Roundtuit

We had 26 x 10m deep piles as you describe. It took about a week. The little tracked rig arrived on trailer behind a 4x4 so no big mobilisation fees, minimal noise and disturbance to neighbours. Filled with concrete with rebar down the centre for tying into the ring beam. I've no experience of other methods, but I'd happily use this again without a second thought.

Shop around. My initial quote was > £6k, and I ended up paying about half of that. Watch out for the extra costs for bricklayers adaptations and additional weeks if things overrun!

Wife and daughter have been out sofa shopping today. Bit premature I thought. Amongst other things, I still need to do the Bath surround/Boxing in, and we all know how long that takes. ?

Yesterday was the moment of truth, and we had our first airtightness test (will do no. 2 on completion). No tears were shed, and I think I should be pleased with 0.84 ach on a 270 sq m build. Can't help the urge to hunt down and fill the offending leaks though!

Plans look great - I like the open plan living thing. We're also on the Cambs/ Lincs border so can't be too far from you. Good luck!

I've just committed to Deta slimline for our fittings. TBH, they feel better than I expected for the price, and are guaranteed for 25 years so should be fairly robust. Should start fitting a few at the weekend so will know better then.

Good call. I reckon that if it doesn't fit in your lives just yet, don't try and force it in, and don't underestimate what you've achieved with a renovation job. I'm also an RAF reservist, and with that, a full time job, teenage kids and an ongoing build, I'm thinking it would have been an ideal retirement project...

PIR varies in thickness, and so does the accuracy of fitting, so you might want to check that you really do have 20mm where you want sockets. I don't see why the vcl has to be taught, other than it might be a PITA trying to fit it 'baggy'. If space is tight, I think I'd work round the room fitting vcl and noggins/25mm metal back boxes at the same time so you can leave a bit of slack where necessary. When the plasterboard is on, you'll have almost 35mm depth for wiring.

Double, nay, triple check the direction-of-flow arrow. You don't want your bathroom decorated like a portaloo on a rollercoaster ride.

Hi. I went through this challenge earlier this year, and my thoughts are as follows: as above, your cavity closers need to cover at least three bases; fire protection, thermal insulation and damp ingression (If your windows don't span the cavity to meet the outside skin and cover your closers, then you'll also need something aesthetically acceptable). If your block work isn't up yet, you can diy it by fixing timber battens around openings wide enough to fill the cavity (100mm), set back to allow for say 50mm of celotex, with a layer of dpm sandwiched in between that and the blockwork (I stand to be corrected on the correct location for the dpm!) I decided that was too much hassle, and used kingspan thermabate. Not cheap, but fire rated (unlike the cheaper stuff which appears to be really only suitable for brick and block builds), damp proof, and easy to work with for a first-timer! Prices varied widely, so shop around when you're pricing up the options.

I've just been quoted £48 for oak doors, which looks like being on the right side of average.

No, not an MBC build, but a 'supply and erect' package from a local timber frame manufacturer (who supplies nationally), using a local architect as part of the deal. I suppose it was a bit unusual in that the architects 'design' stage was paid for through the TF company (discount rate) as part of the frame contract, but the BC part I paid for directly. I've had loads of support and advice from the architect and consider it money well spent.

From memory, I paid about £2k for item number 1 of the building control stuff, so on that basis, you're getting 2-9 FOC, although 5,6,7,8 sound like 'bulkers' to help justify the price. SAP/EPC modelling was included in my BC application - they've already done the spec, so I'd have thought it was only half an hours work; a quick google suggests < £100. For me, section 3 feels like it's just into the realms of project management, and its value depends on how you feel about it. Personally I wouldnt have been happy with an architect specc'ing the job past the BC stage, and inviting/comparing tenders isn't rocket science. Gut feel is that even though they've made their role sound more detailed and complicated than it actually is, and spread some of the cost over the epc, the overall cost is actually quite reasonable.

Someone else's. ?

Looks great! Can't wait to be in the same position. I do like your light fittings sans ceiling rose - a nice clean detail.

Not sure why you'd need them open unless you're actually going through them, as mvhr will limit the need to open windows & doors for ventilation. We're rural, and have got a set of bifolds and plenty of bugs; when they're open, I'll turn off the mvhr and I think we'll just have to accept a few flying visitors.

Assuming your build is, like most self builders, a one-off design, you might have to pioneer a solution and I think the ultimate answer will be 'wherever it fits'! Shouldn't make any difference whether its in or out of the airtight envelope; just seal the membrane to the ceiling terminals and/or ducting as appropriate. I think insulation is important though; where my ducting is outside of the airtight layer (and therefore the 'warm bit') I'm trying to ensure it's got plenty of insulation around it. Probably best to extract from high level vents, but supply could be low level if it makes it easier to run ducts.

Thanks all. I probably have about a dozen boxes on external walls with a 25 mm cavity. All the internals are metal on noggins. I guess I could have put noggins in, but in a 25mm cavity they would have had to go above and below, with holes drilled for cables and I just didn't have the time to mess about with them as I'm battling to stay ahead of the boarding. I like the idea of a squirt of LE foam behind for a solid fix - top tip!

I've put noggins and metal boxes for switches and sockets where space allows, but where it doesn't, it's plastic cavity boxes . The question is, to fit before or after plastering? A quick google indicates a split opinion; what's the collective buildhub view please?

I'm in! Build hub logo one one side, DIY SOS phone number on the other? ?

I'm about 90% through airtight taping, and I have to say, I'm sick to death of the stuff, and once I'm finished I wish never to see it again! That said, I'm happy that it's been done to the best of my ability, but I'll cry if I don't get a half decent test result. The best bit? To be honest, I reflect fondly on the dreaming, designing, planning and prepping stage. The actual building part has been hard work. One day, I hope to say that moving in was the best bit. ?

We occasionally used to get serenaded by 5 interlinked smoke alarms at silly o'clock in the morning. The adrenaline dump had usually subsided by breakfast time.. Anyway, all I could put it down to was dust, agitated by a breeze if we had windows open on a warmish night. I started dismounting and vacuuming twice a year and the problem went away. No transformers in ours, just mains powered with 9v battery backup.

Ok. 148. Final offer.

60 +80= 140. Am I getting warm?

Thanks. Good point. Any recommendations?