sbm74

Not trying to offend anyone, just didn't know which forum would be best given the question straddles PV and storage.

Yes, UKPN have provided 2 single phase supplies. 2 ASHP as it's a big house and the demand is greater than one heat pump can provide.

We've had to install a second single phase in order to be able to run 2x ASHP and 2x EVCP. We're also installing a 4kW PV array and are considering battery storage. We're getting a lot of conflicting advice about how this would work in practice. Am I correct to assume that I'd need a separate inverter and battery for each phase or is there a way of being able to use one battery across both phases? Thanks for the advice as ever. Also posting this in the PV forum.

We've had to install a second single phase in order to be able to run 2x ASHP and 2x EVCP. We're also installing a 4kW PV array and are considering battery storage. We're getting a lot of conflicting advice about how this would work in practice. Am I correct to assume that I'd need a separate inverter and battery for each phase or is there a way of being able to use one battery across both phases? Thanks for the advice as ever. Also posting this in the energy storage forum.

We managed to get them cut for £0.45 per cut and we're not going to have time to do this ourselves. It was explicit in the contract and drawings that it was Flemish bond. Contractor veers between admitting it was his mistake and saying we should have provided a sample. Thanks for all the replies. Really helpful.

Yes it is fixed price. They're claiming that these bricks are unusual and that this couldn't have been reasonably foreseen. We can insist that they swallow this cost, but so early into our build it's going to put a massive strain on our relationship with the contractor.

Further update: bricklayer is asking for £10k uplift on a £200k job (it's a big house and it's Flemish Bond) to use these bricks. It's clear that the bricklayer and the contractor didn't check the specs of the bricks that we'd chosen. We do like this brick, but if we'd known it was going to cost us this much more we'd have chosen something else. Neither of them are admitting any fault. Bricks are on site and paid for so we can't change at this stage. Would the compressive strength and absorption rate not be something that is checked before pricing a job? Also to ensure that the brick is suitable to use? Photos attached showing 1 out of the 3 samples with a larger indent on the bottom face. Thanks for the comments so far.

The facing bricks we've chosen are made of shale clay and are very dense (91N/mm2) and have two indents in them. Our bricklayer is telling me that he will need to increase his cost as the two indents will take him much longer to lay. The manufacturer is telling me that they're only 2mm indents and shouldn't cause any problems. They're made in the UK by a reputable manufacturer based in the north west and all their bricks are like this. Our contractor is also trying to get me to pay extra to have a lot of bricks cut off site as they're too dense to be cut on site. We specified and bought the bricks months ago before we signed the final contract with the main contractor. The density information is available on the manufacturer's website and I believe this is something that the contractor should have checked before pricing the job. Would appreciate your thoughts.

Mumford & Wood have come highly recommended by two builders but our quote has increased by nearly 20% for the same products in the last six months. Obviously we were expecting price fluctuations, but this seems excessive. Does anyone else have this experience? I'm clearly going to have to start shopping around again so would be grateful for any alternative companies that specialise in traditional timber sash windows.

ASHP would be for DHW and space heating. One supplier has estimated a 20kW demand and the other 23kW. Three phase power looks like it’s going to cost upwards of £50,000, which is beyond our budget, but we’re looking to get an additional single phase brought in to the property at the bargain price of £17,500. I think both suppliers are being overwhelmed with new business and it’s proving extremely difficult to get any detail out of either of them. It always feels like they’re doing me a favour. Having said that, they’re both leading suppliers in this area and have been recommended to me by builders or friends who have used them. I don’t think they like it when I question their answer. “The Mitsubishi Ecodan cannot be used in cooling mode” for instance. My worry is that I don’t have the knowledge or experience that many of you have on here so I’m not going to be able to spot their errors. Thanks for the advice so far.

Working on a tender for a c. 700m2 3 storey house; 5 bathrooms, 5 showers (2 of which run at 15 l/min); and 2 baths. Usually occupied by 2 adults but needs capacity for 10 people. Had two quotes for the ASHP system. One has specced: 2x 11.2kw Ecodan AHSP 400l DHW and no buffer tank. the other: 2x 11.2kw Nibe ASHP 800l DHW and 500l buffer tank. From reading this forum and the forum about hot water cylinder sizing, I’m guessing we should be in between the two and I feel like a buffer tank is a necessity but I would be grateful for thoughts from more experienced members. We’re also planning to reverse the heat pump to provide cooling in the summer and we’re getting pushback from one of the suppliers. We’re not going to be commissioning this system until after the RHI has ended. If there are any recommendations for suppliers in the Mid Sussex / Kent region, please let me know. Thanks

Brick and block Georgian style with attached garage and basement. House 470m2. We're still exploring the main contractor route but we may have to get the shell built and project manage the rest ourselves. Our architect specialises in historic buildings, but got carried away and has designed something we can't afford. I'm sure that's a common story on here. Currently in the process of scaling back.

Hopefully this forum can help me navigate the trials of self building. About to meet contractor number 4 after 12 months of tender hell.