Scoobyrex

that is a great idea. there is a gym with a shower that we could setup as a bedroom/ensuite

Hello I am planning to get a temporary habitation certificate and move into the property to finish the build. One of the last things I want to put in is the oak and glass stairs. They will be expensive and easily damaged. The stairs is a T shape. I want to fit a used set of stairs. Do the stairs used for temporary habitation have to fully meet the regs as they would for full completion ? ie with balustrades every 100mm and the size of landing area on/off the stairs. I want to fit a straight flight with horizontal cls rails. Any chance of this being ok for temporary habitation ?

What batteries are used in these systems now ?. I looked when we fitted solar panels to our current house 5 years ago and the Acid or gel based batteries would last 48-36 months and the replacement costs destroyed the economics of the savings they delivered. Using the better solid state batteries the price of the system massively increased and I couldnt justify the expense versus the feed in tarrif. I concentrated on using as much of the electricity produced with water heaters and timers. We averaged 77% consumption last year. To store the 23% to batteries is it worth it ? The next house has a 10kw system with 14kw of solar panels attached. I could be interested in batteries if the longevity of the cheaper batteries is resolved.

Thank you for clarifying, and it is aligned with my understanding but it seems some window companies do not understand the regs.....

a door set is a window within 400mm of a door.

This is for a new build in England I will be fitting the windows and doors myself and paying a fitter for the bifolds (separate to the window supply company). The quotes I have received vary based on it seems the individual companies understanding of the building regs and PAS24. As it is ultimately my problem if it is wrong I want to double check what I will order. My understanding of the current regs, please correct me if I have this wrong. All external windows and doors must meet PAS24:2012 Windows on first and ground floor need to be toughened glass but NOT laminated if the windows individually lock. All doors / doorset including bifolds need to met PAS24:2012 and have one pane of laminated glass per glazing unit meeting P2A Security I have received quotes with everything laminated, and some with none and some as per the above, confusing.

So sheets of PIR around the vertical walls of the gallery above 1st floor ceiling is straightforward For the ceiling of the vaulted gallery on internal side of the trusses. Does it need a vapour barrier ? how do you fix say 100mm pir sheets on a ceiling and attach plasterboard ?

Hello looking for some advice. I am planning to insulate my loft space with 400mm of knauff 044. It is a large loft space and 400mm depth isnt an issue, the loft will have access boards built into the trusses at a higher level for access and storage, so the insulation will not get compressed. The entrance hall of the house is vaulted over two stories. what would be the best way of insulating this area, im a bit confused with all the options. here is a 3d of the roof trusses MiTek 3D Viewer | MiTek UK & Ireland

PIR is easy to lay and I think the best solution to fix ufh pipes to. using trays of plastic strips is a pain, and the amount of times they "float" away when screed/concrete is applied. If you are concerned about the PIR install, do it yourself, or be there, it is very easy and doing it yourself ensure it is taped up and complete.

I am also going full fill cavity with EPS beads. Building inspector mandated lapped dpc at least 1 course down from the inner to outer leaf to enable run off to the outer skin. Pretty much the same as the photo above.

I also bought about 100 sheets from Insulation Hub, Came direct from manufacturer on the day I requested they used a tag on forklift to unload themselves.

Hello helpful people. Trying to get quotes for a 75mm concrete topper topper for my house floor. 180 sqm, it is a poly floor with celotex topper and needs fibres in the concrete topping for structural support. Any ideas what I should be looking for price wise for supply and fit ?. Been trying to find local installers, I have find one today which is preparing a quote, but I have no comparison point, which is a little daunting.

new attachments with rings around the locations.

the gym is setup the same as a bedroom. fresh are into gym stale are out of shower room connected to gym. yes laundry should have a double ducted extract, I missed that. I also realized the coloured dots are very hard to see on the scan, will improve habitable floor area is 330 SQM

I have had a MVHR design/quote done by BPC and I do not overly like the number of locations of the supply and exhaust vents. The MVHR unit will either be in the plant room, Laundry room, or in the loft space. The loft is cold design. but not sure If I can fit it into the plant or Laundry yet. The MVHR unit will either be a zehnder Q600 or Blauberg Komfort 550. Slighty larger than the design provided by BPC. The vent locations are coloured dots. and the ones with 2 next to them have two radial duct runs. I have increased bot the number of supply and exhaust ducts by 2 of each. The exhaust in the kitchen is directly above the island where the hob is located. The exhaust under the stairs is where some IT network equipment is located. Any advice appreciated.

have a look at the timber solution from screedflo, It is a different screed mix and they have guidance on the wooden floor makeup.

Yes you are correct, I used the wrong term it would be concrete. So do I put the concrete internal walls directly on the beam and block, and then fit the insulation, UFH, and concrete around them, or do the blocks for the interior walls go ontop of the concrete finish of the floor ?

Its traditional block and brick, not timber frame. My interior walls will also be block, presume the 1st course of these can be put in. and put the insulation, ufh and screed around them.

ok, so it would mean i finish the sub floor before the rest of the build, that's do-able

House will be block inner leaf, facing brick, 100mm cavity. Plan is to have blown eps beads. Do i need to install something for the eps beads to sit on at the damp course to stop the beads filling all the way down to the foundation. One EPS installer said to create a bridge of damp course, this seems dumb, where does the water go !!! Is there a mesh product that should be installed, or do you just let the beds fill all the way down the cavity ?

So you would mesh and screed, then add a membrane, PIR or EPS, underfloor heating then screed again. there goes the height and the cost savings.

I just received my floorspan quote using the 200mm EPS infills, it is £200 cheaper than using concrete blocks, I can use thinner PIR ontop saving another £1300 and have a higher U value by 0.1. Delivery I was quoted was 5-6 weeks I think the costs difference has somewhat todo with the current concrete block price. The only downside is the polystyrene infills need protection from impacts during the build.

What do you mean by thermal board ? a link to an example if possible. Thanks

Availability and cost. To take the design you have and get it ready for the structural engineer to continue doesnt need an Architect. Find the structural engineer you want to use (most likely based on availability) and ask for a recommendation for who they would advise you to use to get the material matters drawings ready for them. They will recommend someone who they work well with over and over again.

Look for a recommended Architectural technician (Not Architect) that works closely with a structural engineer. Or ask your structural engineer for a recommendation. The architect technican can get the current drawings ready for the Structural Engineer if your original architect is willing to share the files. My quotes ranged from 4k to 22k. The 22k included glossy brochures, 3d mock ups, a local area study, material pallets for the planning application as well as a "liason" officer to manage planning. Technical drawings for building regs and a folder of technical specs for the build. It also included a number of hours for revisions/support once the build starts, but no direct involvement in the build. If you want to have a drawing of every nail, wire and socket 22k is great. If you are happy to make your own decisions on the go. it is a lot of money on something that could become quite rigid. From what you have described you should be able to find a structural engineer, a technician and submit to building regs for less than 4k, 15k is nuts and will probably take a lot longer.