Robert Clark

There’s some 150l for sale on EBay by the manufacturer for £400 delivered. slight cosmetic damage, otherwise new.

Hi Guys Would appreciate any recommendations for an energy efficient unvented cylinder. Looking online I can’t seem to find one any better than a B rating. Would ideally like A rating Appreciate any suggestions Thanks

We’re still considering Mixergy Wouldn’t use Sunamp until they sort out customer service and communication Was about to order a Mixergy tank when CV happened and am still in communication with their local installer.

Hi Guys Rather than demolish our old log store. I’m considering re building it as a plant room and storage room. The wooden sides are rotting as are the internal supports. The roof is peeling too and suffers from condensation. Thinking about a new frame with composite cladding with wall insulation and an insulated roof. We have some upvc windows and doors being removed from our house so can re use them too. Any suggestions for a material spec for our builder to quote from would be appreciated. Thanks

Hi Guys Can anyone recommend a manufacturer of oak framed extensions? Could be supply only or supply and build. Will already have design and structural calculations Project is in Sussex Thanks Robert

Hi Guys When adding tile hanging to external brick walls that already has cavity wall insulation, is there much benefit to adding a thin layer of insulation under the tiles / battons? If so, what insulation would you suggest? Dont want to drastically increase the wall thickness Thanks

We’re looking at Rationel and Green Building Store

In which case it my be that the stacks will have to be re built. The render on the rest of the first floor is being replaced with tile hanging. So leaving the chimneys as they are is not really an option

Hi Guys We have two chimney stacks about 1.5m high. They have painted render panels. We’re trying to make them maintenance free as we are doing away with painted render on the rest of our house, so are looking for ideas on how to achieve this. Would it be feasible to remove the render without damaging the bricks underneath? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Also I’ve noticed that the flaunching needs replacing.

why wait until sign off ?

would you also suggest having stairs and windows installed ?

Are attic trusses a standard feature of a garage build or should I specify these at the design stage ?

Hi Guys When planning a new detached garage is it worth having a cavity wall construction with habitable space in the roof ? We don’t need any more space today but would like to consider future vale when designing. Thanks

I’ll get a firm quote & spec and report back

Yes we’re in the SE (Sussex) Our house is quite large, so is suggesting we may need two 11kw ASHP (subject to survey) which would include a hw cylinder. I reckon we could run a LPG system for many years for the cost of an ASHP system or am I missing something?

Considering heating options for our renovation project. No mains gas here so was thinking about LPG as it’s clean and a cheaper installation and servicing option. Spoke to a local contractor who suggested that ASHP would be a better option in the long term. He gave a verbal estimate for fitting an 11kw Mitsubishi ASHP. £10-£12k Seems expensive to me. What do you think?

Was also thinking about replacing the 15 year old Tudor boarding and painted panels with tile hanging - would that spoil the character too ?

Hi Guys Considering renovation options for our 1926 house in an AONB in Sussex. From a distance the exterior brickwork looks ok, but on closer inspection whats very noticeable is the mix of different bricks. There is considerable damage around windows and where holes have been drilled for cavity wall insulation and wall tie replacement. Wondering if ‘real’ hand made or reclaimed brick slips, applied directly to the existing bricks would be a good solution to cover up these issues with the brickwork, by giving a more consistent appearance. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks http://www.matclad.co.uk/brick-slips?gclid=CjwKCAiA3uDwBRBFEiwA1VsajI2FcyrvLzN9EznxFqYIMQYlPwVcEiavp6SAPxsCl4qmgK8n7K97hRoCajEQAvD_BwE

It’s 330m compared with 250m though this has not been an issue with the planners. The new house is further to the south of the plot so a little way forward of the existing house which is stuck tight in the north west corner

Here is what the planning officer wrote to our Architect a few days before Christmas "Councillors AGREED to recommend Approval but made the following points: · . The footprint of the proposed new house is excessive compared to the original 1940’s property. · Councillors recommend that the bathroom windows looking towards the north are opaque. · Councillors would like it to be stipulated that the track is maintained to keep it in its current state during the construction work and that it is returned to its existing condition after works have been complete · Councillors would like it stipulated that the current house must be demolished once the new property has been completed to prevent there being two dwellings on the site in the future. I have also been contacted by the Ward Member, who is very much against the scheme, particularly the design of the replacement building. I understand he will be visiting the area between now and new year, and will come back to me with his views. Given the above, I discussed the application with the Team Leader. He has very strong reservations regarding the scheme. Like the Ward Member, he considers that the existing dwelling is very pleasing to the eye, but the replacement falls short of the same standard in terms of design; given the location of the site in the AONB, his view is that we should not support it. He was particularly critical of the materials, but I suspect that this may be allied to the graphics used in producing the plans, which give the first impression of a large monochrome building. He will also be visiting the area over the holidays. I did discuss materials with the applicant on site, and he advised that he had not given too much thought to any actual choices; it might be worth giving this a little more thought"

Here are some pics of the scheme which is a Passivhaus designed by a local approved passivhaus designer 2199-CAL-XX-ZZ-DR-A-114-S4-P4 Proposed South and West Elevation.pdf 2199-CAL-XX-ZZ-DR-A-115-S4-P4 Proposed North and East Elevation.pdf 2199-CAL-XX-ZZ-DR-A-119-S4-P4 Selected Perspective Views 01.pdf 2199-CAL-XX-ZZ-DR-A-120-S4-P4 Selected Perspective Views 02.pdf

we haven’t been refused yet however the planning officer has just noticed us that the local ward member is very much against the scheme and will be visiting shortly. The scheme was approved by the Parish Council. The planning officer has also said that out scheme is also ‘monochrome’ and that we should re consider finishes. Will post some pics of the scheme in a minute

that’s one option I’m thinking about and it’s traditional for this area. As is tile hanging

buying a building plot was our original plan. However they are like hens teeth and they are not available with views like we have so we decided to either re build here or re develop

When we bought the house 15 years ago it was the only one we could find locally that gave us the space we needed in the location we wanted to live in. Love most of the house only certain aspects we would prefer to be different