swisscheese

I had a chap lined up to do the installation, the install gets MCS accreditation and RHI via a third party, he uses in these cases. Essentially the third party do the maths ASHP sizing etc etc, and crucially supply the kit (I have also done the numbers via Jeremy's spreadsheets) and the Plumber installs what "they" say. I was kind of happy with the quote the ASHP was a little more expensive ("MCS tax") but the Cylinder - Pre-plumbed, the price seemed very high, with very little detail available about performance. In retrospect the the installation cost seems quite high now also. The Plumber is "happy" installing this brand and specific cylinder; I question the cylinder price/performance/options, and the discussion has gone south, it's an all or nothing kind of deal. So I'm considering other options - hence the question, the clock is ticking though. The non-MCS/RHI route? It's proving difficult finding another local chap who as done ASHP or will quote with confidence.

Thanks Peter, It would be connect ASHP and Cylinder, ancillaries and controls and then commission the complete system.

I know this is how long is a piece of string question.....but I'm having to get more quotes on installation of the ASHP and Cylinder and I'm getting wildly differing quotes/estimates, I'm not ruling out that it might be me not explaining the situation. Take out first fix plumbing, just to connect up the ASHP and Cylinder and associated bits and pieces what should I be looking at, I was expecting a cheaper install for pre-plumbed... any help appreciated. p.s If you are happier PM'ing, as opposed to posting on a public forum, that's cool too.

Thanks that's interesting, are the suppliers local to you or national types?

Thanks all. Been doing some work on this and the width seems to be an issue with side hinged doors, most manufacturers only going to 8ft wide - I need 10ft and a bit wall to wall. Might have to go sectional or up and over. Looks like about 5 weeks for Hormann in a colour.

I'm looking for some Garage doors. Current thinking is steel, side hinged, in frame 1/3-2/3 opening. Lots of questions Can anybody recommend a supplier? is it best to go supply and fit? Can we fit these ourselves? easy job? I'd like to source fairly locally if possible - Cambridge area. Any recommendations? Cheers.

Just going to bump this I'm in a similar situation and I'm considering the Keylite option, significantly cheaper than VELUX. What are the major differences to consider given what appears to be price premium with going with the market leader in VELUX?

Anybody seen any good deals on ASHP recently? Before going the ECODAN pre-plumbed route, just a having a rethink on putting a package together myself but having difficulty finding good deals on ASHPs Cheers

...you've not met my wife then

Ring around and get the number down, as has been said if you need a mortgage you will need one. I went with self-build zone in the end for warranty, it's money for old rope, but if you are borrowing it's just another hoop you need to jump through, it's a cost they don't tell you about on GD or BTD tv progs!

Yes - this is sh*t, and without wanting to repeat all that has been said, now is the time to stay focused, and try not to get distracted or fixated by small detail or recrimination. All this is easier said than done I know, but as you have shown so far, you will pull through this and find the way best suited to you, explore options, stay focused, find solutions, essentially everything you have done to get this far.

Same for us we have a Melton Mortgage agreed, we had some capital to get started so have not drawn down from the Mortgage yet, but felt it was important knowing the build budget/costs and for piece of mind to get it sorted sooner rather than later. Once Melton were happy that all the warranties/insurance were in place and valuations done it was all really about loan to value.

@divorcingjack It's not all the walls, and trying to avoid shiny, hence the matt la @Crofter - yep trying to avoid the 'boring' all plaster thing too. I'm currently unsure on fixings though I don't mind exposed screw heads dependent on quality and alignment, it's thickness of the board that I'm also interested is 12mm too thin 18mm seems quite thick

This - " just scored the boards with a knife and long straight edge, then snapped them" - and take your time on making the score. I have seen this too - "put it in position and then thump it where the box is" - the plasterer told me it just takes a little experience and courage. - neither of which I had when I did our old utility area!

I think I am going for some exposed interior plywood panels for wall coverings instead of plasterboard/plaster. Has anyone else used exposed ply boards anywhere? And if so what thickness would be required, and also any lacquered finishes applied. I have seen some birch with a lacquered finish that lightens the ply somewhat that I quite like. Cheers

@Stones Great blog entry. And some good detail on CoP What sort of footprint is required for your setup in the cupboard? I really like the pre-plumbed offering from Mitsubishi ECODAN and have decided to go this way. However I'm a little unsure of cylinder size. @Stones @PeterW As part of our PP conditions I have to install some solar PV and where possible would use this to run the immersion to 'top up' using something like http://www.intelligent-immersion.co.uk/ - would this make a smaller cylinder an option? I'm hoping that will be an easy set up, and hope for some nice copper work too

All good! Another for us was Communications being important, so is he approachable, open to ideas, thinks on his feet etc etc. Sometimes you may have items that are more important to you, what are your priorities? That kind of thing.

Excellent, Thanks for the knowledgeable replies.

My incoming supply side from the main has to go directly past the Garage before running another 20 metres up to the house. The question is can I put the stop cock for the supply side main in the Garage and run the Garage and outside tap from there and then continue with the Blue Pipe to the house and have a second Isolation tap. Or do I have to run the blue pipe uninterrupted to the house and then re-run it back to the Garage. The forum are a knowledgeable bunch and I imagine there are some regs on this but I'm currently struggling to find the answer.

Hi, Has anybdy had any experience of using Renolit Alkorplan as a roofing membrane or any similar alternatives. Ease of application, usability, skill level required to install(specialist installers), that kind of thing. I'm also interested in any UK based alternatives for competitive pricing, trying to see if a UK producer can hold back the Euro Pinch. Cheers

Nick, Thanks for responding. I like the idea but have concerns as I have not seen this done in an engineering brick, usually seen in a more "rustic" brick floor approach. The wire cut sharp edge and the grout/sand-cement finish does concern me a little, how easy would it be to get the clean finish, and still have a decent "foot" feel. I have dome the liquid on the surface test, and as engineering bricks as expected the liquid sits for a considerable time. Would laying these be more difficult/time consuming than a standard tile?

Thanks Chaps - good to know I'm not miles away in my thinking!

This is really back to basics, I'm a complete Noob when it comes to How home Electrics work, so please bare with me. I'm looking to have the Electric connection from the DNO Main from the boundary run up to the Garage, I was hoping to put the electric Box/Meter there or there abouts. Then what do I do? So i at least have some idea of what the Electrician tells me! My Utility room is about 20m away from the Garage, At the moment the favoured location of the ASHP is shown on the diagram, this is primarily due to the proximity to the Utility and Tank. We are having to have some Solar PV installed and the likely location for that is the Roof of the Living area. There is a small Void above the Main entrance door where I was hoping to put the Solar inverter etc. So does the main switch go in the Garage? and have consumer unit for the Garage and external lights etc located there. Do I then have another CU in the utility, really a complete noob on this. Any basic rules advice to follow would be great. Thanks attaching not the best diagram.

Yeah one of my concerns, these are about 25mm thick.

Call all tilers I'm looking for advice from "don't do it" -> "to great idea" I'm looking for the pro's and cons. I'm thinking of laying engineered brick slips as a floor tile, the idea is that they match the brick plinth on the outside, I'm thinking of running the brick slip from the "patio" (for want of a better phrase) through/under the sliding doors into the room. - the outside/inside idea. It is quite a large area. Has anybody done anything similar? Do the properties of a brick slip make this a difficult thing to pull off. Cheers