Omnibuswoman

Hmmm good question. No, I’ve not had any specific requests. The ceiling will be plasterboarded and plastered, which is the fire resistance strategy throughout the house, alongside our mister system.

Is there any benefit to me using fermacell rather than OSB? The walls are already insulated and air tight (it’s a timber frame design with blown cellulose inside the external walls).

Amazing! Thank you all. I wouldn’t have thought about floor levels! I’ve already got the tiles for the utility room where the plant cupboard is situated so I will get those down and will order some OSB. Will get it painted before the DHW tank gets sited next week.

Our plant area for DHW tank and MVHR currently only has Pro-passiv OSB and airtightness tape on the walls. Before the plumber arrives next week to begin installing the hot water tank and pipe work, should we put up a wall lining to make it look a bit neater? The plant area will become a cupboard eventually. We’ve not yet battened out these walls, but can do so if necessary. Thanks!

I am very seriously concerned about rising sea temperatures and the impact on the strength and frequency of storms across the UK, especially in the South West. We asked our structural engineer to spec to withstand hurricane force winds, and got a rather sceptical look. I also over specced the drainage system as I’m concerned that 1:100 year storms will become much more frequent. Sadly the government seem hell-bent on demonising people who are worried about the climate, rather than recognizing the need to inform/educate and prepare our society for what is likely to unfold over the next 30 years.

I will DM you!

Well done knobbly! Interesting to hear what you have done. We used Build Collective for SE plans, so are interested in your experience!

Hi Angus, I’m probably one of the least DIY-skilled of those you will find on this forum, with only basic prior DIY experience such as putting up shelves. My husband and I have paid a builder to construct and roof the house, and are engaging professionals for electrics, plumbing, plastering and joinery. What we have done ourselves is build a workshop, and we are doing basic labour for the house such as air tightness taping. When the time comes we will install the MVHR system, do the internal insulation/sound deadening, and the decorating. We both work full time, so have limited time to be on site. Hope this is helpful, Omnibuswoman

Thanks all. Helpful as always! I will give the workman the definitive opinion that these are not needed because of the OSB (which I have already told him), and if he continues to insist, I will let him add them once everything else is finished, as long as he only uses leftover timbers 😂

We have a workman on site at the moment whose primary hobby seems to be slagging off the work our builders did. Among other things, he is critical that our two supporting walls, that are timber frame with OSB for racking strength, don’t have noggins. I’ve checked our SE drawings and no noggins were specified. The workman is keen to get me to allow him to add in noggins, so I’m looking for some external opinions about this. I don't think he is generating work for self-enrichment - there’s no shortage of work and I know he isn’t even charging me for all of the time he spends on site - I think this is a genuine concern from him. My assurances that the SE would have specified noggins if they were needed have so far fallen on deaf ears, so would value others’ experience - especially anyone with the same design. thanks!

Our front and back doors were changed last week, correcting an error the builder made last year. The replacement doors have been installed slightly higher than the others, to allow sufficient clearance for the hallway flooring. Underneath the front door is a small gap which the builder said we could fill/cover with Orcan F before taping with air tightness tape. Is this right? I can only find videos that show Orcan F as an adhesive, like OB1, rather than as a sealant. All advice greatly appreciated.

Welcome to the forum! We are just up the river near Calstock.

What was the outcome in the end? Did the stairs go under or over the LVT? How did you fix the landing? My set-up will be v similar so following with interest…

On a slight side note, it’s always worth questioning and challenging the costs quoted by the DNO for connecting you as and when that arises. I was initially quoted £15k, but after a long period of questioning the DNO about line loads the quote was revised to a more reasonable £950.

I spoke to our passivehouse builder this morning and he also said he has no issues with 15mm cold and 10mm hot (which is what he has at his house).

I’m following the same plan as you and for the same reasons - 15mm feeds for showers but 10mm for taps to reduce heat waste. Trying to do our bit for the planet etc. Maybe the way to think about it is to reframe the idea of what ‘a long time’ to fill a kettle means. Perhaps 20 seconds more than usual? It probably feels like an age when standing waiting for the kettle to fill, but compared to the time I spaff away on other things like looking at my phone, I would have to accept that it’s the least time wasting thing I do… You could use the time to practise standing on one leg - good for your balance and future falls prevention!!

We used wood fibre board on the outside of our frame/ roof, with blown cellulose as insulation underneath, then passiv OSB on the inside.

I had a problem with one of mine for a while. In the end, I stuck it in the airing cupboard for 24 hours to dry it out (in case of water ingress) and it started working perfectly again afterwards. Alternatively, maybe try adjusting the movement detections sensitivity in the settings.

I use a vodaphone smart sim, £4 a month. I’m not sure that it has a data limit. If you look on vodaphone’s website you should find it. They don’t work in ordinary mobile devices and are especially for this kind of tech.

Bought! Thanks Steamy

Yes, that's the one! It's reduced to £50 to clear their stock. We borrowed one from a neighbour last year when building the workshop - made measuring, especially working solo, so much easier!

I have just managed to track down one of the last Bosch laser measures B&Q are selling at a very reduced price, but I can't get down to collect it until next weekend. Is anyone local to Taunton B&Q who would be willing to pick it up for me please?? I'm worried they will give it to someone else, and they won't take payment over the phone. Would be enormously appreciated, and well rewarded with cake/flowers/thanks/quid pro quo assistance. Cheers M

Thank you Ian. Much appreciated.

Our builders stuck down flooring on the first and top floors with plenty of adhesive. So much so that we now have adhesive ridges sticking up between the boards, and piles of it both on the ground floor and in my wheelbarrow 🤦‍♀️ Should we expect the builder to remove the excess, and if not, what is the best way to remove it?

I’m glad Mrs B is on the mend. Just LMK if or when you have any remaining spoil to get rid of. I’m also looking to the local quarry for material. The scaffolding has just come down, so the outside looks quite naked at the moment! Inside is a shell, waiting for me to organize the various first fix installations. There appears to be a real lack of ASHP installers locally, and not a great deal of MVHR installers either. It’s hard finding quotes, and those I have got are steeper than we’ve been expecting. Still, it’s great to have a weather tight house, and we can take the time we need to make it habitable. Next project is the rainwater management system which will be some storm water planters and a retention pond. Very excited about seeing that in action.