Stones

Don't disagree with that, but I suspect I'll face an uphill struggle with SWMBO to persuade her to keep it. Once finished it will become a 'feature' and its that which will dictate things. She wasn't that keen on the idea of shower panels but has been won over on practicality, so it may not be a big issue. I would have preferred a single surface and wanted to use the same stuff as the worktop, but seemingly it didn't provide the required 'contrast'.

@Calvinmiddle I take it you managed to house the socket in the combined depth of the decor panel & cabinet sides? Looks really good, a very neat solution. The splashback I have to do is similar in scope but I do have two sockets in the wall to deal with. Also plan to remove the current upstand.

I know what you mean. We'd previously seen the tile, but in the absence of a board/display, my good lady was struggling to visualise how it would look in our kitchen. The picture provided sufficient visualisation for her to commit (tile colour matches the soft furnishing 'layering' she is currently undertaking).

Appreciate the input, very useful for anyone else considering glass. Working round the 2 double sockets on that wall was going to be the biggest issue. Having thought about it, my first port of call to get the tiles cut was going to be a visit to the local glass shop, especially given the issues you highlight in respect of the tiles having backers. However, it's all change for me, as SWMBO has changed her mind and opted for a smallish metro tile (150x75) in quite a vivid colour having found a picture in a magazine she was looking through. Appreciate all the responses.

Thanks. A quick search gives a range of prices ( and presumably quality). Any particular cutter you would recommend? I had exactly the same thoughts and conveyed the contrast colour / edge idea to SWMBO. Let's just say the look I was given rules that idea out. Using 25mm x 25mm instead of cutting would as you suggest save a lot of hassle. Again, looked at that option in store, but for some reason the two sizes, although nominally the same colour / finish, were different and ruled unacceptable. Sourcing elsewhere may well deal with that issue.

We've finally settled on mosaic tile for our kitchen splashback, something similar to this: https://www.mosafil.co.uk/glass-mosaic-tiles-white-glossy-25x50x4mm.html?gclid=Cj0KEQjwkZfLBRCzg-69tJy84N8BEiQAffAwqijfA-IcMiA0uC7pe8mNh6Bxt0eeHuuZoj1st1r2hJUaAiYM8P8HAQ I'm going to have to cut some of the tiles in half to form a straight edge. Given the small size of the individual tiles, and the fact they are glass, what is the best method / tool for cutting. I'm going to be doing this job myself, and currently do not possess any tiling tools.

I previously had one of those Keter sheds, same size as @Ferdinand. Very easy to construct, looked good and held a pretty good resale value (I ended up replacing with a larger more permanent structure incorporating a log store).

The flip side of having the valve out of the enclosure is that you can't adjust it easily once your actually in the shower. Is there not a halfway house?- mount the valve on the wall facing the screen but within the wet zone. Careful positioning should mean users don't get blasted by cold when switching on, but can adjust without getting out the hot shower. Are you set on a concealed valve? This is after all a holiday let, so you want yo have the flexibility to easily repair or replace if it stops working and you have guests. An external bar valve at 150mm centres need not look cheap and nasty. If concealed valve is a must, what about a fixed shower head?

@tomds Can you confirm what you mean by flexi? Many on here have used a semi rigid flexible duct which is really easy to install. At 100mm I assume you have a flexible aluminium foil type duct (insulated?). Can you confirm how the main ducts are run from the MVHR unit? Do you have distribution boxes with individual duct runs to each room, or a main trunk duct with branches off to each room? Builders often use 100mm for single extract fans duct runs. The Vent Axia has 150mm spigots so I would expect 150mm for either the main duct run or to the distribution box. What state were the filters in?

Yes.

Have to say I've never understood while people get so hung up about opening a window when MVHR is fitted. Houses are for living in and should be as comfortable as possible for the occupant(s). If that means opening a window now and then, so what. If that means you waste a few 10's of Watts, so what. Life really is too short to become a slave to your house (at least any more of a slave than you have to be to pay for the damn thing).

Exactly the same for me, and previously when we built in Perthshire. I think Openreach view SWA cable as self burying. Various roadside installations I've seen, the cable is simply laid on top of grass and left to do its own thing...

The house I saw with that particular style of timber cladding used profile metal sheets as the weatherproof layer on the walls and roof, battened then over clad the whole building (inc roof) as pictured.

Having built quite a few houses, I've by default ended up having to create several gardens. Not being a horticulturalist, all I've really been interested in is something that's easily maintained and having somewhere to sit out and enjoy the great outdoors. Apologies, can't recall, do you have young children? That often dictates what type of garden you need. If the answer is no, then increasing the amount of hard landscaping - slabs/gravel/cobbles etc may be a viable option. Small areas of grass really are nothing more than a pain / burden, and you can create a pretty nice looking garden without any grass at all: Getting some lads in to do the heavy lifting is a really good idea. You can also do a heck of a lot of work yourself with a minidigger.

Our connection was exactly as @ProDave describes, with the exception we had our MPAN allocated before the supply connection had even been put in. That probably has more to do with us living in a small community where everyone talks to each other and there is a lot of give and take. I was able to push back our supply connection date then bring it back forward without any problem. I had the joiners knock up a temporary weatherproof meter box that sat on our garage slab. The meter and a temporary CU / board was fitted inside. Once the garage was built, the box was disassembled and back of the box simply fixed to the internal studwork. We ran the house supply from the garage to the main CU in the house, to avoid paying for the supply to be moved.

That's the way I've always had our builds priced. As you say, a simple and elegant solution.

Difficult one. We went for a 'double' door and it's fine, but I can certainly see the benefits of two single doors if you intend having two cars in the garage on a regular basis, as it would be a lot easier getting the second car in and out. A lot depends how you intend using the garage.

Did you apply several coats to the fascias? How much of a difference do you see in the cladding from when fitted? Almost a year on, I'm amazed how much colour our cladding retains.

. I didn't bother with an air test, just waited for a windy day, which we of course, get plenty of. As @Alphonsox says, air leaks are very easy to detect when wind speed goes north of 40mph

It depends on the amount of cladding you have, i.e. area covered and proximity to boundary. Would have to check the regs for the exact figures.

Is this issue one of the downsides of not using sarking boards that you can nail directly into? When slating a roof in Scotland, slates are nailed straight onto sarking boards - our last house had 22mm whitewood boards.

You'll be pleased with how it looks. Did you end up using Sioo on the cladding?

Certainly worth doing. I know from experience how difficult it is to return property where there is no identifying information. Serial numbers make that task so much easier.

Thinking about the test @ProDave has undertaken, I'm wondering whether a meaningful test could be undertaken using an MVHR system -either pressurizing the house using supply only or depressurizing using extract only?