Conor

G'wan, show us your plans. We'll be nice.

Quite possible that the nearest watermain is a mile from your house, unusual but not impossible. You can use IBCs during the build if you need to. Have you put in an application with your water company for a connection? I'd step back and look into your water, waste, electricity etc and get a good idea of connection costs and timeframes before starting anything.

Temperature can be a significant factor when it comes to metal tapes. Do that again in 3 months time when it's -5c and you'll find the metal tape will be shorter.

Just saw your post on the Self Build group on Facebook, I'll not repeat myself then

It's becoming more and more popular and in many ways is better than the likes of ICF as you're mostly using cheap and readily available materials. Cold bridge elimination is much easier than with block cavity construction. Same applies for structural elements - your structural elements will all be within the thermal envelope. I'm building with ICF as I don't want to be weather dependent... But would chose this as a second option.

You must be really commited to your beard.

No beard and no glasses here. I've worn FBAs for confined spaces work, so acutely aware of the sweaty face issues. In the training they ask you to turn up freshly shaved to get a better seal.

You've inspired me. We're going to have a couple metres of brick paving off the road on our driveway... Mostly using reclaimed red brick but now I'm going to stick some black bricks in for the house name and number. Note: my legs will not look as good as hers when I take my photo.

I've ceilings to pull down in the entire house, more than 100m² of plastered lath ceilings with 4" of lose EPS insulation and 100 years of dust and debris. Really struggled today using a half mask and goggles. Just didn't keep the dust out at all. Any recommendations for full face system? I've seen ones for £30 on eBay and £900 on trade sites... This is my default choice as I can pick it up tomorrow: https://www.screwfix.com/p/draeger-x-plore-5500-full-face-mask-no-filter-mask-only/65898

Anybody know of a legit place to purchase a software key and download MS project? A Google search comes up with a few results for Project 2016, around £30. I've been burnt before paying for a "legitimate" software key... (I use MS project with work, but would rather have my own copy on my own laptop)

But a trapped layer of air the thickness of the wall (say 350mm in my case) isn't that bad? The fact that it would be trapped and not replaced with cold external air would make a huge difference.

@JSHarris Something like this or an actuated damper that opens and closes as extractor is activated https://munsterhrv.ie/shop?olsPage=products%2F150mm-thermobox-airtight-cooker-hood-damper The fan i plan on using also has a built in damper. This would be on the external side of the wall, and the other damper within the inner ICF layer - creating a sealed tunnel of air approx 200mm long through the concrete core and to the outer EPS layer.

I had this conversation with my neighbour that designs and installs MVHR systems. Yes, you need a high flow kitchen extractor to keep the dirty air away from the MVHR system as it'll ruin the filters. And yes, when an extractor is on, it'll ruin the performance of the MVHR, but it really doesn't matter as it's normally for short term use only. And regards airtightness, you can get weighted dampers that will only open when the extractor is on and are passive certified. I'm going for a 500m³/hr externally mounted extractor fan. Will be ducted with 160mm ducting to ceiling mounted flat filters above the island. There's no bloody way a downdraft extractor would cope with my cooking. Flames are the norm.

Yes, my demolition is included in the quote for the groundworks and is zero rated.

Terminology is important here. "Non-traditional" is quite different from "modern methods of construction". MMC includes ICF, timber frame, SIP etc and are accepted under the mortgage councils guidelines and you shouldn't have an issue getting a mortgage. Non traditional is anything that doesn't fit in to the traditional block/brick/stone or MMC category.

So my perspective as a water network engineer if I was considering this like a scalded down public water network... 32mm X 25mm X 25mm tee on to your 32mm stopcock (the "reservoir" with a dual outlets). I'd then run a 22mm pipe (trunk main A) directly to the hot water cylinder. It would also be worth teeing off another 22mm branch from the cold water pipe to supply all of your garden taps. The other branch from the tee would also be 22mm and would run in the shortest route to the main bathroom/ furthest outlet. All other cold water feeds in the house would come off this "trunk main B" via 22x15mm tees. Each branch is a smaller diameter "distribution main". Only time I'd branch off a 15mm would be for a low demand feed such as a toilet cistern or wash basin. The same would be for the 22mm outlet from the hot water tank. You'd run this 22mm trinkmain to your main bathrooms for the showers and baths. You'd tee off a single 15mm pipe for the washbasin in each bathroom. Also same for the kitchen sink. The trade off for larger hot water pipes is that the larger volume means it takes longer for hot water to reach the outlet compared to 15mm pipes. It's a balance between ensuring adequate flow and hot water readiness. Water age as we call it in the industry.

Mesh should be between 35 and 50mm from the finished surface of the slab anyway. Just fire the mesh down and clip the ufh the day before the concrete arrives. If you are talking a 6x6m area, then I wouldn't expect too much foot traffic during the pour anyway. That's my plan... But I'm also going to use self compacting concrete (more for practicality reasons) that will drastically reduce foot traffic during the pour.

A bead of silicone has been holding my hob securely in place for the last five years.

From my chats with an ICF builder, they work to a tolerance of +/-5mm per 10m.

Cheers, that's what I'm looking at as well. Just need to cost the roof panels up and compare against kingspan and others. If you happen to know a rough cost per m² please drop me a PM.

What's your roof panel system?

I've looked in to this a lot as well... Come to the conclusion that a small monbloc ASHP with underfloor heating loops is the most cost effective (assuming gas price rises in near future) and lowest carbon emitting system. You should get your peak heating load figure from your SAP and go from there.

We're budgeting £1k/m² but in reality I'm aiming for £750-£800/m². I think with the low quarry material costs and labour here in NI, and me working part time and being PM, this is achievable.

I did a study (n=1), and in a typical 20min rush hour commute, having the start stop activated in our Eos increased indicated range by 5-7mpg, or 15%. It now really pisses me off when the start stop doesn't kick in sometimes ) battery voltage I think). The smoking bans are a similar story... Minimal reduction in respiratory disease risk, but we can all agree world is better off with the ban.

Change your 150mm floor slab to 100mm and stick in another 50mm insulation. Nominal cost difference but you'll save a load on reduced heat loss. We're on a tight budget for a similar sized house, focusing spending on insulation and thermal envelope. I'm happy enough to have a basic IKEA kitchen in exchange for minimal heating needs.