dpmiller

^raises hand.

so who does?

Our UPVC frames went in with cleats screwed to the TF, the gaps spray-foamed, and then SIGA window tape installed. It's pre-folded and comes off the roll with the narrow window side ready to adhere; the inner release paper can be pulled off once satisfied with positioning. As we're in NI the blockwork forms a check reveal all round so all else that was needed was a strip of compriband-ish foam between the bottom of the frame and the concrete sill to allow for shrinkage.

conversely our GF is around 145m2 and I've a 12-port (inc 1x for the upstairs bathrooms) although I based this on a pretty conservative design off LoopCAD.

NIE arrived today to connect the official crocodile clips. Only slight issue was the lads had been supplied a cut length of concentric and it was a touch tight for our trench route. We considered playing tug-o-war with the cable but instead chose to fire up the digger and cut a corner off the trench. With both ends terminated off it was a case of "plenty o'blinding and don't forget the tape"; they offered to stay and help but I could tell manual labour wasn't high on their list of priorities on a sunny day... Swapped buckets to backfill, to find the quality inspector hitching a ride. So that's that for now. Meter should be installed in the next couple of days now, we're awaiting some of the scaffold being removed, and the roof is so close to finished I can smell it (but maybe that was just the slurry off the next field...).

whilst we haven't needed massive amounts of expanding tape, what we did need just came from Amazon. What size of gaps do you need to fill?

NIE or their subbie do all the readings over here regardless of vendor and they insist on an occasional physical visit even tho we can enter readings online. I'll tell you tomorrow (hopefully) what kind of meter they're putting into new installs...

As I want all-gas and it has to be LPG I get a very limited range of choices... But I'm sure that Rangemaster/ Leisure/ Belling will all be just fine for us, the current Cannon LPG cooker didn't break the bank and still performs well twenty years on.

why *must* it be rendered? Surely the requirement for render or equivalent is only for solid walls, and isn't required for cavity. A check reveal is required in NI (and Scotland?) though.

Council BCO's local knowledge is good value for footings.

they're a lot thicker.

Not cheap, true; but the tool for the job. It's made to flex and is smooth bore. Convoluted tube is remarkably restrictive, and if it's flexible enough for isolation tends to degrade over time in my experience.

what game?

All our doors and windows cost less than that to buy, installed.

It's just treated as an IDE device.

Don't think a USB stick is easily do-able internally, but some of our systems have a CF card instead of an HDD something like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pin-bare-Laptop-44-Pin-Male-IDE-To-CF-Card-Adapter-U9B8/183751687229?epid=1443191047&hash=item2ac8743c3d:g:LdcAAOSwO2pcnL2I

cheapo chansaw? Won't get better than this from B&Q https://www.diy.com/departments/fpcsp52-petrol-chainsaw/1709118_BQ.prd bought one last year (at £65 or so) and it's super.

I think they've recently moved to a short flex-coupling option, at least that's what they sent me- it's a ~ 6" length of what seems like a silicone coated fabric tube.

So a standalone pump connected to your choice of tank would be a better option? Like Ecocent Energy, or the Ecocent MVHR and kill two birds with one stone?

GSE trays fit a bit like a velux window flashing-wise and the PV panel then sits down into the tray. Depending on the choice of roof covering there's a fair saving in cover.

Are the rising walls in ICF or block?

NIE Networks look after the infrastructure and between the quote and the install there's a form that your spark fills in- details of loads, renewables etc, and a signoff that the install is per the 17th. they also look after the meter install, regardless of the energy vendor.

Yes, the main ducts will be covered too. The unit itself is basically a big lump of polystyrene, not much more to do there.

remind us what zone valves you have plz.

It's a cold-roof build. All the radial pipes will be within the ceiling insulation (200mm between joists, 200mm over, with the ducts in-between) and there's a foiled fibreglass wrap to cover the galvy ducts with.