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This is an interesting debate. My personal view is that it will take quite a long time, probably longer than 15 years, for there to be really reliable fast internet coverage in the whole of the British Isles. The large players are only interested in servicing high population density areas and it's unfair on low density areas. Tesla's star link will hopefully help, but it is still too unaffordable for many. Until there is reliable internet everywhere, it would probably be a breach of human rights to cut off Television signals. The UN 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers". Removing the TV broadcast signal would deprive those that: cannot afford a high speed internet connection from television; or those that don't know how to use internet tv. There are plenty on here who struggle to get a decent high speed connection. In the second category - I have an 88 year old grandmother who is quite tech savvy, but she's in the minority for her age group. She's on what's app and even knows how to use all the emoticons that I don't even know how to use, but she tells me that few of her friends know how to use whatsapp. My 70 year old mother in law is at the opposite end of the spectrum. She can do copy and paste, but little else on a PC. Only just managed to teach her how to use Netflix the other day, iplayer is still a challenge for her and I don't predict she'll be any better in 15 years' time. Irrespective of politics/human rights, whilst I agree that 99.9% of my tv consumption is via internet streaming, even living in London we were without reliable internet for about 6 weeks whilst Virgin messed us around. There was some glitch in their local distribution system and it took them 6 weeks to fix it. During that time (last year in the middle of a lockdown), working from home was a nightmare and I ended up running large data costs on my mobile. I therefore always like to have an aerial as a backup. Particularly for sports which I always prefer live. Imagine watching the world cup final, everybody is watching it and then your connection starts to buffer. Nightmare. This is an interesting technology I was not aware of which may assist with an issue I'm having in that we now want to relocate the location of the TV to the other side of the room and they have already plaster boarded and skimmed. But I'm not sure I understand how this Silicondust tech works. Once I plug in an aerial, I understand that it converts that signal into a wifi signal, but how do my devices, such as a regular smart TV, pick up that signal. There is a reference on the amazon page to needing to pay a subscription to get the guide. That would piss me off when it is freely available on a tv: "You can watch Live TV through our HDHomeRun DVR app using our SliceView EPG and you can record, pause, rewind and schedule your favourite shows using the HDHomeRun DVR service*. * Requires Guide Subscription"

So true!

I also would like to do this ideally, but in practice I left it too late. The second fixers wanted to close up the plaster board today and I just didn’t get my act together in time to sort out what I wanted. I was a bit annoyed about it to begin with because this was a great example of my perfectionism getting in the way of actually making a decision, but I’ve now realised that and accepted that an imperfect solution where I either don’t have a proper surround setup and just have a decent sound bar, or I have one that requires me to conceal the wires in recesses behind skirting will be fine. It all went to pot when I realised that the only place for the TV was in the corner of a room, which is never easy to make work with a 5.1 system. Then I learned about Atmos and I allowed myself to believe that I simply had to have it, even though 10 days ago I would have been very happy without it. It’s easy to get lost in a labyrinth of materialism. I may just go for a 3.1 system and progressively increase the volume on my Center speaker as I get older/deafer, as others have suggested here. Just thought that photo that I posted (which is not mine) was funny as it shows the lengths some people will go to to convert their living room into something that I would find hard to live in.

I found this photo on the web and wondered what other people's configurations look like. Anyone managed to camouflage massive speakers into their living room or does the set-up below not bother you?

Well if it is not as well established as the product you thought you were paying for, then this is really poor on your contractor's behalf and he should be rectifying it for free and apologising profusely. I really feel for you, as it seems your contractor has cut corners without your permission. Your remedy would be for him to, test the UFH pipes are okay, fix if not, make good the cracks and leave the screed in the condition you expected it in. What is your floor finish on top of the screed, as if all the cracks are going to be hidden, it should be quite straightforward for him to patch it up. Or are you concerned about the structure of the screed and the integrity of the UFH pipes? I think it's unlikely they will have been damaged but I'm no expert. If there is any problem with the pipes, then that is going to be harder to fix, but still fixable.

This means that your builder might not actually have erred by using the wrong product. Unless there is some objective inferiority in the product that can be pointed to. There could still be issues with the installation method though. Did he run the UFH heating too soon or two high after the pour?

I placed an order for 17m art deco style cornice (not even that big, 50mm drop by 80mm projection) and a 500mm diameter ceiling rose. Came to £180 which was more than I was expecting, but I guess it's cast to order etc. Then was about to check out and they want £65 for delivery on top. Seems a lot. Where do you get your cornices from and how much do you pay?

Does anybody have Alexa in their bathroom? How did you achieve this? Is it simply a case of putting in a socket and small shelf high enough that it is away from water sources (I think min distance for a socket in a bathroom is 3m from bath or shower) or did you do something more sophisticated like wire in ceiling speakers? Or is it easier to just get a waterproof battery operated smart speaker.

Is this what you had in mind: https://www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co.uk/product/chopped-strands-6-mm

These speakers suggest that placement at the top of my wall, just before it touches the ceiling, is possible: https://www.svsound.com/products/prime-elevation?cjevent=36bca1da6d7811ec804b1a950a18050d&utm_channel=affiliate&utm_source=CommissionJunction&utm_term=Skimlinks&utm_content=SVS+Subwoofers&utm_campaign=CJaff&afsrc=1&cjdata=MXxZfDB8WXww The only alternative is that I move my cinema area from my "study" to the kids playroom which will also double up as their TV room. This is a much more regularly shaped room with a flat ceiling as opposed to a vaulted one. The problem is that my 5 year old daughter's bedroom is directly above that, so any very loud cinema system in the room below will wake her. Although we are soundproofing the ceiling by using resilient bars, mineral wool between the voids and two layers of soundboard, if I were to fit ceiling speakers, surely that would compromise the soundproofing of the ceiling? Is it better to leave the ceiling unbroken and add floor based speakers that bounce the sound off the ceiling? Anyone used those to good effect?

interesting that they don't actually publish dB levels and instead just certify the 10% to 20% quietest appliances in each category annually. Query what the range of dB difference there is between the market leading appliance which is in the top 1% and the appliance which just makes the certification at 20%

Interesting idea, though potentially not without risk. This item, for example, states "do not apply to [sic] thick as exotherm will generate making the mix reach high temperatures" not sure what that actually means though.

What would this achieve? The surface finish isn't that important, as it will be covered. But it does need to be level/flat.

Here is a picture showing the concrete plinth on the bottom and then the steel rods and steel plate we are planning to put on top (the pictures are showing it floating in mid air, but it will be screwed down onto the plinth). To give a bit more explanation, the overall height of the top surface needs to be 430mm from FFL. This was going to be achieved by 410mm cast concrete PLUS 18mm of cuboidal hollow steel rods arranged in a sort of ladder formation (though my diagram omits the “rungs”) and then 2mm thick steel sheet, bent over the side of the front-most rod to give the appearance of a 20mm steel plate at the top, but at a much reduced cost. wood burning stove going on top of the steel plate (either side of where i have drawn the hole for the air supply pipe) My concern is that actually, the top of the concrete is not level. At places it is 410mm as intended, but at other places it is 10mm to 15mm too short. My builder’s plan is to level it with self levelling compound. Is this the best way to fix this issue - won’t it just crack?

This would suggest my architect is incompetent, as he has basically suggested buying different bits and bobs from different suppliers so as to meet his conception of the design, even though he knows full well that we need FD30 compliance.

Because my main contractor counted the number of electrical sockets/switches and smoke and heat alarms and then gave me a price based on those numbers. Any changes after the tender docs was charged as extra. But it depends on how important your lighting scheme is to you. For me, it was crucial that the main contractor understood that we were using recessed iluminos LED pipe in certain locations as the ceiling detail to accommodate these is quite technical.

I’m only slightly kicking myself now for not planning ahead better, as the ceiling above the area of my “study” where I was thinking of having a cinema area is not flat, but slanted at 45 degrees. it has already been plastered anyway so not an option to reopen the ceiling now. An option that is still available to me is to fit the “ceiling” speakers high up on a stud wall that is still to be built in that room, near where the stud wall meets the ceiling, creating a 135 degree angle. But I’m assuming that is too far from optimal to make atmos worthwhile. Alternatively I already have an old 5.1 set up, that has some fairly nice floor mounted or wall mounted speakers. If I use the speakers from that, could I add two more to give me some sort of atmos capability, or an I better off just going for an old style 7.1 and forget atmos altogether?

Just thought I'd refresh this thread in case anybody had any further thoughts about Dolby Atmos, particularly whether it is worthwhile when not installing ceiling speakers. I have a fairly good sized area of my "study" where I will have a sofa that will be my cinema area. I'm considering one of these set-ups, as I've left it a little bit late to put wires in for my rear speakers, although this could still be done by buying rebated skirting board: LG SN11RG (https://www.richersounds.com/lg-sn11rg-black.html) Philips B97/10 (https://www.richersounds.com/philips-b97-10-black.html) I was put off the Dolby Atmos not having much content available, as most of my collection is on BluRay from about 10 years ago, and I rarely buy any hard copy stuff these days, instread streaming most stuff.

Can anyone recommend some wooden drawer inserts or drawer dividers to go into some kitchen drawers, the external width of which are: 900mm 800mm 500mm Something like this bamboo one would work for the 500mm one, except that the compartments are a bit too small, as we are not going to use this for cuttlery, but for large serving spoons, spatulas, fish slice etc.

Door seals on the doors, including a dropper seal, should make a difference. Soundstop do a dropper seal for about £60 which looks decent. Lorient make one with a floor plate that provides an even better seal. As will sticking a bunch of insulating material on back of doors.

Well, the tender drawings really need to show everything if you want comparable quotes. Can’t really be too prescriptive in my advice as I have no idea what you are building and what spec you are going for, but here are some examples of the things you need to cover: What insulation are you using and in what order and thicknesses? The build up of every wall floor and ceiling should be specified, including whether you are using resilient bars. If you are using resilient bars, for example, I would also specify genie clips over standard ones. And after experiencing a misunderstanding with my builder, i would also specify details such as which type of glue you want for essential things such as chipboard flooring. I specified Egger peel clean flooring, and even though they instructions specified to use Egger glue, my builder used a standard D4 glue initially. Once I spotted this, I insisted he use Egger’s version. It is also D4, but it is expanding D4 glue. What air tightness measures are you implementing? Which tapes and which thicknesses? Primer spray as well? Electrical drawings and reflected ceiling drawings should also be very detailed showing location of all switches and at least the number and type of of sockets in each room. Where you have non standard features like two or three way lighting your drawings should also specify this. You should also be really clear as part of your tender pack what you will be supplying materials-wise and what you expect others to supply. You probably also want to think about glass spec in all glazing. 2G or 3G. Solar control? If so, which type/colour. Safety features of rooflights? PAS24 ? I’m barely scratching the surface…

Thanks. Just had a look at their online catalogue. Although it is extensive, they don’t have the particular door im after unfortunately. Worth a try though.

I'm looking for a White Primed Internal Flush FD30 Fire Door in a 2032mm by 813mm size. I want what I think is called a "blank" i.e. no mouldings, just a plain door that has been primed ready to be painted. All the suppliers I've found are quoting a 4 - 8 week lead time! Anybody know any that might be able to do this more quickly. This should be a stock item!

In other news, I got lost in Approved Document B and stumbled upon a section which seems to suggest that my expensive MVHR system installed by a reputable MVHR specialist company does not comply with building regs. Section states: Page 14 of Approved Document B (2019 edition) states: Air circulation systems 2.8 Air circulation systems which circulate air within an individual dwellinghouse with a floor more than 4.5m above ground level should meet the guidance given in paragraph 2.9. 2.9 All of the following precautions should be taken to avoid the spread of smoke and fire to the protected stairway. Transfer grilles should not be fitted in any wall, door, floor or ceiling of the stair enclosure. Any duct passing through the stair enclosure should be rigid steel. Joints between the ductwork and stair enclosure should be fire-stopped. Ventilation ducts supplying or extracting air directly to or from a protected stairway should not serve other areas as well. Any system of mechanical ventilation which recirculates air and which serves both the stair and other areas should be designed to shut down on the detection of smoke within the system. For ducted warm air heating systems, a room thermostat should be sited in the living room. It should be mounted at a height between 1370mm and 1830mm above the floor. The maximum setting should be 27°C. The system they have installed definitely does not comply with 2.9(b) because all of our ducts are plastic; and depending on the definition of "transfer grilles", the system may not comply with 2.9(a) as we definitely have an air supply vent in the stairwell. Not really sure why we have one there, but we do. Not sure about 2.9(d). A search of the Renovent Flair 400 PLUS manual for "fire" or "detect" did not bring up anything useful. I guess that could be set up as an aftermarket feature, but simply incredible that the company that have sold me this appear to have fallen very short of building regs compliance. How can that be! This is why I hate reading into building regs!