Trw144

Next time I ll do a better blog - you see what I m saying when I shortly publish the worst self build blog in buildhub memory.... edit - if there is a next time

This is the guy .... https://www.houzz.co.uk/pro/danielpolishedconcrete/daniel-polished-concrete He will skim anything onsite for you - can't remember the exact price, something like £100 a m2. You can buy the stuff yourself if you fancy having a god yourself. Think it might be called Micro-Crete

We had a concrete finished/effect table made - basically it's a skim coat on top of a wooden base. Looks to me how that kitchen has been made

Wrong topic!

Plus one to Ecology BS. Great to work with and really helpful - they phoned me last week to say I was due a rate reduction for meeting the energy performance target on the house. I m not sure what their current qualifying conditions are as they had raised them to accepting Passivhaus standard as a means of balancing supply and demand.

Yes it does, hence my same thought of bringing it on at night and cool the house.

I think I might programme it onto the home automation so I can switch it off/on at the touch of a button, or possibly have it off during the daytime in the summer months and on during the night when we are unlikely to have windows open.

Is there an issue with leaving mvhr on with the windows open? On a glorious day like today, I ve got the patio doors wide open and I ve l ft he mvhr on. Should I be switching it off in this instance or is it fine (bar wasting a bit of energy on having the fan running)?

Was it the varilight touch switch? I had those in last house and quite a high failure rate

@jamiehamy no, I ve been more than happy with the quality of the baths and sinks (touchwood). Do weigh an absolute ton though - friend of mines just ordered a bath for his place (not a new build) and I really can't see how he's going to get it up his stairs

What's your border Peter? Nice and neat - I need some to edge the lawn next to my patio

I think I paid around £17 for the double socket niko switches in anthracite

It's finished, except for some minor second fix snagging, and your moving in when you get back from the pub.

Too true! One of my old bosses always drummed into me "Let's not be busy fools" and it's certainly stuck with me.

Interesting how a heat pump supplier can go bump in the current climate. Had a quick squint at their accounts and their turnover was decent.

I used their 230v motors without any of their own controllers as I have a Loxone home automation kit for that side of things.

May not be what your looking for but we just have installed 9 automated roller blinds - as well as push button control, the home automation will close them to avoid too much solar gain, and they will also open up in the mornings to try and wake the kids for school. We used a company called powered blinds and whilst they weren't cheap, they were a lot less than some others I received quotes from. They use somfy motors.

I only care about the energy rating of my tumble dryer as this is the one that could run up much higher bills

@prodave am I correct in thinking it does nt require a ventilation gap? Also, could you give me an idea of the price of the board and render system? Is it a special render for this board?

My brother is in the process of purchasing a bungalow to renovate, of which part of the structure is prefab concrete. Can anyone suggest the best ways to insulate and render this element of the build - I believe @prodave has used wood fibre boards which may suit this requirement.

Building control are able to certify the install so you don't have to rely on the self - certification of the installer.

I need to repair some of the walls on a rental property I ve just purchased (couple of cracks, flaky paint layers etc). It does nt really justify getting a plasterer to come and skim coat it all and I was wondering what some of these roll on type wall finishes/repairers are like? Has anyone tried them or are they a gimmick that doesn't really work?

I had some similar mortgage issues on our build - and with a render and timber clad flat roof I only had a couple of potential lenders. We went with Ecology in the end - they've been really good and helpful (to the point this week they phoned me up and said we were due a rate reduction as we met a certain epc rating). My only caveat is they did raise the threshold of the energy performance the property needs to meet (they use this as a means of controlling their level of lending). It was at passivhaus only but it may have been reduced since. I'm sure someone on the forum might know current rules?

I saw these two years back at an exhibition in Austria. Certainly they look cool but financially were just too much to justify - and they are pretty big in the flesh.

That one in @mikey_1980 s picture actually has a lambda sensor and flue temperature sensor built in. One of the biggest issues with woodburning stove efficiencies/emissions is the user - not knowing when it should be refilled and what air should be added and when. Mikeys stove takes control of all of this and will bleep at him when it is the correct time for reloading. This was all introduced as a result of environmental concerns and a lot of pressure/bad press on woodburning stoves in Denmark.