Andeh

That's interesting to see & difficult to know what to do with that info! I've pinged the photos & suggestions on foundation details off to our architects to seek their views & confirmation on foundations in this area. The foundations could have been that deep, but its difficult to remember other then remembering 'I couldn't see out of the trench'.

Can only trust the experts here on the depth of foundations, we had tree surveys specific for this willow tree, root assessments, structural engineer spec'd it then the builder was razer sharp in preparing them. We are about 1m outside of the root ball following the assessments, and it is only for a single story, cavity double garage end of the day! I can't find the dimensions, but I remember stood nervously in it & not seeing over the top and im 6ft!

There were surprisingly few roots we came across actually. I remember as I actually cut a few stragglers back (tiny several mm type ones). I was slightly nervous doing it, as the builder had warned me about deep foundations & wet weather when we were visiting the site over the Christmas period (My wife was supervising as my emergency help!!). The heave protection might have been something else though, the architect told me she saw them being installing heave protection after building control had demanded it, and I never asked anything more about it. What gives me comfort is not a single person visited the site & didn't comment on the ridiculousness of the foundations, the running joke was we built the foundations for the skyscraper we were going to convert the bungalow into afterwards. Thanks for your thoughts so far though!

Building control asked the builder to install polystyrene sheets around the foundations in this area because of the willow tree which he did (which I believe is heave protection?), you can see some of the bits of white in the mud where I have disturbed it! Foundations poured December 2021, garage blockwork finished July 2022.

Our build was completed over the summer, following 18 months of construction. Block built bungalow by a builder who was brilliant - and especially total 'belt & braces' approach to everything. He was not cheap, but always felt worth every penny & we do trust him/his work. A couple of months ago though, i noticed some cracks in one low corner of an outside wall. It's behind the single story garage in a secluded corner, so not an area anybody would spend much time. These cracks could have been there since day 1, just never spotted. This area is, however, c11m from a mature willow tree which was designed into the build. The foundations in this area are c1.5 - 1.8m deep, 900m wide, with heave protection - because of said willow tree. The render above & round the area is fine, and has been on the wall here since last summer. It's a low profile thin coat. I raised it with the builder who couldn't explain it, but thought it could have been impact from a digger bucket or equiv (as we had some landscaping done with a JCB in this area) but he wasn't worried & offered to replace the bricks or repoint if we wished. I said not yet as I wanted to keep an eye on it. The render above this area is fine & no where else is there anything of concern. Today i decided to dig down & have a closer look, pics below! Just wanted to see peoples thoughts??

I wonder if a few small holes drilled in these 'cold spot' areas, and using low expansion expanding foam squirted in could help? Maybe a discrete trial in a tucked away area?

We were in a persimmon rental that had an apparent 3.6 score... You could feel the draft blowing through the house on a windy day. Such a fraud.

We basically ramp heating up for octopus cosy periods, plus extra time for when it gets properly cold, then drop temps all other times. Bedrooms slightly cooler then rest of house by room zones. House varies by a couple of degrees over the course of the day, but it's warm!

There is an argument for form over function, just depends on your priorities!

Hi Robynrob..... can you post up pictures of your setup? Something like this may be of help, if installed externally? https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07L2QNX23/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

We had a 1970s timber frame, already extended a few times. In reasonable condition, but when we looked at a big extension... It was cheaper to knock it down and start again. Youve gotta consider this!

4 is still a good amount below average for new builds In the uk, not great by buildhub standards but better then average!! Two £1.5m local to us were 5 5 and 6.9... No MVHR, but didn't stop them selling.

This building house malarkey is a tough gig, we've all been in your situation in one form or another! For me it was a shyster of an electrician taking us for a ride to the tune of several grand!

I would suggest buying some fans and using them, just to keep air circulating through these exposed areas!

Can you post pictures of your UFH manifolds please? I'd expect they have a temp dial and a mixing valve on them!

Building houses is not really a zero sum game, you're never going to get it perfect without extensive time, money, stress & micro management throughout the build...and corners (!) will inevitably be cut & missed. There is also the law of diminishing returns over practical vs cost effective vs end result. These cold snaps have made me realise we have sizable thermal bridging along a flush sliding/patio door in the kitchen.... 8m worth (!) which is really annoying because I was fastidious throughout at trying to catch everything, but work travel meant I was away when they screeded the kitchen area & didn't ask them to install some insulation on the inside of the frame prior to screeding.......but.....I was there to suggest dozens & dozens of other things to boost air tightness/insulation above & beyond default, and I caught dozens more that tweaks improved it. That gives me the comfort we are multiples more improved in quality of build then your average new build, and with upgrading insulation & air tightness throughout, that multiplies it again,....and Ill never be disappointed with ''significantly above average'' even if we aren't at the extremes of the top end! One thing I'm not doing though, is buying a thermal camera.....because that WILL drive me insane! Ignorance is bliss, and with global warming.... meh, we wont need any heating within the next few years!

Please let us know how you get on, but your approach seems sound!

Are you able to divert the lower point of the aco back to the road or verge? Or cut the end off it and extend the cut beyond your grounds? Remove the metal top and just leave it as an exposed channel during the winter?

Did you contribute to the fence? If not a free, good quality, fence is likely to be worth more to your tenants and ability to rent then a couple inches garden. Concrete posts will also mean it never needs replacing. I don't think you've done badly out of this long term...

Just make sure your boarders and Plasterers are good enough to have their work spot lighted!! For examples, find any house rendered with downlights installed. What looks outstanding in the day, suddenly looks like whipped cream under side lights! Alternatively, boarding and Plasters, immaculate during the day, but with the wrong angle of light... My example below...

Those air bricks are twice the size of mine, covering half with a aco isn't ideal, but doesn't feel end of the world IMO, providing you have a few more within the vicinity venting the (assumed) sub floor and DPC protected cavities. If the sub floor is fully dpc'd, and any house built within recent times should be, the risks are negligible.

What are winter night time prices? If combined with a big battery I see it making sense. Same principle would work in the summer.

Hoover thoroughly, bin the bag, 10min wipe down... Move on!! This really is not a big an issue as you are fearing! If you'd been doing it for 6 months and have just realised, it's a very different story, but something like this barely registers in my book. There are millions of properties out there with asbestos in them, what you did will be done a 1000 times a day, most without anyone even knowing!