Moira Niedzwiecka

We have an I-beam closed panel timber frame with 30mm cellulose for the walls and roof, so a bit of a hybrid between TF & SIPS. It feels really solid & very quiet. Erected on site in 4 days including all the internal stud walls, ceilings, intermediate floor and battens for plasterboard. Airtight OSB for VCL & included airtight tape over all seams. We have a vaulted first floor sitting room with no beams.

Yep. +100 I am still in the hole & digging deeper. What depresses me is that I just don't have any time. When I get back from work at gone 6pm & have something to eat I am already knackered. Motivating myself to do jobs on site or even housework or shopping after work is hard. I work full time, have Tuesdays off but work every other Saturday. OH back on chemo so unable to help & not allowed to drive because of treatment. Every 3rd Tuesday at the hospital. Leaves me 9 days a month & as OH stuck at home all the time he needs to get away, that means me taking him somewhere at the weekends when I am off. I find it physically hard as well. At 55 I do not have the energy levels anymore. Also, just not being strong enough to lift or move stuff is very frustrating. Ah, there we go, got that of my chest. Yesterday evening I took a walk in the small woodland at the back of us with the cats. Sat on a bed of celandine near the brook & watched the cats play. Good stuff. I also like to lose myself in a good book while soaking in the bath. Its been such a long winter. Hopefully it will improve now. Any chance you can book a last minute holiday to the sun? A week totally away from it may help. If not pop your lovely doggie in the car & go to the seaside for a couple of days. I think it is harder because it is always just outside your window & you can't just not go to site for a few days.

Our one stroke of luck on the build was that the farm a mile up the road was making an earth bund around the bio-gas plant they were constructing. As most of our excavation was heavy clay soil this was a godsend. They were very happy for us to dump it for free. Win win for both of us.

I am a bit confused about which rubber grommets to order. The ducting is 125mm. Most of the grommets I have seen are for 100-120mm or 120-150mm. Which size should I get? Also, I need a really good exterior sealing tape to seal under the windows & doors before the cills are fitted. I was looking at bitumen tapes, any recommendations?

I'll check them out. Thanks. I like the idea of this as no grouting to discolour.

Hi @Ferdinand Where did you go to look at yours? I see you are in Notts. We are just south of Melton Mowbray so probably not too far away.

Thanks for the info @ProDave & @Ferdinand. Much appreciated.

Thanks Dave. I will have a measure up when I get home from work.

Great idea, thanks for the tip. Can I ask what height your flat ceiling in the shower is, the width of the cardboard and the height of the cardboard on the left? Also the pitch of your roof? Sorry to be so nosy but I have an area adjacent to the bathroom that was going to be a cupboard accessed from the other side. I am now thinking it could be a walk in shower and include it in the bathroom. It is so difficult to tell if it is big enough when it is just stud timbers.

Really smart Dave. I like the panels. We have a sloping roof line because our house is chalet style. I thought it would be a pain cutting a lot of tiles at an angle. I will investigate panels.

Can the person with the 3 speed a...hole please s..t in low gear. Sorry, this was my OH, not me, honest.

@daiking Pics of solar lights. They come with a 1x AA rechargable battery for each as a back up. Stainless steel & give a good light.

@daiking I have just checked on Costco's website & they are not listed. They may only be available in store. I am at work at the moment. I will photo them when I get home. We also bought the Paradise stainless steel coach lights from Costco for either side of the front door. Very nice and about £30 for two.

@Hecateh & @lizzie Same here. I suspect we will be about 20% over by the time its finished, if it ever is. It was the ground works & drainage that accounts for most of the overspend, but the rest has all been more than expected. Also we have been unable to do much of the work ourselves that we had planned because of a change in personal circumstances. Long past the point of no return so we will just have to soldier on. I have been out of love with the build for some time now. However, just last week I was alone in the house doing some airtightness work. Cutting up little bits of very sticky tape to cover nail & screw heads. I actually realised that I was feeling happy & enjoying myself. I think I must now have tipped over the edge into complete madness.

@Luckylad Wow, Not good. I am glad I have only used a single course with a DPC both under the block & on top before the timber stud walls were erected. I will make sure that the DPM is well sealed to the DPC & the floor insulation is tight up against them. I used them because they are supposedly more thermally efficient than standard concrete blocks. When they arrived from the builders merchants on a small pallet several were already cracked or in pieces.

@Luckylad I have found the same with celcon blocks cracking. I have used them bedded on to the beam & block ground floor to erect the internal stud timber walls on as I thought it would be less of a cold bridge.

Hello Ben, Welcome. That is a lovely barn. Best of luck with it.

We have just bought some LED duel solar & battery lights from Costco. Stainless steel, really smart looking & well made. No wiring required. Cost £18 for 4.

@PeterStarck Thanks Peter, I'll take a look.

Like those Peter. Where did you get the grilles from? I have been searching the net but not found anything as nice.

@vivienz You can now go forward knowing that you have made a choice having done the research. That is so important for peace of mind. I spent ages getting quotes & looking at all of the alternatives. I did a lot of time going backwards & forwards between idealcombi & Velfac to get the best price, as their products are quite similar. They just kept under cutting each other to try & secure the business. Eventually we reached a point where they wouldn't drop anymore & I chose idealcombi as I preferred their detailing. It was a relief to finally make a decision & feel sure I had achieved the best I could.

@Nickfromwales Do you think a couple of electric panel heaters would be sufficient to heat downstairs? Clean & no maintenance costs. There are some quite nice discreet ones available. We would have the bio ethanol stove for really cold days. We are quite tight to our boundary on the side where we would have to put an ASHP & no provision has been made for ducting into the house or a power supply. Am I on the right lines with an UVC with back up immersion & an I boost from the PV?

What kind of external vent grilles are best? With a cowl or not? Is it necessary to have an insect mesh?

@gravelld Yes I am using MBC BC. They have been great. Really helpful and open to considering alternatives from the usual. Our build is a bit different from the norm & I think they are finding it interesting. Are you in the local area? Happy if you want to PM