HerbJ

Our kitchen island is 1200mm wide but 2100mm long on one side, 1800mm long on the other, with a round table fitted in. A key dimension is the distance between the island and wall units, we have 1100mm which is good but 1000mm would be the minimum - we haad only 900mm in previous kitchen and that is tight! I have attached a photo and plan of the kitchen, to give you some idea of scale Our sockets are simply fitted into the side of the island - double socket at each end - you can just see one of them behind the bowl of fruit . That's a Gaulhofer window, 1500X1200mm, over the sink. The fan is a recirculation fan, ELICA bought online from Italy for a large discount on UK price (though euro rate was very much better than at the present). We tiled the floor before fitting any units. The island unit is not fixed down, but sits there under it's own weight. Quote 4_Plan view-1 stephanies design.pdf

The questions I would be asking are: Why were clear instructions to utilise the provided weathersealing tapes not provided to the fitters by the window supplier? Having recommended, specified and supplied specialist, high quality weathersealing tape at a significant additional cost of £600 approx, this would seem to be a reasonable action? They're the experts.... The Compriband Installation Instructions are not entirely clear - see attached, Surface Treatment, Presumably, these were checked and confirmed by your window supplier before specifying and supplying the Compriband? Why the window fitters went ahead and used foam, when Compriband has been supplied, without reporting their concerns (or anything) to you (the Customer) or reporting back to the window supplier, who were responsible for the window installation and asking for guidance on the way forward? Why did the window fitters leave the site without saying anything to you? If the windows fitters are indeed correct and the Compriband tape was not suitable for installation on a Durisol construction, why wasn't this advised by the window supplier before they recommended, specified and supplied the Compriband tape? It would then have been possible to look at and agree other options for weathersealing and installing the windows without incurring costs of £600 on Compriband or completed an appropriate recommended surface treatment (parging or whatever) to your window openings so that Compriband could be installed correctly in accordance with the MI. What standard of window weathersealing has been unilaterally decided and provided by the window fitters? Are the sealing products they just happened to have with them acceptable to you and approved by the window supplier? Impregnated_Foam_Tapes_-_Application_Instructions_2018-08-17_WEB.pdf

Yes, if your window supplier recommended, specified and you paid for Compriband that's what should have been fitted. Presumably your window supplier was aware of the construction method and based their reommendation for Compriband on this information? Presumably the window supplier also gave instruction to their fitters to fit the windows using the Compriband supplied by them, with the windows? There is no excuse for the fitters doing something entirely different and not discussing this with you or the ir office BEFORE doing anything! Mind you, they're must now remove most the foam before they fit the Compriband.

Very clever - great little project!

Yes, same for us. I also insisted during the final negotiation on the timberframe price that it must be a 22 mm floor and that it was glued and screwed, not nailed! This was after watching @jack wife ordering boxes of decent screws and carefully screwing down their already installed floor, having decided that there it was too squeaky with just nails.

I don't believe MBC timberframe houses are any more susceptible to noise transmission then any other manufacturer, or even traditionally built houses. It's a key element of design that has to be be carefully managed in all house builds and most of the areas to be addressed are identified in the contributions above. It's an element of the build that requires more attention and a budget. Unfortunately, it's an element of the build that nearly most of us failed to recognise as a potential issue, when we were grappling with all the things that were of a higher priority at the time. I had the advantage of seeing a several timberframe builds and did address some of the design issues, as detailed above, but I could have done more at minimal extra cost and had better performance. Just like @jack and others , we have some minor squeaking of the floor in the master bedroom ( though I think it is not a bouncy floor, but the UFH system I used is a floating system and was not laid, as well as it could have been) and the impact noise transmission is not great ( but luckily, we don't have teenage children, only occasional younger grand kids ).

In general terms this is correct. More specific guidance is available On the HMRC website and in VAT/Cost threads on BH. Why would you want to pay out VAT on materials and then wait months/years to reclaim it from HMRC, exposing yourself to the vagaries of HMRC? It's all about cash flow and this money will be available to you for other areas of your build - immediately. Why "lend" money to contractors and HMRC to aid their cash flow, when it is exposed to a risk of not getting it back ( see some of the blogs on this subject) and you are receiving no interest on it but maybe paying interest to borrow cash to continue building?

This is really good advice and the way to proceed for anyone facing this situation.

It is against the law to charge VAT on a VALID new build that is zero rated. So, a contractor cannot refuse to zero rate supply and labour invoices on a valid new build. They must ZERO rate and cannot charge VAT. I was told by HMRC that it is possible to recover incorrectly charged VAT by taking the contractor to court and claiming the incorrectly applied VAT, as determined by the relevant legislation., . We used this "veiled threat" using words provided by HMRC in their rejection of two invoices with supply and labour content, when they responded to our VAT Claim.. We recovered the VAT, on the supply and labour, without resorting to the court. See Reason 1 on page 2 of the letter we received from HMRC - attached. These are the words we used in letters to contractors who had incorrectly (and illegally) charged VAT, despite being given the valid support documents. So, it is possible to recover illegally charged VAT, though it may not be easy if the contractor plays difficult and this is likely to happen with a smaller contractor., usually because their accountants do not know the legislation and don't want to deal properly with HMRC on their VAT returns. We were lucky, but we were silly to get into this situation and it prudent to sort it out before paying any VAT!! HMRC will always reject a VAT claim with any labour content. HMRC Letter for BH.pdf

Yes the unfinished stud width, rather than the standard 89mm width

We did several things to mitigate sound/noise transmission in our timberframe house, as follows All of the internal stud walls are 140mm ( unfinished stud width) , giving a more robust feel and space for additional noise insulation. We used sound resistant plasterboard on all walls, except for bathrooms which have moisture resistant plasterboard, and all ceilings. We used 12.5mm on walls and 15mm on all ceilings We installed sound insulation in all ceiling joists and stud walls. The design of the stairs required both sides of the stair well (all three floors) to be sheathed in 15mm OSB, to support the structural loads from the stairs, which is a mono-stair. The 15mm OSB was glued and screwed. We extended this 15mm sheath beyond the main staircase central core, to all walls forming the key central hub of the house, to assist with soundproofing of all room leading off the hall and landing (particularly bedrooms)) and also to assist with plasterboarding by removing a step on the studs. This was a consequence of the stair design and not something we had planned, but it might be something to consider as it does improve acoustic performance All our bedrooms except one are separated from each other by a bathroom, and /or dressing room . For the other one, it is separated by a wardrobe and a double layer of sound resistant plasterboard We installed a double layer of 15mm sound resistant plasterboard on the plant room ceiling, which is below a bedroom We installed UFH on the 1st floor and installed a specialist product that had a acoustic/heat insulating layer with 20mm of 2E11 Fernacell boards on top - see attachment We installed Cellecta Screedboard 28 on the 2nd Floor - see attachment. It's a good product and easy to install. The acoustic performance is reasonably good, particularly airborne sound. However, we have engineered floor finishes or porcelain tiles in all 1st Floor rooms and the 2nd Floor landing. The rooms on the 2nd floor are carpeted, except for the shower room. We still have some impact sound transmission, particularly from the 1st Floor. In hindsight, I should have gone the extra step/expense and installed acoustic hangers for the ceiling plasterboard, particularly for the GF ceilings. If you are planning to install Cellecta Board or some other acoustic insulation slabs, remember to take into account for your floor build-up and ceiling height calculations. ECO-10U Pt E.pdf ScreedBoard_28_Cellecta_Design_and_Installation_Details.pdf

Unfortunately, much of their claim is based on this very statement. They are claiming the existing limescale in systems will be carried away by their treated water, leading to hot water energy savings of 30 to 40%. Q. How long will it take to remove the scale that’s already built up? A. Your Halcyan Water Conditioner will start working instantly. How long it takes to remove the existing scale depends on a number of things (thickness, consistency, hardness, contact with treated water) but you’ll see a difference in a few weeks. And all the while you can be sure that no more scale will develop and the build-up you have is getting less every day. This is used as the basis of a claim that the cost of this device will easily be recovered in less than years. "Preventing and removing limescale is one of the most effective ways to reduce your energy bill. With 1mm of limescale increasing energy needs by 10% (British Water), most households can save 30-40% of their hot water energy costs almost immediately." "The average annual household spend on energy is £1,300 – and rising Your Halcyan Water Conditioner will save you, on average, 30% of this – and it could easily be more"

I did exactly the same. Like @JSHarris i was the designated desgner and managing contractor/project manager. My wife and I spent many hours checking drawings and specification for everything and produced a wide range of check/interface documents We spent hours checking and crosschecking, We signed off the MBC Timberframe drawings and the windows detailed drawings. We also carried out the same exercise for all our internals doors, for kitchen furniture, for lights, for MVHR ducting, etc, etc. We discussed and agreed fitting tolerances with both the window manufacturer and the door manufacturer, then we used these tolerances to establish the window and door aperture dimensions. Everything went well, except that we had several triangular shaped windows for which, ideally, the fitting tolerance should have been a greater than for standard windows. The same problems was also faced with our main front door, assembly, which is huge and in three pieces - a larger fitting tolerance should have been recommended. A site visit by the window installer, BEFORE finalising the window apertures, would have resolved these fitting tolerance issues

It's not in the least bit unusual. Many people spend this time away on vacation, ( I do for one) or it may be fitted to a vacation/2nd home?. So, the water is now "treated water" and how does this carry away the limescale deposits?

So, are you now stating unequivocally that the wording on the HALYCAN website is incorrect and misleading, potentially making false claims about the production of soft water? Surely, there has to be a connection between advertising/sales and the product support functions in your company? Who checks the advertising claims? On another point, it seems to be admitted that the water produced by this device, will revert back to original form in 21 days?? Is this detailed in the Manufacturer's Instructions with a warning/recommendation to flush the system if it is noted for this period of time? Is this period just an estimate or has it been tested to verify this period?

and another. In fact, with @jack and @Bitpipe , we shared a lot of information and used several of the same contractors and suppliers. It can be extremely useful, to develop this link and support system

Establish which window sealing products they will be using for fitting the windows and whether the costs of the products are included with the fitting/installation price.. Use the best products available ( for example, Compriband), as you will only get the one chance to do it properly.

+1 to this. There are also some clever design ideas to admire and "borrow".

and toes and... and everything crossed! Well done....

This is the website used by my electrician for all our LED tracks ( extrusions). http://www.mr-resistor.co.uk/interior-lighting/tape+strip/extrusions+profiles I think you may be looking for the plastered-in extrusion. I see you're still with us? Did you solve your "pressure" problem?

Don't know what to say that is any great help or comfort! There is only so much you can do, when you live at the other end of the country and have a full time career.. It seems that this plumber has taken advantage of her, even if the boiler does actually require replacement, - though you never know if there has been no report or discussion! The one thing that does need checking is confirmation of what boiler he is fitting as a replacement - that is, brand new with a full manufacturers warranty etc, and, importantly, that it is a direct replacement to meet the system load requirements. I know what you are going through. We had similar issues with my mother in law, before she passed away.. She would pay all bills as soon as they arrived, without checking and thought all tradesman could be trusted implicitly. We didn't live so far away as you and normally managed to get control before she got too deep into anything, sometime reversing agreements she had made.

I changed my MVHR inlet filter, which is a G7 pollen filter, today after 100 days. I didn't change the extract filter , which is an F4 filter, and has been installed for about 9 months or so. - but it getting a little dirty - main reason, I didn't have a spare F4 filter to make the change...... See picture of inlet (LHS) and extract filter (RHS) The inlet filter is the dirtiest condition that I have seen it after 100 days. It may be because we normally only run the MVHR at the lowest setting but with the very hot temperature in the past 2/3 months we have been running at the higher setting, continuously to get some minimal cooling effect, especially at night. So, if any of you have been doing something similar, it may be worth checking the condition of your inlet filter!

They invariably charge by the measured metre length of sealant applied. The rate I paid was £1.50/metre. I spoke to several sealant contractors and the rates were similar, if not more. I am in the "hotspot" of high end value developments in the SE, so it will be interesting to get some other comparisons. .For an idea of quantity, I have a 5 bedroom house with four baths/ shower rooms, cloakroom and a very large ground floor porcelain tiled area which was 110m2 of big kitchen/family room, hall, cloakroom and utility room/pantry which had sealant applied for the entire perimeter between floor and skirting boards. Many people also choose to run the sealant between the skirting boards and engineered floor but we were advised not to do this, as in my guy's experience there is always some movement and it needs redoing! This would have doubled the measured length required, so my man was not looking to create work! The total measured length was about 242.82metres, at a cost of £364.23. It took a very full morning for two guys. Hope this helps?

Our man was very good, but he was recommended by a builder/developer friend.

We bought all our protective film from Protecta Screen. http://www.protectascreen.com There may well may be niche installer for installing and removing protective film and board. This is the way that installation of silicon beading has gone and our plumbers didn't consider this part of their scope and recommended getting a specialist "silicon man" to do it. I must say that he knew what he was doing, carried all the colours and charged on a metre length basis - difficult to get hold of because he had so much work!