SuperJohnG

I have zyle fenster coming. Doing 4.6m slider in two leafs. 3g Aluclad wood.

My thoughts (not based on any actual analysis) is that it is just fall out from brexit and covid. Shortages at the start of the year mean people are buying more and and much as they can when it is available to catch up. Basically exactly like supermarkets and lack of food and specifically toilet roll at the start of the pandemic. A direct result of panic buying and its continuing into materials for trade. There are no less trees (apart from the ones that are harvested) sawmills still operating, plants still producing etc. Raw materials are very much available as they were 12 months ago its just a lag and manufacturers and suppliers reacting to that shortness of supply. If everyone chills out and stops stockpiling or buying more than they need then it'll slow down and return to normal.

These prices seem complete madness. A good fabricator can knock this up. But even on a quick Google I can see much cheaper options? Albeit not bespoke

Amen. The bloody toothbrushes with Bluetooth blows my mind.

Its likely exactly that. The septic tank will just be flowing worse effluent into the environment. We used to have two septic tanks one old concrete one then it flowed into a newer plastic one. I only recall it ever being emptied once in the 21 years I lived in that house...might have been done more and I didn't see but sure it didn't happen often. I'm due to purchase my treatment plant but wondering if its worth the extra cost to oversize to minimise desludging.

I would hope so as it would silly for them to make it difficult. Econekt (who supply izodom) seems to be bringing stuff still so can't imagine why Kore can't.

Kore as I understand it now don't sell direct to UK people, they want to sell through agents (due to brexit). I got mine just before Xmas and think it's been a pain since then. @Thorfun I think may have a better update? there are others like econekt and isoquick. Both considerably more expensive though for me.

I got a topo done (large 3 acre site) seemed fairly flat, but surprised at the falls. I then set my house position using autocad and gave it to architect. Came in really handy for me, but suppose nothing I couldn't have done without it. I just like detail like that.

Surface water won't affect a borehole as it has casing installed till you hit bedrock. Tread carefully though...never guaranteed water...I was in the 3% that didn't didn't get a viable water supply straight away. Although think ots going to pan out now. (Drilled two holes one at 120m and one at 60m). For my power...I came 500m. 6 poles from three fields away which brought it into my plot where an 18kVA (I think ) transformer was installed then I put the last 80m underground. I just dug the trench they laid it. £18k. (Say an extra 500 for the trench on my bit).

I'll be doing it. Kit goes up in May, then once I get sorted I'll tape internally myself. Unsure if I'll bother with VCL at this point. Didn't think it was required externally.

This makes me question smart meters to some extent (and I'm.a fan.of them and not having to do meter readings) our gas and electricity is mega costs for the last 12 months. I feel like it's ever since we got the smart meter but maybe that's me making that link. Might be because of lockdown...but we use horrific amounts of gas being at home.

We have a wildlife camera in our woods that we move around. We have a badger, foxes and numerous deer that visit.

I have a 5m high glass gable like this in my design. I added a 3m canopy to ours, simply because I wanted to be able to sit out in the rain (West coast of Scotland - so it's wet a lot). But the canopy I am hoping will remove the solar gain in summer with the high sun, but allow the winter sun in to heat the place. Hopefully

This played on my mind heavily at the start as I wasn't (currently still not albeit I've paid half). But I swallowed the pill and just going with it. I negotiated better payment terms though as the SIPS supplier I chose didn't have as good terms as a competitor. I'm 9 months since order placement though and still no kit. Albeit have not been too worried about delivery as foundations running late. I was due to take delivery April 26th, but the SIPS company unable to get an erector and are unable meet that deadline, I don't even think they have started manufacture. I'm pouring concrete in 2 weeks, then I going to start pressing them to deliver. I'm not too impressed with my SIPS supplier at the moment, I'm hoping that the quality of the kit will make me happy in the end. Happy to share my supplier by PM and provide some opinions on suppliers you may have been looking at.

If the contract is unsigned then no need to do anything, you simply have an informal agreement - so in my opinion you can walk away and do as you like. Just be clear though and write down every conversation and all your notes from this point (if you haven't already done so) so in case you rely on them later on if it went the legal route. For the guys who were removing roofing, sounds like you have sorted them, refer them to the builder whom you have paid. Only struggle might be for work you have paid for but jant been completed. Hopefully it has been clearly documented what you were paying for and this will provide back up for works not completed in the event you have to take the legal route. Otherwise, keep calm and approach it logically. It'll take a little time but it will get sorted.

I used the wunda clip track also. Stuck great on the EPS, although where there was a kick at the loops I used staples also. If you screw the clip track down it will work OK, just a bit long winded but you'd only need a few screws per clip track.

Sounds as if you will be fine as most things are there. I used SPEN direct for my connection, but they just subcontracted it, was accompanying called Gaeltec. I had a 600m run and my own transformer to buy all in at 18k. So yours sound fine to me. Scottish water will do the mains connection for around 1k. Not sure in sewerage.But you'll need to dig trench and backfill. Fingers crossed it is one you can connect into. Also I'm hopi g the main doesn't run where you plan to put the house?

I have a Kore foundation with design from tanners. Mine doesn't say RCxx Mine just says C28/C30. No mention of that. It's the first time I have ever heard that. So does that mean it's wrong?

@Becca I stuck with render on boards. I'm only just doing foundations. But should be getting someone to do the render in the 3-4 months. I can keep you updated once it's planned. But I was getting quotes for 10k to supply and fit render system. That's assuming I have had the house battened and boarded out.

Well depends if you are having a discussion with them up front. Makes perfect sense as if they are a sole trader you don't want them buying materials as you can't get the VAT back. I've agreed this with my roofers, I'll batten then sark the roof ( SIPS) then they will do slating including grading and leadwork. They are going to charge 26 per sqm. I have a 330sqm roof.

Both me and @LA3222 used a Kore system, albeit set up by ourselves it wasn't made out of standard EPS by ourselves, the edge profiles with the upstand are supplied pre cut. I would question anyone's sanity fabricating their own EPS profiles for the upstand section, seems madness when you consider there would only be say £1k saving. The inner section is just standard EPS sheets.

Thanks. UFH in this weekend (I'm.planning on doing it in two days...not sure yet if that's realistic) then get the steel in over the next week or two and get the boys to pour it. I'll be happy once it's done, thats for sure.

@catrionag it's just a small company, couple of guys who do groundworks and have the digger etc. they are on instagram and facebook called SD plang and services. I do have another set of good friends who do all sorts of civils also I can send the details of.

Quickish update only because I seem to have run out of hours as now we are building, balancing family life and a full time demanding job. So after the last update, where the stone wasn't really getting solid. I ended up getting it dug out, it was bothering me too much and I was completely worried about it. It was no major issue the boys dug it out in an afternoon, then put dry type 1 back in there and compacted down and built the levels up no hassles. We had a full dry week so it made a massive difference and they were able to get along much much quicker. In between the stone drama I had the surveyor on site and we set up profile boards to set out the corners and main walls internally that I needed to reference off for ducts. I set my boards up so that the string lines lined up with the lower portion of the insulated foundation once I came to the stage of setting that out. Doing it that way worked well. They built the stone up to level, then we cut all the ducts and drains in. The groundworkers took my layout for the drains, then done what they wanted to do in instead, which worked better. They didn't fancy using the rest bends but I insisted in some places. They did prefer to use Tee's which seemed fine. I wasn't too bothered by this point. The ducts ae all mm precision hoefully along with the drains so they all pop up and I spent A LOT of time planning the plant room. Then we screeded with 50mm sand. I used steel pipes for this and we set them up with the laser. It worked well and we had it screeded with 50mm sand in an afternoon. I used concrete sand for this which was wet but worked fine. That's a picture of me in the bucket of the digger doing the bits out in the middle. None of us could deal with leaving a hole in the middle. I got straight on to the DPM after this. My system has the DPM placed under the Kore insulated foundation. I did this all myself and had worked out all the joins on CAD befroe hand. It's easy to lay that way, albeit I hadn't anticipated the PITA it is to not walk on the sand but lay the DPM and then not walk on the DPM is impossible as i want it to stay level. I used OSB boards to move about most of the time. Cutting round drains is a pisser with the DPM, alsowhere you have 4 ducts popping up next to one another in a bunch it is also a complete pain. I did big cuts to get it over and it took forever to patch. I used top hats where possible and taped them in but there was some dodgy joints around where multiple ducts come up in a bunch - Those have been foamed to death now the insulation is down. Things to note - the Visqueen DPM is good, their double sided tape is good. I actually kept it in a cooler with a hot water bottle to keep it malleable as it was pretty cold when I was doing it. Their single sided tape is absolutely shit, do not buy it. Toolstation single sided DPM tape is also shit! However the Screwfix DPM tape is mega, stick like mad no matter what. really impressed with it. here: So once DPM was done I got the insulate foundation down and got started. I took some advice from @LA3222 as albeit straightforward it's not bang on. I was expecting something more highly engineered and don't get me wrong it is of high quality but some bits are a little longer and few mm here and there and some cut slightly off the square which means a good bit of adjustment. But works fine. I set out the corners first, then loosely laid it with my profile board lines. I then ended up taking a middle section out each line to get it to the right lengths and adjusted from there. I checked the lengths and squareness and procrastinated about it, ovethought it and all sorts, I didn't trust my tape as I could stretch it however much i wanted. I then ended up moving it all about and doing all sorts, one thing was apparent was the internal diagonals KORE/tanners can get relied on exactly due to the manufacturing tolerances mentioned above. So you just need to get them square tothe same size and as long as it is ballpark it is fine. I set out again and used the outer lengths, then I bit the bullet and called the surveyor back. He took 250 off me....stayed for 45 mins. Only to confirm I was pretty much bang on. I was 0mm out in some corners (bare in mind i set up with tapes over 20m) and 3-7mm mostly. Two corners I was 20mm off but i knew that as a profile board got knocked. All in all gave me plenty confidence. I then proceeded to pin the edges and then I finished filling in the three internal layers last night. Took me two full days (sat and sun) and then three nights. I used the U pins, I found them good, i started with the PU foam but found it too hard for the edges and thought it woudl take a while. So I pinned it, then filled holes with PU foam.I used PU foam in all internal joints though as that was easier. Cutting through the EPS 300 is a PITA but planned well it's ok. I'd avoid drains in the out sections next time. If i get time I will put more effort at the insulated foundation installation details, but knackered tonight after the last 5 days at it and doing my normal work. I've been writing down things that I would change and I'll list them in each blog post to provide a hint for a step! Lots of pics attached as normal. Lessons learned: 1) It is is wet - buy the type 3 stone 2) Listen to your groundworks guys if you trust them - they wanted me to add big stone down the bottom to help it drain...I didn't want to. We should have. 3) Dont buy the visqueen DPM tape, waste of money. 4) Don't be cheap and by the pro nozzle for the foam gun, It's only 20 quid. I didn't that was a schoolboy error. 5) Don't buy the bahco £19 wavy 'insulation saw' it's crap and near impossible to use with the KORE stuff Ditch it and just a normal saw. It's messy but much much quicker. thanks for reading.

I've been to fleming homes, good bunch of folks. I can't fathom how a third of an acre would be 425k in Scotland or Northern England. I know you didn't want to do merits of the plot but thata the bit that is causing you problems