Alan Ambrose

Errr, what does the assessor say? >>> When I gave all the as built details, including the air test result to my EPC assessor (full SAP) my instructions were, if it does not achieve an EPC A, then do not register the EPC, instead discuss with me what improvements I need to make it achieve an A before the EPC is registered. I had something similar for my mum's place when the EPC ran out. I said I would need a thorough explanation unless the result turned out the same as the original B. That is, I didn't want any dodgy 'assumptions' knocking down the EPC rating. The situation was a bunch of similar flats with no changes since built (actually converted from an office building 14 years ago). They had all started off with the same B rating but ended up with different ratings over the last few years - with no changes to the fabric, heating methods etc - just depending on how diligent the EPC guys were. I learned a lot talking to my EPC guy who was very thorough. He said the original EPC person will have had access to the builder's docs but he, of course, didn't have access to them - so the rating would likely be lower. In actual fact, he contacted the person who did the original EPC and got the original details from them and therefore generated the same B result. It took him a bunch of time and he didn't charge me extra - I think a professional pride thing. Another reason why builders and sellers should be required to pass a full set of docs down the line.

Usually fairly straight forward - but the pricing reflects how easy it is to get the cables from one place to the other. Sometimes it takes a few minutes to pull the cables behind some plasterboard, sometime an entire day to go a metre or so. So as ProDave said, it depends hugely on the construction.

The SAP evaluation is a bit ... dodgy. Was this the same assessor? You should be able to see from the detailed report where the properties differ. You'll need to compare line by line. Are any of your values 'assumed'? The SAP objectives seem to be a bit confused on whether they're trying to optimise fabric energy efficiency or energy running cost or environmental carbon impact. For instance, electric heating gets marked down as 'Very Poor' even though it is the only green fuel. I have a property (a barn conversion) marked as EPC E which was completed in 2017 with the wall and floor insulation as 'assumed' for EPC purposes. Yeah, the EPC man could have asked the builder and/or the builder could have told him, but neither could be bothered. Essentially the EPC people put values into a bit of software. Quickly because they don't charge much. If they don't know something they guess - usually a 'conservative guess' i.e. they end up with a worse result. Whatever comes out is whatever comes out, they (usually) don't care, they've already started on the next one. From Wikipedia: "A number of comparisons have indicated that SAP does not provide an accurate model for low-energy buildings.[1][2][3]" "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-02-08. Retrieved 2016-02-02. ^ Passivhaus project reveals flaws in Code ^ Raising the bar

How annoying - particularly close to the end of the build. The one bonus to a misting system, of course, is that you will get some extra fire protection. Who knows, that might come in handy one day. Would you just need misting in the kitchen area? Is this LPA building control or commercial?

A question re ground floor and 'overlooking'. We have a neighbour who is planning to object to our just-filed design as we have some ground floor windows on the side of our proposed building which face one side of a new dwelling he just got permission for. There's no certainty that his dwelling will actually get built, but if it did, the gap between ours and his new building would be 10.5m. (The actual distance between windows in each building would be a bit larger.) Now there's a thick 3m high / 1m wide rural hedge between us that to my untutored eye looks 'impenetrable' but he thinks it's 'still inadequate to screen'. It's his hedge, if that makes any difference. Given that it's all rural and flat around here - is 'ground floor overlooking' even a thing?

As an outside-the-box solution - any scope for some external planting nearish the windows? We have some olive and other trees near-ish the SW windows - these look good, make the view very 'green', we get entertained by the blue tits, and the trees screen the sun. I trim in the Autumn and we appreciate more light through the winter.

>>> There are no hard rules on who owns what fence or hedge. I appreciate it's a bit historically vague in a lot of cases. However. in two recent property purchases I did (2018 & 2023) - it was crystal clear on the plans. Little 'internal T' signs for some reason with the Ts on the side of the land indicating ownership. The TP1 says: to maintain the boundary fencing marked with internal Ts on Plan 1 in a style as currently installed by the Transferor

Rather than SAP which is a bit simple - you could check the calcs using Part O Simple method / TM 59 / PHPP / Part L criterion 3 if you want to get a feel for the likely overheating risk. Alternatively, you could specify enough 'mitigation measures' by gut feel (solar glass, external blinds, shading etc) to cope with any likely overheating. Ideally your architect would do all that so that their client does end up disgruntled.

>>> Ill do a video for you. The kind of thing the 9 o'clock News warns its viewers about in advance?

Yeah +1 for spax or fischer. Also, stainless unless they have to be super-strong.

If the other end is a standard wood screw thread - double-ended screw / hanger bolt / dowel screw / twin thread screw.

I suspect you'll just about have enough room.

And ... we just submitted two alternative designs to the LPA ... 14 months from our initial offer on the plot and counting.

1st comment from the other 1/2 - 'it's ugly isn't it'

OK lost patience. Moving from Eon.Next to Octopus, who are quoting a 4-month waiting time for 3-phase smart meters.

Nice - you've out-bureaucrated the bureaucrats

Thanks everyone - seems clear that open verges are fine and the architect that submitted the previous application was mistaken / over-cautious.

I've searched around but can't find an answer to this - can/should visibility splays include the verges (as opposed to just the carriageway)? The local examples I can see (e.g. below) exclude the verge - but I would like to include it for obvious reasons.

Can you give us more of a clue on the background e.g. what period is the building from? the fittings? has any known pipework refurb/replacement been done? when was the basement flat created? That'll give us an idea of what could be expected to be there and what to watch out for. >>> What I want to get checked is whether all water taps (sinks, toilets, showers) etc are running fine Suggest first check yourself visually. You could measure the pressure and flow rate easy enough - or specify that for a plumber to do. Post up some pictures here to get the benefit of the experienced guys. >>> as well as if all the pipes inside/and serving the flat are in good conditions, free from any damages. That's harder as you won't be able to see a lot of them. You'll have to make an educated guess based on the stuff you can see and anything you're concerned about which you could expose and/or cctv. See if you can spot some inspection chambers for the drainage. >>> And given the flat has some small visual damp issues, I would like to make sure this is not faulty drainage/pipes that cause this. That sounds the most bothersome, and I think I would spend most of my energy on that. Leaks are notoriously hard to diagnose but some are fairly likely caused by leaking shower trays / gutters / roofs / rising damp / window seals / condensation etc. Again pictures will help.

If we're voting I also vote 'leave as is' - and the kitchen does look good 👍.

>>> opening -50mm on timber frame and then box out using 12 or 18mm exterior ply and you can create a very good airtight box to the correct depth. I've never done this before, but that doesn't stop me having an opinion . I was planning to use the ply box method, like PeterW. And I wouldn't expect any architect / engineer to specify this unless it was some huge / custom / crazy / innovative thing.

I guess the conventional way is spray foam or pack with insulation and then make good the surface? For an airtight seal - expanding foam tape or sealing tape plus membrane?

I hope this is still on-topic as I've got a similar job to do soon: Does 'fire rated' mean they're air-tight and also that can you put insulation right over them without being concerned about them over-heating?

I saw a Scandinavian build video on youtube recently - the guy said 'we put up osb then plasterboard' because we expect to be able to hang things on the walls'.

>>> Great Crested Newts -District Level Licensing OMG newts are to be licensed now? Or do you need licences to keep them?