Jilly

Well done! Keep going! You've done brilliantly. It's great you have the whole family helping.

How much edge insulation can you use? I’ve noticed a potential cold bridge at the floor/wall junction. There is cavity insulation, plus external wall insulation (PIR) under cladding. We will get about 125mm of PIR (no more room but using Kooltherm K3 which is meant to be better than normal PIR) and then 70mm screed and ufh pipes.

Same here

Are you sure he didn't just get his paperwork the wrong way round...?

The fancy Japanese loos which wash often have ‘modesty music’ apparently. But maybe that’s a bit like the fan, announcing what you are doing…

What is the book called, please?

The Oxford Dictionary advises: “Do not confuse draft with draught. Draft means 'a first version of a piece of writing' or 'make a first version of a piece of writing' (I drafted a letter of complaint), whereas draught chiefly means 'a current of air' (heavy curtains cut out draughts).”8 Apr 2011

Live on site in a mobile home is the answer most people come up with!

Be careful with a bridging loan, builds can get delays and the interest payments could waste your budget.

Have you considered approaching the architect who did the original plans, especially if you stay with the Class Q permission? They would likely have a good feel for the structural works needed to go with their design and they would produced Building Control Drawings for you and be half way there with the drawings. I've just done a stable conversion and I stupidly changed architects to get the BC drawings done by a friend. It was a big mistake as they weren't fully invested as it wasn't their baby and it costed a lot more in the end.

Welcome! It's a very steep learning curve. Take a look at the Little Stud Barn Blog, they are doing class Q. i don't think there are many on here who haven't got full planning permission (in the end, that is)

He would have needed to crawl into the loft to fit it. Can you remember him doing that?

It reminds me of the dodgy cavity wall insulation that was sold by the type of fly by night companies which always appear in response to government incentives. They were so keen to get their subsidy that they didn’t do due diligence on building suitability. Soggy cavity insulation is worse than useless and difficult to remove.

I applied to both electric and water separately (no gas and didn’t need sewer) and told them I wanted to co ordinate the digs. They make you pay up front in case there’s a problem and you need two trenches, but all being well, once you have paid, the two companies will speak to each other and sort the days out and the road closures etc. You then get a rebate after it’s done and dusted.

Trying to get the digs coordinated can be a pain, but if you manage it and can use the same trench you’ll get a rebate. No sewer connection needed?

Read the Haynes Period House Manual, it explains the principles and pitfalls of insulating period properties. In my view you would seriously devalue the house, and possibly your neighbour's too, with external wall insulation.

Hi Nick, do you manage to get these in without a ceiling void under the insulation?

It's worth getting a few quotes for piling, they varied widely for our job. We ended up with a company owned by a structural engineer, so they threw the calculations in for free and were the most reasonable. There were no vibration issues. Lots of mucky spoil to dispose of tho', so cost that in.

I can’t block it off as the joist ‘bays’ need top and bottom air flow. It’s not a loft per se.

There is another I'm fussing about this... I have an external wooden shutter that is located right next to the vent and can't be moved, so again, I would love it to be away from the steam.

Yes, this particularly. Steam could get into the 50mm void of the cold roof of the vaulted ceiling and a flat roof, so I want to get the vapour to condense in a controlled manner.

The pipe comes thru' the kitchen wall, into the cavity wall of the extension and then outside, just below the soffit vents (under an overhang). Does that make sense?

Yep, don't do it.

As luck would have it (or my lack of design experience), the kitchen extractor fan comes out in a bad place, close to the soffit vents into the cold roof at about head height. This might sound daft, but can the pipe be reduced in diameter and run down the wall outside the building, to make the water condense and run into the gutter? Failing this are there dehumidifying cooker hoods? I think there are commercial ones. Is this practical in a normal kitchen? Opening the window or running the dehumidifier are obvious other but clunky solutions. The house is not airtight and doesn't have MHRV, although I have read about single room units, if that could be another option?

The 10 wires are already dangling through the celotex, ready to go, but pre plasterboarding.