PeterW

Ag land covers small holdings so if you left it as is and ensured it was fenced accordingly then you can argue it is still agricultural use. As long as you don't turn it into a bowling green lawn, the use of planters and beds etc is fine - for the majority of ag buildings you don't need planning either. I have to say though that 5m seems very shallow - is it very wide ..? What's it used for currently ..?

One of these... http://www.screwfix.com/p/reducing-coupler-fitting-15mm-x-10mm/51238 Either stick the Hep20 into it, or use a short length of copper then into a standard Hep20 coupler

Yes, and yes ..! Depending on who's manifold you have, they will either have a lift off lid or some sort of access to add in the blanking plates. Alternative is to cut a slit and hole in the pipe to the main unit at one end and then feed the sensor up into that, sealing the cut with duct tape. Not sure of the best location for the sensor itself yet - needs to be in the airflow I think but should it be in the middle or would one side be ok ..??

Karcher used to have a website where they sold all the factory returns - basically they made a good unit from all the bits returned as it was cheaper to ship someone new stuff rather than a replacement hose etc on the off chance the customer has it wrong. Mate bought one of the dogs danglies ones for less than 30% of list price. I've got one that's 4 wheel job and other than the patio cleaner that's useless, it seems to be still going strong. Just checked and they still do https://www.karcheroutlet.co.uk/products/subcat.asp?mID=Pressure-Washers&sID=Sale

Grand Designs Revisted on more4 now is showing the build again

Is it coming out a lot ..?? May be best with something like CT1 or Sika under a jubilee clip tightened over the spot.

I did a commercial development in the green belt a few years ago - an activity centre - and we had 3 objections. First was the immediate neighbour which we expected, but we had two from the neighbouring village where the site was over the brow of a hill and over a mile away who both objected to the visual aspect of the build - despite it being in the middle of a wood ..!!! Thankfully all were ignored and it didn't even go to committee but I'm sure you will get someone who doesn't like it..!

Yep sorry ...!! 24" lift for the ordinary 1/100 year limit with an additional 15" for 1/1000 the base of the structure was 36" up from the flood plain, but at its highest was nearly 60" from the river at its lowest. And I wish I had known about telling EA to get stuffed and the sequential test .....!

I looked at one that was 1/4 acre near me for £20k - was right on the river and formed part of the flood plain. The "design" we came up with was a roundhouse that could raise if needed - only needed around 15" lift for the 1/1000 year limit to be exceeded and could be done with four 50 tonne rams and a hydraulic pump which would cost less than £1,000 to do. Nimby neighbours put me off that one ..!

If you are putting UFH pipes in it then be very careful about movement joints. Suggest they go under a wall if you do put them in and then make sure there is sleeving where the pipes go through the doorway.

Ok that's not too bad then !

I take it the plan is not to insulate any of the pipework as its all clipped together ...??

I also thought they ran at 90 degrees to the joists as that further reduced the contact point ...??

That's building regs approval not planning. Get the manufacturer to provide their calculations for the design and that will be fine

Is the name of the supplier the condition, or that they approve the supplier..??! if it's the latter it's nothing to do with planning...

I had a Grohe Avensys Modern that the thermostat went on twice in 3 years ... Replaced under warranty and then the control block started allowing a small leak past which in the end I fixed by strip and rebuild - easy enough if you have a 42mm socket..! Not what I would expect for a £400 unit

Agree with that on the FST - needs it really but the difference is it dries in 20 minutes ... If it's all timber frame then you can staple rather than screw Fermacell to the stud work - just use resin coated 30mm staples. Less to fill as well than a screw head.

Fermacell - and two layers of 10mm will be pretty much solid ! Fill the joints and screw holes with ordinary Alabastine filler and then a coat of FST and a white emulsion over the lot an hour later.

Also allows the pipe to expand more as there is nothing restricting the expansion.

Is this set in concrete or in spreader trays under the floor ...??

Ian I don't think anyone sees it as negative - what's disappointing with the "industry" is its lack of investment in new methods. The UK seems to be 5-10 years behind the rest of Europe on construction technology and even the basics have to be imported. Look at the Window industry for an example and it's just driven to a bare minimum to meet regulations. I I was talking to Quinn at length at Ecobuild about their construction methods and even they said the update into mainland UK was going to be minimal - there wasn't or isn't the need for change. I remember many years ago the development of a plastic wall tie by my fathers company. It far exceeded the thermal bridge requirements we have now, but it's strength could not compete on a stretch test with steel - the BS standard test. To prove a point, they set a plastic and a metal tie into mortar and let it set for 28 days and then retried the test. The smaller surface area of the metal loop tore out the mortar joint - the plastic stayed intact. But that's not the test they use for strength - they test the component ! In Australia and South Africa they are widely used and walls don't fall down ..! But as it doesn't meet the BS testing regime, then it is deemed inferior. I do get the use of standards but sometimes we need to get off the fence and try some new things - and it's sad that mostly it's the self builders who are doing that as the volume builders are just set in their ways.

A lot of the new "guidance" is actually thinly veiled arse covering by the warranty companies and the likes of NHBC and others. Why disrupt the status quo if it's been working for 30 years ..?? I remember looking at some products in Iceland that would be great in the UK but aren't certified by BBA or others so can't be used - cost of certification far outweighs the benefits. @ProDave I think your system is used in a lot of German builds with no issues however it's not been fully certified for UK use which is barking mad ..!! Makes no sense as the last time I checked, rain was rain and frost was frost no matter where you were !!

Thanks @Temp - this is a very large domestic garage that is being converted so doesn't qualify despite not house any vehicles for the past few years. We would need to prove a car has not been parked in it for 10 years to qualify.

We've got 3 walls that are refurb with cavities from 65-100mm and then a pair of single story extensions that have a 150mm cavity. The 65mm wall will get filled and IWI, the rest get full fill graphite bead and I do get the point about getting them full - given the option I would go with TF and Warmcell but as its two extensions and a conversion it's proved impossible to get a decent price. There is also some internal detail that needs steelwork and TF becomes even more complex at that point.

Go down the route of Fermacell or the new Gypsum board and your stud walls will be solid. You can hang cupboards direct onto fermacell or just plan and put a noggin all the way across at the correct height.