saveasteading

But essential if it gets legal or the BC requires it. That could be Architect , SE, QS according to the context. But if the drawings and spec are clear then it's easy. Is it built as drawing? Fees. If you take a cheap price for the architecture bit, then it is very likely that you get a simple and vague design, that requires further info from others. But it might be plenty if the house is simple and standard. For the structure. If you go for a very cheap design quote then you may get a conservative design, whereas another few hours of thought and analysis would more than pay for itself. Or someone specifies a kit, and again you pay in other ways. BUT sometimes consultants are simply very good at what they do, so it's easy and good value. Project management is where the self builder can gain, if they have the knowledge and personnel skills. After the day job simply spend another 5 hours a day for 18 months and you will save s fortune.... ie you use a cheaper builder, buy the materials yourself, and do the qc. But if things go wrong it's ALL up to you. Re choice of BCO. In Scotland there is only the LA. In England I would use the LA for a routine house, and only that. Private BC for anything out of the ordinary.

Can you reach the top without your box to stand on?

The arrangement suggests that 2 pipes flow from the right, and merge on your side of the fence. Then it heads off, under or very close to the house on the left. Is your house on the left? Is that correct?

It's worth trying several merchant. A national brand or two, a local chain or two and any independents. Some will regard a big order as a sale, and add a margin. Others will give some discount on the advertised price If the order happens to be close to a whole pallet then this matters more, as they don't have to double handle or manhandle the boards. Talk to the manager or salesperson though. They might also have alternatives. Shockingly I once got concrete blocks (half a lorry load) cheapest from b and q. They came on a Travis P lorry. The TP prices from 2 depots were very different and both much higher.

I've googled solar reflective paint. It appears to be a standard product, and easy to apply.

Not if the tiles are loose laid. They might displace in a gale but that would avoid the grid being lifted. White grit might be better than pebbles and could be stuck down. Roofing felt used to be protected by grit. It was there to reduce abrasion but also caught the heat.

Roof tiles are good absorbers of heat, then releasing it overnight, esp as air gets in and around them. In my experience a tiled but uninsulated roof lets in less heat than a modestly insulated ( previous regulations) metal roof. A galvanised or light colored metal roof reflects a large proportion of the sun's heat. I'm sure it's still possible to get reflective flat roof coating, whether white or silvered. I used to use a bitumen paint product with aluminium filings in it. This was to coat inside galvanised gutters. The aluminium rose to the top leaving it as shiny as before. Perhaps this could be applied to a flat roof. I've no idea where to find this now.

Ok. No ufh makes it much easier. But getting a good finish is the issue.

what is the floor construction?

Your logic for this would be of interest. Are you putting insulation onto sub-base or a screed? Reinforced slab? Where does the piping go? My answer: Because it is tricky to get it flat and smooth at a robust stage of the project. Also, most people seem to have overdesigned slabs IMHO. for me, Sub-base, 100 - 150 slab, light or no mesh , pir, pipes, screed. That gives us a good hard working surface, then plumbing and screed in controlled circumstances.

20 really isn't hot. Dress differently, close blinds or curtains. In the Mediterranean, people cope with much higher than that. Commercial buildings in spain are not permitted to use cooling until 27°C. I think we can adjust too. I think I took this pic in a bank.

I've just stuffed rockwool into a plastic bag and up the chimney for the opposite effect, to coincide with the oil and rad central hating being fired up. I've been up at the chimney pot in the past, and the amount of hot air flying up it is shocking. I had one of those chimney umbrellas you may have seen at exhibitions, but lit a fire and it was gone. I should point out that this house is very draughty. But you need control, not just a hole to outside.

Compriband is stunning stuff, and many a reservoir, bridge, big building has it in crucial locations. It has a dimension memory and expands with force to fill a gap, and won't fail in sunlight. I suspect cheaper products, and very much cheaper products, are often substituted in domestic work.

Minuses It costs more / the headroom may be significant / it takes longer to heat up if it has been off. Pluses, it allows for more certainty of thickness on an uneven layer of PIR (which seems pretty much the standard), It will hold and release heat after the supply is off. The heat store principle may allow the exploitation of cheaper power from solar, or overnight rates. But it seems that, in a new house with ashp and ufh most people will turn the system on and leave it on. Me? I'd go for 60mm on an accurate insulated layer. Your average builder may prefer to spend your money on thicker screed to overcome their tolerances.

Can you either explain or point me to a reliable source of information, even a reliable manufacturer's page, of what are silicon, mastic, CT1, etc chemically,/ property-wise and their uses and abuses. I mean in general. I admit to saying silicone as a generic term and I should know more about it. When I replace the blackening and failing shower base seal, fill failed gaps between old weatherboard and aluminium windows and so on, it seems I shouldn't be grabbing any old tube form my stores. Would a good starting point be to only buy big branded stuff and select from their range?

The attached is from 'Building' Magazine this week. It ties in to some recent discussion about power where and when it is needed, and seems knowledgeable and well written to me. So the solution is obvious... no I'll let you read it first.

At least the foundations along with the house. Maybe the drains too as it part of a single, and more efficient, process. It would also reduce the stress and mess of starting again.

Agreed. Their muscles, your attention to detail. Hanging about watching the labour can annoy people, but doing something else nearby can work.

I find I can potter all day. Anything much more physical is doable but writes off the next day. So I make a point of having a few different jobs on the go, heavy mixed with light, and so the posture and muscle use change. I am instructed by experts, that resistance work is crucial to long-term fitness too. They confirm that shovelling, carrying, barrowing all tick that, but I half fill the barrow. In the garden, hedge cutting is the most tiring and causes strain. I used to have a big 'look at what I've achieved' session. Now spread over 2 or 3 days, and there is plenty else to do. I heartily recommend 'no-dig' cultivation. No digging obviously, but it grows vegetables much better too. What's most difficult? standing up from kneeling. I'd like a remedy for that.

= 12.5 half of 5 = 2.5. 35 less 2.5 = 32.5. less 20 = 12.5. = -35 ie 35- 5 =30. Then divide by 2 = 15, then subtract 20. from left to right after first doing the stuff in brackets. If there is officially another protocol or convention in some fields of design then its important we all know. These results are drastically different. Buildings will collapse. It's not personal preference, but crucial.

I don't know this exact material. But the advice above is good, based on rock in different parts of the country. When well graded, like Type 1, it is getting very close to the original density when well laid and compacted. There are now an infinite number of fissure for dampness to go through, up or down, instead of solid rock, but any quantity of water and it will run over the surface and erode it, or puddle. With a single size graded stone there will be gaps at first , and drain nicely, but can erode with foot or vehicle traffic and become of poor permeability...and perhaps dusty or sloshy. Very hard rock doesn't have this problem. So It is quite a big risk unless you can see it in use nearby, preferably with a couple of years use. As above, a geotextile is essential and not a huge cost. Get "non-woven" as it is much better for keeping weeds underneath it. Beneath the membrane the stone can be cheaper, unless for heavy use. BTW I recently got prices for a footpath covering (light use) and it was £45/t for pea gravel, or £120/t for crushed stone. I went mean, and know it will get displaced and mucky, but it was a quick fix.

Ditto. I ended up ripping it all out. That was easy. Then a rebuild. Once the boards are stripped you'll probably find it's worse than it looks, and repairs would be temporary. What has caused it to rot? Don't rebuild the same way.

I cant do sums on this, but my take is this. I studied hydraulics and flow and designed pipelines and channels, a very long time ago. I long ago forgot the maths of it, so this is based on observation and 'feeling'. And I have stood in front of units and observed that the airflow can be considerable. . The outlet is at the front and the chilled air is thrust into open space, and away. Meanwhile it needs to draw in exactly as much air through the back. Your positioning constrains air flow to the back, so it will reduce, the fan will try to work harder, and you don't get the full amount of air through. so it less efficient, and quite a lot I feel. Just increasing from 100mm to 200mm at rear and side should make a big difference...twice as much air flow. It will also be less likely to clog with leaves and webs. If the manufacturer says otherwise, then do what they say.

The ashp could seriously underperform. Its purpose is to be efficient, and you are right to question the arrangement. Is it tucked in this recess for tidiness or due to space constraints? Have you the opportunity to change this?

It's all rather close together, including the heat pump. Will any of the exhaust air be drawn back into the ventilation? Probably, so not ideal, and a bit inefficient. Likewise the ashp is in a recess, so draws in ambient air from a limited area, so is more likely to draw back its own expelled (cold) air, and thus not be totally efficient. Is there a reason it can't be further from the wall?