IanR

You've not mentioned distance, ie length of HDMI cable. What are you hoping to gain from centrally served HDMI, but only going to a single TV? From what you've written on your comms cabinet, I can only see the DVR/NVR as a possibly source that may need it. Does your IPTV "player" need to be in the comms cabinet? With Smart TVs they can nearly all run an IPTV App locally or run it off a local, small, cheap box/fire stick. If you centrally serve the source of the HDMI signal from your comms cabinet, then you also need to consider how you are going to remotely control it. I think these days, with Smart TVs and good value "set top boxes" that can render up to 8K and Atmos if you wish, I'd simplify the setup and have a few Cat 6 cables to each TV so that you are flexible for adding devises locally. There's great solutions like Plex for centrally managing your own libraries and you can add on a DVR for recording live TV and then stream it over IP straight to a an App on any of the TVs in the house.

From how far away? I routed HDMI to behind the TV, but only down to a unit below the TV where any connected "boxes" are located.

Nibe F2040 with SMO40 controller 4P Buffer Zoned UFH + Wet Duct heat exchanger on MVHR Nibe uses Degree Minutes for space heating rather than straight temp hysterisis. Factory set at 60 DM (range 2 - 2000) My ASHP typically runs for an hour and switches off for an hour or longer depending when DM 60 is met. The circ pump works in sniffer mode.

I'm not aware of any changes brought in in Dec 2023 that made it easier for LPA's to refuse an application without providing a valid reason, so not sure what's going to be reversed that will make it more difficult. LPA's have to justify their decisions for Approvals and Rejections. The Dec 2023 changes were mostly to increase housing supply, although there were some technical changes relaxing the requirements for LPA to have an identified 5 year land supply, which in some very specific circumstances removes an option to challenge a refusal. Have you got more info on what you are expecting to change?

Rachael Reeves' speech today (08.07.2024) hasn't added much to what was already known, but I guess it's moved it on to more than a manifesto promise. 1.5M homes over 5 years Mandatory targets for LPAs More intervention from Deputy PM for large housing estates and Infrastructure projects that are being held up at LPAs NPPF reform "by the end of the month" (draft changes published by end of July) Ban on on-shore wind removed. 300 additional Planning Officers Green belt boundaries to be re-assessed

My roof is simpler in some respects, but successfully done from 350mm I Joists. 300mm would have been fine but with a large roof area it improved the overall performance quite a bit going with the extra 50mm. Filled with cellulose and have no issue with sun loading. Don't know if it would be value for money for just the roof, but if you need an I-Joist roof designed and engineered I'm sure Cullen Timber Design could do it for you and provide a full cutting list.

2 brickies and a labourer?

Is the natural stone an unknown to them? or have you already got this on site and have they experience of laying it previously? Difficult for them to commit to a daily m² if there's an unknown. You're going directly to the trade, without any "management" fee, to keep your costs down - this increases your risk. It's not sounding like you have much appetite for the risk. It's a leap of faith, there will be many if you are project managing yourself. As you have a good recommendation, I'd say go for it, and monitor. Will you be onsite? I definitely would be for the first few days. You're adding to your risk if you are supplying all the materials. If they run out, you are still paying for them. Don't expect them to look ahead, the first you will know they are short is when they reach for it and it's not there. They'll be used to working on a managed site. Get a commitment from them that they are with you till they've finished what you need them to do. As a self-builder you are in a poor position with trades, you have no follow on work for them, so when their normal builder calls with an urgent job they will drop you. Don't pay anything in advance. But when they do invoice, pay swiftly.

However, UK is completing houses at a rate of 200,000 ±10,000 for the last few years. Current targets are not enforceable. (Not that I think Labour will do any better, but we'll see)

Frontier https://www.frontierinsurance.co.uk/home-insurance

I would say central Government setting stronger new housing targets for individual LPA's to meet so that LPA rejections can be more easily challenged/appealed IF those targets are not being met.

Assuming you are in an OpenReach area, then it doesn't make a huge difference, but I went with Aquiss as it offered a 12 month contract (not 18/24) at a good price (50% off for first 6 months) and communicates excellently for the connection. They're pretty small and the MD works on the Support Desk. Free installation, but you need to supply your own router. For cost reasons only, I did swap to Vodafone after 12 months. Aquiss don't offer the 50% off for 6 months on the second year. OpenReach should supply 50mm smooth rigid conduit FOC. If you get it yourself, don't go smaller Cat 6 is fine/easier/cheaper. There's different shielding options, highly unlikely interreference will be an issue, F/UTP, U/FTP or S/FTP all suitable.

I do. If it's a (ASHP) manufacturer approved install I'd expect it to work as designed. You'd need to assess case by case to say a particular install is not working as designed. Agreed, as per my comment before yours.

I'm firmly on the "ASHP flow rate does not have to (and will not) equal heat emiiter flow rate" side of the buffer (3P & 4P) argument. Mine is designed not to and works perfectly well, meeting manufacturer declared COP. But, if you can avoid a buffer, save the capital investment.

Yep. Is it his first install? 3-Way before the buffer to select between buffer and UVC.

Showing the hot service only: Yes, but, the HW return is taking care of that, and with presence sensing reducing loses.

Why not run all the hot service from a manifold(s) and put the return loop up to the manifold only. Keep the manifold(s) hot (controlled with presence sensing), then use the smallest pipes you can get away with to the supply. Works really well for me. 22mm to manifolds 15mm / 10mm to Showers / taps. Return loop 15mm. To keep the runs as short as possible from the manifolds, I used 2 separate hot manifolds.

I don't believe you could install a vent that could be closed off.

New houses have an estimated lifespan of 60 years. I'm not sure how that's calculated as it seems short to me, so perhaps that's 60 years to a major renovation? There's an argument that the LPA should not just be considering transport today, but for the life of the house. New car sales in the UK are currently 25% "Plug-in" (BEV + PHEV), ie. zero or ultra low emission. By 2035 that will effectively be 100% zero emission (Labour is talking about going back to 2030). Before 2050 there will effectively be no non-zero emission cars on UK roads. (yeah, I know there will be a few) While you can't force future occupiers to move to zero or ultra-low vehicles the government is with national legislation and councils are accelerating that change with low emission zones and new properties are making that an easier change with driveways and chargers.

"very" will mean different things to different people, but assuming you expect it to be better than 5m³/m².h @ 50 Pa then you need to install the additional ventilation which for your unit needs to be equivalent to a 10cm x 5cm clear hole to outside. With that additional ventilation installed, you'll then need to perform the the "full spillage test " they mention, with all extracts and ventilation running on max. If it passes Building Control should not have an issue.

The Riva 76 mentioned in the OP takes its air from the room. If it were a room-sealed WBS, this would be a different discussion. I'm not sure I understand this point. If there's sufficient natural ventilation to not require MVHR, then the heat recovery is ineffective. The HR is only achieved on the additional, unrequired ventilation, so the MVHR increases the loses of the house and will require additional heat input to mitigate. Which is completely fine, but there are lower cost alternatives, especially for retrofits. MVHR in itself does not provide any energy saving, it's an enabler for high airtightness (<3m³/m².h @ 50Pa). It's the airtightness that brings about the energy saving. As a relatively expensive install (especially retrofit) and with continuing day-to-day running costs it's not easy to achieve a return on the investment. This aligns with my thoughts, MVHR starts to make sense with an airtightness of approx. 1.5m³/m².h @ 50Pa (~1 ACH). Unless you plan to get to this level then hitting 3m³/m².h @ 50Pa with trickle vents and individual dMEVs (with HR if you like) in wet rooms, is the more cost effective option.

Not really, plenty (vast majority) of +1,000 acre farms have been purchased on the open market, not being in anyway related to feudalism.

But as a cost of development, it lowers the price of the land. It's not paid on the profit of the development. Indirectly, the land price covers the CIL. There is a tapered relief for CGT. As with most Taxes there are offsets. I think you are referring to "Titled" Estates. It's a small percentage of farmed land. The vast majority of farmers have purchased their land on the open market.

With CGT and CIL, which recovers £600,000 - £1,250,000 per hectare, it's pretty heavily taxed now.

Because at each generational change in ownership 40% of the value of the land would go to the state. Existing farming families would have to sell large portions of their farmsteads to pay the IHT, reducing the size of farmsteads making them unsustainable leading to their sale. There's not that many buyers for commercial (+500 acres) farms. You are suggesting that cereal production is 100% profit. Reality is most years it's an accounting loss. It is not possible to finance the land and make a profit from it after paying finance.