Dudda

Ya the height is good and the flow is ok. The volume can't be large as it's not advisable to store large amounts of rainwater in Attic tanks as it can stagnante so it's only a 60 litre tank. I've only one toilet connected at the moment and it works well. Not sure how well the outside tap will work. The rainwater tank outside isn't complete yet but is a Kingspan compete system that comes with filters and pumps. The rainwater header tank in the Attic is currently filled by the backup mains as what will happen if the main outside tank is empty. Still designing my hot water but I'll start another thread for that when it's done as I'd be keen to get input like yours.

Sometimes the opposite. If pouring a glass of water do you want the water warm? That's why it's good to insulate the mains water in a well insulated house so you can get nice cool water at the sink without having to let it run.

The 'two things in the horizontal runs' are thermostatic mixing valves. Not sure of the black thing. Not generic but attached is a drawing I did recently of the system I'm proposing following review of Nick's image. It's for the cold only. I haven't finished the hot system. If anyone has any comments or suggestions let me know as I'm not a plumber or mechanical engineer and new to this. Water.pdf

Have the same one and it's one of my best every buys. Could do with changing my chain now but it's a great price and keeps going.

Another thing to consider most MVHR units can be set to an 'away' or 'holiday' mode where it runs at a much lower, efficient and cheaper speed to reduce the £50 to around £30 or even £20 a year. This is still enough to ensure the house is mould free and well ventilated while you're away. Another option. You could also look at just installing the ducts and fitting the unit when you retire? Having the ducts installed is the messy part which can't really be done later. Who knows. You may have money in 3-5 years for a MVHR unit then.

I'd go with ProDave as that's the closest to what I'd be suggesting although I'd probably just pump it with cellulose insulation to save time rather than earthwool although earthwool would be a tiny bit cheaper. You're mentioning 'acoustic' or noise control quiet a bit. Are you building in an area where external noise is an issue? If so consider fixing 'resilent bars' to the battens of the service void before fixing plasterboard. Would add cost but would greatly reduce any acoustic concerns you have.

Some of them parcel boxes have pretty small max parcel sizes even if the units themself are quite large. This one which @jack linked to has a max height of 155mm. Thinking about the deliveries I get I'd say only a third, probably less, would fit into it. My latest delivery was an outside light which was about the size of a can of coke yet the box it came with all the packaging and foam was huge and wouldn't fit in most of those parcel boxes. I think the size really needs to be considered and then what happens the ones that don't fit into the parcel box.

I have 150mm of external insulation so not worried about the condensation. The drylining is more for services and forming a service cavity rather than insulation and if the membrane is on after the timber then I'd have all my services penetrating it. However if I put the membrane on before the timber battens and using your method is it a risk drilling holes in the airtight membrane?

I've an existing blockwork wall which I'm planning to put an airtightness layer over and then fix battens with some insulation between the battens and then plasterboard over. Services will also run between the battens. Going to use dabs of mastic to hold the airtightness membrane in place until the battens are fixed. To fix the battens to the walls I'm looking for the easiest and fastest way that will have the least impact on my airtightness membrane. For example using something like express nails shown below will impact my airtightness and using plugs and screws will be time consuming trying to line them up. Any suggestions for the best fixings to use? Is it masonry screws which are expensive but quick or something else?

Not sure if it's on BuildHub or elsewhere but I saw photos of someone using pringle crisp cans with the bottom cut off to separate the fiberglass insulation which was touching the felt preventing ventilation.

Looks ok to me as it's not dropping much even if the external temperature is falling. As stated above hard to be more specific than knowing more information about the details, etc. What are you using to record the temperature? I'd like to install something like that.

I heard them say the rainwater which is collected is used for the toilets, washing machine and the sprinkler system. Kinda cool. Never heard anyone using rainwater tanks for fire sprinklers.

You really need to keep in mind your site when designing a house and not just copy one directly. You have to consider views, orientation and sunlight, location of entrance, slope and topography, etc. You might have to flip, mirror, etc the house or parts of it to align with any views you have. eg you don't want the large glazed area facing to the north where you have no view but you'd also need to consider if it was facing south would it overheat that room. If you're on an elevated unsheltered site you'd want to consider the prevailing wind direction and ensure that the carport between the garage and house doesn't end up a wind tunnel. By all means use the house as a starting base or precedent to inform your design but take careful consideration of your own site and requirements.

I just made my own. What I've seen recently and think is a good idea is to insulate the pipe where it passes through the slab. See image in bottom right. Ignore the others. image taken from: https://passivehouseplus.ie/magazine/new-build/west-cork-passive-house-raises-design-bar

The extract and supply should be on the same side of the house so the wind pressure is the same. I'd be inclined to keep the duct lengths as short as possible as this is where heat is lost and more energy is used by the fans.

All pipes, rainwater, SVP, etc have to be modified and brought out. The Electrical box is also extended out along with window cills, etc. You also need to consider all external items which are fixed to the walls like gates, clothes lines, satellite dishes, TV aerials, etc. You can't fix these to insulation later so want to allow grounds same way radiators internally need support. It looks like you have wet dash too which might need a coat of plaster to create a smoother more level base for the external insulation. You don't want air pockets behind the EWI. It's a big job that needs a lot of consideration.

Fitting EWI, while costly, is very beneficial to a house as you reduce other cold bridges such as at first floors, internal walls junctions, etc. Nothing you can do will remove the thermal bridge of the wall from the footings however it can be reduced. Extending the external insulation down 300mm or more if you can below ground level externally will reduce the cold bridge. This might require modifying foothpaths around the house etc but in my case I had to relocate rainwater drainage and was digging up footpaths anyway. With a suspended floor you should also be able to insulate the floor easily. Internal insulation will be more disruptive if you're living in the house.

I've just noticed why the ventilation ducts BPC Ventilation quoted are so much cheaper. All quotes were 75mm diameter but for BPC Ventilation that's the outer diameter while for others it's the internal diameter. BPC Ventilation - 75mm outer / 63mm internal Other quotes - 92mm outer / 75mm internal That's why I was looking at getting the ducts and accessories from BPC and units elsewhere. I'll just go with the one company now so my original questions is irrelevant. Thanks for the help everyone. For anyone who doesn't know larger diameter ducts reduce pressure and the MVHR unit can run quieter and more efficiently.

Better system for fixing which is adjustable are these http://elemental.ie/eko-thermobrackets/ You can use any type of rainscreen cladding then on them, tiles, stone, timber, Glass Fibre Reinforced Concrete, Parklex, etc. They've a far better thermal performance than the ones in the first post. Remember all these brackets penetrate the external insulation so are all cold bridges. While small you do have a lot of them in an elevation.

Looking at Passive House certified units only which limits the choice and its for a large house which limits the choice further. Only have two on BPC to chose from as a result. Still may go for one of these but I'm trying to keep my options open.

Have gotten quotes form a few places and looking to start installing the radial ducts in 2-3 weeks. If I were to purchase the ducts from BPCventilation as they are cheaper can I then purchase a Brink or Paul Novus system from a different company and connect it to the BPCventilation ducts? I know for example Brink have their own duct system which is more than twice the price (same size and quantity) but in trying to save some money I'm looking to use standard BPCventilation ducts and vents. Anyone any experience with this? It is like a heating system where you can purchase a boiler and the pipes from different brands and they have no problem connecting to each other?

An expansion joint is slightly different. A crack induced joint where you cut the slab the day after where you want it to crack is usually sufficient.

The structural engineer may not want to advise as it's a finishing screed not structural. That happened me on a few jobs and the contractor won't make any decisions in case something goes wrong and has to dig it out and redo it. They'll give advice but you can be sure they won't take any responsibility for its design. It's left to the architect but they may not have experience with them. What's the thickness of the polished concrete and what are you using to reinforce it. Don't use steel mesh unless the whole project is very carefully planned and I've seen the metal fibres show in the finish a bit. If using the plastic fibres then cut the slab at every 6 meters and under all doors the day after pouring about 30mm deep into the slab with an angle grinder. They can be filled later with mastic. Keep the cut areas square and large. Long thin ones can crack in the middle and small squares can rock like paving slabs. Do you have any columns or other structural walls protruding into the space. You may need additional crack joints near or inline with these. Also are the walls smooth? We had one project with rough stone walls so the edge perimeter insulation has to be thicker to allow for the undulating surface and avoid cracking. Make sure the perimeter insulation isn't rigid too as it needs to be able to compact and move if required.

Not any more cat lovers. https://passivehouseplus.ie/news/product-news/urban-front-integrates-passive-pet-flap-in-oxford-passive-house

PHPP requires a minimum of 0.3 air changes while the regulations here in the Republic of Ireland require 0.4 but for the total floor area not the Treated Floor Area that PHP uses which is smaller. You can get a larger MVHR unit and have it run at a higher rate and as it's recovering circa 80-90% of the heat, the house will still be very warm but have a lot more fresh air. Might cost an extra euro or two a year but worth it if you're afraid of a stuffy house.