G and J

Nudging us towards homes that help the planet a bit is no bad thing really. In some ways it’s no different from the increase in minimum insulation levels. In your shoes I’d build ‘em in, and be ready to put in for a variation of conditions after the event if needed.

From what I've read on here if bnb spans more than 5m there's a definite danger of ‘bounce’. As a result we're putting an extra foundation (is it called a sleeper wall?) down the middle of the house to reduce beam length. We will have to manhandle these beams as we cant use a crane (overhead wires) so that helps with that too. Are you thinking of using a beam to save the extra foundation?

Ours will, I hope, cool as well so it might be going when we are in the garden. Hmmmm, so if there’s little noise anyway then there can’t be much if a difference. So sitting in the garden when it’s running hopefully won’t be too bad.

Hmmm, we’re planning a similar installation. Is there much difference in the noise level between standing to the side of the unit and in front of the unit (i.e. with the airflow coming towards you)?

Just expressing an opinion.......it makes our (G&J) lives easy if we just do what the rules say......the rule says do forms before you start, so like it or not it's a no brainer to do.........venting over it is not going to help our stress levels, nor is taking a pop at anyone who has a different view of the world to us.....horses for courses, we're all different

Oh I’m sure it’s accidental. I couldn’t possibly be thinking of anything other than precisely the title of this thread. I wonder at the desirability of local variations in such legislation. Hoomans appears to need to feel both special and individual , so perhaps customisation of local stuff is the natural result. Perhaps a ‘ one size fits all’ thing would be equally flawed but in a different way.

J found a post by @ETC “PART 3 -Timber Frame Junction Detail” from which I’ve found: So it looks to me like behind blockwork I effectively use the windows to close the cavity. Is that correct?

Or maybe to raise money from the ‘windfall’ excess profits developers can make. We pay too few taxes in Blighty, and we get the services we have paid for, so good luck to ‘em and well done for exempting us self builders.

I suspect it’s simplicity of rules/process being prioritised over sanity of concept. The building world reacts well to ‘do this or else, then do that or else’, so maybe they’ve just gone for something easy to understand and workable. I was stressed about the stupidity of our building control company’s admin, but not about the CIL peeps or their process. And the nice CIL peeps did guide me through beautifully.

I’ve a number of questions swirling round in my head re our windows. We will have a traditional timber with a block skin downstairs and wood cladding upstairs. Doors and windows are going all aluminium. I've to date assumed that the outside of the window frames will be more or less flush with the outside of the frame, like this: Is that the best place to put the windows both thermally and for any other factor I can’t imagine?

Oh don’t worry, you’ve not missed out, there’s still time to skin and gut a few for a casserole.

Snap. I did love our oak worktop, wish I’d varnished it. We ‘enjoyed’ the black marks. 😞 But this time we are going more modern, after all, one doesn’t want to repeat one’s mistakes. Far more exciting to make lots of new ones.

Great views and defo an improvement kerb appeal wise

I made a small L shaped kitchen with an oak worktop and it looked fabulous. However we took advise and oiled the worktop, and even for a weekend home it was just so easy to mark. Not practical at all, much as I like wood I’d never do that again. Our current worktop is shiny granite and I’m forever needing to polish it, so this time round I want something semi matte. I've fitted melamine worktops using a jig for the joins and with care you can get that spot on, but for any other worktop it’s supply and fit.

My experience is the opposite. They were very helpful, patiently guiding me over the phone, and when the building control company erroneously filed the wrong start date (masses in ahead of the real date and potentially contravening the CIL process) they calmly and quickly sorted it. I agree with Russell, it’s a simple process so just get it done.