Gone West

Well done, it's looking good, like the windows.

Amazing, yeah I would think I was dreaming if I lived there.

Christ, 9kW, that would have the floor tiles curling up at the edges in my house.

I've recently finished laying the bamboo flooring upstairs. The first day I didn't wear knee pads and felt it, but after that I wore them and no problems.

It looks good but how effective will it be? Hot head and wet feet? Mounting it in the floor Marilyn Monroe style might work better, now there's a thought in more ways than one.

Review of our foundations and TF PM experience. Our project managing experience entering our first self build can be best described as minimal. We had totally renovated a Victorian cottage before starting the self build. The builders we used for that project were a father and son team who were members of the Guild of Master Craftsmen and required no supervision. Their work was exemplary and I acted as a labourer so I was naïve to the ‘real world’ of building. For our new build we used the Isoquick insulated slab system. I found this to be an excellent system but as with all systems it is how it’s installed that makes the difference. We used the, at the time, only UK installer. As it was the first Isoquick system installed in the UK Isoquick sent over a technician from Germany to oversee the insulation installation. That went well and the rest of the installation was done by UK workers who fitted the steel reinforcing and laid the concrete. This is where problems started and we saw poor working practices. Fortunately we were videoing the whole process and we used that as evidence of what we saw. We showed the video to the MD of the company and eventually this resulted in the whole slab being cut up with a diamond road cutter and a new system laid. This is detailed more in my blog. The MD of the company accepted their errors and the work was redone at no cost to us. The timber frame was supplied by a local company that has since ceased trading. The design of the frame is novel in being a portal timber I-beam frame which reduces thermal bridging. The design and structural work of the frame was carried out without problems with a lot of input from us including the slab design. The slab was reasonably flat and the sole plate fitted without problems. There were two knowledgeable TF workers who worked well setting out the frame. Unfortunately the leader of the two fell off a roof and broke his heels, not on our site though. After that things started to go downhill. I noticed poor practices in the racking of the frame which I reported to the MD of the company who sent someone out to ensure the badly fitted racking was removed and new fitted. I noticed the size of the stairwell was incorrect which meant the metal web joists had to be altered. The tall feature window opening in the hall was positioned wrongly which meant removing the racking and fitting new I-beam noggins. The job was taking them longer than they had anticipated so at the end we agreed that I would finish off in return for a reduction in the final bill. All the problems that I mentioned to them were sorted out without issue. I did discover faults after the job was finished such as a large dip in the whole length of the single storey roof and a bow in the side of one of the walls. I think that just being there and watching what was going on cut down on any corner cutting. I think we have been lucky compared to @lizzie and monitoring practices on site is critical. This is unfortunate, but seem to be the norm in the building world these days.

It depends on the glazing design with respect to possible overheating and whether the MHRV unit has summer bypass.

I may have it wrong but AFAIK T&T only open inwards and casement only open outwards. We now have T&T which is new to us and the advantage of tilt is useful for ventilation but having the windows pivot inwards can be awkward eg window blinds. Then again cleaning T&T couldn't be easier. MVHR doesn't need to be used in the summer when the windows can provide ventilation.

No I bought plastic ducting and fittings which I fitted myself. I did design the system myself so it was easy to work out was was required.

It has a built in EASHP which heats the water and heats the ventilation supply air up to 40C. That is supplementary heating because we also have electric towel rails in each of the three 'bathrooms'. These are 300W but are turned down to around 200W and are on eight hours a day. The heat from these is recovered and heats the supply air. We are not living in the house yet but it's kept at around 19C/20C. The Genvex Combi185LS has worked well for us so far but ours is a very low energy house.

Just over £5000 direct from Denmark. Just over £8500 in bought in the UK.

I used Erbauer hole cutters for the pipe cut outs in the HardieBacker but they didn't last very long.

Quite possibly, I just tend to over engineer things.

I have found it difficult comparing this style of door from different suppliers. For the same size and thickness there appears to be quite a range in the weight of the doors from the various suppliers. I assumed, possibly incorrectly, that a heavier door would have more oak in it and therefore may be better constructed. There are also differences in how much can be trimmed from the sides.

I've started hanging the doors upstairs which are oak Mexicano design. I have been using Osmo Polyx Clear Satin and the finish is excellent. I have never used it before but it was really easy to paint on even in the grooves down the door. I would certainly recommend it.

That looks very similar to the Genvex Combi 185LS that I have installed in our house. It provides ventilation, hot water and warm air heating. I used plastic ducting which has worked well.

I used a circular saw with a TCT blade but it ruined it eventually and I pre-drilled and countersunk all the screw holes and used s/s screws.

Compared to MR plasterboard it's hard work to cut and drill but I used it in the wetroom, bathroom and en-suite and I think it's worth it.

Wendy knows better than to expect a nice square cupboard to keep a laundry basket in so she bought one of these. https://www.brabantia.com/uk/foldable-laundry-basket-grey/

If painting with a roller don't go at it like a mad thing. Roll more slowly and if doing a ceiling, roll in front of you, not above your head.

I can't work in a mess so either I clear up as I go along(what I usually do), at the end of the day or the beginning of the next day. The BCO always says he has never been to such a tidy site. Even when I'm painting I don't get any on me and my mate can't understand how it's possible. We're all different and what works for one, doesn't for another.

This is the water supply side. This is the hot water, ventilation and warm air heating unit (Genvex Combi185). This is the electricity cupboard. The washing machine will be squeezed in between the Genvex and water supply cupboard (when built). This is all in a room 1.9m x 2.3m.

Another interesting building related one. https://newatlas.com/super-wood-stronger-steel/53307/

For a bit more cash you could clad the outside with aerogel lined MgO boards.

Costly at the moment. Will aerogel ever be cheap though? https://newatlas.com/aerobrick-aerogel-brick/53001/