saveasteading

My thoughts are only for upstairs. I know people say you don't need it, but that would be a risk and psychologically, not controllable. So UFH in screed on GF certainlyfor cost and function. First floor ufh would require a secondary floor so the cost is higher and carpets unsuitable. Rads are ugly and use wall space. Hence skirtings may be viable on all counts. It shouldn't need to be the same area as ufh either because of heat transfer through aluminium compared to concrete.

Interesting. My payback assessment was for interest as I didn't believe some claims of it being just a few years. If that was untrue, then what about the comfort claims? It's mostly, though, that I've never felt a building of mine was stuffy, or had any adverse client comment, even with a very large population and a good airtightness score. I've spent my career in challenging newer fads. e.g. I never installed wind turbines even when they were all the rage and scored BREeam points. But was a user of SUDS.before it was fashionable. Thus I need convincing. What made you put MVHR at the top?

We aren't testing the steading. 'Reasonably practicable' applies for conversions. I way its a shame as I think it will be a very god score, notwithstanding the very high external wall and roof areas (central courtyard) and the stone external walls retained to 3/4 of it. I didn't know this about being too airtight. It seems o be 5 not 3. BUT don't we seal and close the vents before testing, then open them for real life? Will this need 2 tests? Lower air infiltration rates, of less that 5m3/h.m2 @ 50 Pa, may give rise to problems with internal air quality and condensation unless this is addressed through planned ventilation.

I am a sceptic on mvhr. This may be because the early iterations (or some) were clearly flawed, with poor heat transfer and some short circuiting of the air. Or was it hat the reps didn't understand their products? Has anyone done a proven comparison of a control v mvhr house? I did a quick, theoretical assessment once and made it that mvhr would payback in 12 years, after including the power input.

They cancel out to some extent. How thick was it? The current family project will have 350m2 of UFH with screed. 350m2 x 60mm = 21m3. I fancy avoiding paying £350/m3 for the material, but would be nervous about the self levelling and time involved. I've used fibre and love it, but never less than 125mm thick and with power floating. How did you level it? Screed board then a trowel? Did you use the triffid-like level control things?

1.56 is ok and multiple times better than a commercial new house (they do one up for a test and ignore the others and give them all the pass score). It is not the screws. it will be at corners and ends of boards. Plasterboard will help, not make it worse. You could put some mastic under the boards near these corners etc. You have fans in the wc and kitchen...a 110mm hole direct to outside. We all do. But they suck the air from draghy windows/ under doors which you have nearly sealed. Relax.

Most domestic floors are far from level, but you wouldn't notice unless trying to play marbles on a hard floor finish*. Your skirtings are like a straight edge so are emphasising the gap. Unless you know otherwise about the rest of the room. It is an easy job, and the better products are self levelling. a general builder can do it. so you are looking at a half hour for just that corner, or 2 hours for the whole room. * that is a good test, or a golf or other hard ball. Im interested in the skirting. It looks quite expensive at £40/m plus the plumbing but I don't know if the whole room needs it. Any info please?

Yes it works. make sure it sticks by applying PVA first. I even used it on an ancient tongue and groove floor once and it was fine. It was a 2 part, vinyl based product which has some flexibility. Just in that corner and zero to about 10mm? easy enough.

Absolutely fine, and about a third of the cost per m3. Also a cost advantage in labour when the area is quite small. such as an extension. The downside is that it isn't so easy to lay to a very thin layer of say 60mm, and won't find its way tight to every surface of the UFH pipes. It's also very bold to do that so early, in the open, as the weather and oncoming trades will do their best to damage the surface. @HughF what thickness is that? What mix of concrete and did it have plasticiser? If you have stuck vinyl straight onto that, then you've done remarkably well with the finishing.... and controlled the weather and workers well.

I agree that it technically isn't essential for strength, but i would do it, even in my own building with my own supervision. A marginal decision though. This is because it is close to impossiblle to lay and compact stone level and smoothly enough. Even the best laid Type 1 will have undulations, and then need sand blinding to be properly flat. Blinding needs to be ultra-thin or it gets footprints and other indents. So i would lay at least 50mm of concrete with fibre addditive as long as the labour is skilled enough to make it flat and smooth. In real life the loads in a domestic situation are tiny enough that pir does not crush, and will probably bridge small dips in concrete or hardcore. In theory i might accept pir straight onto stone if the method and skill levels guarantee a level surface. Blinding smoothed and membrane on it, planks for movement, pir laid immeduately and progressively, planks on top again. Top membrane is essential with liquid screed over pir. Not with dry screed, but the cost is tiny.

In Scotland no. They want a full design. In England you can. The choice is "full plans" or " building notice". For the latter you really need to be completely on top of the design, because there is more chance of discovering challenges late, or simply not optimising the design. Under full plans, the bco might be OK with a few details following, but you shouldn't count on it.

Or a garden weedkiller in a garden spray, as they can usually scoosh further. . Do NOT use a pressure washer or you could lose the render.

How vague can it be? claim sparked, alleges, allegation, persons unknown, approached, revealed. Is there a journalist dictionary of words to reduce credibility? not a single concrete detail.....I forecast that this is a non story as click bait. I think I heard that somebody was said to be possibly alleging a rumour that is apparently something about corruption somewhere....maybe. 3 x half a mil bribes.....these must be rather large projects, if not imaginary.

It's all above already I think. CDM is keeping people safe, including yourself. Do risk assessments. What might go wrong and how can I reduce the risk? If you happen to write it down, then you are giving yourself some cover if there was some unfortunate and reported injury. If the HSE rules say that you should register it, then you should. If you have contractors then they should have risk assessments, and be able to give you a copy. Of course we know that most little guys don't. As an amateur, do you insist? probably not.

Over 4 degrees and it's ok. If there is cement in the product then it is a chemical reaction, not drying, so this neds to be for at least a day, including early morning frost snaps.

But Spanish renderers and tilers are superb, and that would end up looking good....but they don't have our weather in areas where they do it like this.. RE the original question, that wall will get weeds growing from the open joints so I think it could cause problems all round.

Excellent. Did they get special rot treatment or is the solum guaranteed to be dry? Osb webs or steel frame? Made in Elgin so localish too.

Looks like standard Spanish construction. The renderer sorts it.

Agreed. Such buildings with big spaces have very varied use. They take a long time to heat up for perhaps a short activity. At the parish council everyone is sitting and needs warmth. The badminton club don't need it, but will turn it on anyway. In sports halls we used a big black tube in the ceiling that fired gas, and invisibly send IR down on the users. Teachers told me that they very visibly turned the heating on, the pupils immediately felt the heat, and then subtly turned it off in a half hour. But it can be kept on as necessary and gas is cheaper than electricity. But for a village hall I'd think electric can be considered and the ' visible heat' is a selling point.

There are systems where a netting is applied first, with screw fixings, then the render sticks to the board enough, with the additional support of the mesh. Very expensive but it works and I would not advise any other way. Or apply sods law and spill paint or render on it accidentally, as we know that doesn't come off.

You could even have one on the road feeding another half way. Or a couple of dump trucks.

@HighlandHopeful you see already how much sound advice is available. Tell us two critical things please. What access do you have? What are the ground conditions?

An aside perhaps. In my experience of these floors, the concrete beams are ultra hard, and drilling requires that you don't hit a steel tendon. Did you use short screws? And they have a camber to the centre. Yours don't appear to have this camber, but perhaps you packed the battens?

Yes, I was assuming that those aluminium rads with prettier shapes and fins will have more surface area for a less huge rad. The main issue is the sizes of rads required in any material. They have to be very big as compared to rads with much hotter water from oil or gas, and a lot of wall is needed. I suppose that can all be carried or barrowed up a track where a lorry can't go. And the footings mixed on site x 100 or 200 mixes, and barrowed to the hole. Dry mix likewise. I've seen an 800m2 floor done in dry screed. At least the guy knew what he was doing tomorrow...and tomorrow... UFH would be perfectly feasible.

Were there any issues that now concern you?