ToughButterCup

Welcome. Just in case - excuse me if you've sorted this out - are you sure you can extend the house that you are buying? Certain sure? I ask because I wouldn't want you to buy and then find out the hard way that because of [... ] you can't extend. Ian

Quite @dpmiller . Which leaves the term 'competent person ' open to interpretation. It seems to me to be laziness on SunAmp's part not to define what they think competence is. It is merely implicit, then, that SunAmp may regard an installer having completed SunAmp's training as competent. SunAmp appears to me to trade within the law and the terms that they set themselves. SunAmp may or may not produce good products. But their inability to use language carefully doesn't necessarily reflect the quality of their products. More likely a hastily, unchecked set of terms and conditions : copied and pasted perhaps? Or an under-resourced legal department ?

Correct. (For us) SunAmp didn't offer a minimum warranty. The warranty they offer can be accessed here The warranty they give is 2 years, (i.e. 1 year) and 10 years for components, that refers to the phase change material and other bits (from memory) provided its installed by what they call a 'competent person'. Since the relevant competence isn't defined by SunAmp, in doing Due Diligence, it'd be unwise not at least to consider employing someone who - in the eyes of the company - is a qualified and competent person.

In your opinion .... And in mine, any supplier can trade on rules that they choose. If an installer chooses to step outside those rules, then that's up to the installer. Hence the added need for the buyer to go through Due Diligence. One question any buyer should ask , "Are you on the list of Approved Installers?" And then, perhaps, to ask of the installer - if relevant - why not. It is for the buyer to weigh the evidence.

More testament to the need to go through a thorough and detailed Due Diligence process for every single recommendation no matter who recommends an installer.

In our case, one installer behaved atrociously. We talked to SunAmp about the problem. To show good faith on their part, SunAmp agreed to provide a higher specification installation more cheaply than the original installer was going to charge for a smaller system. That installer was dropped from the official installer list. And looking at the list linked to above, is still not allowed to install.

The initial passion will always fade : thats normal. Seeing other builds go up, owners move in - and in one case (for us) sell up and move while we're still building was hard- at the time. But slowly, the hiccups and disasters have faded into the background. More and more I'm starting to enjoy the process; I now know that feeling of almost controlled terror about doing something for the first time , will fade if I just-bloody-do-it. And if we cannot afford it, there's always a way round the problem. It just needs research. There must have been 20 or 30 instances of that process. To address the OP, I now don't really care when it will end. The only thing that matters is having the guts to put my Head-Down-Arse-Up-Go no matter how I feel 5 days a week. 6 years in, I think I've just about got the T shirt.

We used Ecowin. Everyone who comes to our place looks at our acres (it feels like) of glass. And asks '....how much was that... ' and then winces. Followed swiftly by a conversation about the design of the house and how, with any company, that much glass would be expensive anyway. The windows were the single biggest item we bought (land bought in 1985) The key issue is accuracy of specification: and then the quality of the fit. My post should be seen as a mere indication of our experience, everyone should do their own Due Diligence.

We have a water garden for each side of the roof (same area as yours) - each the maximum size of cattle trough (no idea what size that is) , the overflow of which goes into a sand bed filter, and then into a pond. That pond spills over into a bank of trees and a thirsty fence line : Alder, holly, blackthorn, privet, very old oak trees. Anything else trickles away into Great Crested Newt Central. The BCO took one look at it, sucked his teeth, grinned and put a tick in a box.

Yes. Problem free, fitted by a reputable company . Warranty only valid if fitted by a qualified company . I cannot stress enough that everyone should do a full and thorough Due Diligence before making any decisions , especially so on recommendation from any online source. Even Buildhub.

I can hear @Russell griffithslaughing from all the way up here.

Unfortunate it isn't. It certainly isn't. Thanks be for someone who is prepared to recognise that their own perspective needs - over time - to change in the light of evidence. And thus demonstrates a willingness to learn. And we could all do with a bit more of that.

All nation states force people to do all sorts of things. Maybe things that people don't like: going to school, pay taxes, enlist in military service, carry a passport, , require basic literacy. The list is large. How does forcing (someone) in this context differ from the myriad requirements the state imposes on everyone - almost without remark?

My apologies everyone for lowering the tone of this thread.

How much do you spend on toilet paper then? I timed our blower last night : 4 seconds - 1p ? Multiplied by 365 = £3.65 1 Pack of toilet roll cost (say) £5:00

And you have Geberit AquaClean toilets (from memory) so you don't need toilet paper .... bet you've got the warm air bum-drier version 🙂

Welcome. Gorgeous house. Time for leg-work. And Net-work: with the emphasis on work. Look at your local authority planning website. Look for planning applications which are close physically and close in character to your prospective house. There's a huge mine of information there: look especially within the sub-group mentioned above at those applications which were refused. Note why they were refused. And do the same for those houses in the same subgroup who were accepted - and why. Talk to estate agents and listen between the lines. Good luck, Ian

Our cladding is Siberian Larch. The supplier says they've got enough for the next month or so. They have no idea whether they can get any more.

But the added armour was fitted to aircraft on the basis of evidence. Not the lack of it. Ah ... the perils of analogy .

You are too kind.

Of course its possible. The question is ... at what cost? It might even be feasible. Go onto Cotswold District Council's (I may have the authority wrong) Planning website, register and then use their advanced search facility to look for applications for projects similar to yours. Crawl all over them, know them inside out, visit them. Doing that makes you less of a target for tooth-sucking professionals. Have half a dozen existing examples of what you want at your fingertips so you can say -- ....I want it like this .... Please bear in mind we are not experts. Nosey, well-informed, experienced, hard-bitten, yes. But expert - NO. Looks like fun. Keep us posted (we are nosey) 😏

One of ours managed to perfect the art of showering - well gently irrigating is a better descriptor - while whispering sweet nothings into a phone jammed against one shoulder. For thirty minutes at a time. How he didn't break his neck in the process, I'll never know. Oh the joy of throwing the switch on the shower circuit just before ( his consequently un-showered ) mum and dad I left to celebrate Friday night. And the pub, joy of joys, (then) didn't get a phone signal on any network. Ah, never mind, what a shame. 😈

We need a tighter brief so we can help you more. What stage is the general design? Agreed, still in process, fixed? Has there been an M+E design? Has it been signed off? Has any of your M+E got a requirement for data: if so what's the specification for that? Will WiFi be 'enough' All Quintec light switches (other systems are available) or hard wired? KeepItSimple

Well most folk in Pilling have their BBQs in the bathroom, I'm told. For one thing the water is warmer indoors

Ahhha ! I used to fellrun past the end of your access. If I'm right, here's a footpath nearby isn't there? I now know what you mean. Its a bastard. The only thing I can think of is the traditional Lake district method. In all seriousness: horse drawn .... Yep, I know.... Quad bike, trailer ?