joe90

Bat surveys take forever( ask me how I know).

I would start away from their wall then slowly get closer as you can lift the sections from a broken edge. Have you considered getting a contractor to do this? If you do then if any damage is done it will be his problem/insurance to sort out! By the time you hire the kit, skips etc hiring someone (to also face the risk) might be worth it!.

Oh @JSHarris you have got me thinking now about my workshop heating. After three years of nothing but building I am going to spend some quality (retired) workshop time working on my grey furgie and classic car this spring whilst waiting fir the ground to dry out so I can start landscaping. Can anyone link me to a good build for one of these heaters please (I have some scrap gas bottles!!).

@Sjk might it be worth a chat with your neighbour, if they agree that the wall is the boundary then there is nothing to prove (and spend time and money establishing, IF you can establish it).

+1 for infared heaters, I am going to instal some in my workshop. Just found these. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Eterna-Quartz-Infared-Heater-With-2-Heat-Settings-600W-1200W-Wall-Mounted/162627445179?_trkparms=aid%3D555017%26algo%3DPL.CASSINI%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20151005190705%26meid%3Da1b0387040d94aa5bb4d065e5a93f5f3%26pid%3D100506%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26%26itm%3D162627445179&_trksid=p2045573.c100506.m3226

Rather than new lead why not clean the old lead off and apply patination oil. https://www.roofingsuperstore.co.uk/product/lead-patination-oil-1litre.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAjNjgBRAgEiwAGLlf2uL8rbk8njgdR803U8Ddd3Csh_BHUS4naxvoA-JFfPSQ8rlKpP6CLRoC-RUQAvD_BwE

Ours were stairbox and a good price and i finished them in osma as above.

Just an update, I have had the MVHR off for the last 48hrs and noticed no degradation in air quality (apart from being reminded about yesterday’s bacon sandwich!). The bedroom temps are stable at about 2’ above what they were when the MVHR was on!!! Balancing the MVHR and setting the correct rates or on my very long “to do list”.

Yes, heat capacity is a better term. I built using 100mm concrete block wet plastered as my inner skin followed by 200mm of insulation then a brick skin. The idea was for the house to stay at a constant temperature along with UFH within the concrete slab.

@ProDave I did not think of this also, our lowest stat pocket is a third of the way up the tank so my 300litre tank will only ever heat about 200litres!!, the two immersions are half way up the tank and slightly above that, so immersions will only heat at most half a tank. Unless the tank does not stratify well??? Is this correct or not?

So their footings are trespassing ? ?

@Tony99 where in the country are you?, if you are near Devon and want masonry construction I can very much recommend my builder, he was brilliant (but booked up a lot, as that’s what happens when you are good!).

Let me rephrase that. It’s fir the architect to come up with a build THAT YOU WANT, if you want timber frame then tell him. What I meant about the architect was to come up with a build that meets your requirements regarding U value. I have said before on here that I believe too many architects try to get their clients to do what they want not what the client wants. With our build I wanted a brick skin and lots of heavy materials (used to be called thermal mass in the old days!). I went with brick and block fir that reason but there are some very good builds done by members on this forum in timber frame. @JSHarris for one and his blog is a very informative read that has made me understand sooo much about good building.

I think it’s more a case of what your architect comes back with!

Thinking about it my ASHP is giving me lots of hot water, no idea if it’s defrosting so don’t know it’s running cost yet. After the turmoil of getting my ASHP to run I have not thought about it much lately, if I remember correctly the command unit can determine the temp of heating water but not DHW temp??? I must get back to trimming the whole heating / DHW debarkle.

I didn’t install strong backs in mine but I inserted 4x2 noggins flush with the bottom of the joist to carry the plasterboard edges and stop the joists twisting (not likely with engineered timber).

@recoveringacademic Surely if they are needed they would have been specified in the drawings by the joist supplier?

I use stick on cable fixings ( a BT product that I acquired when I worked fir them)

I find it very interesting to put actual £ figures to the various options, my reasoning behind the Eltron was to avoid having cold water if the consumption was unusually high, using the immersion takes time once you have actually run out! but timing it sounds better and there have been various threads on hot tank losses when the temp goes up.(so er indoors might get her warm airing cupboard ?) It was easy to bang a cable in when the wiring was being done (before heating options settled on) and I found the Eltron cheap on Ebay. I still am considering the option of E7 or E10 when I know more about my consumption.

@ProDave very interesting thread as I too have a 300litre tank and ASHP like you, I bought an Eltron like yours and is my plan “b” (cable pulled In ready). I am lucky that er indoors has a short shower as do I (but at other ends of the day usually) and my daughter does not live with us?. However, Christmas is coming and we will have two and a half guests (granddaughter) so I will monitor the situation. My DHW tank has two tank stats, one higher than the other, I have wired both of them with a change over switch so I can either have half a tank of hot water or 3/4 tank of hot water (guests or no guests. ) @Nickfromwales Was worried that as the Eltron is a 15mm fitting it might cause a restriction on water flow!

I agree, a mil or two is not a problem. Our flooring was glued only, d4 glue, not a squeak anywhere. This was recommended by our builder who is nearly as fussy as I am ?

When our build was plastered, this time last year, the place was running with water and I hired two industrial dehumidifiers and ran them for two weeks 24/7.?

But any guarantee against fading?. I have heard Accoya is very long lasting but UV seems to bleach almost anything .

Sounds like serious hard work to me and not a bad price, let them crack on and find something easier to do yourself ?.

As I have said before elsewhere I am a bit dissapointed at noise levels between floors in my new build and we have 100mm rockwall between ceiling and floor, if I were to do it again I would either double board the ceiling, use sound block plaster board or use top hat sound insulation rails. With regard sound transference through stud walls it has been said that “mass” is good, I.e. solid stuff, I packed all my plaster board off cuts in the void as well as rockwall and I am pleased with the result.