Thorfun

btw.....if i were to use Tree cable i wouldn't buy the overpriced Loxone stuff. this from FS Cables is a lot cheaper. https://www.fscables.com/products/tree-cable-jumper-wire-designed-for-loxone-system.html

hi all. thought i'd done with this thread but as i start fitting out the basement i realise that i could do with more opinions on a few things. my cabinet is pretty full and i have very few relays free or channels left on my DMX 24V RGBW WhiteWing dimmer. As such i'm thinking about fitting the Loxone RGBW Tree Spots (recessed) in our music room. Just wondering if anyone has an opinion on them apart from being expensive! i've looked at using Voltus RGBW bulbs but they're over €50 each and when you take in to account the fittings as well it's not too much less than the Loxone spots and then i'd need relays to control them whereas the Loxone ones are simply tree controlled. so it's much easier and probably cheaper in the end! the other thing is that i will probably use standard retractive switches to control the lights and so will need to run a separate Cat6a cable so i'm thinking it's not worth using Loxone Tree cable as i'd still have to run 2 x cables anyway. so i've got Cat6a leftover from the rest of the cabling and i was thinking of using that and running 1.5mm 2-core flex along with it. is that ok to do? would folk recommend running standard 1.5mm T&E even though i don't need the earth for 24V lighting? cost difference between the 2 isn't much but T&E is stiffer cable and harder to run. just looking for opinions please. 🙂

we looked in to crittle style doors and glazing for internal but it was super expensive so we didn't bother! but the open plan kitchen does allow a lot of noise out to the rest of the house because of it. good luck and if you do find someone then please post so other's may make use of them (assuming they end up being any good that is)

Have you spoken to the SE about it? Might be worth double checking to see if those fixings are ok.

We paid £1.24 a slate for our Spanish slates from Jewson. Also at the time concrete tiles had a massive lead time! times have changed since then I presume though

Why just the 2 options. How about natural slate?

I’m probably overly cynical but surely this sort of contract is all about the bottom line rather than quality of materials? Not saying Fusebox is bad but to blanket suggest that just because the contracts are worth multi-million pounds everything that’s done on them is top notch seems misleading. that’s the beauty of self-building. We can choose the products and materials we want rather than what others who may have ulterior motives decide upon.

We went Hager which was expensive but the sparky said it was for the best.

I'm sure it'll work fine but please let us know how you get on. I might need one soon-ish!

I went through looking at getting my DMX relays from AliExpress and even though they're cheaper I decided that in the end I wanted to support a UK (local-ish) business. Plus Mike was very responsive to my many emails and you can't put a price on that sort of customer service.

the problems start when i'm asked to hang a picture on the wall and i get out the plasterboard rawl plug and start drilling a hole only to find out that i'd forgotten we put ply there! 🤦‍♂️

so experiment number 1 is a success as far as i can tell. it's not budged a mm and has been hanging with that weight for 72hrs. so i think i will be fine using the 5mm SDS bit. But, because i'm not a cowboy like @Pocster, i have ordered a 4.8mm bit anyway. will be interesting to see if i can "feel" any difference when fixing the screw.

we put up 18mm ply on the wall where our kitchen was going and then plasterboarded over that. plenty of bite for hanging stuff off. the other way is simple noggins but you have to know where the hanging points will be before hand so a blanket of covering with 18mm ply was just easiest for us.

We had type 3 specified for our driveway to allow it to drain freely. At the start of our journey we dug out and put the subbase of type 3 down using virgin type 3 granite. Was really expensive! later in the build when the ground workers were backfilling the basement they used zero-fines hardcore which was loads cheaper and still free draining! speak to an aggregate company and ask if they can do fines-free recycled hardcore at the required specified size (think it’s 5mm - 40mm for type 3)

I have not! but I will check it out. thank you.

I see that Mike from WhiteWing is now offering a 16 channel DMX relay http://whitewing.co.uk/dmxrelay.html. I wonder if he saw an opening in the market when I was talking to him about how expensive the Loxone relays were? (and no I'm not looking for commission!) wish these were available when I was putting my Loxone cabinet together, could've saved a small fortune over the Loxone relays. at over half the price per channel it will be my next purchase when I need more relays for the basement lighting. it works out at £10.93 + VAT per channel compared to the £23.61 +VAT per channel for the Loxone relay . I already have a 16 channel mains dimmer and 48 channel 24V dimmer and both work great.

yeah. I also got 10k credit limit at Jewson and had a great relationship with my sales guy throughout our build. but he moved back out in to the yard and off sales and I got passed on to the store manager who didn't seem to give a s**t about me to the point where he didn't respond to my quote requests. and as I'm not one to go begging people to take my money I have started with a new BM. they've definitely given me good prices on the MF materials, plasterboard and Rockwool and I'll ask them for a quote on the Gyproc acoustic sealant but they're closed until 2nd Jan now and being patient is not something I'm good at!

Yeah. But it’s Sunday and I love researching. 😂

We don’t all have your purchasing power! have you ever tried the AC50?

I know that @nod uses Gyproc acoustic sealant and the prices he pays for it it's a no brainer but for us normal people I'm wondering if the extra money for Gyproc Acoustic Sealant is worth it instead of plumping for the Everbuild AC50. Gyproc stuff is about 5x the price of the AC50!! online reviews of the differences between the 2 are non-existent from my searching

yeah. pretty tight. I'm sure it'll be fine and the final load on each screw for the ceiling won't be as much as a concrete block pulling straight down as the load is spread across the whole ceiling and all the screws. so maybe for the sake of a few screws I reduce it to a 600mm x 600mm grid and that will then be completely over the top for fixings and reduce the load per fixing as well.

first experiment underway. 5mm SDS bill. it seems pretty darn solid but will see how long it lasts.

overthinking is what I do best! 🤣 I'm fixing in to concrete blocks that form a block and beam ceiling. I have an SDS drill but also a standard chuck hammer drill too so either is possible. I think 5.5 is too big. I have loads of spare blocks I can test on and can start with 5mm and see where that takes me. I know DeWalt might not know but I'm really confused as to why they say a 4.8mm bit when they don't offer one. it's not like DeWalt at all! normally a manufacturer will only recommend their own products so they can sell more stuff. and yes I am a cynical b*****d.

I'm planning on asking DeWalt technical support what drill bit they recommend. I can't believe they'd recommend something they don't make themselves!

Yeah I saw that. It’s not that I can’t find a 4.8mm bit I just think it’s weird that DeWalt make Tek screws that require a drill bit they don’t produce!