saveasteading

It doesn’t leak.

In summary, the flywheel principle that you previously referred to, was not in place .??

The one i mean is made of stud and osb in the week before delivery. So it isn't that expensive or far ahead of need. It's always a worry paying in advance, youre right. I've only done this for a 4 storey one-off*, but visited the works several times, and saw them rattling out units for developers: one of them might suit. * I costed it in masonry, polystyrene blocks, in situ timber and insitu steel and this prefab timber . It was 10 years ago but I doubt the principles have changed. Prefab Timber was best on price and speed, with the bonuses of all the internal stud walls and floors in place and services very easy to run through.

Get the water off the roof by the simplest method. To me that is a single slope and an oversail then a gutter and downpipe. Architects should have a month of their course working with roof repairers. That should be the end of valleys, parapets and internal downpipes. Philistine I know. But the primary purpose of a building is to keep us warm and dry. Second is durability and keeping the bears and burglars out. Third is the need to impress the neighbours or amuse designers.

Not necessarily. There are different kinds of kit builders. Can I suggest you speak to your local kit fabricator. They will be in a dull shed where they nail osb onto studs and deliver the panels to you. They will have access to some standard house designs....nothing flashy, all proven. Then you build standard foundations and slab, and a joiner will sling this house up in 2 days. After that you can do walls and roof how you wish. Any window company can do their bit. Innards as you wish. You'll get change from your budget as long as you don't play at architects. ....well I don't know where you live so, should rather than will.

I'm now remembering visiting a paper mill that needed new machine plinths and water troughs . It's like an enormous sauna. The steel building structure, which other people don't look at, resembles lace but still stood. Your steel will be very slightly warmer than outdoors, but you can minimise this. An inch of eps around the steel before boarding, will reduce the heat, as will stuffing the gap with tocjwool or eps, and a surround of membrane will keep even utility room dampness indoors. And relax.

Can you see the outer face of the column still? That is the riskiest face. That and the base. Steel takes decades to degrade unless in a warm and wet environment so don't panic. Paint what you can see, with any metal paint. Galv or other, or bitumen. Insulate wherever you can.

The answer in Spain is to adopt Spanish habits. Up early in the morning. Rest 12 to 4. Work /shop 4 til 8. Stay up late. Use shade and air, shutters, blinds and fans, and purge the house of heat after dusk. I'm in Spain now. 35°C max. Overnight min 23. I was observing a construction worker digging a trench yesterday. With all the safety gear on too. I wouldn't fancy that but is it preferable to a UK frozen trench in February? At a restaurant we were leaving at 10.30 and families were still arriving. Chilling equipment is cheap to buy (from €250) but expensive to run. Perhaps just have one room kept cool?

Any recent info on the cost and delivery period from the big manufacturers? I try to avoid ki***pan because of their fire test record.

I'm of the opposite opinion. I would not want the soffit to be of eps or any other soft material. Concrete blocks for me. Rodents, damage from anything being stored under there, kids playing and picking at it. Plus I've had mobile platforms run on beam and block. It is strong even if it cracks. I'd also be inclined to add 50mm of floor insulation and raise the ceiling....you have this one chance and get the cost back in 5 years. But you will lose more heat from the wind under the floor. Are you going to enclose that area?

And report back please. Good shopping!

Decorators spend £50 and take all day to use it. So it isn't as price sensitive as with building materials. Hence, giving decorators a credit account and delivery included is a big deal. And your decorator hasn't reached the vat threshold because of these lower sums. Get your whole list typed up and shop around.

Others may. Assuming this is a decent order by the merchant's standard. Ie are we talking of hundreds in one order? Make a list and ask for their best price, then you don't need an account. BUT decorators' merchant's are not always the best price. They often provide delivery included which keeps the contractor working. Try BM too.

I didn't know this. But, as often in bregs, note " should" , "or other" etc. "Alternative caller identification measures" might include a letter box to shout through. Tell bco you are fitting a Ring and get his aok. And doubt your window surveyor, whatever one of them is...should be expert and clearly isn't expert or on your side.

I'd plan on the render falling off over time and you can lime point it in stages. I'm assuming the stone is impermeable and well built, but you may not know! Granite does not soak up and hold the rain. Render does. I gather that research on trad farm buildings is all pretty recent. The 3 layer walls work well....high quality outer skin, medium internal, and a rubble and lime core. Are you insulating the roof? What insulation level is the new render quoted to provide? On our steading we fixed internal stud with a dpm facing the gap to the wall. Then insulation between studs, then a services void and plasterboard. We first thought that we couldn't afford the loss of width but pleased with the cosy result, up to newbuild standards.

There is a fair amount of published information on stone walls. My understanding is that a traditional stone wall will breathe and transmit moisture quite well, always from in to out. The insulation is not good, but not zero, so ufh seems sensible. The outer face must be in good condition, and that should be a priority and a skill worth learning. Are you putting lots of underfloor insulation in? Beware head heights at existing doors.

Might include 'never use a xyz'. BTW I met Marsh (52) at a recent presentation. They have a new model that has...from memory.... only 2 chambers and supposedly better outfall numbers, suitable for sensitive locations. Costs £300? more, but costs less to run as it turns off for 8 hours a day to let different bugs get to work. So payback in a few years. If the times were linked to cheap power then another saving. I wonder if the pump also lasts 1/3 longer. My next one is to a non-sensitive soakaway so I'm going to think further on this new Marsh (53).

I can't remember why they were so against any use of torque specifications. Perhaps the torque wrench reacted too readily to other resistances. But overtightening appeared to be the main concern...does that damage the thread? My feeling is that the torque wrench would remove the attention and "feel" that was more important. Any Mechanical Engineers able to explain?

Re steel rusting. I've seen completely wasted structures, usually indoors in an aggressive environment. But also steel that's been exposed to the elements for 40 years, with only red oxide paint, and it is still sound.... it wets and dries again. But in or near the ground I'd say it should be rigourously protected. Perhaps galvanised, certainly painted, or both. I have a lot of time for bitumen paint....easy to apply and then slurp more into the welds and corners.

I used to build lots of steel buildings. Torque was a real thing but we were instructed by the steel designers not to be too technical about it, but to turn the nut until it feels tight and then one turn more. As above, it is more important that the nut turns on smoothly and you are only tightening: not trying to close gaps. Also , whether the anchor is solid is critical. I once pulled a resin anchor out simply by turning the nut on , and it never became tight. ( the anchor was by others, and the resin was missing the second part). Steel in wet conditions with oxygen will rust and fail. What spec are you using to avoid this?

Put it on Facebook, free to collect. Then perhaps agree a compromise once they see the location. Any BH working near you? Our steading is just half way along the road from you if you are passing with it.... 100 miles?

Is that a misprint? Lower than what? The heat produced is poor, and then it reverses to thaw itself. The circulation pump is what it is, pumping round lukewarm water. There must be 2 of them though: one for the borehole and one for the house circuit. My experience is that, installation cost disregarded, a gshp can cost as much to run as a resistance electric heater. Re noise: yes a gshp is just a hum from a pump, whereas the ashp also has the fan running in open air, producing motor noise and turbulence noise....but not much ...and it can be located to suit.

And probably sponsored by the pro oil/ climate change denying lobby. I have oil at home. The boiler is broken and I am getting a new oil boiler, nk question. A new house is being designed for ashp, even though no cheaper than oil at present. For anyone new to the subject. Fundamentally, an ashp throws away air from which energy has been taken, and new air appears. A gshp takes energy from the ground and it gets colder until it freezes. I've represented people with gshp that cost much more to run than an electric fire, and got it replaced with ashp. That developer won't be doing it again.

If the architect is endorsing gshp then this is concerning, unless you live in a volcanic area or have a flowing aquifer. Manchester? No. Tease them, they deserve it and need to learn. Show us, dear architect, some gshp projects in the area. Show us projected figures for our ground type. Will you give any financial guarantees on their performance? BTW you must not spend any of my money on your research. There are, or used to be, some honourable gshp contractors who would mostly advise that it was not suitable. Unfortunately they were pushed under by the others, one of whom perhaps has the ear of your untechnical architect.

Here is the RIBA official take on it. https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/knowledge-landing-page/building-safety-act-differences-between-principal-designer-roles?srsltid=AfmBOor7TVcynS-9f-viI7ifYWnZ4WhIPUsQMC4BFLAwW7vuaS6DMszB To me they are saying that Architects should protect their place in the market, whereas the point of it should be expertise. RIBA strongly advises architects to make the BRPD role their own along with the CDMPD role, to further enhance and promote the protection of specialism and function.