joe90

I hear what your saying, and we all have our opinion but the boards on a tower can be 2” away from the wall!, the thickness of the steel tubing, same as scaffold with poles against brickwork. I have laid blocks (small time not professional) and my builders used my tower on site with no complaint. I do understand why scaffold is best if you can afford it , mine is invaluable for lots of post build stuff.

If the tower is tall yes I agree but at small height quite stable, much better than trestles in my opinion, short ladder to get onto it, handrail is extra section at the back, 4’ wide like normal scaffold, two towers with gap and long boards on create long platform like scaffolding.(12’).

Very interesting reading as we also had to fight the planners in a similar way (yes, they had already been told which way to vote before the meeting), also they made statements that were not true but I was not allowed to speak and challenge the lies. Finally went to appeal and won hands down with a comment from the appeal officer that the planning officer was not abiding by their own policies!!!,. well done.

I have had my tower for many years and it’s flexibility is amazing, even used it on stairs to reach ceilings etc. They are usually 4’ square and go up in 2’ stages so you are never reaching far fir anything, I even use mine now (that the build is finished)for hedge cutting, and going to use it to wash the conservatory roof. Frankly I never see me getting rid of it (till I am in a rocking chair ).? Two towers with a 4’gap will give you 12’. You could make the gap larger if you are not too heavy or stack too many blocks on it. Top tip, if you span a gap with scaffold boards screw a 2x4 underneath and across the middle of the span to keep the boards stable and to stop the boards bending independently .? also towers are easily dragged along a firm surface to reach the next bit. This is like mine https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DIY-Scaffold-Towers-5-5m-4-x-4-x-180-Working-Ht-Galvanised-Steel-Tower/261206309482?hash=item3cd11bfa6a:g:5TYAAOSwstxVdZKV

I prefer tower scaffold, you can build it in 2 ft intervals (height) and side by side which gives more flexibility and allows up to 16ft single tower. Eg, two towers at 6ft, 4ft apart gives you a 4ft wide platform 14ft long. also I have some full length scaffold boards to make that work.

Everyone on a building site knows tarps do not keep stuff dry, they stop most of the water but I am yet to see one keep anything dry.. also when it rains the air is full of “moisture “ which is enough to spoil GRP, only way to guarantee dry stuff during rain is indoors.

Well I have laid up a few flat roofs in my time and learnt from a course run by the material supplier, in essence they said if the OSB was wet or damp in any way IT WILL FAIL. They did not go into detail about how or why but said if the OSB got wet/damp, rip it off and do it again or you will be hauled back in the future to replace it. None of mine have failed.

Tosh, ask the BCO what he wants, if he will not tell you I am sure if you post some drawings people on here will be able to come up with a design fir you?

I fitted my own windows in my build, apart from certificates relating to being “secure by design” and “u values” BC didn’t ask any questions.

Ha, our BC officer said I needed to dig a soakaway pit fir the rain water, I said you mean a “swimming pool!, I explained we were on solid yellow clay and any hole I dug would fill with ground water and stay there, he then said “where are you putting the rainwater then”, I said “in that ditch over there where all the other rain water ends up” ! he shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Just had my build signed off and no questions asked about soakaways ?

Reading up about gardening and clay soil (which we have loads of) I read gypsum can be added to clay soil to make it better?, I have a couple of bags of plaster left over ?.

We have had several hornets in our conservatory , don’t fancy getting bit by one of those mothers. Reminds me of when the house was being built, one of the builders flew round the scaffold and slid down the ladder like a man possessed, he was being chased by a Hornet. Actually I fancy a racket like @JSHarris sounds fun? much cheaper here. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fly-Bug-Catcher-Insect-Trap-Curtain-Electric-Racket-Insect-Repellent-Deterrent/173880924692?hash=item287c1c5a14:m:mWs3pMEZ6GstVAnIEFCTDnw

I just asked family who are staying fir a week or so if they think our new build needs cooling and the answer is no, it’s a bit like heating, @JSHarris lives in a hot spot, we live in a flattish area near the Atlantic so any winds cool us enough. It’s true the conservatory gets hot (we were told on here we would cook in summer) but with windows at either end air flow is enough to keep temps reasonable. So location location makes a real difference. The only advantage of needing cooling over heating (if you have PV) is that the cooling is required when the sun shines ?.

Not if your on a water meter?

The other thing is, house value if you sell/have to sell, the majority of people would balk at a house with no heating, at least get UFH pipes in if nothing else, worth the cost, then you can instal a Willis heater or ASHP at a later date if you require it.

Really good result, well done both of you?

Plan A is very doable just needs an SE to design, especially as you are already using piles.

This is why I mentioned a new SE.

Best of luck, I have just sent all my paperwork to a VAT accountant to do it for me (as I would probably make a mistake and be fined!). Also we moved in 10months ago but only just got BC sign off. I also copied the recent court case thread on here where HMRC lost their case to my VAT man who thanked me for the info.

Perhaps it’s time to change your SE, as others have said it’s not rocket science and any SE should be able to design it with simple calks especially as its single story , I could design it just can’t do the maths to prove it ?.

Not wishing to digress this thread but been reading it with interest. I don’t think we have a cooling need but did consider a heating wet battery fir the main bedroom fir really cold weather, my problem is I cannot run pipes from the plant cupboard to the bedroom without major works (which I have no stomach for after the build). However the DHW tank is next to the bedroom and with a diverter valve could feed it with hot water intended for the DHW tank with a bit of juggling.

Just a way of getting DHW to higher temps where the ASHP would probably have to defrost to get it to that temp which would ruin any decent COP. As @ProDave has said in our cases we heat water to 47/48’ and find it more than adequate fir our needs. I have asked before about whether an ASHP could heat water up to the point where it was about to defrost then simply stop, it may mean that in dryer warmer weather you could get hotter water without the downside of defrosting. However after using my ASHP for about 9 months I see no requirement fir water any hotter.

With dead flat slates even the thickness of slate soakers will kick them out of line a bit. But I still recon the velux is too high in the roof.

My build included inserting the insulation as a fixed price no not worried about speed!

The very reason I asked the question. I knew I would get a “correct” answer on this forum rather than BS from a retailer ?