed!

Same with us - bedrooms are cooler most of the year by a degree or two. That said, upstairs is often a degree or so warmer in really hot weather.

I like the pillars and beams as they are! Worth thinking about how to handle thermal bridging through the beams and pillars if using internal insulation.

What sort of clay have you been using? I believe people tend to add "grog" or other additives to strengthen clay and reduce the chance of cracking.