PeterW

Meter tails don’t need to be exposed however if it’s more than 3m from the meter to the consumer unit you need a fused switch at the meter end and an isolator at the CU. My meter is 27m from the CU..!

You only need 75-100mm of dense rockwool between floors to reduce sound transfer. More than that will act as a very good heat insulator ..!

OK In that case you can use the neon back plates I posted...! One wire goes to the switched live, the other to the neutral and it will glow when its on.

Yep just realised that ! Doh,.....! Apparently they flicker if you use them with a CF lamp, not sure about when used with LED...??

You can use a neon in parallel with the switching - MK do them and they fit behind the normal back plate. https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MKK3041.html?source=adwords&ad_position=1o1&ad_id=45425533757&placement=&kw=&network=g&matchtype=&ad_type=pla&product_id=MKK3041&product_partition_id=174047748547&test=finalurl_v2&gclid=Cj0KCQiAkNfSBRCSARIsAL-u3X9V3jpUs68NERvkJJ4tUK2sjyrH4McApTvLDF-OyPSd4DgOcQGPTi8aAiaoEALw_wcB

Its got two things different - uses a transformer to get to 24Vdc to power it, and it uses thin carbon film set into a plastic membrane instead of carbon wrapping of a set of cores. What it does mean is that its much thinner than a normal build up however it is limited to what it can be used under. You can use it under tile effect laminate, but not tiles from memory as you can't bond it down. Other than that its just the same as any other electric underfloor heating - its a big resistor !

Thats just carbon film electric underfloor heating - no different to any of the systems that are used under laminate flooring. Be aware it can only be used under certain floor types too. For about a third of the cost you can fit standard under tile electric UFH at the outset and if you don’t want to use it, just switch it off ...

..?? New one to me - got any info ..?

What you’re looking for is “Goods in Transit” insurance. Its what’s used to insure container shipments.

Our control box has some pretty hefty capacitors in it that I believe it uses for the initial grunt to get over the motor resistance when they start to open. Not sure what the maximum current is between the controller and the gates but could check.

Floor bounce is a product of a number of components, not least the floor surface and how it’s attached to the joists. We have 600 centres on our posijoists and what is interesting is in the ensuite where there is glued and bonded boards only across the centre section with approx 600mm either side with no boards, the floor is subject to more vibration and movement than the other floors where the floor is to the walls. Secondly, we have built in the joists rather than use hangers and I’m pretty sure that contributes to allowing the flex of the bottom chord. Before we close the ceiling up from below I may well glue and screw some stiffening plates to the joists to see if we can add a little strength to the floor.

Estimators Ltd are ok - allow you to tweak online before you produce the price but can miss things Most merchants offer a QS / BoM service but that is only half the answer - unless you have a copy of SPON, how long does it take to hang a door for example ..? That then drives your labour costs.

Most new ASHP installs need planning permission - check your Council planning website carefully ..!

You can get a QS online estimate for about £150. It takes a few hours to convert it to excel so you can play with it but they are pretty good as a start. A good QS is probably more important on a self build than on a lot of other projects unless you have an infinite budget ...

Is this where I tell you about Aurora Clearance ...?? https://auroraclearance.com/downlights/fire-rated/sc49d.html

I’d just make your own. Toolstation do cheap plastic dustsheets for £1, and if you just double wrap the insulation and tape on the back your BCO will be none the wiser ...

Slightly confused here ..? If you are putting a flat roof on then why do you need to change PP unless it’s a very specific clause such as the roof must be in lead or asphalt..?? Fibreglass can be a multitude of colours and is a fantastic product for flat roofing and easy to DIY too.

Well the garage was part of an existing dwelling which meant unless we demolished all but two walls we couldn’t reclaim the VAT as it’s a conversion. So I’m not sure how we should have been treated but I’m not complaining .....

The answer @paulc313 is not to go with BuildStore ..... There are other brokers and depending on where you are building you may find a local building society can do you a better deal. There are plenty of horror stories on here about when BuildStore change their minds ...

@vivienz Ok that’s weird as we bought a plot with planning and it was classed as “residential” for conversion purposes (big double garage) but paid no stamp duty as the solicitor said we didn’t need to and HMRC accepted it despite us owning another property....

This was the £500k quote http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/grand-designs-cheapest-ever-house-burns-ground/

It’s not insured ......

Yet bizarrely they are saying it will cost £500k to rebuild ..???

The trick is the sharp tap first - and I’ve always gone clockwise too ..!! It’s enough to jar it before giving it the shock treatment the other way. A few light taps on the immersion itself with a hammer can sometimes release any scale holding it in. If it’s a fibre washer then a thin smear of Vaseline on the washer and the threads can help when you nip it up tight but don’t do this if it’s an O ring.

+1 to this. It’s the only ones I use now unless I need to drill a “perfect” hole then I’ve got an old tin box set of HSS from Axminster.