saveasteading

Hijacking the post. Apologies. Wouldn't it be useful if members could publish the cost of their windows divided by the area? Somewhere I have a little black book that says that (at the time) windows cost £w/m2 for upvc or cheap timber windows, x for aluminium, y for timber, z for curtain walls. It was remarkably accurate for a first run though a feasibility costing and could be useful for new members on BH.

It's often specifically excluded. Shouldn't be but is. But that would need to be clearly expressed in the quote or contract.

That's likely. The big fan is outdoors. They will all publish noise figures I think. The prices range dramatically for what looks similar. Efficiency and noise are the obvious differences.

@Caversham Passivhaus Amazing. Can you show what the printer looks like?

I hadn't seen this idea of no outside unit. Tidy. But the in and out vents would need to be far apart or it will draw the exhaust straight back in. The other type (with external wall mounted unit) is a standard thing in Mediterranean areas. Off the shelf in the diy stores. They seem to be optimised for cooling but reasonably efficient for heating too. ( X 3.5 ish). They can be a bit noisy.

They exist. The ones I used were sole traders, not employees in a bigger firm. They had been planning officers, knew the system, knew the planners. They made it easy for the planning officer.

so they didn't test it with fans , or smoke sticks and the room fans running, while the fire was lit? ie n accordance with the BS?

disagree. They are professional bullies and don't have time* for due diligence. * being a bit polite here. If they understood contract law then they'd be lawyers or consultants.

It will be a portal frame ( columns and sloping rafters, either forming the gable glazing opening, or full width, then a ridge beam sits into that. The timber frame companies that I have come close to have always excluded these frames, which you have to get designed and fitted by others. The pedestrian door in the gable end doesn't need a frame as the wall can provide the support. So send it to some suppliers , but expect these exclusions. They need more information. ceiling heights (are the ceilings other than the feature entrance going to be at eaves level?) Internal arrangement and whether any walls can (or are intended to) provide support. They will ask for any more information they need. a single sheet on battens, or a composite panels with insulation?

Yes very similar, except water knows where downwards is and behaves differently in open channels. Progress, for anybody interested. The residents have done this work, not me. Apparently it is expensive or perhaps impossible to get a Hetas registered business to test and approve an installation by an outsider. A closed shop in effect. allow £1,000 if you find one. You'd also worry that they might be keen to tut-tut and fail it....although they could fix it. Cynical me, sorry, perhaps unfair. BUT a local chimney sweep will do it, and assures us that it will be accepted by the bco, and he is doing it next week for a reasonable sum.

That would be refused by small claims, as it is too technical, but they might try. @Tom what are they actually arguing? Not that some work is unfinished but that your pay less is too much? How much? Give them difficult work to do, and ask them what sum they are claiming and the justification. From this stage I nearly always start to notice things that aren't right with the job, and add them to the claim. I'd get a friend to witness the current condition in case they argue that you have caused damage in use. They might now offer some compromise. You say no, as you have already tried to find a solution and they refuse. And @Tom well done so far.

No. Not so. Even if there was some implication, no contract has a space to write in the interest per day. 8% per annum maybe. They are playing at being lawyers, thinking this will intimidate you. It is bullying. Again. It looks as if they are used to behaving like this. Clearly the last thing they want to do is return to complete the work. Prepare your mindset for the next stage. They may well now write you a letter by a solicitor, because they generally do the first letter cheap or even free. When you read it, you will see that it is rather generic, because it is simply writing what they are told to write. You just write back, stating what you have said on here already. And that on reflection you paid too much and will seek for redress if this proceeds, plus costs.

Highly specialised physicists make up their own shorthand formulae to avoid repetition. joist depth x frequency of dance steps divided by insulation density (lumps per m3) minus floor nail length to the power of weight of dancer in kg). is designated as ¿. I hope that helps. All that @Icevergesays applies. I once had to design and build a school classroom block where they insisted on woodwork below and maths above in one area and art above maths in another (artists clomp around). The floor structure had everything mentioned. Most memorable was the osb deck with rockwool slab on it then floorboards floating on it. It worked well but was very deep and very expensive. The cushioned topping is the crucial thing in resolving the original question.

I wouldn't insulate the floor. The heat loss around even an insulted and 'sealed' garage door is quite high. double glazed windows yes. If the roof is in cladding then add translucent sheets for free light and nicer ambience. heating by infra-red directed at the working areas. Perhaps one on a rig to move as required. Depending on what you will be doing, put a mat on the floor where you stand. Some of the above might change if you were to be in there for much of every day.

The newly installed stove with direct air works beautifully. Other benefits are that once it is going, it can burn a single log, rather than have to keep stacking more on, so that is more controllable and efficient, The tiny amount of ash confirms burning efficiency too. Anyway this is academic if you want building regulations. If being done under the radar I still recommend direct air. It's a shock that we now have to get a smoke test done at who knows what cost.

From experience of both. Direct air is best. I agree with all the pros. I add that when the wind is gusting we get backdraughts of smoke from the non direct one...horrible. Also when the fire is not lit, I think quite a bit of draught/ heat loss is leaking through the vents. Plus. Is isn't difficult to fit the intake if it is part of newbuild or refit.

It's easier to do as @Russell griffiths suggests. Concrete to a flat surface then drill and use epoxy and stud bolts. But ask your SE: there are complex loads on a goal post. It's worth painting the lower levels of the steel, using specialist paint or bitumen. Any steel encased in concrete won't need paint.

A double stud wall is my favourite too. This will be more stable and good for sound reduction. It should not need plywood. This will all be published in the manufacturers catalogues. Knauff etc, fire, sound, stability. But it sounds as if this is yourself and bco as designers, so I think I will leave you to it from now.

Hurrah, the Steading is approved by the BCO except he wants a smoke spill test for the Wood Burning Stove. We forgot this was a thing, and he didn't mention it before. Now I read about it , it is a 15 minute test with a joss stick and the extract fan in the kitchen running. I have read the discussion on here from around 4 years ago, and it seems that demands varied by region. Any updates from recent installations? Inverness region. Do we really need a fire qualified person to do this? Can we do it and send the bco a recording? Can I do it as a Chartered Civil Engineer, (different surname to the applicants)? We have an ethical code on not cheating, unlike many institutions. They accepted my drainage design, but that is my subject. But 'is there a draught coming out of the stove door' isn't exactly a complex assessment.

The load spreads with depth. With an eps raft, the wall loads have already been spread a long way so as not to squash the eps. almost any natural ground will be as strong as that.

agreed. I'm just meaning that the reality might be different from the lab figures if it is allowed to sag. If built tight then no difference.

Meaning, it stays in place even if one side of it collapses in fire. It can be in stud as long as it isn't going to be dragged down by a collapsing floor. That is doable in stud.

"A couple who bought a £32.5m mansion can hand it back and have most of their money returned after they found out it had a "severe moth infestation", a High Court judge has ruled" or moth wool mansion. For the whole story I suggest cut and paste some of that quotation. In brief. The seller knew about the moths and did not declare it. He might have spent a lot of the money already.

I'm not a legal either. But I've done courses and sadly been through adjudications etc claiming or resisting payment.. Never got to court but once was settled literally on the courthouse steps. The big contractor pushed their trumpian non-payment that far.

Don't get hung up on the formality. You are not expected to know these formalities of the industry. You simply have to state your reasons and make a "reasonable" payment. But the formal notice might shake your builder. BTW I don't feel that he will ever be back, and a formal pay less notice will increase that likelihood. So you will need a new plumber who might be nervous or opportunist: either of these will add to the cost. And you won't get a discount for the kitchen door. My main concern is that the door is a different shade, as it will be a different batch. Do not hold back too little but be fair at the same time. If you want to draft it here for comment please do. Or send it privately if you don't want it in the public domain. No names or locations for us of course.