ProDave

Probably, but that is what the SAP assesment is all about, These days brick and block will require a wider cavity than the old days of 50mm, and filled with insulation. Panel heaters are dreadful in SAP. Why not consider an air source heat pump? they deliver roughly 3KW or more of heat for every 1KW of electricity used. Are these to keep? to live in? to rent? or to sell? It largely depends if you want low running costs, or sod that, just build them as cheap as possible then sell them?

At the moment, not entirely. The vertical gaps let a little water in. The plan is an internal gutter to catch it and direct it out at the eaves. It will never be totally dry, condensation forms on the back of the panels then drips off in the morning. But it is only a covered shelter, nothing that particular will be kept in it.

So it has barely scraped through needing something like 3 solar panels to comply. The question you have to answer before moving forwards, is are you happy with something that only barely meets building regs, or would you like to put a bit more thought into it and build something that exceeds building regs with or without solar panels? The simple answer is done correctly, masonry construction will be okay. Choose the construction method to suit you and the building, not because only one will comply.

And Seaman Stains.

All electric as in panel heaters? storage heaters? Air source heat pump? It sounds like your architect has not given you much information. A new build (and this is a new build even if it joins to an existing property) has to meet certain energy performance requirements. Someone has to detail this with a SAP assesment which will demonstrate compliance with building regulations. Many of us on here strive to exceed building nregs requirements by a long way. So you should have full details of what insulation he is proposing, what heating system is being proposed etc.

I am surprised he thinks he can get enough insulation in a 100mm timber frame. 150mm has been the standard for a long time, and my own house is built with a 195mm frame just to get the insulation levels I wanted. If you are not installing gas, how are you planning to heat them?

No, no power yet. Making a shed of it was an afterthought. There is a SWA buried ready to feed another shed just the other side of the burn, so I can extend from there when I am ready. I could always just put some solar panels on the roof. Oh wait a minute......

I would hate that. I hate and don't use the ordinary rainfall shower contraption we have.

Interesting discussion. The one I fitted does not have a safe edge. Instead it's safety feature is it will only travel downwards while you hold your finger on the button. That applies to both the button on the controller and the remote controls. I can't say I am bothered and like the simplicity.

Well I have been busy with some timber, and enclosed the space under the panels to form a shed . Henceforth to be known as the Swiss chalet.

Hi and welcome. Oxfordshire is where I come from, but I never realised my self build dream there, land was simply too expensive, we had to move to the Highlands to do that. If your build is 140 square metres and your budget £165K then you have a problem. If you project manage and do a lot of the work yourself, you might get down to £100 per square metre, but even at your estimate of £1500 per sq m that's £210K I don't know the ground conditions where you are but if it is good and you can do simple strip foundations then as a comparison it cost us £10K to get our foundations done.

I have one of the cheap "no name" benchtop pillar drills, bought from CPC about 30 years ago and still going strong. For occasional DIY use I would have no hesitation buying the one in Lidl at the moment if I did not already have one (just bought another £25 multitool from them)

We use the Ecover range of products

The "shed" is an awkward space. It straddles up a bank so really only the bottom half has any hope of being flattened. That will give a "flat" space of 2 metres by 6 metres. Bikes will park at one end, door in the middle, and "stuff" like cement mixer stored at the other. The higher level up the bank will be a shelved (pallet) storage platform almost certainly mainly for firewood. The roof (solar panels) has a big overlap over the edges I expect it to be quite dry in there though some water might run down the bank and some condensation will drip off the underside of the panels. It really is just a cover I need to stop it just being mud. An old carpet would do the job but would not last long, so think of it as needing a waterproof non rotting bit of carpet.

But where is the compromise? In other words what is thick enough to work but thin enough to be cheap?

Having had a look, I see a bewildering choice. Anything from 6mm thick to 40mm thick. I am not after something that looms like a pristine lawn, just something that will stop the "floor" of the shed becoming a muddy swamp. I am not concerned about weeds growing through. It will be pretty dry in there so not much will grow anyway.

I am putting this in it's own topic as it might get missed if I put it in my solar PV thread. So I am turning the space under my ground mount solar PV into a shed. Paneling in the sides is the easy bit ( I will post pictures in the other thread when done) What do do with the floor? This is only going to be used as a storage shed, for bikes, cement mixer, and other stuff that could do with some protection from the elements, not a proper shed to work in. At the moment the "floor" is grass, not level and in any event the grass will die and it will just become mud. I thought about paving slabs, but a lot of work and they will never exactly fill the space without cutting some. I thought about gravel, but that will no doubt end up messy. I thought about decking but expensive. Then I thought Astro turf. It shouldn't get muddy, and should be cheap and easy to lay. Can anyone think of a reason why not?

For that detail, Corner Tape is your friend https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Corner-Tape-Forming-DIY-Silicone-Sealant-Bathroom-Masking-System-15m-small-4mm/142602357070?epid=1653309477&hash=item2133c3494e:m:m1kuYNdl7w-v1xoEOstzxJA:rk:1:pf:0

The fact is is feeding a cattle trough is not the problem. Neither is 25mm necessarily (my supply is 25mm) It all depends where it is coming from, how long, what the pressure is etc. If it is working with adequate pressure and flow and is an official SW supply then you have no problem, so I would be out with a pressure gauge, a bucket of known capacity and a stopwatch. Agreed if you do need a new supply, then coordinate all utilities to for example do them all in one road crossing.

So just ask SW for a quote for a new connection? That will come with the plans of where the pipes run, what pipes will be laid etc. I don't recall a charge for getting a quote, but it did take a few weeks. But you say there is an existing supply? Have tou measured the pressure and flow rate from it?

Also you can shorten the "opening" by 1 stair normally, as the BR requirement is 2 metres head height over the whole stair, so the bottom stair can be under the ceiling of the hall.

This is the one I used https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/pro-Clima-Tescon-Vana-Klebeband-6-cm/261428419557?epid=1806367413&hash=item3cde591be5:g:m3IAAOxyeR9TKgJ7:rk:2:pf:0

Is that the system I saw on a job last year? An old leaning garden retaining wall, holding back about a metre of soil. the replacement "wall" seemed to comprise H profile steel beams concreted quite deep into the ground, and then pre cast concrete panels lowered into the beams.

A plasterboard lifter is about £100. I borrowed one from a joiner friend, but buying one and selling it when done is probably better than hiring? Not only did we do all the painting of our vaulted ceilings, we did all the boarding etc as well ourselves, and the PB lifter was no help for that. I still can't believe how little PB waste we made, but there is not much left now. The bottom of a wheelie bin is quite useful. Or the local tip will take it for free.

I used Protec Bariair membrane from Jewsons (to order) And Tescon Vana air tighness tape from a seller on ebay from Germany, way cheaper than the UK sellers.