G and J

Maybe too off topic but is a non softened feed needed with modern softeners? I was told recently that current designs mean softened water is safe to drink?

Plastic sheets I understand. I don’t understand how the outer sheet is fixed without causing water penetration points, or perhaps as the cladding prevents water reaching it it doesn’t matter once finished.

So, I need to read up on R values… I’m guessing that as the only practical alternative is stick built open panels filled with insulation plus a layer of pir then that won’t be that different. Unless I’m missing something fundamental. Gosh that’s incredibly useful. We can actually fit in 194mm panels thus improving the u value by 0.02. There’s roughly 160m2 of external wall area, and I think that means that if using a test case of 25C temp difference, a 0.02 better u value will mean 160x25x0.02 watts difference in heat loss. Using a COP of 3 (being pessimistic) that means something like 0.64kWh extra on the coldest day. I think. Does that sound feasible?

So it would look like… plaster skim 3mm plasterboard 13mm battens to give service void 25mm vapour control layer SIP panel 172mm wind tight but water vapour permeable layer double battens and vertical larch cladding (~70mm) Don’t understand this but at all. Goodness the amount I don’t know!

But for a softy southerner in a sheltered location the above build up would get to an ok u value (we aren’t going passive, haven’t got the space) and be good to live in?

Assuming this brick pier is holding something up is it a good idea to put that big a hole through it ? That’s an eighth of the thickness you are taking out and I’d worry about damage to the integrity of the pier.

As campervaners we have often wondered what the attraction was…. But going off (caravan) topic am I right in thinking that the wall build up for sips could be as simple as : (from inside, and ignoring membranes and vapour barriers as I’ve not understood them yet and they don’t add thickness….) plaster skim 3mm plasterboard 13mm battens to give service void 25mm SIP panel 172mm double battens and vertical larch cladding (~70mm)

Boeing don’t seem to mind too much nowadays…. 😕 In reality I wonder how vital the bolt becomes over time. I wonder if after construction it’s actually just a peg that’s needed. Hence bolt from the top would be sensible.

The cut surface invites corrosion more?

So hit it hard with a big hammer. Won’t help, mind, but sometimes it just feels good. 😉

Good point. And I guess if you angle grind through the bottom of the nut and the bolt the nut will never fall off. We never rivet anything (apart from pop rivets) nowadays do we.

Would it be quicker and more effective to invert them so the spare thread sticks up into the void? The bolt head may well be smaller than the nut. Might be an idea to do one at a time mind. :-0

I don’t know why, she swallowed a fly…

So these are wall mounted near the ceiling and the benefit is that they spread the fresh air better than a simple ceiling vent? That’s what I was trying to say as my base case. But maybe I’m worrying too much about sound. I remember being quite pleased with myself at how small the clearances were round all our doors in our current house. How times change.

Crumbs that looks useful - thank you.

Rodents sometimes use inedible stuff for nesting in. I’ve found quite a few wood mice nests in glass fibre loft insulation. But apart from that, there is always a good source, even if it’s only the bait you are putting down to kill em.

Just looked these up (it’s incredible the volume of new stuff I’m learning from here!). Without realising it I’ve stayed in hotel rooms with vents that look like these. I presume one wouldn’t use them for a new build MVHR as they’d be noisier and/or less effective than normal vents - is that correct? My interest concerns our guest bedroom which does not have an en-suite (I’m not nice enough to our guests lol). Default case is supply vent in bedroom and gap under door, which will also transmit sound. But could one of these vents allow a more acoustically sealed door (and stop me hearing the snoring so clearly)?

As I understand it the filters in MVHR units stop stuff going into your fans. One filters air taken from the house, one filters air sucked in from outside. So if the moths are the house side that means that they are present in the house, and it sounds unlikely to me that they are living in the ducts, merely that they get sucked in as they fly past the vents. Years of dealing with rodents and helping others do the same has taught me that peeps often miss food sources, leading to an ‘oh that?’ moment when they realise the thing they’ve discounted or simply forgotten is the food source, because like the professionals have told you, there always is one. Could there be something between walls or floors? Some wacky natural insulation?

MVHR will be running so doors and windows normally shut, roof I can insulate to death as we’re not restricted on depth of insulation there. I wish there was a system like u values for sound transmission.

Careful though, be warned, it’s addictive. 😉

Which brings me back to the start of the topic, the question of what we do ourselves and what we employ to have done.

I guess a big part of self build motivation for us is that it is done right, not necessarily to the standard ‘professional’ quality. I know I’m picky but I want better and I’m prepared to graft to achieve it. So I can see me intervening and taking over at times like you did (I’ve done it before!).

So, just had a quick google and I think I’m missing something about brown cellulose. I’m presuming it settles over time, and therefore if used in walls then the insulation will be reduced at the top of the wall sections. I’ve already wondered that about rock wool and the like. How does it work?

Our walls are going to be a lot thinner than yours, and your garage experience would be awful to live in. That said, we are tight each Sid to neighbours so I guess they’ll acoustically shield our two longest walks a bit, and it’s not near a busy road…. but still….

Will have a rifle through your blog too. When we planned our build in ‘91 I was adamant I wanted it built properly with block and render. None of that namby pamby balsa wood stuff that the cheapy volume builders bodge it with. The (sort of) architects used some stud walling upstairs to remove the need for steel. During the build I realised with a shock just how weak block work is. I’m happy with timber frame this time.