catrionag

Our supplier recommended a bead of fireproof sealant on the outside of the grey bit before pushing it in. Then we secured with a self tapping screw at around 45 degrees. White bits just screw in at the end - the two different profiles are for supply and extract, can't remember which is which off the top of my head but hopefully someone will be able to tell you! All this was after decoration etc.

No, they aren't Velux Integra. Hence why we can't open them remotely. The blinds are internal, so that's why they only mitigate some of the solar gain.

Hmmmm, something for me to think about as we also have a fairly substantial roof overhang in that area. Thanks for the pics, really helpful!

This looks good, John. What have you done about keeping 150mm below DPC level as it looks like the gravel beside the ramp is quite high? Unless that's just an optical illusion.

We'll be getting a wacker in shortly to do our driveway anyway (currently wheelbarrowing 20T of type 1 around) so we'll aim to wack the path down at the same time and make sure it's nice and compacted.

Thanks Dave. We'll be doing it ourselves (with handholding from pavingexpert.com of course) so no spot laying will occur!

We're in Scotland so may be some slight differences but yes - the sill already in place is the minimum level below the door threshold - so all we need to do is bring the level entrance up to the sill. The main thing I'm wondering is if this ramp formed from type 3 with no retaining wall will be stable enough to hold a path without any slipping/shifting of the pavers occuring.

Yes they want a path all the way to the edge of the drive, which we plan to do by just laying concrete pavers onto the already existing type 1 that's compacted there before adding topsoil to either side to build up the ground level. That's an interesting thought about the concrete - so you have no retaining wall? Did you just build up some wooden formwork and pour inside? Any build up underneath that/mesh in the concrete?

We have two double height spaces, one above the living area, one in the entrance hall. So far, pros: The sense of space in our otherwise fairly small living room area (4.5mx4.5m, part of a 4.5m x 7m open plan kitchen/living room) Adds a bit of drama to a small, simple house Makes both spaces feel very light and airy Cons Noise travels very well through the house via the entrance hall Overheating in the living space as the velux windows in the roof are south facing and too high for us to open for venting (we installed remote controlled solar blinds and these have mitigated some of the solar gain) On reflection I wouldn't change it. I've seen similar builds to ours by the same kit company where people have opted to get rid of the double height space and in pictures the same spaces appear very poky and quite dark. I can't say they're practical though! But life isn't all about practicality.

That was our thinking as well - saying that, this summer we've regularly topped 25-26C inside the house just from solar gain, so maybe there's something to be said for them.

On the first pic? Brise Soleil! We opted to go without.

Cheers Dave - yeah that seems sensible, and it wouldn't be too much trouble to shift some of this type 3 around to make the level entrance bigger. What did you use for the buildup under your ramp?

Trying to get things ticked off for sign-off and one thing still left is the level access from the driveway to the front door. A few months ago we had our groundworker dump a load of type 3 there, thinking that when the time came to make an access ramp we could just build it up a bit more with some type 1, then level with sand, stick some pavers on top and have the sides graded down to ground level (at least 150mm below dpc) with topsoil which we could then plant and make it look nice. Something like this: We've since had another builder round and he said that we would need a retaining wall. My question is: do we? My preference would be to keep it as simple as possible. I don't want a retaining wall if we can avoid it, and I prefer the look of a grassy slope up to the path rather than a more formal wall, as well as all the extra work that would be. Attached a couple of pics of what we have currently - you can see there's not much of a slope (About 230mm in total), but it is different from the path in the pic because it has to go parallel to the house. Not sure if that makes a difference?

Yes, but unfortunately the nearest manhole was far enough away that the height was completely different by the time it got to us. As I keep saying (as we spend more and more money on unexpected things) you can't know what you don't know. It sounds wise, anyway 😅

Or even if you're not! Services running right in front of our plot and the water connection has ended up costing almost £15k due to Scottish Water's incompetence and incorrect drawings (having to re-lay 30m of sewer to achieve the correct slope after we discovered their sewer almost a metre higher than the plans stated was a real kick in the teeth).