ProDave

I have fitted 4 Howdens kitchens and nothing but satisfaction.

Whether the ASHP ends up cheaper to run than what you have now, depends on what your present heating system is. I also assume it will be radiators not UFH. I would want to know if they were planning to use the existing radiators or over sized low temperature radiators. An ASHP will never be as efficient running radiators as it will be running low temperature UFH. Have they provided a quote with any meaningful technical data?

What is the construction? i.e. it is usually a very bad move to fill the cavity between a timber frame and a masonry exterior wall, though plenty of firms will suggest it. Okay if it's masonry / cavity / masonry.

Don't shout that too loudly, you might get the bill for maintaining it.

I like the sineage on the Dyson dryers

Floor sockets come in 2 basic sorts. These, https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/FP9UPCW.html that fit a standard back box. but don't seem to be available with USB and are a trip hazard in use. Or these https://www.screwfix.com/p/schneider-electric-standard-3-compartment-floorbox/67628 which ar used a lot in offices. They are much larger and need to be set in the floor, but you can put anything in there and then shut the lid with stuff plugged in and just the flexes emerging. They are usually intended to have carpet inset into the lid so may not work well if you don't want a carpeted room.

And to add there is noting to stop you opening doors and windows in the summer. MVHR does not preclude that. A side effect of a well sealed house with mvhr is even on a windy day, you can open one door or one window and not get a howling gale blow through from all the uncontrolled ventilation openings you have to have in a non mvhr house. P.S our house does not feel like a sealed up tupperware box.

So a bit more progress. Room cleared out, floor cleaned and tanked ready for the tiler on Monday I was short of tanking membrane. But I had enough. Just. It was a bit of a patchwork at the far end that is down beside the WC, but there was just enough, not a scrap left over. And the plumbing for the shower has been completed and leak tested

I have one inside my garage not over a drain (but close to the door) for hosepipe use. I prefer that to being outside.

Why? mine isn't.

And less clutter. With most things being built in, we only have ONE item permanently plugged in in the kitchen, and that is the toaster. And I am really surprised there are no built in offerings for that.

Put a bit of cold water in first (10% of a cup full) then fill the rest with boiling. Simples.

That looks good. It will be interesting to see it when finished with the sink unit in place.

My stove is rated at 4.5kW so it could legally not have any air intake, but to do that would be plain stupid as it would massively imbalance the mvhr when it was lit.

My stove sits on a 30mm hearth on top of the insulated floor. But it is a stove certified by the manufacturer to not exceed 100 degrees at the floor so can actually sit on just a 12mm superimposed hearth.

I don't just mean an air feed to the fireplace, I mean a pipe to take that to the stove. My 1930-s house was terrible. NO provision for air to the open fireplace. On the few occasions that I used the open fire when I first moved in, I found the easiest route that air could take to get IN to the house to replace combustion air that went up the chimney, was by drawing it DOWN the upstairs chimney and fireplace, then down the stairs and under the living room door. BIG problem with that, on a still day it drew SMOKE down the upstairs chimney.

Just to add my experience. Our previous house the shell was built buy a builder and the dry poured vermiculste into the gap between the liner and the masonry. Present house does not have a chimney but instead twin wall flue pipe. I hope you are fitting a room sealed stove with ducted combustion air in from outside via a pipe, not from the room?

Or I could put the heater outside out of spite rather than export it for free. I like the idea of a storage heater, but not very portable. e.g I might put the portable dump heater in the utility room under the clothes drying "pulley"

Yes, constant force springs are the supplied method for termination in potted joints. They never inspire me with much confidence, but the manufacturers say it's okay so it must be. The important thing I think (as in a potted compound box) is no strain is put on the connection. So how about the standard adaptable box method with wago's, AND an additional earth onto the armour outside the box with a constant force spring, and take that into the box to join with wago's.

Can you not find a location where the junction boxes will be accessible, e.g. in a cupboard? Or you can make the connection inside a metal flush back box set in a wall and just fit a blank plate.

Early home from work today, sun shining, heating off, no appliances on. I noticed the immersion was running at 100% so no doubt some power being exported as well. So time to plug this in and test it (I have always wanted to be present during initial testing) It is working well. when immersion power nears 100% it turn on my RF controlled relay, turning on a plug in panel heater on it's 700W setting. That turns off again if excess gets too low. So 700W going to a panel heater and still near 100% to the immersion. It is doing it's job of using up a bit more otherwise "wasted" surplus. I can plug the heater in anywhere with it's RF controlled relay. Currently it's giving a little heat to the plant room above the garage that normally has no heat. It will only be of use in the shoulder seasons, I would not want / need to dump to a space heater in the summer.

Our design was the same, but while OSB can provide the air tightness, I was not convinced it was enough as the vapour barrier so I chose to add an air tight / vapour tight membrane over the OSB on the inside.

^^ No vapour control / Air tight layer? What external finish?

Lets not plan anything just yet, it is beginning to look like I can get it delivered.

The best I do is time the DHW to not come on until mid morning when there is a reasonable chance of decent PV veneration to power some or all of it. Only one of us showers in the morning, and we rely on HW from last night for that.