saveasteading

If you have influence in such matters, could our small patch have a gap in the clouds please? Actually last week there was a rainstorm which covered 1mile2 at most, so I just want the opposite of that please.

Of course. But last year a forklift or excavator made 400mm indents through turf, so that will happen again, or worse. The weather prediction from the Pacific to here is very approximate of course. But for those of us with any weather dependent processes, it's worth pushing now.

We are hurrying to complete the weatherproof box, including guttering, before the rains come. The drainage needs prioritising too as we are creating a surge of water off the new roof that used to be spread around. The ground turns to battlefield conditions October to March in a normal autumn so this is a worry. El nino likely to cause wetter and warmer-than-normal autumn

Did you have to forego any areas of insulation in the outer walls?

Would Second hand do? I'm told our house was built with a timber shingled roof but it needed to be reroofed in tiles after 30 years or so.

Your concerns seem justified. I would add insect intrusion, wind damage and life expectancy (curling, splitting and rot). The one advantage might be light weight I think they might work better in other climates than UK, especially drier and colder climes. The damp UK will not suit.

Another flash gimmick and waste of money thinks philistine me. But "we" are attracted to having a flash hob because it will look sleek and be easy to clean. But will it? A 1mm gap will fill with crumbs and spills and be difficult to clean. Maybe they come with a clever and unobtrusive gasket. Or a tube of special mastic. And cutting it into a stone surface will need some clever and ultra precise work, presumably with a ledge for support. Eg cut the hole then router the perimeter.. to 0.0 mm. I've done no homework. In other words this question is the start of my homework.

Robert Watson-Watt.

There is another that goes to self build exhibitions. It's worth phoning one or both. They will know the rules and wrinkles, if you can do this in retrospect ( I thought you couldn't) and how to present it. Ask how they charge for this too. Good luck and please report back. Lots have this issue.

So KwH is a Kelvin weeny Henry. Good to know.

They would need rather a strong flow speed to ensure the expelled air is sent clear. It's simple hydraulics so presumably that's been factored in. I once discounted mvhr totally because none of the manufacturers had thought of this. In those says the heat exchangers were inefficient too. That mostly explains my resistance to mvhr... but 15 years or so is a long time for things to improve at the expense of early adopters.

The pir is horrible to squeeze in when 100 or thicker. Very much easier at 50mm.

The wonders of science. I despair that some people are not prepared to do that.

Me too. I don't like grey wood. I've done this loads of times. We used Sika stain on treated timber. That's 2 layers resisting wasps on the outside, and still 1 on the inner faces. The treatment had to be one of the 'not green or dark brown" ones: your BM will get it in if not their standard.. To keep it looking original we used the Sika 'light oak' colour which you can barely see when applying it. But the timber stays that colour, maybe becoming yellower, and is very long lasting. (Dark colours fade in sun over 10 years). Perhaps the next shade towards brownish is better for rural effect. We didn't try other brands. NB paint overlapping boards before fitting, to allow for movement. I've had wasp nests in the attic and hate to think where their harvest is from. They will also chew pir to form a cavity but that ends up as dust.

You'll get more understanding on BH, not necessarily all agreeing, than from the industry who just do what they do, and repeat what their suppliers have told them. The greatest ignorance and resistance I have found is re air to air. The plumbers, which is what they are, don't understand it in my experience, or simply their supplier doesn't do it. Screeders only screed. Neither understands structure or building geometry. It's a big decision and you might (should) redesign your building methods to suit.