saveasteading

I know that air to air works both ways.. did it in our office... ashp outside, plenum inside then ducts and fans. If I wanted cooling I'd do that.

Any advice on a percentage to add as waste. The suppliers say 10% as they always do. That suits them. I rather favour 5% but the risk is of being short and not getting matching spares. It must depend greatly on the skill and mindset of the tiler too. Am I right in thinking that big tiles have more waste?

Here's some input from me. Maybe BS as I'm going by hunch and science, not proofs. I can't see how air source pumps work efficiently in reverse for domestic purposes. Of course they work as chillers in air conditioning systems but that is by air circulation. Expecting to use cooling by sucking heat from a floor slab or radiator cannot be the same. In heating, we warm the concrete floor or screed and it makes our feet and lower parts cosy. It then warms the adjacent, cooler air which rises to the ceiling and this continues until the whole room volume is warm. But in reverse, the screed will cool and we will have cool feet, and will slowly cool the adjacent air, but it will stay there. The warm air above will stay put. If I'm wrong on any of this please advise.

For general info. Crushed tarmac and road planings used to be a waste product and was very cheap and great value. Then other people discovered this, some nay-saying consultants were converted to allowing it, and the price increased. Then it also became available graded as type 1 etc. Unfortunately crushed aggregate has always been abused by some suppliers I once saw a guy loading 3 parts rubble with 1 part soil from adjacent piles, into a crusher, and it was for sale. Even ethical efforts can contain some junk. All you can do is pay a lot for guaranteed clean and graded or take a chance.... or maybe visit the source. You can do a diy quality check by mixing a sample into a glass jar and swirling it in water. It settles in layers and you can assess how much silt is in it. Paper and wood will float.

It's not the M1, and will be strong enough. Block paving is flexible so you won't get cracking even if it moves a bit over decades. A whacker is plenty. Do drive over it many times. If it's going to compact , then do it now and the sand will level it off. And now stop worrying.

3mm under a 3m straightedge is the official measurement for industrial floors but I haven't checked re domestic.... logically it should mob be less stringent. That is in any direction and includes if you press down one end and measure under the opposite end. But finding a 3m straightedge isn't easy. Tiling adhesive will take out minor variations, but for LVT I think it could be a big issue Probably needs local filling.

@Redbeardis correct. Type 1 is designed to be as dense and stonelike as possible, and it follows on that it has low permeability. Crushed bitumen road is much the same mix with added bitumen so is even more so. @Willg you haven't mentioned this and perhaps you have a slope in mind and somwhere for the water to go

Recycled tarmac is great as long as it is a coarse mix, and not only fine stuff from toppings and footpaths. Many people don't realise that it is nearly all stone and sand, and the black stuff just glues it together. (5% or so if I recall) If you ask the contractor why it is not acceptable it would be interesting to hear. If well crushed, (not in big lumps) then well laid it can be better than type 1. It's 150mm thick and you have presumably whacked it or rolled it. It will never get that load again. The problem i see is with 30mm sand. That is very thick and will be affected by rain and weeds. Also, with block paving, you can get very local point loading. 30mm sand tends to suggest you need it to adjust to a good plane surface could you use less? Test the surface by driving back and forward many times. Does it show any settlement? Now jack up the car so you have half a ton on a small area. OK? Worst case? If it ever settles locally then blocks can be reset. I've even used it under a factory slab taking very large loads. No problem.

We have a brick ornamental pond about 1m deep all over, with plants on shelves ( cheap plastic shelf units). So the fish have cover and roots fof spawning. But they swim around the surface and are very visible from above. Herons occasionally fly in but don't expect the deep water, and panic and fly away. Pots around the perimeter remove hunting stances. I expect it is a quick end for any fish or frog caught. But having an otter! I don't see anyone else with that claim. For the new property I think we will have a swale, with depths and shallows and gravel verge, as part of the drainage strategy. It will go dry in summer. Plus a decorative brick one.

If you don't mind sacrificing your fish, an area of floating plants or rushes will allow small fish to stay out of harm from large predators. They will still meet newts and dragonfly larvae. A pair of fish will make hundreds of fry among the roots, and then some may get by. Chances of getting a male and female goldfish? .No idea. If they weren't gold it round help but you wouldn't see them either.

I've had this by email but it doesn't mean much to me. Ignore if it's old 'news'. Or let me know if you want me to find the whole article. BS 7671 adds battery guidance 2 hours The BSI and IET have updated the Wiring Regulations, BS 7671, with a new chapter on battery storage. Domestic solar is often supported by battery storage. The new chapter covers stationary secondary batteries, responding to the rapid growth of energy‑storage technologies and their increasing deployment both with and without solar PV systems. It sets out requirements relating to system

Cryptic.. good luck

Any blocks will be capable. When you say steel and reinforcement are you implying that the wall itself may need more support underneath?

Probably a similar amount under the building but outside could be different as more exposed to wetting, drying, trees. Depends a lots on factors we aren't party to. When pipes were clay it mattered more, and there were standard details for articulation. So just don't run at minimum grades and bed the pipes as specified and should be fine.

That's not the whole answer. The whole raft could rise of fall with ground expansion. Assuming you are using plastic pipes, they will bend to suit, but avoid minimum falls.

Some councillors don't do any work. So it is deadline time. A lawyer will usually write a letter giving notice for free or cheap, as it is easy. Or you write first... a letter by recorded delivery.... 2 weeks or else. I don't know what is next though.. an ombudsman? It will say in the council website. They will visit immediately.

There will be a head of planning and building control. Phone and explain the urgency politely. Email to get it on record and copy to both the councillor who has been put in charge of planning, and your local councillor. All these will be on the council website. It is not unreasonable for them to have staff issues so allow them ,say, 2 weeks, to offer a solution. They can subcontract to another borough council or private inspector, and they pay.

It's a double household and very big. Just based on kW/m2 that others have published, it feels right. But the teams are checking it out now.

Your lawyer could help with this. I've found Scottish lawyers to be much more helpful than English in many ways, and much cheaper. Having both plots lets you choose the better one, and consider optimising the other. And design the drains as one. Working Space during construction has a value. Remember you get your vat back. Claim it early for cashflow at the expense of some finishings vat. Can your lawyer write in that, as you are designing both, the payment for the second plot is delayed? Eg half on phase 1 completion, and the rest when you sell? Presumably the original permission is public so you can copy or alter it. Is there any reason to doubt it will get permission. Btw we looked at some awful plots in Aberdeenshire etc. Had permission and the brochures looked great. But were boggy, full of stumps and more. Have you researched why they didn't sell, why the owner hasn't kept permission alive or renewed it? Sounds odd.

If you haven't started in earnest yet... I'm thinking that the old boards will be bent and twisted especially across the width. Laying new in the same direction might cause a few lumps and edges. So I'd be thinking of a thin layer of board first. Maybe underlay will suffice. An expert may say otherwise.

It usually comes off in a few months unless the surface was clean. If it was an inappropriate marking, either offensive or misleading traffic, then it could be sprayed over in black, but that sticks even more. Avoid any solving as it may melt the asphalt. I'd spread some earth, brush it around, remove, repeat. Or pressure wash should do it easily.

So when demand is low, one of the units can turn off and the other work efficiently?

I have the strong impression that they see it clearly, hence the promotion of wind and solar. Does anyone here know how long it takes to plan and then extract oil and gas? I don't, but suspect several years. And what will the global price be then? If it drops then our own stuff won't be viable. It's not something I would invest in?

Does cascade mean 2 smaller units.? That was the original plan. Presumably a single at 15 suits 3 phase, whereas a couple of 8s are more likely single phase. If our well respected local installer hasn't ever used 3 phase, and is tied to a supplier other than the names you suggest, then the expertise may not be forthcoming.

Though we selected them separately, it turns out the solar heat pump people and M &E know each other, so there is trust. It was my suggestion to use 3 phase, simply based on the principle that big machines use 3 phase, and kndustry uses 3 phase, and that we have it available. Sparky has the same instinct. The heat pump will be big, around 14 or 15 output. It seems that most domestic heat pump installers don't know about 3 phase. They sell what they know. We've instructed them to try harder on this, but need whatever proof/ backup there might be... or the reverse logic if that is the case. Battery logic.... noted, thanks. In summary so far. Get it but don't oversize.