G and J

It looks lovely. Have you a cross section of the eaves showing the hidden guttering and associated detail?

At least I do agree with one part of your recent posts.

Oh, and I know most peeps are too polite to ask, but what sort of overall cost (after vat reclaim) are you looking at? We’re following a similar approach on a much smaller scale and actually achieved cost, even when build detail is very different, is informative.

Congrats - looks fab. Would love to see the detail of the rainwear/larch cladding area.

We renovated a cottage in Norfolk and one luxury was some delightful sash windows, which we paid a lot for but we got a Fensa certificate. So when the lights blew after only 7 years we knew we were ok. Except the company had gone bust (i.e. had changed their name and walked away from all responsibilities) and Fensa gleefully told us we should have taken an insurance policy against the company failing, so it was our own fault. Lovely.

If you’ve got I beam joists or posi joists it might be dangerous to add full height timber noggins to do plasterboard under as well as floorboards over. Timber will expand and contract with moisture much more than either of them - but if you have full timber joists it’ll probably be fine.

Having cleared our own site I wouldn’t take it on for anyone else for £3k, but then, I dug up the bushes so they wouldn’t just regrow in no time. You can probably get cheaper but that might mean less professional, tidy and courteous to your neighbours (if you have any).

So, an update. Today I got an answer back from the sea monster: I’m still trying to get spec info. Anything I do get I’ll share.

How about we invent a device that turns excess body fat into electricity. I’d not have to import any leccy for years! 🙂

Methinks fingerless gloves, a thick wool beanie, a Sarah Lund sweater, thermal leggings and moon boots (all matching or at least coordinating, natch) for the eight days a year it’s really, really cold would be a cheaper and more environmentally friendly solution. And on the bright side, the computers will only overheat for three months of each normal year. Obviously not this year mind, so that’s next year’s problem….

Another snippet of info. No response to my email from the eight legged sea creature (why did they think of the name Kraken I wonder) however I had a nice conversation with a sales dude from Hopkins homes. The salient points: * it’s a kind of test, so there’s only a few plots designated to the zero thing on the whole development. * only one available for sale currently is a three bed detached. Internal footprint is ~22’ x ~19’, and the plot concerned has a east/west ridge therefore a due south facing side. I’m guessing this will hold circa 4kW Solar PV max. * T’s & C’s are between the buyer and Octopus, Hopkins are only involved in so much as they build a house to Octopus spec. After that you are on your own! * The premium in a ‘zero’ house over the same design in normal spec. is circa £20k. So, I’m wondering whether this is about distributed storage paid for by the house buyer. Octopus would like to store umpteen mWhours but can’t afford the investment. So they bribe homeowners to pay for and house loads of little batteries….

Welcome to BH. Why are you regretting doing that?

I think one way or the other something is amiss. The deal appears to be on a house by house basis, so I don’t believe offset from local solar farm could be involved. The email I copied above states the need to generate more than is used. This deal is being advertised on normal mass developer houses, so I assume these houses are unlikely to be massively better than building regs thermal performance (see below link). So either they don’t mean the “solar generation must exceed” or I’m missing something fundamental. I will continue to investigate and report. https://www.unlocknetzero.co.uk/projects-innovation/hopkins-homes-announces-suffolks-first-zero-bills-homes-with-octopus-energy#:~:text=This pilot scheme will be,with no energy bills%2C guaranteed.

Maybe, but maybe it’s craftier than that. Mass developer hardly increases their costs as they were going to fit the stuff anyway, but can advertise zero bills houses. The adverts are up on billboards in Suffolk. Owners get zero bills till usage history disqualifies them and due to inertia octopus keep most of the disgruntled customers who are paying unexpected bills. Everyone important wins. Shame about the house owners.

Methinks this one sounds benign…… but….. Methinks this one sounds like an: “I’m sorry 😢 Mr Gullablecustomer, your usage exceeded your generation by 0.17kWh in the last 12 months. Sadly that means you no longer qualify for zero energy bills. Please settle the retrospective £132.54 pcm bill for the last 12 months within 7 days or face recovery action. Have a nice day (we know we will)” 😞

[shuffles to his feet, looking intently at his own shoes while repeatedly clearing his throat, gathering courage until finally managing to look up and blurt out…] I am a self builder and I believe in thermal mass. [sits down quickly, avoiding all eye contact.]

In that case it’d better get registering…. So, first things first, I tell em my details (only marginally pretending to be a volume housing developer…) and the first thing that happens is that I get an email back: Hi Geoff, Thanks for your interest in Octopus Zero Bills. As we speak, we're working with housing developers and providers just like you to make Zero Bills the new standard. For newbuilds kitted out with solar PV, electric heating, and battery storage, we'll optimise the devices using our Kraken tech platform to offer zero energy bills for at least 5 years, guaranteed. Ready to begin the accreditation process? Complete the template with data for your portfolio/pipeline and return it to this email. We'll have one of our analysts take a look and let you know promptly whether your homes are eligible for Zero Bills. Please note that, as a general rule, the total annual solar generation on the homes must exceed the total annual consumption for the home in order to qualify. This includes heating and hot water according to your SAP report for each plot or house type. (You can read more FAQs here.) Download Template Want to chat before you submit data? Respond to this email with questions or your availability for a call and we'll walk you through the process. Thanks, Octopus Energy So the first catch is that we have to use their control system (they decide when we are warm enough? Hmmmmm….), and the second is that the Solar pv requirement isn’t in terms of the size of installation but the actual kWh generated vs used - that feels dangerous to me. But I’ll plod on and keep posting.

To quote the Octopus site: Installation services for hardware including heat pumps, solar PV, batteries and metering So it looks to me like the catch might be a big capital cost upfront and doing as you are told in terms of what’s fitted where. Are you going to register and get details? @Little_Miss_Tidy If so I’ll hold off to see what you find. (PS if doing it a second time constitutes ‘serial’ then we are soon to be serial self builders.)

I admire your green credentials.

Our plans include a gym/workshop at the bottom of our garden. An essential mental health component (for both of us).

When we were planning our build in ‘90 we were gleefully told that the divorce rate amongst self builders was circa 80%. 😕

I’m talking to a timber frame company at the mo, and they insist that Celotex is breathable. One thought, is it too late to consider one of these metal skinned pir filled interlocking roof systems?

I’m late to this thread so my apologies. As someone who battles to control a wood mouse population (as well as their bigger cousins) I’d say the proposed flooring, if I’ve understood correctly, of membrane supporting slabs of insulation is perfect nesting for small rodents. I’d urge you to consider fine mesh directly under the membrane and maybe do your best to exclude them from under the building too. It is incredible how small a gap they can get in (guess how I know this). Gravel can be effective at stopping rats burrowing in to get to a void, and in combination with some form of curtain closure round the perimeter might achieve an effective barrier.

You mean you don’t watch Kevin McC every night? Scandalous!

The most annoying thing is, after hours of long deep thought, and intense web searching, the innocent question is tabled. The one that starts….. “why don’t we just….?” I get over feeling stupid. Eventually.