G and J

@SteamyTeaHope you're ok , J

Our rate in East Anglia (likely to be cheaper) 900 per day 2+1. Our 55 linear metres to first floor took 14 days, majority block and they were lightening quick. (This was also round a timber frame, so apart from garage not structural/load bearing). We employed on day rate, they came recommended, if they had "qouted" they would have put some "saftey" in for time. Our bricks Ibstock blues are nothing particularly special and they we just under 1 a brick to us (not list) and that was a good deal. How many days do you quotes think it's going to take?

Sorry for the potentially numpty response, but assuming you mean first floor wall plate, for comparison. 55 linear metres in Suffolk to first floor height, ie just ground floor from below damp, brick plinth average 4 courses, then blocks, labour only 12.5k. Excellent work. From your pictures, in previous posts, your brick work is going to be huge part of your overall design so may be "simple" but the quality required is going to be high...........was your estimate realistic, are your quotes labour only? On the former we had a take off done, and they assumed pretty basic everything (apart from a contractors profit!)

Snap......is working well, again fast delivery good price

We've had good service, price and fast delivery from envirogaf directly...you tell them the size of the cavity and they specify the cv size you need.

@Paddocks532 @Iceverge our architect obviously had the same kingspan salesman! We decided to move away from pir (converted to mineral wool) as having read (copiously) here on BH we realised why a room we had built in the roof over the garage felt "dead", bit echoy. Was plenty warm enough but just not quite right, all this without even getting into the issues of pir being horrible to work with and more difficult to ensure a tight fit. So far so good.

Why not use smaller screws so they don’t go through both layers? i.e. 25mm plus payload. I’m trying to get my head round airtight. To check my thinking: We test at 50pascals. I think that’s equivalent to less than 6mm difference in a water manometer. So it’s sod all in pressure terms. So unless an ex screw hole is huge and ragged, even if there’s a few dozen of them, would that make a difference? Have I got my sums right?

Ummmm, isn’t that a but too big for a domestic plant room? 😉 Being serious I am sort of facing a similar set of worries. Our airtight layer is our VCL, and we are stapling that up. OK, where we can we are putting the staples on the edge outside the tape so on the non airtight side but still, there are a good few places where the staples pierce the membrane. Where a staple is removed or pulled out we should probably put a bit of tape over it, and that’s ok as none of our membrane will be visible. But your walls will look like they’ve got measles lol Presumably you’ll be painting your the PPB, so can’t you simply fill and paint any screw holes from removed screws? I suspect comments about air gaps in mortar are more relevant as there will be thousands of ‘em and they add up. But I’m sure a grown up will be along shortly to confirm. As for plant room and a service void isn’t it just your preferred aesthetic?

Isn’t that the root of the cladding problem with Grenfell? I can easily see me falling into that particular pitfall. Trouble is, when one is scribbling away, it’s so seductive thinking one has come up with a really neat solution (“why had nobody else thought of this? Gosh I’m clever!”). Sigh.

Now he tells me......

The screed was 100mm thick, they used a pump, but it was a dryish mix, Josh shovelled sand (16ton) and cement to match like a trojan....and Jason achieved a really flat result, very happy with the job they did. No we didn't staple the upstand at all.

We used the u heat version (yellow rather than blue, but looks identical) the upstand on our was stiff enough to be self supporting Apologies for poor image but there's nothing supporting it in front of the sliders and we didn't staple, but as you can see screed was traditional sand and cement

Sorry to be über boring, but how bad is the existing building?

Not me, but G, and not finished, but have a look at our blog......demolished bungalow and timber frame build

We have just ordered a pocket door (frame and solid flush door) for a gap 1200w 2350 high from these guys Em-b.co.uk Don't think they do doorcwithout frame, didn't ask as wanted to come as a set

Forgive the interrogation but… Are your fancoils on their own zone or together with your UFH? I ask as we are installing our main bedroom fancoil as part of the single zone, but with the ability to zone it off later if needed.

We are building timber frame and had planned a render on board and circa 70% larch cladding. Because of the type of people we are, and you never know, we did some research to ensure the result was mortgageable, by either as as a equity release in years to come or by others should we decide to sell. We found several instances in mainstream lenders of more than 50% cladding being a no go, and other requiring more than 50% block. In the end we have a block skin to the ground floor and less than 50% wood cladding backed by cement board on our boundaries.

Presumably that data is for open ground. Under my slab will, I imagine, be rather different. It’s dry ground, no watercourses or the like. So what temperature should I use for my heat loss calculation for the underfloor insulation? (This particular horse has now bolted, but it’s still of interest.)

Do you use the fancoils much?

Thank you. That’s a well done for J. I did the polystyrene and the (*&#£*!!! ing) PIR in the floor. J does the walls.

Just looked back at our quotes from our local Jewsons. EPS70 was less than £47/m3 PIR (foil faced) was less than £87/m3 Both for 120mm thick 2.4m x 1.2m sheets held in stock locally at their suppliers.

Is that assuming a BnB floor with the underfloor void being the same temp as outside? One of the reasons I was pleased to go first a solid floor was that the ground under would be a more constant temperature possibly 7C.

If we could do a calculation to determine the total carbon footprint of option a - keep the gas boiler till it dies then replace with latest tech, presumably upgraded heat pump, vs option b - bin the gas boiler and replace immediately with today’s heat pump, I’d be shocked if option a cost the planet less due to the wasted resources out into the boiler. I’m dead keen on renewables. We even paid a daft amount to have gas removed from site. But it’s easy when it’s effectively a blank sheet. Sadly such an analysis would be so affected by multiple assumptions that it would be hard to believe in it. But gut feel says your wasting the planet and your own money replacing newish kit now. But who can really know?

Oh I like these new year confessions as it makes me feel less uniquely dumb. No less dumb, mind, but less alone in my folly. I think I’ve done the same damn stupid thing three times. Carefully put catching bowl under sink trap. Skilfully dismantled said trap with spilling a drop. Then thoughtlessly dumped the nasty water from the catching bowl into the above sink. Sigh.

Allow me, (in my post New Year’s Eve socialising, sleep deprived, just driven 3.5 hours and me adrenaline left the building about 5 miles short of home state), to translate into buildspeak. ”Dunno. Hard innit. Better put enough in to stop anyone moaning, which means too much. But sod it, it’s cheap enough.” :-/