Tom

https://www.groundscare-products.co.uk/mobile/ziplevel.html Forget lasers, go for one of these! I bought a second hand one in the summer and it's an incredible piece of kit. Accurate down to 0.1mm if you ever need it to be...

Ummmmmm...... really?

To round this thread off, and in case it's of use to any one in the future, we found it cheaper, quicker and simpler to just use a freight-forwarding agent. We hade to produce an "invoice" with an EORI number on it (easy enough to get online) and various other bits of info, along with an origin of goods statement (stating it comes from the EU). Anyway, stove arrived on a FedEx van today so all good. Just need a house to put the thing in now.

Looks like you came up with a good solution to the constraints of the conversion, but (correct me if I'm wrong) it doesn't sound like you had "full planning", more like permitted development rights for change of use. Full planning permission would have allowed you to build a new house, rather than convert what was there.

Our borehole water went all horrid a year or so ago after years of being fine, lots of iron and sulphur dioxide. Got one of these bad boys and all good: https://www.gapswater.co.uk/acatalog/copy_of_Filox__Iron._Manganese_and_Hydrogen_Sulphide_removal__Systems.html

Hi - I was researching similar things on here recently and was helpfully pointed in the direction of this https://www.schiedel.com/uk/products/additional-ranges/protect-box/ Might do the trick for you. Annoying that most installation companies seem to have absolutely no idea what you are talking about when you try and discuss airtightness etc.

Not too bothered about having to pay the Spanish VAT tbh, just need to get the thing in to the UK.

We've bought a woodburner from Spain but need to ship it here ourselves, cosmic. We had just about agreed a fee with a pallet haulier when they turned round and said they can't do it for us as we aren't VAT registered. Is this correct? It's for our new build, so at the end of the day we would be reclaiming the VAT anyway (though have paid the Spanish VAT). What options do we have? Has anyone shipped something similar from the EU to the UK recently? Is this going to turn in to another nightmare (to add to the list)? Thanks all

Not sure if this has been mentioned already, but you could try an optical sensor, something like this https://paraquatics.co.uk/product/tunze-osmolator-5017-replacement-optical-sensor/ I used exactly this for an auto top-up for a reef aquarium. Worked faultlessly - though would obviously trigger the pump when the level fell too low - but sure it could be reversed so as to trigger an alarm or similar if it sensed water. Worth thinking about as a back-up.

There was very little difference in the appearance of the building we applied for full planning for, save for the addition of more glazing. There is one similar case near us actually where they were given full planning for a very different structure and even on a different area of the plot. Once the principle of a residential buiulding being on the plot has been established under Part Q there's no reason really why you can't do the same and submit a different design, but as ever can very much depend on how your LA treats these applications. Worth a trawl through the portal to see if there have been similar applications local to you.

Which is why you apply for full planning permission. Then you can knock the buiulding down with gay abandon

Knock it down and start again? Probably cheaper, and the finished building would no doubt be better. A good few on here (including me) have had full planning granted for a new build once the change of use under Class Q has been confirmed. Easier to get that than it was for the Class Q TBH.

Sure it's not the worlds biggest HP but it's better than an immersion alone. Using the heat loss spreadsheet I've calculated my total daily heat loss power for January OAT: 5677W and for the minimum January OAT 6826W - energy input at 4224kWh and 5079kWh respectively. We'll have an approx ~12kW PV array on the roof. I've been considering using just an immersion for the DHW and a willis for the UFH, but thinking one of these combined units would make better use of my self-generated power and would have to import less.

The Tesy one does, according to the marketing blurb. And they all seem to have ducted air supplies with schematics showing air taken from uheated spaces or outside.

I'm looking at the Dimplex https://www.heatershop.co.uk/dimplex-edl270uk?gclid=Cj0KCQjwteOaBhDuARIsADBqRejTn69GZP1GFrPKsNMLBhwz7t4cxpwaRlVbRKjbGJsZ-zy5IW2NHDcaAre3EALw_wcB and the Vaillant https://www.theheatpumpwarehouse.co.uk/shop/heat-pumps/air-source-heat-pumps/vaillant-arostor-270-litre/ but it's not clear whether these can also run a closed UFH circuit too - I'm guessing not? The Tesy looks like it can (https://www.modernheat.co.uk/product/2484/) but doesn't seem available anywhere. Has anyone any experience with running these for both DHW and UFH?

Sure, also available in 100mm and 140mm thickness though. I think we're on the same side of this argument though.. Basically, thermolite for a self-builder, marmox for an architect on an expense account

Ummm, isn't that what I said? But as I, and subsequently others, have said, the thermolite blocks are significantly thicker, so the actual performance of the insulating layer is about as good. For a lot less bunce.

We went for thermolite instead of marmox for our build. U-value about twice as much as the marmox iirc, but they are twice as thick, so in the end it all worked out pretty much the same

Great, thanks everyone, got a clearer idea of it all now

OK, but where it passes through the internal plasterboard and then the composite panel, if there is a 50mm gap all around is this sealed in some way?

Thanks Dave, is there a grommet? I'm struggling to see how the penetration is made through the various layers to ensure it is all air tight.

Afternoon all There's an outside chance, if the stars align and with a following wind, that work finishing our roof might begin in the next few weeks. I'm now thinking about the opening I need to make in the roof for our woodburner flue. The ceiling is vaulted and the roof make up from outside-in will be: corrugated tin-felt/batten-composite PIR panel (metal clad PIR, 150mm thick)-rockwool(200mm)-plasterboard. Can anyone advise what size hole I need to make in the composite panel to take the flue? Does 300mm sound right? If we are some way off actually installing the flue, what would you suggest we do in terms of preparatory stuff while the roofer is up there? Make the hole in the composite and just felt/batten and put the corrugated over - to be finished at a later date, or actually make the hole proper through the felt and corrugated tin etc? Is there a grommet or something that goes in the hole through which the flue passes and could this go in now? Guess I'm just trying to get an idea of what we can do now to make it simpler/cheaper when we actually come to install the flue. Thanks all!

Bit of a weird first post if you don't mind be saying! Are you a bot Zinnia?

Gonna go for M12 studs I think as I'm not such a nutter. Just to confirm that the 75x200mm joists are good to use for the wall plates too?

Another quickie: what would you overlay the joists with? T+G chipboard?