ProDave

Last question (before I order some more fittings) I assume where the WC soil pipe joins it wants to be a 45 degree branch and then a 45 degree bend as we discussed before to "get things going in the right direction"

Ebico don't do new installs, so what I had to do was get SSE to do the install and fit the meter, then immediately swap suppliers to ebico. I think I paid about 4 days of standing charge to SSE while the switch happened.

The branch for the (non existant) shower is 110mm. It rises from under the floor in an elbow that's then just fitted with a blank plug. It's just to the side of where the shower would go. If ever a shower was fitted I would remove the blank plug, fit a boss, and have a short run of 40mm within the joist space to connect the shower. I'm talking here of another branch off the stack for the WC and utility room sink (which will also serve the washing machine) I'm coming round to putting it all within the joist space, but not liking any of the 40 (or 50) mm in there. Thinking of clearing a blockage, not worried about solvent weld failing.

Have you tried Rationel? For me, they were half the price of Internorm, and only very very slightly poorer in terms of Uw values. I have ali clad timber. Sadly though they no longer do a natural timber finish inside, just painted.

It's burying the 40mm under the floor that I really want to avoid. If nothing else I am sure I can get a strap on boss on the pipe behind the WC. Perhaps that's the compromise?

You are probably right. It wouldn't be quite "under" the floor. The branch for the shower drain is only just under the joists, so I could insert the WC branch directly into that which would put it within the width of the floor joist. are you suggesting I then boss into the vertical pipe rising up behind the WC? or boss into it under the floor and bring the 40mm up through the floor?

Do they do one straight to 40mm? I have searched but can't find one.

Yes it's in the 2013 Scottish building regs. you don't have to provide a downstairs shower, but there must be space somewhere to fit one, and it states in the regs (and my BC inspector told me) you must install the drain point ready for it.

Originally I had intended just a bit of 110mm pipe then a right angle pan connector, and keep the sink waste separate. My proposal at the moment is put another 92.5 degree branch behind the pan with a short straight pan connector and what I mentioned as a boss adaptor "plug" would be better achieved by the fitting OnOff linked to. I had not seen one like that before and that would make a neat solution. Obviously I would orient it so the sink enters at the top of the 110mm. I really want to avoid any under floor plumbing. I am not leaving any access to the under floor void (as there will be nothing there to service) and I only want one pipe penetrating the floor (and needing sealing) not multiple pipes. Teh shower waste branch is a building regs thing. You have to provide space for a downstairs shower AND provise a drain point for it. So I have branched off the stack under the floor joists, and the capped end will finish in the insulated space between the joists and will not penetrate the floor air tightness membrane (it will be photographed before being covered so show to building control if they ask)

I'm another one with Rationel windows from ADW. I had about 6 quotes, and Rationel came out the cheapest, and they were second best in terms of Uw values, only beaten very slightly by Internorm who were twice the price.

The next installment as I plan my stack plumbing. I am starting at the bottom as I am about to start putting the floor down and insulating it. Todays job was install the branch for the possible addition of a ground floor shower (a building regs requirement here). That is entirely under the floor and will be the only bit of the stack that is hidden. So now that's done, I have the stack rising from the floor in the corner. The OSB that the pan sits on (and no that's not the pan that's actually going in) represents finished floor level. The branch will have a pipe running left to the WC. The next "puzzle" and the point of this post, is as well as the WC, I want a 40mm pipe going left of the WC to serve the sink and washing machine. I had hoped to put a boss under the WC branch but there is not enough room for that. I might be able to put a boss immediately above the branch but depending on what WC I actually fit, I don't know if it will pass behind the WC above it's outlet. I could put the boss under the floor and take the 40mm along and up, but I am really trying to avoid "plumbing" under the floor where it is not accessible. So what are the options to join the sink into the same pipe as the WC. For instance put a branch behind the WC then a boss adaptor "plug" into the left hand end of that branch? would that be acceptable? Or getting clumsy now, continue the 110mm left of the pan, into a boss and use the top inlet of the boss for the sink? Or other ideas please.

Definitely CO not CO2 They don't have to be in one unit, you can have a heat alarm and a CO alarm, interlinked so when one triggers, both sound. Without a doubt get Aico. you should get them for about £30 each if you look hard enough on ebay, that's where I usually get them from. If you are mounting them on a sloping ceiling this may be an issue for some makes. On a previous job I got written confirmation from Aico that they were happy for them to be mounted on a vertical wall close to the apex of a room with a vaulted ceiling (at least 300mm away from the "corner") and building control accepted that.

Surprising at your build usage. We have used 64KWh building the house so far. That's electric cement mixers, then all the usual electric power tools. I have a couple of flourescent lights for temporary work lights inside the house rather than halogen spotlights. I am surprised how little we have actually used so far. I tend not to work much after dark.

I'm paying 18.1p with ebico, but up here in the far north we are hit with an extra 2p per unit transmission cost whichever supplier you use (something the SNP have failed to address though they keep talking about it) so I would expect most people to be getting about 16p per unit from ebico. they also do a no standing charge off peak tariff. You were not looking at that one, that will have a higher daytime rate?

It depends what you want from your house. If mine is sealed like a tupperware box then it meas all the membrane and tape I have used, and attention to detail to get tight joints everywhere will have paid off and I will have a cheap to run house. The point about air tightness, is when you get to a certain level of insulation, then heat loss through the walls becomes very small, and overall heat loss is dominated by ventilation heat loss. If you just build an ordinary house with trickle vents on the windows and no particular effort to seal the fabric of the building, then you have uncontrolled ventilation, and on a windy day it may be too much ventilation and waste a lot of heat. With a sealed house you ventilate it with an mvhr unit (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery) so you get a good and constant supply of fresh air, but with most of the heat from the exhaust air put back into the fresh incoming air. Your choice how you build. If it's just for rental it might not be worth going overboard (though it should eliminate damp, condensation and mould issue) but if building it for yourself I would seriously think of building the very best you can.

Building regulations have tightened over the years (some would say by not enough) and new houses have to be more energy eficient (no bad thing) so I am afraid you will have to have someone calculate the energy usage, wall insulation etc. Likewise foundations etc, especially if near trees will probably need input from a structural engineer. It might sound like a lot of work when you first look at it, but the result should be you think about what you are doing and end up with a better house.

Yes I'm with ebico as well. I've used 64KWh so far in 2 years building the house and for this low usage, a no standing charge tariff is perfect. Will switch to something else when we eventually move in.

Quite agree. Another job for the "after completion certificate has been issued" list.

In our new build, there is no way the shower will reach the loo. In fact in our present house there is no way the shower will reach the loo. BUT as I understand it, the current regs say a shower hose will not reach the bath water or even the shower tray, that's why they provide those silly loops that leave the hose so constricted you can't even clean the shower properly. Are they worried you will pee in the bath, then nick's scenario will happen and you will contaminate the whole street?

But I thought the regs were to prevent you contaminating the PUBLIC water supply, not your own?

I thought this was going to be the "swap contents" issue mentioned in another thread. When we had our supply connected by Scottish Water, it was made clear we must have a double check valve at the source, so there is one in line to the feed to our static 'van one in line to the site outside tap, and there will be one in line as the water enters the house. do I take it that double check valve at source, sorts out ALL the issues of e.g where the shower hose will reach?

An interesting question is what timber are you planing to make the frame? (a question I have not yet decided for my balcony) Ordinary kiln dried construction timber with some form of timber treatment painted on? Pressure treated decking joists from the decking suppliers but they don't seem to be available in large enough size?

To some extent this is similar to our balcony we will have (except there won't be steps down from the balcony) It wants to be level with the door theshold, and at least 1.5 metres deep to allow for a table and chairs. To avoid spoiling the view it needs a glass balustrade. It's an easy structure to build and finish with standard decking timber. As your site is on a slope, rather than stairs, why not a gentle ramp leading all the way to the front where the ground level comes up to meet it? And then perhaps steps down from the right hand side of the deck (as viewed in the picture from outside)

The reason I asked about the glass, is I broke the glass on ours. The result was a missing piece of glass right at the top probably now more than a few square centimetres. Now my stove has the air inlet at the top of the door. So I would have thought having a hole in the glass near the top of the door would result in the thing being over aired and burning like it was fully open. But no, it hardly burned at all until I replace the glass. but you have replaced the glass so that's not the problem. Have you tried a smoke bomb to make sure the chimney is drawing properly?

^^ Yesterday's text from Howdens told me it was PIE DAY, "come and have a free pie on us" and it's 2 for one on Reiser Screws.