Triassic

I’m only supplying them, they’re going to fit them. Every Pound counts, as the budget is tight.

I'm about to start fixing the render boards in place, so started to look at the next stage, applying the K-Rend, I'm not doing this myself, but I am supplying and fixing all the render beads. Having measured for corners and bell casts, I thought I'd better check what sizes I need, but looking on-line there not much information. Can anyone point me in the direction of some instructions?

My basement expert was the structural engineer, he was the one with the knowledge to design the basement, to calculate the amount of reinforcing necessary, the specification of the concrete, the insulation requirements and the waterproofing.

Evening @craig according to the schedule we have 300m linear metres. I'll have a look online.

I told it's a 10mm gap.

We’ve finally made it across the line and agreed a price for the supply of the 47 windows and doors. What a long winded dance! I've also started to make progress on the installation cost. Apparently “the Conpriband tape and the air tightness tape is mega expensive”! So I’ve asked the installer to split this out of their price, as I can probably get a better price than them if I shop around. So the question is where to get the very best deal on Compriband tape? I need 150 metres of the stuff. Regarding Rationel windows, do they come with the fixing brackets or not? The installation video suggests drilling through the frame to fix them in place, that isn’t going to happen here! What sort of brackets did you use and where did you get them from? Regading the fixing brackets, is it 2 per window/door, or do you fit more depending on size?

As with all things building, you should get three quotes for such work, you should visit their previous work sites, talk to previous customers, ask for references etc. Having built my own basement I can say, it’s not too difficult to get things right yourself, you need to start with a good design, pay particular attention to the details and have a good, well experiences, team of contractors doing the work. PS. Having re-read your post, I’m left wondering why you’re considering such a service? What are the things your worried about, those of us here who have built a basement probably have the answer.

Maybe a photo would help us understand the problem. in my old house the waste pipe did something similar and it all worked fine.

Good morning Abi, welcome the the Self Build forum What you Building and where.

Maybe we could start with a list of what can be automated and how,

I’m sure Nests servers went down during the winter for a day or so, and many people lost control of their home! KISS all the way. What we need is a Buildhub Guide to a simple home automation system, bit like the VAT guide. Anyone up for a challenge?

Checking the quote again, there is no mention of u values on the actual quote. Having established that the window and door prices aren’t too bad, all I need to do now is sort out the +vat bit of the two quotes (supply and installation).

Motion / proximity sensors are fast becoming the norm and I’ll be using them once I get started inside the house. A few friends have automated window roller blinds, one uses a smart phone and the other a TV style remote control. Personally I’d want to be able to close the blinds in the event of a cyber war, so anything “smart” or Cloud based is out. Another friend, an electronics, control electrician, was making a good living replacing not very old home automation central control units where the firm had gone bust and spares could not be obtained, so again I’d like to keep it simple enough that parts could be replace as and when necessary. Maybe keeping each item of automation separate rather than integrated into a central “brain”.

I assume you have an alternative means of escape from the upper floor rooms, as per Building Regs https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-approved-document-b

Stairs in a kitchen? Is that even aloud? I assume you’ll need a fire door at the bottom? No doubt an expert will advise!?

No, but I did get this - https://www.rationel.co.uk/media/1619839/AURAPLUS-Classification-of-Characteristics-windows-UK.pdf

I’ll have to see if I can find them, my electrician was MCS accredited and he’ll make sure it meets the necessary standards, plus he’ll fill in any necessary paperwork.

Thankfully that’s a cut away image, it’s not the finished look, the slates are much closer to the edge of the panels in the finished article. Don't tell anyone but I’m doing a DIY install as my budget has taken a big hit because of 6 weeks of extra groundwork excavations and the Architect understating the floor area by a good few tens of m2 (when asked at the design stage he stated it to be 300m2, when measure on site it was closer to 370m2, he’d missed off the hall, 3 flight of stairs, landings and corridors. No wonder everyone says it looks big!). I’m not actually using any Sunfix gear, I’ve bought everything online separately, so as to keep costs down. I started by Purchased trapezoid tin sheets. As in the photo these are mounted directly onto the OSB, which itself is fixed over the rafters. I’ll then use low profile aluminium mounting rail, screwed to the crown of the trapezoid sheets, onto which sit the solar panels. This configuration leaves the top surface of the solar panels about 12mm above the slates. At the edges the slates will finish about 15mm from the panels. I’m hoping the finished mounting system for 14 panels will have cost no more than £500.

Looking at the Rationel Auraplus brochure, it suggests Rationel low-energy window have a Uw value of 0.79 W/m2k (Aldus 3-layer pane).

These prices are based on timber framed, Ali-clad, triple (3G) glazing.

I’m looking to use the Sunfixings in-Roof solar PV mounting kit and wondered if anyone had used it on their roof and had any hints or tips they could share? https://sunfixings.co.uk/mounting-system/in-roof/ https://sunfixings.co.uk/case-study/poppintree/

I understand that when comparing window quotes you should try your best to compare apples with apples. Looking just at the area for rough cost comparison purposes, What do you think of these prices? Windows £312.90 / m2 Doors. £470.70 / m2

I constructed my own insulated slab, not too difficult at all. Mind you, the slab was designed by a well respected Structural Engineer with years if experience of designing insulated slabs. I made all the L shaped up stands out of flat sheets cut to size and glued using low expansion foam. The load bearing areas are EPS 300 and the ready ESP100, all bought in bulk via a local supplier, two wagon loads ! The steel bits (with the board fixed to the top of the ends) sticking up out of the wet concrete are for the basement walls, these were constructed out of ICF. 26 tonnes of concrete in the floor and the same in the ICF walls, all poured by myself and a local pump guy, power float finish to the floor.

What’s the position regarding VAT. I see this as a supply and install, yet the local Rationel approved installer has provided seperate quotes for the windows and the Labour, both of which he states are Plus VAT. I has assumed this should be zero rated?

Our house in L shaped, the basement is under the long leg of the L, the short leg of the L is a two storey section of the house. So in reality each of the two sections of the house is built directly above the foundations below, so no bits of house overhanging the foundations below, if you get my drift.