ProDave

This relates to my thread about long handrail spindles The first 2 were a success so I have bought another 5 lengths of this planed timber with a finished size of about 35 by 45mm and just over 4 metres long. Each will be cut to make two 1.8 metre spindles. I got the only 5 straight ones out of the rack at TP. I bought them home and I have laid them on the floor clamped together and weighted down. My plan is to leave them like this for some time, in a vain attempt to stop them becoming a bunch of bananas. Will this work, will it persuade them to stay straight, or will it just delay the inevitable and they will just bend like a spring when unclamped? If it is likely to work, how long should I leave them clamped like this before using them? If it won't work, anything else that might?

A few things spring to mind. HOW is the heat delivered to the rooms by under floor heating, radiators, or a mixture. When ALL the rooms are up to temperature, can you still hear the low level hum of a water circulating pump running somewhere? You say when HW is off, you only get tepid hot water from the taps. That does not sound right. Can you post some pictures of your hot water tank and any other pumps and controls you can see? Assuming you have a hot water tank, once it is up to temperature it should stay there all day only losing a little heat through losses. What is this "boost" that you switch on before a shower, again can you post a picture?

Bedrooms don't need as much heat, partly because they get incidental heat from the rooms below, and partly because most people want a cooler bedroom. so if putting any heating upstairs I would not put it under the proposed built in wardrobes. But it will depend on insulation levels you are proposing. That could result in anything from no heat at all needed upstairs to built in wardrobes are cold due to excessive heat loss from them through the walls and roof.

I can always spend more. The house is "complete" but it is not "finished" You could write a thesis on the difference.

Given that the DHW is a lower temperature from an ASHP that you will be used to heating it with an immersion heater, I would use at least a 300L tank if you want to stand any chance of a tankfull heated overnight will last all day.

Give it to me, I will make good use of it.

Well the new cylinder will be losing heat at about 1/3 the rate of the old one. So temperature drop of the new one will be 1/3 that of the old one (if they are similar size) It's a bit of an odd question. I could understand if you were trying to heat the cylinder on say an overnight off peak cheap rate and hoping it would store enough heat to not need heating again until the next night, but assuming you are happy to use the ASHP at any time it becomes a non issue.

Am I seeing the bottom of the (very shallow) old wall foundations there with bare earth underneath them exposed? If so you want to pull your paving slabs back a bit and first get a wall build there to retain that soil and keep it under the foundations.

You don't have this issue with granite I'll get my coat.

Is this the "worktop" that typically rolls over the top and down the front edge? Or the under side covering? Our dishwasher came with a roll of self adhesive aluminium tape that was supposed to be stuck to the underside of the worktop right at the front to protect it from condensation in this situation. I would suggest something like Stixall which is a waterproof adhesive pressed into the crack as best you can then the aluminium tape.

Afraid not, that's 2 hours drive on a good day and I am not doing jobs that need me to stay over.

No "certifier of construction" tradesmen were used on my build. I didn't see it caused BC to make more visits or inspect more carefully. I am an electrician and when the COC scheme was being introduced I attended a seminar at Highland Council headquarters. I directly asked the question at that seminar "is the scheme compulsory?" and the answer was no it is voluntary. The bribe is you get a small discount off the building warrant, but you are likely to find COC tradesmen harder to find and more expensive. Re inspections by BC, as far as I can remember, foundation trenches pre pour and at DPC, ground drainage installed and witness pressure testing. Iinspection of bare completed timber frame. Then there was a long gap with just 2 more inspections, one for a temporary habitation certificate and one for completion, where they wanted to witness another drain pressure test. I invited them to inspect the treatment plant being installed but they did not want to see that. Paperwork required for temporary habitation: Electrical certificate, Fas safe certificate, G3 UVC sign off. Additional paperwork for completion: Air test result and as built SAP and EPC

My real world experience. I tried to avoid a vented stack through the house. I had vented the in ground drain run at both ends, but the far end was at the static caravan, and BCO would not accept that the vent stack there was a permanent feature. He would have accepted a vented stack from the ground drain up the end of the house on the outside but by this point that was concreted over so it would have been too much disruption to put that in place, so reluctantly I had to have a vented stack through the house. That little bit of boxed in space through the utility room, indeed the plasterboard of that bit is about 1 degree cooler than the other outside walls. Someone will no doubt calculate how much heat loss I am getting by a section of wall 2.4M high by 300mm wide being 1 degree cooler than it would be if the cold vent pipe was not there.

Scottish regs have the minimum distance from an internal corner and slightly different height limits. The important thing is these regs only apply to general purpose sockets, so you are allowed high up sockets dedicated to a tv or projector for instance.

Yes I missed the VAT on the last bit, but it wasn't actually much. The windows for the sun room were included in the VAT claim as the last item so it was only about £800 or materials that missed the VAT claim. It was a mixture of congratulations and relief that at last we knew there would be no more picking over and criticising minor details of the build. My wife summed it up by saying "it feels like it is OUR house at last.

I guess the last bit of "paperwork" relating the the new build has just been completed, the dreaded Council Tax. We had been paying band A council tax for the static caravan, and since Covid the assessor has stopped his regular visit to see if we have moved in. So yesterday we had 2 notifications, one saying the caravan has been de listed, and the other saying the new house has been added to the register at Band E. Both effective from the date of the building control completion certificate. Band E sounds right to me, I have looked at all the houses I know of similar size and none are lower than Band E and some are in band F. I could not find anything comparable in band D to try and argue it lower so we will just accept that. Interesting that the valuation has been done "off plan" the valuer has not been in the new house. Last house we built it was done by inspection and physical measurement of the building.

A problem you will hit by keep adding more panels is you will reach the G98 limit of 3.68kW Beyonf that you need G99 approval which has to be done prior to connecting the panels and may come with a network upgrade cost or you may not be allowed.

Our house is just slightly larger and probably in a colder place, and a 5kW ASHP runs hearing (UFH) and DHW fine without problem and very cheaply. We also have a 5kW room sealed WBS which is positioned so heat from that will heat the whole house. Like @jamieled the WBS would do our entire space heating, but I would probably struggle keeping up enough wood to feed it if I used it all the time, and it does not have a back boiler to heat the DHW Plus you need to be there to manage it. No good for when you go away and come back to a cold house. So I like the ASHP for it's "just gets on with it" automation but with the flexibility to burn some wood when we want to.

Assuming you are England or Wales, I would guess he means he is no longer a member of a competent persons scheme so can't sign it off under part P?

Why the new storage heaters? Unless they are really old and tatty looking, there is not a lot that can't be fixed in an old school storage heater, for a lot less than replacing them. Ditto the HW tank, worst case a new immersion heater.

If you are still at first fix, then I assume most of what has been installed is still visible, so there should not be an issue with another electrician taking over. Have you paid 75% of the total? If so you will be wanting a lot of that back. What is his reason for not coming to complete the job? I have had jobs delayed like this, to the point I had assumed by the time delay they had got someone else, but when eventually they were ready I completed the job as agreed.

Makita impact driver for £26.95 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B017AQXGNE?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE Shame it's 12V not 18V

The left hand cable into the rusting switch fuse in the garage looks to be the feed from the house. Check that out for cable type, route, continuity and insulation resistance, and of course size. It looks like it's SWA. If that is okay then a new mini garage CU fed from that and rewire the garage. Nothing there looks worth saving.

My money would be on a motorised valve, either stuck or failed microswitch. That would be the first thing I would check to observe that they do open and close when demanded and that the feedback switch works.

My impression was they wanted the stairs to comply for a temporary habitation. Any chance you could set up a downstairs bedroom and bathroom and get a temporary habitation as a bungalow without any stairs?