Declan52

20m isn't that deep. Your basement is going to sit 4m below ground level so a normal 6m borehole won't cut the mustard. As you are in East London the SE is probably worried about London clay so is making sure whatever he designs is fit for purpose. If you want a basement then it has to be designed by a SE then he needs all the info he can get and this means going to 20m.

It's all personal choice. Some will like what you are proposing and others won't. As long as you like it that's all that matters. When your driving round the place take note of all the different colours of windows that are with red brick that you see and take a few photos. Will help you make your decision.

Have you seen any kind of wall ties that would be suitable for what you are planning??? Doing a build is hard enough to do so try to make every stage as easy as you can. For what you are looking brick and block will be the easiest. If the boundary wall will be the same height as your wall then you can use blocks as they will never be seen. Any where that will be visible you can build it in brick if that's the finish you want. As for insulation just make the cavity 150mm,175mm,200mm,300mm. Pick one that suits what you want to end up with. More insulation means more heat kept in the house but more cost. So work out what suits the budget and run with that. The wider the cavity the more attention you need to pay to the window and door junctions. Cavity closers or return the block work will be your option. As for the type of insulation that you could put in the cavity I would go with eps beads blown in to fill the cavity. You can also go with rock wool type materials. Have a chat with your architect and see what he thinks will suit your needs on your site.

Unless you have arms like inspector gadget you aren't going to be able to get enough wall ties screwed in. The wall ties go in every 450mm high so no chance you will be able to reach down and put enough in. If your that close to a boundary wall then brick and block will be the easiest method.

Very true I should have included "a few hrs work for a plumber who has plenty of experience with UFH systems".

I made my cavity 10mm wider as it's very easy to push fresh blocks out off plumb when you put the boards in. Was 5 years ago so not sure how much they cost now.

I used the cavity therm boards in mine. But I was building it myself so took my time and cut each board correctly with a hand saw as I had the time. I also scraped the walls smooth filled in any gaps in the motar beds and then put the insulation in. Doubt any brickie will go to that much trouble without you crossing his hand with lots of £50 notes.

The only thing to watch out for is if you aren't connecting all the pipes up to a manifold and have the pipes sitting under a few bar of pressure you run a greater risk of the pipe being damaged during the pour. People here have done it both ways so it's up to you. Not sure how your plumbing skills are with regards connecting all the pipework up to a manifold but even if it's only a few hrs work for a plumber it might be money well spent.

The price will depend on how much pipe you need and if your doing or a trade. More pipe more expensive. You can get 500m rolls for £300 or less so work out if you need 1,2,3 rolls and then after that it's only clips. You won't need manifolds and pumps when you are doing the slab. There is a pipe decolier in the tool hire section which if you are doing it yourself will be a lifesaver.

Yes. You put the 100mm waste pipe in when you are doing the foundations. It will come up through the concrete in what ever position you want to have the toilet. Just measure and measure and then measure again before any concrete is poured. The pipe will then go under your floor and out to join up with the rest of your sewage system.

Plain and simple, your paying good money for a guy to do the work. He's not doing it how you would like it so it's either a case of telling him the way you want it done and he does it this way or he continues as he is doing and the roof is wrong. Then it's up to you if you can live with the roof being built wrong and the long list of potential problems that can arise if you let him continue or you upset him by giving him the boot. If it was me he would be down the road.

It is in my attic so don't hear it. Where the vent is on my South facing roof the vent is very near the valley of my sunroom. My house is L shaped and the vent is right in the corner so it's well protected from all wind except from the south which we very rarely get. I also made a rubber gasket/ o ring to fit on the inside so the flaps have something to push against. This seals up the outside of the flap mechanism so the only bit where any wind gets in is via the holes where the springs are. I think as the wind has to go through the opening in the tile vent then the mesh then it goes for about 1m before it gets to the shutter the strength is greatly reduced. I doubt it would work as well if it was on the outside of a wall. The springs wouldn't cope. The duct is also buried in 300mm of rock wool which will help to kill the sound.

It was just easier for me to use a tile vent. My hob is on an island so the duct is in between joists and then comes out in my attic. Mine is a chalet bungalow with roof truss so have the small triangle of attic space to bring the duct out to the tiles. I put a duct back draught shutter to limit any wind coming down into the house. It works OK but if it's stormy some still gets by. https://www.amazon.co.uk/100mm-Extractor-Draught-Shutter-Spring/dp/B00A50NDEU/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1542014924&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=backdraft+shutter+100mm&dpPl=1&dpID=41hNW%2BcXJgL&ref=plSrch

Leave as is to get the box ticked and house passed then change the door of it annoys you further down the line.

It doesn't really matter whose name is on the beads they will be the same type of eps beads. If you won't increase the cavity then you will have to go for a fullfill type cavity board. The problem here is that how good its put in will mean it either works or doesn't. Badly cut boards at corners and door and window reveals leave gaps which leave cold spots. All the cavity boards have much better u values than eps beads in a nice science lab but if they are installed badly they end up much worse. Eps beads are blown in and fill every single gap leaving no holes. Are you tied to 65sqm by planning?? Could not not build as you intend and keep all the internal dimensions the same and increase the cavity to 150mm so you are only increasing the outside by 50mm all round the house.

Can you wet plaster the inside so you do away with the plasterboard.?? Easier to achieve good airtightness this way. Some don't like thermal blocks as they do crack more. I have them in mine. Can use a normal concrete block and use the money saved to put way more insulation in your cavity. 50mm insulation in the cavity was good practice in about 1998, won't cover building requirements now. Increase the cavity width to 150mm and use Eps beads blown in to fill the cavity. The money you save from not going with the thermal blocks should cover this. Ordinary cavity wall ties will be more than enough. Dpc built in will cover you in protecting you against damp.

Some here have used a recirculating type extractor to get rid of the smell and then let the mhrv deal with the steam. I have a duct taking mine outside via a roof tile vent. My last house had a recirculating fan and I hated it.

Lovely site. Is that how your house is sitting at the moment??

Hello. Welcome ronan, a short and sweet post!!! There are plenty of members from NI so fire away with any questions you have and we will do our best to help.

For cables.

You can get piling rigs that are less than 1m wide. The problem will be getting all the gear to the site if you can't get a van and trailer close.

Have way down the page you will see a table of mixing amounts. http://www.schundler.com/plaster.htm

How much the timber will shrink all depend on how wet the timber gets during construction. It will expand during the build and then over 18 months when it is covered over will gradually shrink. Who you get to design the frame will take into account these aspects and allow for it. Your not going to have a roof shrink by a massive amount to cause it to be lop sided unless something had went majorly wrong. Even if you build all brick and block you will still get settlement and shrinkage cracks.

Sand cement and aggregate. The difference in them will be the strength of the block. You will see a number at the end like 7n/mm2. The higher the number the stronger it will be so the more expensive it will be to make. For lightweight blocks you swap out the aggregate and sand for everything from cinders and ash to shale and slate and glass. You can use standard concrete blocks anywhere in your build, founds, walls interior and exterior. The strength will be dictated by how high your going but 7n blocks will do most jobs.

If you have experience with timber and none with blocks then I think it would be wise to stay with what you know. As you have seen in the other linked post each different building system will have advantages and disadvantages so it really just comes down to personal preference.