saveasteading

But the principles apply. Play with them. Avoid their gimmicks for the last 1/2% improvement, and other fads. A lot of people on here have aimed for 'close to passivhaus' standard, in their own terms. In my opinion. Low and slow ashp, with the units positioned for aesthetics. No windmills. Consider future solar panels, by putting a cable duct in. But mostly, quality design detailing and construction, which trump everything else and are hard to achieve, so read other people's issues on BH for what to look for.

We had one under tarpaulins, outdoors for 6 weeks with no problem. Indoors, in packaging, for a week, don't worry.

2 years. but they don't do any harm. Avocado stones take 2 years as well. coffee grinds can go straight on the flower beds and slugs don't like them.

They aren't interested in garden waste, otherwise they'd eat it where it grew. They do eat kitchen scraps of course, but not if mixed with weeds and grass. I found a dead rat yesterday. but it's the countryside and they survived before people arrived.

Once chopped up and buried under the rest it never seems to grow. But if you've got the space that is wise I've got a Bosch too. 20 years old, and the knob has fallen off but its still great. I bought another type for a present and it slices rather than grinds so the bits are much bigger. Also it doesn't drag the branch through with all its twigs, and doesn't like brambles,

Us lot on BH have the advantages of 1. having many and various skills and experience. 2. can take an overview, unclouded by insular expertise. 3. can dare to be wrong. 4. Can think and state ...'but surely'...and wait to be corrected. 5. are very often collectively right. When my (and other) advice is not heeded I usually drop out of conversations. Maybe I'm wrong or maybe there's no point in further discussion. I've said nothing on this though so will read along. But I agree that being in the sun won't make much difference to an ashp, but being next to a big masonry wall in the sun might be a fair bit better than in a permanently dark and damp alley.

I'm puzzled why heave protection is necessary along with piles. aren't the piles holding it down as well as up? Anyway, its a good point that if the ground doesn't heave but the clayboard collapses , or if it heaves, squashes the clayboard then shrinks again, the insulation won't be supported. Wont it simply require some wire pushed up through the insulation into the slab space, with a hook bent in it?

Ditto. all my branches up to an inch dia or so go through my bosch machine and make mulch. It drags the small stuff with it Everything else to compost. I've got 2 daleks that take everyday stuff plus kitchen veg waste, and an old coal bunker that takes sticky stuff like hay and hedge cuttings..it take 2 years to go through and comes out like soil. 10 barrowloads of compost each year, and much better than the bought stuff. Brambles and hedge cuttings d destroy under the lawnmower, and into the compost too. If the apple trees are diseased then burning is best,

I haven't seen one of those before. I'd say that is like 3/4 free air of 100 dia when all worked out. So about half of what you need if the fan is going to work efficiently.

News to me Thanks. You could send this in and risk £96 and hope. It shows willing at least. There is no harm in sending a note to explain the circumstances, (got the wrong advice/ misunderstood the permitted development guidelines) especially that the neighbour is absolutely happy with it. Give a phone number in case they want to help. The planners aren't usually vindictive. They may even contact you to discuss the best way forward.

Sounds like a design. So there may even be a drawing of this detail. The purpose of a padstone is to spread the load over more than one block, (perhaps not an issue here), and to provide precise level control, and to provide a flat surface for the direct seating of the beam. But the beam wouldn't normally need to be bolted down. I'd be surprised if an SE didn't mention this in any way, even to say 'no pad stone required because / but do this.....

This is a good, and very sensible document, and there is more from them , but I've lost track of it. You don't need any specialist damp proofing, in fact it may cause problems. Our steading , as most stone buildings , has 2 masonry skins filled with rubble and mortar. This stops most dampness and even has some useful thermal resistance. As it is mostly granite, no rain gets into the stone, and a tiny amount will soak into the outer mortar then soon disappear again. We built an insulated, damp protected, timber skin inside it. It was a shame to completely hide the masonry internally but it is the only way really. similar construction under the slate roof which we retained. We did leave a feature area of wall exposed, with the bco permission. We now have a building to new-build insulation standards, even though less was permissible. Cosy and dry right through its first winter as a dwelling.

got a picture of that? It certainly sounds restrictive. The step down to 100mm isn't ideal either, but if it is at the outlet end then the constraint on flow is not so extreme. Worse would be a corrugated flexi pipe all the way or sharp bends. I won't be doing any sums on this though as it is totally forgotten.

Permission to worry you? If that was a blockwork wall then you would need a precast pad-stone to sit on it and support the beam. Your concrete infill will be longer than a block so that is a plus. Presumably this beam sits exactly on the concrete and none on the eps. But that is a heavy beam and likely to be supporting a lot of load. Has this been considered/discussed?

This. all problems gone.

The chances of it sitting snugly are low, and if it spans any distance it will sound hollow/ perhaps snap under load. Ply would be better, but I think latex given where you have got to. I like innovation but sometimes it becomes an experiment, with risk. Up to you really.

This feels all wrong. Why not simply a latex screed? It isn't spanning it is just sitting there. In fact a cement board might be the least good option as it is brittle. Hoping that your joists are tanalised and the void is well ventilated.

I had a quick look online. Nationwide BM say it's the same delivery cost anwhere except the Highlands ( it must be the ferry crossings to those mountainous islands). Maybe it's just got more expensive.

Have you explained to them that Scotland has some roads these days? I'm not being facetious. The ignorance of some southerners (I live among them) about anything north of London is remarkable. As you will know, Perthshire, transport included, Inverness-shire (and some of Aberdeenshire) not. Either 'impossible', or add a lot for delivery. A good builders' merchant can possibly sort this for you. usually I'd favour a local one, but the nationals may have deliveries coming in from all over. No more than other methods in my opinion. I've often used them on sloping sites.

I got to know senior management at a couple of timber merchants, because we built premises for them. They tried to dissuade purchases of western red cedar because it tends to go odd colours and slimy in their SE area.. They even issued written warnings of this, but supplied it if the client pursued it. Apparently it is brilliant in central Canada where the summers are hot and the winters cold, and the bugs die. But in the constant dampness of the uk it can go a bit yucky. I showed the document to clients who's original Architects specified it and they all changed their minds and saved a stack of money. How many Architect's brochures show it weathered 'as nature intended' ? None, it is always in the new red form. I'd be happy to hear to the contrary from anyone who has used it and it is a few years on. . To which add the wrong spec of nails used on this cedar. I'm not keen on weathered chestnut either, but it's a matter of opinion

There is usually a thermal break separating inside and outside. We got some of that for where nordan said they couldn't do our shapes. About half the price, and similar u vales. I spoke to another Norwegian window co last week, he said 90% of their supplies are alu faced because of the longer guarantee as well as aesthetics.

Yes. To some extent you are right if there is lots of spare height, and building as part of the project is much cheaper than later conversion. However, the roof slope probably reduces the practical area of floor. The stair takes out a large proprtion of floor x 2 storeys. Divide the cost by this reduced floor area and £/m2 is probably high. And the perceived value of attic rooms is less.

Our Marsh digester has a venting pipe socket off the turret. It definitely works and we are going to have to extend it to an innocuous position. But we are still putting in an open vent at end of line.

Optimum noise reduction requires bigger gaps between panes, but id say 3G will be better than 2G from the same company. But not necessarily with different suppliers. If the noise reduction is good then they will publish it. But you get used to rain noise.

Thicker sheets are often softer metal so it should be ok. Quite a lot. And the overlap. So 1mm or so seems likely. Professional cladders would cut this with snips but it is a great skill. Another option is to use a nibbler. Again takes practice. So try the hole cutter. Start slowly.