Andeh

We fitted 22 LAP down lighters in our soffits from screwfix last summer, and 5 have failed so far!! Bloody things, some are 5m high to access.

As ever with self builds, if it's a problem 1% of the time.....worry about it 1% of the time, until you accept and move on. Very very cold days happen several times a year, you can't win them all.

We have a MVHR with silencers, can still hear it at 40% or higher. We set it at 15% for background ventilation, 75% boost and just let it do it's thing. When Humidity is higher outside it can sit at higher (30 - 50%) and it is audible but you get used to it eventually. If it becomes a problem, we raise the humidity allowance to 70% or something and it drops itself back down to something very low and inaudible.

I don't disagree, but it's a quick way of warning people away when they answer it's not been Insulated since the 80s and their small radiators are scorching hot.... Just saves them the agro....

We get about 3.5 Cop (350% per unit of Elec, vs 95% per unit of gas) out of our Samsung ASHP, which combined with octopus cosy means we make a large saving vs gas. We basically heat out house on 16p Elec, which makes it much cheaper then gas. How well Insulated is your house? Are you running UFH or over sized rads?

I would also look at PIV systems, positive air pressure being drawn in from the loft, which is dryer/cooler, which forces out the damp air in the house. Make a big difference quite quickly.

Not really, it's pretty sticky stuff. Glue top bit on first, then glue side bits so they help hold top bit up, and maybe stick a Broom/brush/curtain pole wedging the middle bit up.

Very benign, just a couple of lines down the middle of the Cork and press fit it well. Use it in an applicator gun like you would bathroom silicone. Make sure both surfaces are clean and dry.

Something like CT1 would do the trick I think! That stuff sticks everything.

Even better idea!

Hot water for washing the car, or a paddling pool etc etc!

I'd get up a camera recording the boundary, well out of reach, and inform builder of this. That'll sharpen attitudes a bit i think.

For the edges I remember them laying a half brick down on the outside, then the block was supported by the beam on the inside and this half brick in the outside. Then again same done between the beams around the outside. I guess technically this means my inner cavity walls are sitting on the blocks, but these blocks are sitting on a half brick for the core of the strength. Sort of see them in this pic here.

Show him my picture above, though maybe not this thread (avoid pissing him off by showing how much you distrust his work...) and ask him why 'my' picture has the beams sitting on the inner leaf and a cavity built out from them. Ill try and get you a batter picture. Edit... That being said, I don't think it's fixable without breaking out the brick wall and laying it again further out.... If your foundations are wide enough to do so. I'm also not sure what the 'issue' is with what he did other then a smaller cavity depth cavity (work hard to keep it cleaned of mortar dropping in)

We did have very very big beams though!!! With only a single subwall down the middle. Ground crews joked we were building a skyscraper, they hadn't seen beams as big in a house.

The floor.... You can have blocks on a Block and beam flooring, though check with your SE. Ours ceilings are also between 3.2 and 4.2m high, though only a structural spine wall sits on the subwall/where the beams sit it. All spec'd from design stages.

The walls......

Yes you can, we have full block walls internally throughout on block and beam. Double check with SE to be extra safe. We didn't use thermalite.

Yes, pics below... On the interfaces we need to tidy up... Front of the house is a 90 degree meeting of cladding and render.

If you give me a couple of weeks I can show you. We have this predicament in a couple of areas and I'm not sure. Builder has delivered the aluminium trims already, but a week or two before they are installed or at least trial it,

We have a vent axia kinetic something, and I ran a controller (linked above) to main bathroom, to enable me to fiddle settings without going into loft. The lack of back light is a piss take for the cost, but it does the job. I then installed rocker switches in each bathroom, and wired the cables back to MVHR itself. I ran 4 core as I had spare, but it only needs 2 core to make the connection. Means if guests/fam go to the loo and want to, they can manually enable boost!

Wish I'd run 3 core, just for future proofing. Small investment for a 'just in case' over next 10 years.

I totally agree. Its just too much a risk with the money and time involved.

Also keep in mind you're not making the decision for just now, but for the next 10 years. The government needs to improve It's role out, and has to hit some form of co2 target in future. Once they've finished with the carrot (incentives), theyll pull out the stick.... Taxes, and they'll load up fossil fuels to incentives insulation and electric powered life styles(incl ashp)