saveasteading

If it is prestressed (with the hollow cores) then there is always a hump in the middle. This is a pain, but you have to work with it.

No problem, I didn't think that. The discussion has grown into the larger one it now is, and I was reacting to the subject, not you.

But you cannot avoid doing it. You cannot forget a good idea once you have heard it. I had a client who did this and couldn't see that it was a problem. He showed me the competitor's drawing and I could see my (unmistakeable) ideas on it. I walked away, the others got the work, and some things went rather wrong...tough. Also clients who wanted free design. Most understand the problem when explained. To put it into context, as already stated above, the original idea can be the most important thing. As an example, one client, with their Architect in the room, asked if we could develop the design and build for a certain price. I said, yes but not like that. I was straight and said I wouldn't tell them at this stage. They nodded to each other and said we were not competing but negotiating, based on a reference. With trust you proceed, and we did. (turning the building 90 degrees saved 50% for complex reasons, plus other stuff.) I would always talk through a project on the phone, but only agree to meet half of the enquirers, then only proceed any further with about half of them after meeting. I reckon the reason your contacts have not come back is along these lines....you have put them off by asking for free design. Can I suggest that any architect that says yes to your original terms is not the one you need, and will cost you much more in the long run. Even find references and approach just one.....it is a bold step but it can work. One more warning. some architects will quote low but exclude a lot, then you have to pay for all sorts of surveys and specialities. a list of exclusions is essential. AND although you can seldom do anything about it, ask for a guide price to total cost or instruct your strict construction budget. It will go over, but maybe will be watched better. Shockingly: I once told a potential client's architect that his design was impossible for the budget, and he said 'don' worry, the client always finds more money'. I walked away....it cost a lot more. Good luck with your new, softer approach.

Anybody come across this before? It claims to be equal to 25mm polystyrene , and at £4/m2 could be a contender when looking for just a bit more. It is just bubblewrap with foil.

I wouldn't choose aluminium anyway, as it starts off looking industrial, then fades and gets blotchy with air and pollution. Also consider that the copper effect is often stolen by thieves of little brain. Then it needs a sign saying 'not copper'. If you start off with the intention of using Lindab, or similar, then they and your designer can make it work, just don't leave the detail as an afterthought.

If it is just a chip then I think there is bath repair paint. I had such an issue recently and could only find white enamel gloss, self-priming/rust killing. It is slightly different shade of white (brighter) but will probably mellow. The main thing will be to stop rusting and it seems to be adhering fine. I applied 3 coats with a tiny brush. First to minimum thickness, in stipple motion to ensure coverage, then 2 more within the chip. it needed this thickness anyway. Cost was £2 for a small tin of paint which would have done the job 200 times, plus children's paintbrush.

I detest internal gutters. The purpose of the building is almost entirely to keep the weather out. All gutters will leak or overflow at some stage, and into the garden is a better idea than into the house. Where is the rwp going? Through the building is not only an added risk and intrusion, but can be noisy. And the other points above are also valid. Have you asked the builder what the extra cost will be? It may surprise you for such a short length. Perhaps the architect will subsidise the extra cost, and do the first cleaning for his own experience. Agreed re Lindab guttering and pipes. They are a different class and a feature, and worth the extra cost, which will be a fraction of the internal gutter..

The new buy price equates to about 12 weeks hire. Then the hire company charge you for repairs/ missing parts/ cleaning. Or you keep yours or sell it for about half price. some on line are very slender and diy, but the good ones are sturdy and as you would hire. If you live in a populous area, then you can be the one who buys for the 'half price' and it is paid off in 6 weeks.

Presumably second hand. That seems to be about half the prices i looked at.

When you get a test I suggest you have a pre-chat then stand by them throughout. They tend to ask what number you are looking for, then suddenly the test is over and they are packing up with, 'good news it passed'. But you want a good number and an optimum rating, which they could probably have got by checking for leaks you missed. eg, have you taped over the fan outlets (incl mvhr), shut the trickle vents, blocked any open drain pipes/manholes, seal flues at the fire? and so on. Yes you can do all this beforehand, but the tester should advise on what you might have missed. If they are testing just a part of the building, then you can also tape at door edges of the area. What number are you looking for? I suggest you have an absolute worst, but also a target.

I have seen perhaps 5% of windows go back to the workshop. I guess that big errors are easier to fix than small ones on the frames, but the glass is wasted. Tiny adjustments will be a fiddle but perhaps can retain the glass. Hadn't thought of it before, but if appropriate (big job) it might be clever of them to fix the frames, then make the glazing. The biggest lesson I learnt was never to trust the opening size stated, but to measure every one, as built. then windows of theoretically the same size might all be different.

I am reading and learning. Nothing much to add since my original. We have dug test holes and have fast draining sand, so the ground is dry and little replacement heat will be available. Even a borehole specialist tells us to use air source. The heat loss along a supply pipe could be significant. I once put in ASHP with 20m pipes. As well as the super expensive proper insulation, we surrounded it with surplus PIR filled cladding, before backfilling. Worked fine. No to machines in the loft. The noise will reverberate through the joists. I put in a relatively small shower pump at home, on rubber pads, and it is audible in all adjacent rooms.

On reflection, i think he said 10 ground floor and 20 upper floor or I wouldn't have been shocked. Good comment re manufacturer tolerance. If it is too big to fit what do you do?

If I can do it then so can anyone half practical. I always used professional companies except when they couldn't find the labour and the job was small. Then I would do it along with another manager (other trades had a resistance to getting involved). There are things to learn, but it has been obvious to me that many 'professional' fitters didn't know them either. Getting to know the bosses and chatting to fitters (and manufacturers) you learn a lot too. Most tips are probably on youtube though I have not looked. From what I have seen go wrong.... Dimensions is the biggest issue, and you are taking on the total risk on frame and glass, and embarrassment, if it doesn't fit. How much tolerance? One cowboy told me 5mm all round at ground level, but 10mm upper floors as nobody sees it. Lots of mastic. 5mm is a big gap but not much tolerance. Squareness too, although aluminium can sometimes move a bit. Then the use of packers, and making sure it is fixed well. No screws touching the glass, or it breaks. Fitting from indoors or out, ground floor or upper? Easy and not just the labour saving but the margins and risk costs too. Up to you then. Perhaps others can advise the difference in cost IF you can find a supplier who prices accordingly. I am estimating supply and fit at £400/m2 perhaps. More for fancy or big panes.

What is the point of CAD if you then only issue in pdf? Just clearer drawings. This sounds defensive and unhelpful to me. To answer my first point myself I should clarify that a full 3D model can show up errors occurring between views. But that is surely then something to share to client and other consultants. I can appreciate that some architects do not want to spend £3,000 a year on the full Revit, or similar, package but Revit light is £600. Once the drawing is done you can generate any view or cross-section at will. Dave Jones, can you explain your logic of having an architect, whose job is space and dimensions, but wont issue drawings, and then requiring an engineer to imagine what the architect has drawn and do it all again? I seem to be missing your point. Does the engineer even know what needs his input?

I rather like the upward curve. A Japanese feel to it. This has the advantage of deflecting all water down the slope and not dribbling down the gable. The picture is high def as it has reached me. Thus I can see that the tiles are 'dummy doubles', ie moulded to look smaller than they are. So the apparently thin ones at the gable are more like one and a halfs. The ridge though seems to have been fixed and sealed with lots of black mastic....is that approriate? There is also something in the gutter.

Their appointments should state what they are expected to do. Architects can be possessive about their drawings, forgetting that they are yours, once paid for. They can also be avoiding risk by not passing on information . (I worked with an Architect once who diligently rubbed all dimensions off the drawings before passing them on. The advice above is correct. SE needs to know the layout, dimensions and intended construction or cannot proceed. Assuming your 2 professional are fundamentally decent, then just ask them what they are waiting for, and they should respond. If not, then dismiss one or both, as it is not going to get better.

Wood burners are extremely unsustainable when the pellets are imported from Canada. As are government sponsored power stations fuelled the same way. But when made from timber waste nearby it is pretty clearly ok, esp in open countryside. Burners are about 90% efficient these days, as demonstrated by the tiny amount of ash. So I too predict a trade-off of penalty points for wood, and have to get a better U value. You can have your wood burner but it will cost you a capital extra cost, that you then get back in savings over time. Gas is already disallowed in new London projects. We plan on having wood burners because a country home benefits from it aesthetically, but also as a very easy way to heat up a big space in a hurry, or as a reserve.

The batts don't (in my experience) but are more expensive. Also the cough ratio of wool varies by manufacturer too. I think it corresponds to cost pretty well. Itchiness likewise. Cough and itchiness to cost ratio: CICR, as we need even more acronyms (EMA). We should include U values as that is what it is all about. Cost and Itchiness Ratio Compared to U values CIRCUs

Actually some things are silly. But not as silly suggestions, only if we then do the silly thing having been warned, hence we can help each other. The suggestions here are really practical, and we might never know otherwise until too late. I did used to always say to clients that there were no silly questions, meaning don't be embarrassed to ask. Silly is the wrong word perhaps....non-optimal. Not using PIR in the roof now seems like a good plan. Replacing PIR with rockwool batt changes my U value from 0.12 to 0.15. I think that is acceptable when the practicalities (and real life performance) are factored in. cheaper too. I favour batt because it pushes in tight, the outer layer can be waterproof , just in case. Glasswool blanket must be just as horrible to fit as pir surely?

Unless you know of a problem?

When we contacted insurance companies, one expressed surprise that we had not started the works yet. 'Correct but unusual'. The implication was that most people either don't think about it for a while, or only apply when there is an issue. The latter is what would concern them of course, so they will ask questions. As insurers like to collect the premium but not pay out, they would likely research earnestly if you made any claim. So be sure to tell them of any issue, perhaps trivial, that they might see as an excuse in the future.

I find myself confused by the Scottish rules for escape skylights. I have read them several times, along with similar summaries and it is not clear. Have asked others to read it and get different interpretations. Also surprised that the manufacturers don't say more about it. This is for a conversion to dwelling with 2 bedrooms upstairs and a stair midway between the rooms and down into an open plan room. What I think is required is this, but this is more interpretation of the intent, than what the words say. If there is a protected stair, then an upper room leading directly to it does not need a fire escape window. If there is a secondary room off that first room, then that extra room does need an escape window. If the stair is not fire protected, ie open plan either at first or ground floor, then a fire escape window/skylight is required in each room. ie the upstairs rooms need an escape window each. I am also assuming that a 'protected stair' is fireproof with self closing fire doors, ie not suitable for domestic.

Lots of good info above. 1. Service space between inner board and rafters is something I had not thought of. Definitely got to think this through. 2. In another discussion we sort of decided that 50mm ventilation gap above the insulation was for full-sized OSB boards, and that 150mm sarking boards with gaps shouldn't need that, and 25mm should be plenty. 3. For our conversion project, the rafters are 18" centres (460mm), so waste in inner boarding matters, ie worse cost with insulated board. Also waste may be significant between rafters, which are 2". (50mm). 410 mm slices of insulation seems messy and wasteful with mineral wool, esp batts (400 or 445 or 600) and less wasteful with the bigger sheets of PIR OR will 400mm batts happen to stretch to 410mm in real life....or 445 squeeze tight to 410. an experiment is called for. 4. My idea of 10mm foam board on inner faces of rafters has been ignored. Obv with the inner insulated solution it is unnecessary. otherwise is it unproven, unnecessary or silly? 5. Will have to check numbers, but my recollection is that the manufacturers' U values are conservative. That sells more insulation. I have made a spread sheet, based on previous iterations of building regulations, for the sake of special constructions, an trade-offs. It usually gets a better number than the spec sheets. 6. How horrible out of 10, is it to fit PIR into rafter gaps? I did it into stud walls, maybe 20 years ago, so have forgotten. More a quality than comfort situation I think. (ie tight/slack/gaps.) 7. I don't really believe that insulation works pro-rata whatever the thickness. The further it is from the heat source, the less heat there is to escape...I speculate. Not one to argue with the BCO, just for my own decisions if exceeding regs. eg perhaps mineral wool or polystyrene on the cold side, and PIR at the heated side, esp with floors.

Short of headroom, got plenty of insulation as have deep rafters. Don't want to pay silly money for bonded plasterboard. Tell me if this is silly. The issue is the cold bridge through rafter to plasterboard. So how about a thermal break only on the rafter underside? 10mm of marmox or similar would make a huge difference I feel. Can be tacked or stapled on (over airtight membrane) and save a lot of money. That then leaves 10mm gap from plasterboard to insulation but that is another minor insulation gain.