rbw

Thanks @puntloos that link is really helpful and does as you say suggest that there’s going to be a further transition, but looks as though duty will still apply but on the UKGT tariff which is generally more favourable but just as incomprehensible! Still don’t feel like chancing it so am going to try and get any big ticket items I need for my build in the country before the deadline if I can.

Thanks @Nickfromwales - this could be an issue. The unit will definitely be in the basement with the ground floor being 200mm concrete slab then 100mm celotex, the ufh then flooring so likely to be okay from floor above. Issue is that the adjoining basement room may be used from time to time, not sure what as yet though. Am I right in thinking that a monoblock unit needs to be within 6m of the house, preferably as a close as possible?

@A_L thanks... by split ASHP I mean one that has the fan unit outside and another unit (compressor?) inside. I understand with these the fan unit can be placed some distance away.

@A_L that’s interesting thanks, especially what you say about not being able to do DHW. I was sure I’ve seen some split Daikin units (Altherma?) that do both heating and DHW.

I am coming to the conclusion that despite my site having mains gas I’m going to go the ASHP route for UFH and DHW. This is primarily driven by the seeming faff of installing a gas boiler in the basement plant room - flue routing is a nightmare in our instance. Likely I’ll want to add solar PV at some point in the future too which I understand can be more advantageous in an ASHP system. However, for aesthetic reasons I’d like to hide the ASHP somewhere - the house is built into a bank so I can’t easily stick it around the back out of site. This leads me to the conclusion that I need to go for a split ASHP but I’d love to understand what drawbacks, if any, this type of system brings. Could anyone provide their experiences or links to some good units? Still not sure what size I need but I’m guessing around the 8 - 12kW range. many thanks.

Hello... do you have a source for this info? The UK gov website says “From 1 January 2021, the UK will apply a UK-specific tariff to imported goods”. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-tariffs-from-1-january-2021 The actual tariffs themselves appear to be governed by the Byzantine rules for non eu imports. I wouldn’t be surprised if some suspension is put in place, but at the moment I can’t find any reference to it. cheers.

You might also like to try your council’s complaints procedure. Several times during my planning “process” I called the complaints department and politely explained my situation and frustration which resulted in an internal email copying line managers, department managers etc. This sped things up without actually making an informal complaint. Got to say this does sound awful though! I struggle with a such an internal inflict when it comes to planners - sympathy (often massive case load, poor pay, no respect) coupled with complete contempt (capricious, officious, incompetent, unimaginative).

Yep, just had a quote for less than that for £500k of cover. Our building control folks are in Bristol and they will be covering both building control and warranty inspections which simplifies things a bit and so far (early stages) they’ve been good to deal with. PM me if you’d like details.

This has been a topic of debate with us for quite a while... cost for visual grade CLT can be pretty pricey and as you say it makes dealing with services tricky. Too much exposed and you can also end up with a look that, in my opinion, maybe suits a ski lodge, or public building but is limiting for a family home. Some people love it though and if you do then it’s a great option - but you also need to be more picky over your ultimate CLT supplier as I hear some do a better visual grade than others. Current plan is to mix wood panelling with plasterboard sections and potentially leave some key CLT areas exposed. Ceilings are going to be plaster boarded and hung so we can run services there as well as in the hefty insulation zone on top of the first floor slab along with a few internal walls that are going to be stud for this purpose. Our architects have done a seemingly good job accounting for all this in the plan and have worked really hard on getting what looks like a good routing scheme for the MVHR and waste etc. Electrics is up to us though - wiring to sockets and light switches will be tricky so that’s why we’re looking at covering certain areas. Will definitely take pics and share along the way...

Hello Mr Punter... Good question - there are of course the usually touted benefits from any pre-fabricated system of speed, reduced trades on site etc, and with CLT the improved environmental credentials in terms of carbon sequestration and air tightness should help to offset our use of concrete in the design... but to be perfectly honest our real motivations are more driven by the feel of the finished building and what seemed to best match our design intent. During our research we found the CLT buildings we visited just had such a great feel to them - solid, warm, quiet and homely.

Thanks! Clock will start ticking for sure at some point as structure will be coming on the back of lorries direct to site all the way from Latvia. We better be ready!

Hi all, I’ve been lurking here for a few weeks picking up loads of useful info so thought it was about time I did the intro. I’m RB and we’re just about to start work on our new build project just outside Bath but over the border in Wiltshire. We acquired the plot with existing bungalow 2 years ago and now after two architects, a lot of planning strife and a pretty much bare hands Covid times demolition we’re actually about to start in earnest! The construction of the property is concrete basement and slab topped with a CLT structure. We have suppliers lined up to get us to watertight and then we’re pretty much in our own. Luckily my father (retired precision engineer and wizard woodworker) is project managing and has done a lot of this before so I feel we’re in good hands. My main interest here is the stuff that I’m best suited to tackling - mainly the home automation and interior fit out. But I’ll have other questions too I’m sure around solar thermal and wiring etc. I hope as we get further down the road I’ll be able to help others through our own experiences. cheers, RB