Russdl

Nice one Centurion.

Good effort @SteamyTea using around a quarter of what you used to consume in the same gaff is no mean feat. What was the main driving force? CO2 emissions or cost reduction?

Personally, I think you’re right. ~~~ If it’s wild outside don’t open the garage door. Go in by the side door - and if you have to open the garage door when there are ‘elements’ then keep the side door closed and most of the elements won’t get in. The larger single door will make life so much easier than two smaller ones when you’re getting stuff in/out. We have a 5m door (and within is my ‘baby’ car) the elements don’t get in. I won’t let that happen.

Also trying to sell a house (who knows what the future will bring?) without any heating may be problematic. That was one of the reasons we opted for UFH. The lived experience is that if we were living without UFH during these cold spells there would more than likely be a bit of grief with ‘er indoors. As an aside, our downstairs north facing toilet has two short loops of UFH pipes going in and out. The UFH is never on for more than 6hr (cheap rate electric) and it can feel cooler than the rest of the house during these cold spells. One or two tea lights is all it takes to keep that room snug and warm.

Ah, OK. (you could always build it detached and then go and ask for forgiveness 😁)

@flanagaj I presume you won’t be attempting to access the garage from within the house? And if not, why are you planning an ‘attached’ garage and not ‘detached’? Detached would be a whole lot easier I suspect.

The Osmo oil I’ve used in the past said ‘maximum 2 coats’. I can’t see how 4 coats would be a problem but maybe it is? Does your particular oil mention maximum number of coats? I’ve got 2 coats of the white pigment one (probably the 3068) on a table top and it’s not showing any sign of wear and tear after a year or so - mind you nothing is put straight on to the table top without a mat or coaster.

absolutely. I find that a bit strange, but if that was your experience then I can’t argue that. In our previous place we had a screen above the fireplace and a projector behind us, no one ever had issues (old, young and in between) watching films, sport etc. day to day viewing was an normal TV at normal level (which actually was probably looking down a bit). In our new place we have a large TV at an above fireplace level because it’s a picture/photo when it’s ’off’ and that’s the only TV we have (no fireplace this time). No complaints from old, young or in between.

Just to be contrary. Definitely put it above the fireplace, your head won’t be at a noticeable angle and it is fully articulated so you’ll cope with any minor angle required. Replace the mantle piece with a larger one to provide heat protection (maybe remove a course or two of blocks so the mantle piece can be lower). Then get a Samsung ‘the frame’ TV so that you have a stunning artwork in pride of place, above the fireplace, for those times you’re not watching the box.

Wouldn’t one of the problems be insufficient parking space? You’ve not mentioned that.

That’s great news, I hope I don’t have to make that call 🤞🏻

Hopefully that will be sufficient to concentrate their minds. Good luck.

Can you reject it under the sale of goods act as ‘…not being of merchantable quality…’?

If you make the external mesh size much smaller it’ll be that which is bunged up in no time. You have to decide which filter you want to give the most regular attention to. Personally I knocked up a pre filter to sit between the two, and now, on the Mk2, it’s all going very well - but it does need frequent cleaning, pretty much every 3 months.

I would have thought only you can answer that question for your circumstances? For my circumstances the sectional option was much better than the roller option. I don’t have any roof storage space or lights to obstruct when the door is open and I did want good insulation so it was a very easy decision for me to make.

That’s a bit like me with CAD software. I’m a God with Sketchup I’m a Dog with CAD. But I’m determined to get there.

When you get it. You get it. It’s brilliant.

I would say it’s pretty bomb-proof if you do it yourself, it’s very easy and you’re more likely to take greater care than most pro’s.

I’m with @Jolo on this. I think a coarse filter of some description should be part of the package, if only to keep spiders and fly’s out. Either way, it’s been fun messing around making something that does the job and does it well it seems.

I was quite taken aback by how dirty it got in what was a relatively short period of time. I suspect the farming going on close by may have contributed significant dust. It’ll be interesting to see what the new filter is like in three months time with very little farm activity.

Likewise.

3 months after commissioning the new and improved Mk2 Pre Filter box it was time to change the filter material. The muslin seems to be doing a grand job and the increase in useable filter surface area is being fully exploited by dust and flies.

And I think very necessary. Previously it was just some thin foam on the inside (and not very well attached, definitely not airtight). I’m hoping the new set up will improve performance thermally, waiting for some proper cold days so I can check the temperature of the boxes, the Mk1 was definitely getting cool last winter.

As it happens, that is exactly what I did during the mid life refurb! It is so much better, shame I couldn’t work it/you weren’t available when I made the Mk1! I’ve also increased the insulation and air tightness with some left over bits and pieces. My pre filter material is now some fine mesh muslin material that costs pence and works like a charm.

@JoanneP We moved in 4 years ago. Hugely stressful. Hugely rewarding. We had no prior knowledge of the building trade and no idea of what we didn’t know. Community Infrastructure Levi is probably the first ‘gotcha!’ waiting in the wings. That will suck huge amounts of cash out of the unwary so make sure you look into that as a starter for ten. Find out as much as you can about every aspect. Treat the professionals with an abundance of caution until they prove beyond doubt that they are actually professional. You won’t regret self building, well, when it’s finished you won’t regret it but there may be wobbles en route. Good luck, almost unlimited knowledge and help is available from the good people on BuildHub.