Thorfun

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.

we have bought, but yet to fit, our RWH tank (5000l) from rainwaterharvesting.co.uk. we got the gravity fed system so we will have a header tank in the loft for flushing the toilets which means that the pump isn't running every time a loo is flushed but once when the header tank is empty. we also didn't do it for any kind of financial reason and couldn't give 2 hoots about ROI. we want to reduce our reliance and impact on the drinking water supplies and also don't like the idea of sending drinking water to waste down the toilet. if you want to do it then I say go for it. ignore the nay-sayers about ROI and costs etc and just do what you feel is the right thing to do. 😇

I'll let you know once the house is finished and we've moved in.

We had a 50mm cement based liquid screed (Cemfloor). I believe sand and cement needs to be 75mm min so you’d gain an extra 25 mm insulation and no laitance by using Cemfloor.

Loxone with a KNX extension for your switches?

not an interior designer as my wife has very good ideas about how she wants the house to look but we used a lighting designer as we feel that lighting is a very important factor in a 'beautiful' home. we put together a mood board of the sort of interior design we were looking at and she came up with a brilliant lighting scheme. was about £70/hr iirc but we think it was money well spent.

for us it wasn't but we had a insulated slab designed by TSD. if you're not happy with BB then get a second opinion, but it will cost you. I can recommend TSD if you want to go the insulated slab route, they were brilliant for us. or, just listen to @nod and @Russell griffiths who both know what they're talking about and stick with the block and beam! as they've said you can still build a warm, cold bridge free, airtight house with block and beam.

you could be waiting a while! 😉 I do have a blog post to write about our UFH pipes and screed in the basement so that will be coming at some point soon.

cheers @nod. will get the disc cutter out next week then. 😉