Declan52

We looked at the same dimplex units at the time. They are very stylish looking. Can come with a metal finish or glass. If we had of gone for an ashp then we would have used them. As above can't hear anything when it's on low.

Is he going for a full on passiv build or as close as to it as the budget will allow?? Cavity width will be a big decision. You are looking at a min of 200mm for this. What's is he filling the cavity with?? Beads is the easiest option, let the brickies build and then it's easy to keep the cavity clear so it will be fully filled with beads when the time comes. If he isn't sure on his cavity width you can build the founds 450mm wide to buy him some time. Then he can make it up to a max of 250mm wide. It will be a trade of between how much extra insulation beyond 200mm will cost Vs the real world benefit. The wider you go the more expensive wall ties become. Then you have extra work closing the cavity around doors and windows. He could have a play around with Jeremys spreadsheet to see what difference extending the cavity will mean. After that then it's using good quality windows and doors. No trickle vents or letter boxes. Using tape around these to sort out the airtightness. Making sure no trades rock up and start putting holes in the walls. Big no no. All your services need a lot of planning put in so this doesn't happen. Ducts in the floor all need put in when doing the founds. All the junctions in the house, floor to wall, wall to ceiling all need specific detailing to stop air leakage. Depending on the type of house you might need some sort of membrane for the roof. Wet plaster on the walls to seal them up. All the conduits all sealed up. Anything that penetrates the plasterboard like cables for lights all need sealed up. Loads more but these will get you started!!

Put some veg oil on the timber and let it soak in.

How big are the chunks?? Cement and water or self leveling with some timber across the front to keep it in place till it sets.

Sounds like a great idea but wouldn't work in my house. With any doubt I would come home and find my youngest wedged in it.

I have one and love it. Really makes lifting out large oven trays much easier.

With t&g you don't have to have the join of each board on a joist. It makes the floor when it's fully glued up one solid piece so very strong. Also if you use d4 glue it will expand and fill each groove so the floor won't let any draughts through.

Would it be a better idea to use either a rapid set adhesive or even something fast curing like stixall for these tiles.

Your only going to be holding up a few tiles long enough for the adhesive to cure not propping up a opening likely to collapse. Cut 2 lengths of 2*1 to suit the height and 1 the width.

They will check things like the gap in the spindles and if it's open tread that gap. To stop little ones falling through. Same goes with the height of the Bannister. All health and safety aspects. Bound to be more though.

Use a 5mm underlay and your 10mm laminate so the gap will only be 15mm.

Is it block and brick or timber frame??

Chipboard will come in 8*2 so easier to move about. 22mm thick will still be heavy. It will be p5 rated so will be moisture resistant. Always found it locked together better than t&g ply. D4 glue foams up as you say to fill every gap. It's really really strong glue. Once down and cured you would struggle to pull a sheet up. For this application screws is you choice. You can get screws that won't need a pilot hole so won't split the board and will self countersink so will sit flat. If your joists are at 400mm centers with a 22mm chipboard floor glued and screwed you could park your car on it. It will be rock solid.

22mm chipboard with d4 glue and plenty of screws.

First time I have watched it. Decent show. Them guys where clean busted.

Is your outside skin block work?? If so you can add all sorts of waterproof agents to the mix to stop any rain soaking through.

If you really want stone cladding then would the simplest option be just to use a cement type board and attach this to the outside. This will give you a surface that the adhesive will stick to. They aren't cheap and easy to man handle due to their weight though.

Have you done any heat requirement calculations for your build yet?? Depending on what ground conditions you find when doing a borehole will determine if you can get enough heat out of the ground. Different types of rock produce different amounts of heat. Also how many water strikes will have a major influence on how many watts of heat you can get out of the ground. You can check geology maps to find what you're likely to find in your area and then take it from there but there's no guarantee it will work.

Yep

If the new Irish regs get approved each and every build will have to have near zero energy requirements. This will have major impacts as the use of gas and oil as your heat source will become very difficult to integrate into your build.

That big long name with the spanner sticking out each side would be a clue.

Use a pencil and draw it out on the wall. You don't want to end up with tiny bits of tiles. Start with the obvious, a full tile and then a half above and see how the cuts work. Then try a 3/4 and a 1/4. It's just trail and error to see what works best.

There is always charts stuck to the windows.

The new machines have alarms that start to sound before the back wheels start to lift. Some of the more fancy machines won't actually let you lower it anymore when the alarm sounds. You have to bring the load back towards you.

Is the stove beside a window??? Could the pull from air leaving via a nearby window be enough to stop the draw up the flue until you get the fire box got enough. Are you opening the door when it is flaming?? If it has flames it will smoke. If you let the kindling and a few logs burn right down first until they are smouldering. Like you do with a BBQ. Can you stuff a few pieces of newspaper close to the bottom of the flue to get the flue warmer quicker and get it to draw quicker. Light the paper first then the stack of kindling.