Dave Jones

you need to get over the hurdle as cheap as possible. stud out and put a door in, once its inspected you can remove it all. yes a pain in the arris but you are where you are. BCO are not going to pass it, you arent going to take them to court for costs so just crack on and get it done.

you dont need to go mega deep with posts, 400mm is fine. The risk you run is having to take it all back up when it starts sinking/rocking.

your end goal needs to be an airtight, highly insulated box containing all your rooms ventilated by an mvhr system. Aim to meet new build U values for insulation as the refurb ones are crap.

only 'Entrance' doors need thumb locks and it only says 'should' not must. https://nhbc-standards.co.uk/6-superstructure-excluding-roofs/6-7-doors-windows-and-glazing/6-7-8-security/#:~:text=Entrance doors of individual homes,the door or its frame The bog standard eurocylinder lock can be replaced in 2 mins for a thumbturn (£15 screwfix). Ive never had BCO pick up on it ever though and have allways had a key multipoint lock.

marmox blocks.

in my experience you only every get persistent effervescence where the brickwork gets wet constantly. You can see this on your photo's, something is causing the corner of the building to get wet by looks, guttering ? Stop dripping/leaking directly onto the brickwork and 99% of it will disappear.

the councils now deal with the nuisance of high hedges. Approach neighbour amicably and ask them to cut it down to a reasonable height. IF the refuse goto council. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-hedges-complaining-to-the-council

so pretty much plug and play.

Looking at some of the quotes we have had so far to design, supply and install ASHP and tanks to meet our requirements I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion they are all conmen. The figures I've been quoted range from £15k for an 8kw unit and tank (material cost £4k from city plumbing) to £35k for a 16kw and 2 tanks (material cost £8.5k from city plumbing). The plumber who have used for the last 3 builds i am very happy with, excellent quality of work, price and reliability. He is gas safe but hasn't crossed the void to ASHP installs. I am happy to be his guinea pig and have offered to buy the kit needed to install (gas ?). In return he has said he will fit at cost, day rate. with a cap of a weeks work which I am very happy with as its a win win for both of us. What kit is needed to gas up the new (R32?) units and what about manufacturer warranty ?

have the scaffolders make the loading bay wide enough for 3 packs so when you get a delivery they place them straight on the loading bay.

yep

try the skip at your local howdens. surprising what they throw away.

no, id drain it to nearest run. you will have a sheet of ice come the winter.

i did look at eps beads but the u value is poor in comparison to tongue and groove recticel meaning a larger cav. Could be argued a larger cav could pay for itself in reduced brickie work though.

in case any havent stumbled across this from LABC https://www.labc.co.uk/professionals/registration-schemes/registered-construction-details each detail has a worksheet for the installer/builder/labourer to complete and sign. A good idea to try and start good practice.

my concern would be if it gets damp or clumps on wall ties etc reducing its U value. Much of an issue ?

whats the u value and m2 price of the cellulose ?

its hard to sometimes to stick to your guns when the so called professionals push back. I learnt that lesson on our first build. Never again, now i listen to them and make the call. Need a build under the belt to feel confident enough.

lovely design. With hindsight, id warm deck the whole roof, not faff about in-between rafters, leave them exposed. Deck straight over the top 200/300mm Would look nice and chunky and could be done in a couple days.

You will get more useable room with attic trusses, less labour. Just spec them deep enough

Pretty misleading a warm roof is sealed on the cold side to make it vapour tight. You also have to seal the warm side to stop it filling with water and rotting. Not many do this correctly. cold roof which is what your after , insulation between and below the trusses with the top open to air , a gap and then the roof tiles .

put a fan (like once of the crappy through the wall bathrooms ones) into it at the hearth and let it run for 10 mins every 12 hours to get a bit of airflow to dry it out and keep the condensation out.

if i cant make it using a hammer then its beyond me im afraid.

Visited Normandy couple years ago and visited many of the fortification made with slave labour. I'd dare say they had better conc then we do now. Some of the fortifications had 1000's of cube all hand done and was pass BCO today. Some even had little plaques on them with the name of the local builder and the cubeage.

I'm thinking on this as well on our current build. It needs a programmable controller of sorts to make it all work. There is a small firm who make a box to trigger the MVHR boost automatically (temp sensor on shower hot feeds, CT clamp on hob connection) I'm going to email them and see if they can make an addon for it. Just needs a bit of logic: when spare electric is available AND the temp of the tank is below 45C turn of immersion and turn on ASHP. Once 45C is hit turn off ASHP and turn on Immersion.