Thorfun

yeah, as I mentioned before, SketchUp is great for this. Get the architect's to export to a sketchup file and move on! 😉

we used Tim Powell (http://www.powellblinds.com/external-blinds.html) for our external blinds (based in West Sussex) and are very happy with them but we planned them to be integral to the building so they're hidden within the timber frame. while we were discussing other windows that we could potentially need shading for he told us about Smartlouvre (https://www.smartlouvre.com) and brought round a sample to show us. it was amazing! you can still see through it but it blocks the sun out. it can be fitted to windows externally to the existing frame and might be something you could look at. it really is rather clever.

where are you in the country?

well, I don't think anyone is suggesting to not have any switches so if you lose your phone you can just use the switch. but in a truly automated house you shouldn't 'need' the switch but it's there in case you do.

so you configure the system so that after a certain time when you enter the bathroom the lights at a low level come on dimmed. no need to pee in the dark!

well, it can't detect everything of course but humans are creatures of habit so we would 'generally' shower at the same time every day, start work at the same time, start preparing the dinner at the same time etc. so you can configure the automation so that if you enter a room at a particular time of day and the light level is at a certain point then the lights will turn on to a specific scene, e.g. cooking scene etc. obviously it won't get it right every single time which is why you have switches to override the automated settings.

life goals

the price of Solar PV has definitely gone up in the last year or so. we paid £10k for a 10.5kWp array with optimisers installed. I'm starting to think we got an absolute bargain!

walk in room and everything turns on to what you want without having to flip or even look at a switch. that's what automation is all about. my previous post was in reference to when I'm sat at my desk so I can control the room without having to stand up and flip a switch or get a phone out etc. automation is there to make your life easy and to reduce the number of repetitive tasks that you do. some might call it lazy but I prefer to think of it as being efficient. 😉

take phone out of pocket, swipe to unlock, open app, click on function.......or......tap on desk to do really cool automated s**t! it's an easy winner.

sounds like a great idea. don't know how to frame it or fit it but definitely be great to find a use for it. we have a few long horizontal windows in our build (external walls though) and we love the picture frame type view it makes

I was thinking of using 12mm but it's good to know that 9mm is sufficient. on @Patrick's blog it really looks quite chunky! it's why I thought it might be 18mm. although I am going to put 18mm OSB on the kitchen and utility room walls where the cabinets will be hung. should be thick enough to hold the units up.

what thickness is that OSB? looks like 18mm

our architect's were a little reluctant to send me .dwg files but simply for the reason that they held the master copy that was sent to other companies (e.g. timber frame, civil engineers, structural engineers etc) to add their bits to them and so they didn't want them altered outside of their control in case things went awry. I completely understand that I ensured that they would just be for my own personal use so they sent me them. but, to be honest, what I found most useful was they sent me the drawings in SketchUp format. it's a much easier piece of software to use (and is free!) than other CAD software and for what I needed it for, checking dimensions etc, they were absolutely perfect. so maybe, if they definitely won't release the .dwg files, ask them if they'll export to SketchUp. it is honestly all you should need.

whoops. I realise that my post made me sound like an SE! I'm most definitely not. I meant another SE as well as the others on here (not me though!). sorry for any confusion.

welcome Zak. always nice to have another structural engineer on here to assist and share their knowledge and I'm sure there's someone on here that can assist with your query!

I've got one for our island and also for my study desk. love tech too much to not too!

this should not be an issue. if it is then I'm in big trouble! as are many others on this forum as the in-roof trays are very popular if building a roof from scratch.

the membrane is fitted horizontally. ours was fitted to the external OSB of the timber frame. we then battened and counter battened on top of the membrane. we're also having vertical cladding e.g. I do know someone who mistakenly had the Glidevale silver membrane and were having a shadow gap so they applied the black membrane on top of the horizontal battens which meant they didn't need to paint the battens. but they did check with the manufacturers of both membranes to ensure that there would be no issues having the 2 layers of membranes, which there wasn't but if you're doing that then I would advise checking with the manufacturers of your chosen membrane(s)

yeah. I know. but the beauty of the Squirrel Pod system is the expandability. so it's trivial to plug in another couple of batteries to double the capacity when funds allow

we used Tyvek UV Facade (https://www.dupont.co.uk/products/tyvek-uv-facade.html) even though in the end we didn't do a traditional shadow gap and went for a tongue and groove shadow gap as we didn't fancy painting all the battens black to hide them through the black cladding!

@pocster you are fabulous. 23kW storage! brilliant. sadly our finances are dwindling fast due to the stupid material prices at the moment and so I've had to cut back our battery storage to a measly 6.4kW for now. but the system I've purchased is expandable so I can add extra batteries at a later date to give more storage. but 6.4kW will do for now I think. I look forward to the day when I can attain the level of your awesomeness.

why wouldn't you? it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. 😉 <goes off to update the electrical drawings to ensure there's a cat 6 cable to the kitchen island as I think I forgot it!>

I’ve recently been trying to find a supplier for our new connection to install a smart meter. I phoned a number of suppliers and their response was that they weren’t taking on new customers due to the state of the energy market. so I would suggest phoning everyone now to find anyone who will install a meter and the switch to your preferred supplier at a later date once you’ve made that decision.

probably not