Stable3

Thank you - that’s really helpful

Needing and wanting are two different things ST! I’ve always dreamed of a log burner…. I’ll leave the door open if I have to 😆 on a serious note - and I can’t speak as eloquently or knowledgeably on the subject as some others here, I find I spend a lot less on the heating (with our current gas boiler) when I keep the thermostat at a constant temperature (say 16) and just a boost up to 18 if it’s cold. When I turn it off and on and the temperature drops down (which it does quickly in our current poorly insulated house) it costs way more to get back up to temperature. I do agree I don’t like to have heating on in the bedroom and like the room to be cold when I wake up! Not too sure how that’s going to work with ufh as we’ve been advised not to have too many zones?

I’ve got del carmen samples ordered thanks

For me it’s just aesthetics. I prefer the natural look rather than looking too sleek and perfect! Definitely all up for discussion still. My husband seems to be worried about not being able to have a quick boost of heat if needed, but we’ll have a log burner and it’ll be very well insulated! Plus it’s the size of your average Wendy house so……. 😂

I would prefer an ASHP but space is so tight inside. We were looking at the Tesla power wall or any battery which we could put outside under cover, we have plenty of outside spaceI The Zeb seemed like a good solution for the size of the house but all this is still open to discussion, no orders placed yet. I would prefer not to have the solar on the roof - just aesthetically- we have a pitched roof on the stables side which is 84 sq m and a low pitch (10 degrees) extension roof 60 sq m. I think we’ll use the standing seam roof on the extension. I was thinking of fencing off an area of the field to put solar panels in but we haven’t really done too much research on that yet. Oh dear this doesn’t sound good…..definitely not a decision made just an option we were told about by a Zeb supplier as a space saving alternative to a hot water tank. Will do some more reading, I did a bit of googling initially and couldn’t find much. Need to get the slates ordered so I can move my attention to the next thing!

G and J - I’m learning tons - this is a brilliant forum! Jilly - I’m pinching that (Too much to think!) Love it. Might have to have it on my headstone no-ones ever accused me of under thinking. Do you have any pics of your conversion. Ours is very small (98 sq metres.) Conor your roof looks great I really like them, are they the Del Carmen Celta? They’re on my list at £2.25 + vat Russell we’ve been to Norrsken, had a nice lunch at Rick Steins while we were down there! It’s definitely a toss up between them and Rationel at the moment but contrary to what most people want nowadays I’m after a chunkier more traditional frame and Norrsken’s look more modern. Some friends have just used them and the only thing they don’t like are the handles - which oddly do look a bit cheap? I can’t praise them highly enough for customer service though. Steamy Tea - we definitely are considering solar and battery storage. We don’t have space for heat pump gubbins so are looking at a Zeb boiler and Sunamp water heater at the moment as options.

Thanks for the replies I’ll try and find your blog Thorfun. it sure does Jilly and tbh mine was pretty messy before I started! 😂 I’ll take your advice and just go with the cheapest (of the shortlist). Blimey that was helpful, turns out I just need someone other than my husband to tell me to get a grip! I may be posting a lot. Windows next!

My husband is going to love this response (it’s what he said) - I think you're both right BUT do I just go cheapest or middle of the road? This conversion process is tough for someone who cannot make decisions for fear of doing the wrong thing!

Hi - I've been using the forum for months researching all sorts and found it super helpful! My husband and I are converting our stables into a very compact and hopefully bijou bungalow! I've never posted before, but need some help making a decision about slate ( I know - roll eyes) I promise I've looked at every thread on here about slate and despite doing hours of research, I'm still struggling to make a decision on my final shortlist and am hoping you may be able to offer any opinions/experience on the slates or companies I'm trying to choose from. I was originally having reclaimed welsh slate but have been waiting for months for the guy from Merthyr Tydfill to contact me about some slates that were apparently due to come off a church roof! In the end I've decided to buy new and Spanish seems the best option for various reasons. So.......I would prefer the roof not to look too uniform and pristine so think a lighter blue/grey rather than blue/black and a riven texture would be good? On the shortlist are: Cafersa Lousaval LV11 - £2.04 inc VAT from premiumslateuk.com SSQ Del Carmen Celta - £2.70 inc VAT from roofingsuperstore.co.uk Cupa R12 - £3.02 inc VAT from Roof Hub (Burton Roofing) Pro MX - £1.98 inc VAT from buyroofslate.co.uk I've got samples of the LV11 and the Pro MX at the moment and honestly they look exactly the same. I'm hoping to get samples of the other 2 this week which might help me but please does anyone have any advice? Have you used any of the above slates/companies? Any feedback pros/cons? Thank you so much in advance. The stupid thing is once they're up there I'll probably never think about it again after the first few weeks so as long as they keep me dry should I really be stressing about it this much?!!