ProDave

Another point, I stayed in a passive house many years ago before I knew much about them. And like you, thought it was stuffy. The house was empty and we were offered it as workers accommodation for a few days. It was well into the stay that we realised the mvhr unit was turned off, probably because the house was empty before we were given the keys.

We don't weather watch, everything just controls itself with the magic of thermostats. We often have our bedroom window open, we like a cool bedroom. No issues.

I would expect with an UVC the hot at least would flow for a good few seconds while it emptied the pressure from the expansion vessel. If the hot stopped immediately on shutting the cold inlet to the UVC, I would be checking the expansion vessel.

If the vendor carries on like that, they could end up in a tricky position without any functioning drainage if an unsuspecting buyer just buys the plot and digs up their drainage field. Then the man with the paddock could charge what he likes to give them a drainage solution and make their house habitable again. The logical solution to make this plot viable is design a drainage solution for both houses, possibly shared, and the vendor to install it. The cost is probably a small fraction of the plot value? Out of interest @flanagaj how would you deal with the drainage if you bought the plot?

No not done it yet. Up until a day or 2 ago we have had some lousy wet cold windy weather. Plus I have been quite busy. I have been waiting for a weather window where I can be certain it is going to be dry the whole day so I can dismantle it without pressure to get it done in a hurry. Unfortunately the next 7 days forecast on XC weather all show rain. It is a good job I am not in a hurry. Heating is off now (at last) and it is only running for DHW now.

Don't use a diverter. Use 2 (or more) 2 port valves.

Well without doing ANYTHING more by way of re booting stuff, this morning it is all running fine. There must have been an issue somewhere and eventually someone realised it and re booted something and it is back to normal. I wish I understood why you get to the situation that parts work and other parts don't like the "reply" box does not populate so you can't type anything. I can only imagine that is calling code from a different site or at least on a different server somewhere and that is where the problem is.

Sorry but I can't see ANYTHING in that kitchen that will make it £55K. Howdens could replicate that, or any other kitchen supplier for that matter. Choose the best of their range, and fit yourself, Get good stone worktops and splashbacks, and buy the same top end ovens and hobs and other appliances as the German supplier is proposing. (yes this is an answer from a man)

Post your findings here please, as I am in the same dilemma, buy now for use later, or wait.

So you go ahead, buy the plot, start digging for the house and find their drainage field. You will have to dig all that up which is likely to be a lot of foul ground, dispose of it, and build up and re fill from good ground. And then what? Just cap off their pipe feeding it? That will get nasty and messy both physically and legally very quickly. The only way this is ever going to work is alternative drainage for the existing house installed first and you still expecting to find at least some foul ground to remove and replace.

So basically they have a large garden to accommodate their drainage. They want to sell a big chunk of that large garden that probably accommodates their drainage field so they will need to pay someone to allow them alternative drainage under a paddock. Their motivation for selling is no doubt a lot of £££ so if I were the paddock owner I would bt asking for quite a lot of ££ to allow that. It would almost be a ransom situation.

It is really weird. Speedtest tells me I am connected at 75Mbps up and down, and just about everything else works, but this forum is more off than on today. Is there some sort of DNS problem or server problem? Edit took multiple tries to get this reply to post.

No other problems for me, just this site. It partially loads, e.g I can read a thread, but the "reply" box at the bottom does not populate with all the code needed to post a reply. I think this is only the second post I have managed to make all afternoon. As the internet is all about packets of data and IP addresses, i fail to understand how some of it works and some does not.

All afternoon the forum has been flakey, pages not loading at all, timing out, or only partly loading (e.g reply functions not loading) I have re booted my router, my computer and browser. It has taken me over an hour to get this to post, I regard it as a temporary message to be deleted when the issue is resolved. I will keep trying to see if others have the same issue if I can get the forum to load again.

The trouble is, this law is here for good. I really do hope for a change of Scottish government at the next election, but no new different government will re allow WBS's. Imagine the bad press that will follow if they even suggest it?

This is a ban not just on WBS but anything that produces CO2 so no more oil boilers or gas boilers or even gas fires on new builds. What about bio ethanol stoves? I am glad my house is complete, with WBS. This new ban really is the nail in the coffin for any thoughts of doing a third self build. Not that I had any such thoughts at the moment, I am happy where we are in this house. By next winter the press will be full of "lousy ASHP" articles as the mass builders step change to fitting ASHP's and do it badly, or worse still they take the easy option and fit electric boilers giving customers expensive eating bills. Also in other stupid housing comments, from another article linked to that one "His comments come after Location, Location, Location presenter Kirsty Allsopp, 52, said in January that detached houses should be banned for being “environmentally impractical”.

It sounds to me the vendor has not done due dilligence, and what they are selling as a building plot may not in fact be suitable. That is not something you want to gamble on. If it is a viable plot and you buy it, where will YOUR drainage go to? Assuming there is a solution to that, then the obvious next question is as part of preparing this plot to be suitable to build on and therefore suitable for sale, why is the vendor not first updating their drainage system so it is both up to date and certain they know where it is exactly? This one might get a laugh, but trust me is meant as serious, have you tried divining? Or know someone that has?

Flexi conduit is awful for pulling cables. Use rigid conduit with SWEPT bends not elbows. Any conduit is virtually impossible to pull a second cable through with one or more there already, so you have to plan it that you are pulling all cables together. In a previous house I did such a refurb by starting with two radial circuits adding on as the next room or part room was done, and they only joined and got reconfigured as a ring upon completion of the final room.

Probably the simplest way to solve this is get agreement from the vendor to did some test pits. One close the the boundary and one at each corner of where you expect the house to go. If none encounter any drainage then fine.

You want a hacksaw cut between L and N Can you not get the rogue cable that enters in the back re routed to enter the top like the rest, thena hacksaw cut between all the holes will solve the problem.

The fix to that, is power down, remove the tails, put a hacksaw cut between each of the holes, replace and re connect cables. But if there is no actual evidence of heating, and it has been like that for probably 30 or more years, I would challenge the tester to justify a C2 rather than a C3 Why did you have the EICR? If it is just for information, you are not obliged to have it fixed. Only if it is something like a rental do you have to have a satisfactory EICR/

I remember watching it and the arched tiled roof was stuck together wish plaster of paris. And I remember thinking "doesn't that turn to mush when it gets wet?" After it had collapsed once, I am not sure I would trust it enough to sleep under.

I would be asking him what guidance note says it is a C2. i.e. asking hum to justify that.

Picture please. I am struggling to understand why one through the side and one the rear matters. Is it a case of the hole the cables go through is too big and not the correct IP rating?

Sorry to say that is a lousy job. There are usually joining strips but I think those gaps are too wide. You have to face up to them and tell them they are not doing good enough and to correct those poor joints. I do hope you did not pay full in advance?