PeterW

Oh and what spec are the Danfoss room stats..? Dumb or programmable ..??

Ok so it looks like they have basically linked 1-4 then 5-10, no issue with that but it could be neater and ideally should all be brown sleeved as it’s all live. Can’t fathom the two in 5 and no 6, but that’s not an issue. There is is no bypass valve on the manifold so you really need a method of firing the boiler from the board and a separate upstairs stat as @ProDave said but you need to do some rewiring of that board first as otherwise you will back feed the manifold pump. Before you do this, have the towel rails for TRVs on or are they just simple valves ..?

4 stats and 2 receivers ..... Right - move the white cables out of the way, then take a photo of the switched live connections please. The single brown feed is the boiler SL - spoke to @Nickfromwales and the WB needs a 230v trigger. Still possible from the boiler trigger on those boards, just needs a link.

Not without a buffer or turning down the boiler temperature but then it won’t condense. Boiler will hit 60c as the semi-closed actuators will restrict the flow - much prefer the new motorised actuators that also manage the flow and return temps.

@ProDave that’s slightly incorrect Looking at how it’s wired the installer has used the manifold pump live to fire the boiler not the no volt contacts. This means the boiler only fires when the manifold pump activates. Not sure why it’s been done like this .... This looks remarkably similar to the wiring that we unpicked for @newhome - maybe it’s a Scottish thing...

top left of the NuHeat boards is a no volt boiler interlock... he’s not bothered to use it ..!! also is that a single wire (Brown T&E) going to the boiler or is the neutral connected too..?? With the zone 5/6 thing you could find that either the relay is knackered on 6 or that 5&6 serve the same area so it’s been zoned so that both circuits come on together. Bizarrely though it looks like a single stat controls it all so that would be irrelevant anyway. I can’t see properly but are there links between all the “return” wires (white cables are in the way) Has it got the NuHeat controller or stat ..?

Beware moving up to 1000mm wide trays. There are few manufacturers that make them (good ones) and they are an order more expensive than 900. Also, lots of shower panel systems only come in 600/900/1200 so you’re either cutting 200 off or joining small panels to get 1000mm. Less of an issue with a walk in that’s tiled but still a consideration.

What sort of shower trap is it ..?? Some have a minimum horizontal distance before any bend or drop - this could be your issue

Can't check but mine just have 1-5 on them..?? Is it a Thermowatt RTS stat..?

Those rules have started to be applied to wind turbines and I have seen a couple of reasonably sized ones refused as if they fell they would be onto a road. National Grid used to produce a guidance document for developers about developing near power lines but I can't find it on the website

Tile Giant are the retail part of Travis Perkins ... TP have a lot of the same for 30-40% of the Tile Giant prices

Looks like glacier white to me with added sparkle...

@JSHarris what was your ground bearing overall ..?? 50kN/m2 isn’t a lot but trying to figure out how they have come to that sort of compaction level

Are you sure your engineer has got his calculations correct ..??! That’s major road territory and your ground bearing is nowhere near that is it ..??

It’s useful if the plans for the house have a datum from sea level as a ridge for example, but if you agree with the planners that the ridge is above an agreed fixed datum point on site then you don’t need to worry about that. Out of interest, if they used a total station for the survey have they also sent you the data file as you can reload it into a total station in the future assuming you know where they started their survey from.

Boiler pump would do the rads but would fight with the UFH manifold potentially. Any wiring centres anywhere you can take a lid off and have a look at ..?? That way you can see what triggers the boiler switch. Boiler is a monster combi - shouldn’t have any issues with that ..!

Ardex is good stuff - price isn’t bad too

@Dreadnaught drop me a PM if that works.

Shame about the depth limitation..! No-dig means lots of things - how close is the tree..? Have you got a site plan that you can post..?

Either use Easy-Fill or Toupret filler depending on what you can get locally. Easy-Fill is good for large gaps and sets pretty quickly and sands well

Just out of curiosity... Any chance of digging down say 500mm to lower the floor level in this area and increase the ceiling height..?? With a series of reasonably sized roof windows - even non-opening ones - you could get some fabulous light into the area.

If its slab on slab, the 1/2 tonne will be spread over the whole floor area and it will be ground bearing - no different than 6 people stood on the existing floor. I would try and get as much insulation in as possible and crack on with the floor as is.

@deuce22 Where in the UK are you based..? There are 3 or 4 major suppliers of the components - some do DIY supply too - but very few SEs that are experienced with designing.

Its not about inexperience !!! I know a lot of "pro builders" who make single digit margin just because of the market they are in. I also know some who make good double digit margin too, sometimes by accident..! That is individuals and companies that have been in business for 15-20 years so hardly inexperienced. There are a number of key drivers as to what people want from a house, some self build to end up with no mortgage and do so by doing a lot themselves; some build to a higher spec as they can have what they want such as home automation, custom layouts or high spec builds; and some just do it for the challenge because it is a great feeling to stand there and say "we built that.." In doing so, the self builder is in control of their own budget and how its spent is up to them ultimately. There are around 170 active posters on the forum, with around 320 who log on over a month - I know, I produce the stats for the FMG. There is no issue with diverse opinion, or facts, but what you are seeing is a number of members who are asking you to actually follow up your comments with a set of openly available facts and not just make statements that are at odds with the experience of a significant number of members, its reasonable to expect some to ask you to justify and discuss. There is a vast amount of experience in this forum of self builds, renovations, conversions and just about every type of building project - and all that advice is free..!! The forum members try to help where possible to assist others in their projects, to learn from others mistakes, and find deals or join group purchases to make budgets stretch. It is all there to help members in their projects and help them through what can be a minefield for the inexperienced - and experienced - alike.

The point is simple. Given the the figures quoted, it looks like based on the report (I assume you’re quoting headline and haven’t paid the £750 for the detail) that the median self builder in their report is making 8% equity at the end. That’s an incredibly low buffer and very tight on the current market where pricing on materials is constantly moving. The “forever house” scenario is nothing to do with a boomer generation - there are a number of builders on this forum who are doing just that with young families, who are looking to play the long game on the potential that house prices will rise - even at 2-3% - so it is a long term investment. My advice - not that of the forum - is to buy wisely on a plot and not be drawn to a “perfect location” and work with the plot. I have seen a number of instances where “perfect plots” have turned into nightmares where new housing estates have been built in front of “countryside views” that added the premium to the plot price. In pure accounting terms, your fixed pricing is invariably the plot, the variable pricing is the build. Reducing the fixed price as much as possible gives the most flexibility in financing the overall project and that is key to being able to weather any fluctuations however they are caused. If you have dumped >50% of the budget into the plot then the fluctuation in variable costs is going to be harder to manage.