Thorfun

these will be behind the blinds head unit which will, in turn be behind cladding. so, it will be outside but will not be exposed to UV directly. I'll pop out and take a photo. 🙂

thanks. maybe I can pop in tomorrow and ask why their cable is more expensive than TLC and see what they say! they might price match or offer a better price but if there's no difference in quality between those 2 cables I linked above then why would I go for the CEF product? not sure I really need an account for my electrical goods. I will be buying all our electrical and data cable and sockets but not sure it's worth getting an account when I can get stuff online cheaper. it was mostly for last minute things I've forgotten or need to pop in to town to pick up. maybe I'll just stick with TLC depending on how they answer my questions tomorrow.

I need some 4-core 0.75mm cable for our external electric blinds. we have a CEF and a TLC local to us and I've been on their websites to compare. Can anyone tell me the difference between these 2 cables please? https://www.cef.co.uk/catalogue/products/1959395-3184y-0-75mm-pvc-round-flexible-cable-black-100m-drum https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/CA0dot75F4B.html the CEF cable is £14.95 more expensive for the 100m drum. why is that? better quality or is there no difference and CEF are just more expensive? And, if so, are CEF more expensive for a reason? i.e. better customer service? no quibble returns? etc. And finally, anyone got any opinions on a CEF vs TLC comparison for other electrical goodies? I don't have an account with either (but am signed up to Screwfix/Plumbfix/ElectricFix who will price match) but I wonder if it's worth getting an account with either CEF or TLC. thanks.

+1 to the comments that state just a sand blinding to level off the troughs. we didn't have many but it's what we did and seems to have worked nicely. as long as the insulation doesn't rock then it's my understanding that you'll be fine.

if you can't hit the 750mm depth then you could consider insulating the pipe. we used this https://www.bes.co.uk/shalloduct-rigiduct-insulation-pipe-blue-4-x-3m-18515/

so we decided to go with Zinc guttering using a dry fix system (it's Zambelli) from Rainclear who did take-off for me and had a massive 30% off with next day delivery! couldn't be happier with them and their service. and I've done the first elevation. laid level without a fall as suggested by @Russell griffiths and confirmed by Rainclear due to the large and deep profile of the zinc guttering. And as @Roundtuit said, it is easy to fit and cut with a hacksaw and tin snips. even managed to fit our outlets without drama. all in all, it is easy and my worries were unfounded. and it looks fab! 🥰

we had electric and water come out at the same time and worked under the same road closure! it was a minor miracle and saved me thousands. some info in this blog post. but we're based in the South East. not sure if that makes a difference though.

house looks fabulous and so does the view! stunning. well done.

I think @Nickfromwales was saying that a 4kWp array would produce less than 1000W (25%). my opinion is you should put as much solar pv as you can afford to now (but also consider what the DNO will allow and what that would mean) and not worry about ROI. no one knows what the future holds and if you've the funds to put in to PV now then just do it. if it's a choice between a 12kWp array or a 4kWp array and much better insulation or, worse case, not being able to afford to finish the project then I think we all know what's the best way to go.

south east. was speaking to local hire place and they're completely out at the moment. also got a friend who's looking to buy a smaller digger but can't find any. but, and you're right to pull me up on this, I've not searched extensively as I own one and don't need to hire one! I should've caveated my post with the fact I hadn't done extensive searching on the subject. sorry.

sorry to be put a downer on this digger love fest but diggers are in very short supply at the moment. if you're going to hire one make enquiries very early to avoid disappointment. 🙂

I chose Enhabit to do my Solar PV, ASHP and MVHR. they got taken over by/merged with Green Building Store who no longer (at the time of writing) offer Solar PV and ASHP down in the south east and so Enhabit refunded me for work not undertaken and sent me on my merry way to find someone else to finish off that work. our MVHR was taken over by GBS and they're currently installing that. due to the above I can no longer recommend Enhabit but it might be worth giving GBS a call to see if they cover your area.

solar pv price seems a bit high. we paid around £10k for a 10.5kWp array (28 x 375W LG NeonH Black modules) with GSE trays, Solaredge optimisers on each panel and a 10kW Solaredge inverter! including installation.

so this stuff https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/CA0dot75F4B.html should be suitable? how about being outside albeit under cover?

thanks. the cable will be in 20mm conduit but foamed at each end. the conduit will go through my internal PIR so the cable itself won't be buried in insulation per se.

you read my mind Ian! already ordered 20 x 2m lengths of 20mm trunking. figured I'd run that through the wall and then the cable in the conduit and I can then foam up the inside of the conduit around the cable to maintain a semblance of airtightness. 🙂

you read my mind Ian! already ordered 20 x 2m lengths of 20mm trunking. figured I'd run that through the wall and then the cable in the conduit and I can then foam up the conduit to maintain a semblance of airtightness. 🙂

our external blinds have been put up and I need to get the cable to wire them up. I need 3-core & earth cable. The seller told me that I need 0.75mm2 core cable. The motor is a Geiger GJ5606k and below is the wiring diagram: the cable will be external to the fabric of the building but will be up in a void behind the head unit of the external blind so 'should' be away from weather and UV but the instructions above say to not use PVC cables. anyone know what cable would be suitable? and can confirm if 0.75mm2 cable is correct? I kind of want black cable so it's hidden more from sight if I look up behind the cladding and a white cable is more likely to stand out.

Our screeders told us to cut the expansion joints to length (we used 5.5mm plywood board) and leave them beside the doorways and they added them as they went around. we weee also told not to remove them afterwards but to trim down to screed level. here’s a photo of one temporarily in place to ensure it fit but was lifted out for the pour and the put it in.

yeah. I was quoted 9 months.

welcome and what an exciting journey you're about to embark on! honestly just spend the next couple of weeks reading as much of this site as possible. most of it won't stick but as you progress you'll remember a comment that someone said in some thread and you'll use the search function to try and find it again. some sensible people bookmark stuff but I'm slack and always forget! Also read through the blogs on here as a lot of them document the journey from start to finish and will give you a good idea of what you're in for. if you can project manage a timber frame build then you'll save a small fortune and timber frame seems to lend itself to allowing self-builders to PM the build as you can hire groundworkers to do the foundations, the TF company will get your superstructure built, the roofer will put on the roof, the window company will make you watertight and then you can employ the subbies to finish the rest off. by project managing yourself you're saving the cost of a main contractor and them doing the organising and subcontracting and them taking their slice of each bit of pie. it's time consuming but definitely can be done! I'm doing while trying to hold down a full time job and also do a lot of the internal works myself. it doesn't leave a lot of time for other things but I know it'll be worth it in the end as I will be saving a lot of money plus getting great pleasure in doing work myself. best of luck and we look forward to reading about your journey should you choose to share it with us.

😊 I found this when researching green roofs online https://www.turfonline.co.uk/blog/green-roof-construction/ which gives information about loadings etc. need to get the load calculated by the SE as you suggested you would do anyway. our roof is single-ply membrane rather than GRP as I was told by a few roofers that GRP could crack with the movement of the timber frame and so I took their advice and went single-ply. not sure if the roof covering plays a part for green roofs either but as the same roofer who did the single-ply did the green roof I just let him take the lead and recommend the best products to use.

15kW. 10kWp array and 5kW from the PW2. the G99 says 17kW max so I can potentially reapply to change the battery storage to discharge at 7kW as I don't think I'll be going Tesla for my battery storage. but, for the moment, I have the 15kW in the bag!

Thanks. We were very happy with the TF company and erectors. DNO signed off the 10kW array and PW2 on single phase. 😊

+1 to this. we used Proctor Roofshield and after consultation with our BCO she said that the air gap can be above the membrane. so we used counter battens and battens on the roof for the tiles and fully filled the rafters with mineral wool (well, almost, 197mm rafters and 190mm mineral wool). just make sure your BCO is ok with it first.