Thorfun

sadly this information wasn't correct. a 30mm cover for UFH pipes is required. it 'can' go to 25mm at a push though. but with 16mm pipes and 30mm cover we're looking at 46mm minimum screed. so the final decision is leaving 10mm for LVT flooring with 25mm EPS100 gives us a screed of between 45mm - 65mm.

our ceilings are already 3m in the basement, not sure we need extra ceiling height! also, I'm working to a level to give us a level threshold to the sliding door out to the sunken courtyard. so that is between 80mm - 100mm from the slab (our slab pour is pretty bad). so the extra cost for the extra screed will be more than putting down EPS to bring the height up. I fully understand your argument and I know you're right about not needing heating but I just can't convince myself. like you say 'a small price to pay for peace of mind'. I doubt we'll ever use it but I've already paid for the pipes so that money is gone and forgotten about so I think it's a no brainer for me to just install the pipework and then just leave it disconnected. I'm pretty sure it'll actually save me money by putting the EPS and UFH pipes down when factoring in the extra screed cost. I had another mild panic moment about heating on the first floor even though I'd already decided we didn't need it (I guess I have too much time sitting at my desk for the day job while thinking about the build!) and was thinking about putting in low profile UFH throughout upstairs but after discussing it with the wife she gave me a metaphorical slap around the face to bring me to my senses and we're back doing what we originally agreed with the electric UFH and towel rails in the en-suites and we are going to first fix for air conditioning at least (probably 2nd fix it now as well) and so we can use that for supplementary heating if required. but for the basement I think I'll just stick with the UFH for now. I might still put isolated spurs for electrical heaters but tbh I doubt it as I really don't think it'll be necessary.

more thinking and discussion has been done on this subject with the lovely lady of the house. we've decided that we're both happy using LVT in the basement throughout and so we'll leave 10mm floor covering. I phoned Cemfloor and they said that 40mm minimum for their product. that means I can have 30mm insulation which is enough to use staples! so I think I've made a decision at last! yay for me. just need to confirm with the screed installers that the plan is fine and I can crack on with it all.

upon further research it would appear that the above dilemma about 20mm insulation is a moot point as it appears that UFH pipe staples come in 40mm or 60mm lengths. so with 16mm pipe from Wunda and 20mm EPS those staples are too long and won't hold the pipes down. so I'm going to have to use some form of click track or egg crate product. even with 25mm EPS or PIR it's borderline that the 40mm staples will fit. so for the next question, with the 250mm slab and between 50mm - 70mm concrete liquid screed on top will the UFH (if required) be effective at all? I presume the response time will be stupidly slow but it could be that once the slab gets up to a nice low temperature then it will stay there for quite a while due to the 200mm EPS underneath the slab? the only other option is we only leave 10mm for our floor covering which will limit us to LVT in the room with the level threshold sliding door (the other rooms could have a little step up to tiles I guess although I'll need to check door heights) and we could then put 30mm insulation and 40mm - 60mm screed. I really don't know which way to go.

yeah, fair enough. we didn't want a pipe sticking out the top of the building and so when these slate vents were mentioned I jumped on it as you'd never really know it was there from the ground.

I'm no expert but there have been many threads about this subject and I believe the majority think that 2 x 100mm is better as you can stagger the joints to reduce the potential of gaps allowing cold through. Also, many have stated it's easier to cut 100mm PIR than 200mm so that's another bonus.

I'm resurrecting this thread as I have a vaguely pertinent question about it all. ? despite what @Bitpipe said above I've decided to go back on my decision about UFH in the basement and I am going to run the pipes for it even if I never connect it up. I have the pipes here and I'd rather do it now than regret it later for the £500 the pipes cost. now, I have a question/dilemma about the fitting of the pipes..... we have between 80mm - 100mm from slab to the level threshold doors in the basement. I am going to go for concrete based liquid screed and have 200mm EPS300 under the slab. my dilemma.... if I put 20mm EPS100 and leave 20mm for floor finishes my screed will be between 40 - 60mm thick so will save money on screed and the EPS is relatively inexpensive. This also allows me to simply staple the UFH pipes to the EPS rather than having to buy click tracks and stick them to the slab. more savings! but, if I put the 20mm EPS down will that actually help or hinder the UFH (should I ever use it)? I'm wondering if any heat that goes down through the EPS in to the slab will just sit there between the 200mm EPS under the slab and the 20mm EPS above the slab and it's a bit of a waste. or will the heat warm the slab and act like a thermal store with a gradual release through the 20mm EPS above the slab as it's the path of least resistance for it? or should I pay the extra for the 60 - 80mm screed and click tracks and just use the 250mm slab as a thermal store? I'm tempted to put down the 20mm EPS as it will be a lot cheaper but I'd just like to know if it could be a potential mistake or if I'm worrying about nothing again?

I wondered about penetrations for SVP and then @Iceverge made this post and I didn't worry about it any more! fitted one of these https://www.slate.uk.com/product/nature-vent/ and it looks great and BCO was happy.

just a word of warning for Velux windows, the lead time is currently 8 weeks for some windows! we got stung by this and with the shutdown for Christmas we've now been waiting nearly 10 weeks for some of our windows and got told last week that there is an extra weeks delay. so get them ordered early.

very generous of you. I'm not planning on using KNX or Dali in my Loxone system so no real use to me otherwise I'd have snapped it up! ?

there's lots of discussions and posts about this subject on here. a quick search would reveal the threads. generally 100mm is just about building regulations and most on here have 200mm at a minimum. and those that have put only 100mm in have regretted it later down the line. but you don't mention if your insulation is PIR or EPS as the lambda value of each differs greatly. but regardless it's generally considered that the more the better to a certain point.

If it’s that much more to install on slates have you considered stripping the roof in the area where the panels will go and putting an in-roof system in? Won’t be cheap but will give a very nice finish.

I have my GoPro running with PoE so it's running with power all the time. the GoPro running on batteries alone won't give much recording time and it'd be a nightmare having to get up to it every day to charge it! so power over ethernet works beautifully.

thanks. you just need a camera that can do time-lapse footage. I use a GoPro as I already had one but there are other less expensive options. to edit the videos I use iMovie on my Mac.

I have an Apple TV (4k version) and there is loads of content on it with Atmos. the vast majority of the content on Disney+ is Atmos enabled and I'm finding more and more on Netflix and Prime is too. in our existing house I have a sound bar that has upward firing Atmos speakers and it works ok. previously had a 5.1.2 setup with a screen and projector and that worked a lot better and in the new house in our TV room/snug it will definitely have ceiling speakers for a 5.1.2 setup at the minimum. The cinema will be a full on 9.2.4 setup if I can ever find the budget for it! ?

don't discount timber frame yet. try the other suppliers. it's interesting that you got the Fleming to design the house. I guess that makes sense if you only have the one TF supplier in mind but most people, myself included, got a house designed by architect/architectural technician etc and then pimped those plans out to various TF companies to get quotes for the design. seems a bit strange to get different designs by different TF suppliers.

thanks to this thread we are now aware of wall panels! not something we'd considered before but they are now definitely on our radar so thanks to those who have recommended them. ?

welcome. the beauty of self-building is you can build a Victorian or Edwardian or contemporary modern or whatever you want (subject to planning of course) and still make it an 'eco' home. build it with lots of insulation and airtight and then put whatever century/decade of design you want on the outside. 'eco' homes don't need to be modern looking.

a house is a house regardless of what you do to it. if you extend it, rebuild it, redecorate it etc, as far as I know (although I am not a tax advisor!) it doesn't matter at all. I also believe that you can own a primary residence and also rent another property so I don't see any reason why you cannot have the house as a primary residence and still not be living there. although other more knowledgeable people might know better. I presume you're paying council tax on the property? so unless you've got a reduction for non-occupation on the council tax that seems to me to be a sure sign that it is a residence and is being 'lived in'. I think maybe you should speak to your solicitor who did the conveyancing for you (assuming you're still on good terms with them) and ask them. they might say they can't give tax advice but I know that my solicitor who I've had a lifetime of dealing with would just tell me how it is.

another +1 for Latzel here. I ordered 7 rolls of Intello Plus and a load of tape at about 3pm on Christmas Eve and it arrived today! when you consider how many bank holidays we've had since Christmas Eve I am extremely impressed with this service. And DPD made it really easy with the import duty as well. Although it all came through as 3 separate packages and 3 import duty payments so I guess I paid the £5 admin charge on all 3 transactions. but a small price to pay when you consider how much was saved by ordering from Latzel. out of interest, does anyone know if we can claim the import duty charges back as part of the VAT reclaim?

surely if the house is your primary residence (which I assume it is seeing as you were renting when purchased) then there is no CGT to pay regardless of which scenario you choose even if you're renting?

just as a quick update here's a photo of some more of our battening. again, comments and criticisms are very welcome. it might be too late for me but for others reading at a later date my mistakes might stop them from making the same! also wanted to thanks @JamesP again for the spacer tip. it makes it so much easier and it my number one top tip received for battening. ?

just for completeness I have decided to fold it up and staple it to the sole plate as shown in this diagram from NHBC: not sure if it's 100% necessary but it won't do any harm if I do!

just another question on this topic...ish. I have a DPC below the sole plate that is hanging over the inside by quite a bit. can this simply be trimmed back to the sole plate/internal edge of the TF or is an overhang a necessary requirement?

yeah, we've had this conversation before which is why I'm planning on bringing the external insulation from the basement up to the sole plate level on the outside