ProDave

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.

I take it (obvious question) they have replaced the broken glass?

Ah but they tell us burning wood IS "renewable" just about every school or public building up here now has a timber clad portacabin size building outside that contains it's new biomass boiler. That's a whole different argument. forget fuel poverty. "Council tax poverty" is my biggest gripe. Council tax is our second largest bill, second only to food.

Isn't this what a "smokeless zone" is all about? surely most cities will be smokeless zones?

I think a lot depends on the particular mvhr unit, whether any built in switching function is 240V or some lower voltage. Also do you jut want a boost on / off switch or a timer? Personally I am just going to install one of those Horstman immersion heater boost timer switches outside each bathroom, and one in the kitchen. You press the button one or more times to select the boost time that you want it to stay on for. These will collectively switch a relay that will switch the volt free contacts of my particular mvhr unit.

I'm registered under the CIS scheme as a contractor. I had to join the scheme when I was doing a fair bit of work as a subcontractor for a building company. It meant they deducted tax at source from my payments and I had to declare the CIS tax paid on my tax return and it all worked out at the end of the year, i.e. if I had over paid tax through the CIS deductions I got a refund. I have never heard of a self builder having to do this in order to "employ" a sub contractor.

I have a proper donkey jacket somewhere in the garage, if the mice haven't eaten it. It might be worth something now then?

I tried a pipe cutter. all it did was deform the ends of the strands and push them into the inner sheath of the cable. the result was the ends of the strand sall curled over and near impossible to terminate. that's why the hacksaw or blade runner cuts them without pressure. (look at the inside of a copper pipe cut with a pipe cutter, it will be burred inwards to some extent)

But you get a LOT closer to it than buying an off the peg house.