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This is a job I'm going to need to grapple with shortly. If in doubt, get the brickie out to do it? For a baseplate that's 240x240 what dimensions should the grout be? Thanks.

That wouldn't solve the issue of securing the pipes, unless I'm picking you up wrong?

The slab is in already. Need to investigate options and whether insulation and stapling pipe to it is then the best option in any case!

Thanks very much for the very informative reply. I think we'd be getting castellated trays if going direct onto the slab. There's steel mesh in the concrete but the structural element comes from the end bearings on each slab (typically 1800mm wide) which extends to 140mm and has proper steel fixings. There's only one very small section where the concrete extends all the way to the found to transfer the load where there's a steel post (not sure if we'll feel that and have cold bridging without a little bit of additional insulation there but looking at £800+ plus losing a bit of volume if adding it).

We have a precast insulated floorslab (325mm EPS topped with 50mm structural concrete) on which we plan to lay our UFH covered by 50mm screed. UFH supplier says we'll need a thermal break otherwise we'll lose our heat to below. Is that an issue we should be concerned about - wouldn't that just give a greater thermal mass so the issue would be slower/steadier release of heat and slightly less responsive times rather than any great heat loss per se?

No, had to have completion and an EPC for March 31. They can pay in advance according to installers.

£7.5k cashback towards the cost in Scotland - new scheme will be launched at some point through Home Energy Scotland - so should cost you less than a new boiler.

What's the current going rate for 4kW built-in system? Had intended on going the MCS route as we had an interest-free loan secured from a government scheme but I've been timed out it going into 2022/23.

We've an effective total roof area of 200m2 and another 170m2 of timber cladding. Any ready reckoners or formulas for working out how many 25mm battens I need (counterbattened to 50mm) on standard centres?

Will have a look, thanks.

Any easy ways to calculate/worked examples I can follow?

Thanks - a huge difference there.

Thanks Craig - it's the method statement of how I comply with the standard which I need but hopefully Ralph's above does so and doesn't necessitate any redesign.

Thanks - sounds exactly what I'm after without having the BSs to hand. Much appreciated.

Thanks - thought the same with groundworks but we will 1) be very tight if we can't get a decent chunk of the £60k we'll have spent and 2) we had a low initial land value so hard to think that it wouldn't be worth there or thereabouts of what we'd need it to be with a cleared site to floor slab and some initial landscaping. I guess the question is how much may ecology give us without a valuation?

Yep - that's how you'd do it in practice but does that comply with regs?

On Ecology, we'll soon be drawing down our second payment (after land) and they've advised that they'll only get a valuation if required. In an ideal world I'd be asking for £60k but not sure the value will have increased by £75k by groundworkers/general uplift. Does anyone have any experience of an ask which may not be subject to valuation and potential asks? We'd have about £180,000 left to draw down after this if that makes any difference.

Working through warrant issues identified by our building control officer and one that may have been a bit of an oversight on my part is complying with the (Scottish) requirement for cleaning windows and roof lights. We have a tall window which is approximately 4.8m above a half landing in the stairway. We also have five rooflights but I think these are just within the 4m limit. From my meeting of the Regs I need to find some way of cleaning the top of the window which complies with BS8213 (which is available online but only behind paywalls). Any thoughts/advice?

Thanks - appreciated.

Appreciated, thanks - so approx £60m2 plus the rest?

Quick google and I'm only finding dust available as quarry waste. Gabion stone looking at £120+ per bulk bag. Any advice appreciated - have half-committed to DIYing gabions for separate bits of retention but it's looking more expensive than I'd thought!

Thanks, and looks great - done some reading since and read that Autumn is best for seeding but we'll be putting it down in Spring. Thanks, and will do.

Thanks - that's reassuring. Engineer says 45 degrees should be fine. Plan will be to pin it, spread as much topsoil on as we can stretch to and seed with wildflowers asap.

Aye, sounds right now I've googled angle of repose. Stupid question - all new to me and just checking out what a groundworker told me on site when discussing options for spoil. Will run it by the engineer.

Been told that 1:1 (i.e. can have a slope from 4m height to ground level over 4m length) is generally okay if you were to pin it with some geotextile until planting had established itself, but can't find any info online. Is that correct?