Ferdinand

TBH this is now potentially so variable by property, rental type, whether it is an old or new property, whether it is an existing or new rental contract, and the Jurisdiction, and the Local Authority that I am not sure ? . And it has been a couple of years since I did a new rental. I suggest checking with both the Local Authority Private Rental team and the Building Regs Department. If they agree then you can be reasonably sure. What I would say is whether it is Hard Wired or Battery alarms, then I would go interlinked. If Battery alarms, I tend to go for 5 or 10 year batteries. Ferdinand

I guess that if the duty is increased slightly, there may be the leeway to absorb it by the oil companies.

The news is reporting that oil prices have slumped again overnight. May be an incoming well priced top up opportunity for people with oil fired heating. Use your skill and judgement to decide whether this is the bottom ? . Ferdinand

Have you sorted that you have space to put the ASHPs outside, and where they will go?

Because you see it in the context of the landscape?

Is this suggestion a bodge to get over the absence of a real porch - and the threshold being cooled because the interior has been exposed to the outside directly rather than indirectly?

Would something as simple as a cheap metal detector work to find this if it is a known problem?

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Welcome.

Welcome. As hinted at, you need to understand the spec, and the backround, and also your requirements (if they will only do a little extra you need to know what that should be for your maximum benefit.) If it is Building Regs only, then it may not be appropriate to have a single heating zone - it depends what the overall energy demand is going to be and whether you are comfortable with that, however you could workaround that using Thermal Radiator Valves to control each room to an extent, or using so called "Smart TRVs" to give you a measure of centralised control. I think @pocster has those in his HMOs. It is about understanding what you are getting, and evaluating that against what you think the house requires - then using that info to demand any necessary changes or choosing options as early as possible. Ferdinand

Since you are there for a long time I would look underneath the surface as suggested. You can sometimes bodge these with a stain block, but not for this situation.

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting Lyme Park - an Italianate Country House owned by the National Trust near Disley, Stockport - to rendezvous with an old friend. However, it is not necessarily the best idea to visit somewhere at 800ft elevation in February; it was significantly cold on a day such as the one we selected, which did wonders for the cafe trade in soup and coffee. Lyme Park was built in the 1720s, after possession by the same family since Medieval times, when they became much more wealthy due to the discovery of coal beneath their land during the industrial revolution. For more information on Lyme itself try the Wikipedia article. It looks extraordinarily posh and huge, from the lake side. We approached from the back - the North, which is far more modest. And into the enclosed courtyard, which feels surprisingly intimate. I have not reflected on it often, but the landed aristocracy, or newly rich industrialists or robber-barons, are all self-builders. And that like most Buildhubbers they only ever build one or two houses, and that therefore like us they have little chance to learn from their own mistakes, as they have little or no experience. They are sometimes like all of us are sometimes - feet of clay and heads in the clouds. There are exceptions, such as Bess of Hardwick who probably built at least 6 houses (Old Hardwick Hall, new Hardwick Hall, Chatsworth, a lesser known one at Oldcotes near Hardwick which has vanished, a Town House in Derby, and a Hunting Lodge in the Peak District), and also her own memorial which is now in Derby Cathedral. That is one way to control your reputation. At Lyme a range of special events and tours had been laid on - including one looking behind the scenes at the house, where the guides have plenty of time to talk and answer questions. The house was heavily remodelled by an Italian Architect Giacomo Leoni, who designed a number of Palladian houses in England, to a Palladian form but incorporating much of the existing building. He added a new frontage to an existing C-shaped plan to create an enclosed courtyard accessed via an entrance archway. I would say that the owner of Lyme was a victim of architectural fashion here. A number features are perhaps inappropriate, and quite major changes had to be made to parts of the building a century later. It was noticeable that the courtyard was *much* colder than the already cold weather - entering through the archway felt as if moving from a fridge to a freezer. It would be more comfortable, at least in a Stockport winter, if the "inner court" were still part of the wider countryside - the previous plan. I have no idea how this design works in Italian conditions; it does not work here at this time of year. The Guide remarked that Lyme is different in that it is characteristic for many large English country houses to be entered at first floor level - consider all those sweeping staircases such as at Keddleston Hall in Derbyshire, or even Town Houses with basements, or half basements. (I am not entirely convinced by the whole thing here, as the main entrance inside the Courtyard *is* actually at 1st Floor Level, but he does have some valid points. At Lyme many service rooms were built on the Ground Floor, and it seems clear that there were at least some design problems,.) In the 1800s' further remodelling many of these rooms were moved to separate buildings, and they even burrowed into the hill like hobbits to build a tunnel to move in supplies. The entrance sequence was also adjusted, to give a practical route to what was the Estate Office. It seems to me that here the self-builder of Lyme made exactly the same mistakes that can be made by modern self-builders can on a smaller scale. So what are the lessons: 1 - Choose an architect with experience that is as comparable as possible, and that can be demonstrated to be such. 2 - Self-builders need to self-educate as far as possible, to be an engaged and knowledgeable client. One job of the client, as the Plot Expert, is to help the architect avoid applying boilerplate ideas from elsewhere. 3 - Do as much work as possible on paper, on computer, or in the head. As the project progress, changes become rapidly more expensive, and mistakes less likely to be corrected. Once it is fixed in brick, stone, wood or concrete, it becomes ...fixed. 4 - Ultimately, it is the client who has to live with the results of their collaboration with the Architect, and the buck stops with them. 5 - Whatever you do, do not be a fashion victim.

I have had LED GU10s in since 2013, and I still have a pile of original spares because they just don't pop very often. I have not noticed a loss of brightness either. The one problem I have noticed with LED bulbs is getting big ones over say 100W. The type with the strings of LEDs seem to cost more and go pop more often in my experience.

Yes, it sounds like it. I think time is the lever they are using, and disruption to your project is the wedge to encourage you to do what they want. An FOI on the numbers of Necessary Wayleave applications may be interesting.

Interesting electric vehicle sales numbers (SMMT). https://www.smmt.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/February-Fuel-2020-and-YTD-cars.png

I have put this thread here, as it really belongs with the CDM role / Health and Safety. Has anyone considered this? Though the numbers are small, we do have people coming on and off site - and some of us sometimes have a number of different subbies over periods of time etc. I have been consulting an expert over the gym where I own a small stake, and where the activity is as vigorous as any building site, and the points made have been: - Washing hands is still the key. Traditional soap is as good as gels etc. Having hot water is not quite as important as I thought it was. - Regularly wipe down areas touched by a number of different people - especially door handles and light switches, but also taps, electric sockets, whiteboard pens, buttons on drinks machines, handles on doors or equipment if used by different people etc. - Corona Virus lasts up to 48 hours on a surface. - Laminated signs with instructions on doors where people enter, in the washing hands / bathroom area, and on noticeboards. - Make a summary note in any Health and Safety manual / file / procedure. - Encourage wearing of gloves where possible / appropriate. (Either a gym or a building site probably have some glove--wearing anyway). - Have a supply of robust disposable gloves available, in case you need to insist. The reasons for self-builders to pay a modicum of attention seem to me to be twofold: 1 - For its own sake, to keep things rolling / be on top of things in a safe working environment for staff, and any regulators etc who visit. 2 - To have a suitable set of reasonable measures in place in case there is any attempted comeback later from any source (though it is unlikely) - the famous arse cover. Does anyone have suggestions / comments? Ferdinand

On the awful weather, I was trying a day by day forecast using Alexa, and it kept saving "clouds", "rain", "clouds", "clouds", "maximum temperature (<8C)" for the next week. Depressing. Yet here we are and it is crystal clear cold and sunny this morning. And I have to do PC work. I'm sure it will improve. Slowly.

If it is PIR won't that be Building Regs minimum ish?

Would French drains be a better option?

You may getaway with fencing of the footpath if your drive is wide enough. If you can put knocker posts in 80m should be pretty quick to do a post and rail or PST and tensioned wire fence, not expensive and you can reuse it all later if you take it out again when done. Ferdinand

There is at least one item missing from that list.

There's a thing called a "quasi easement" that is relevant here, but I cannot remember the detail. I think it has to do with intention to create an easement.

As in "supply a copy".

Does that mean you can get some numbers from that extension informally for a comparison, and then adjust for the time since and differences in your secret cell? You don't necessarily have to tell them why. Another data point. F

Welcome to the forum. You may find it helpful to read some of the project blogs, where there are a couple who have basements. https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/search/?&q=basement&type=blog_entry&search_and_or=or&sortby=relevancy Ferdinand