Ferdinand

2G double glazing. 3G triple. If you take what us in there out, there should be a local service that will fit 250mm for free. You also need to consider ventilation if you insulate. You can model dewpoint, however. My normal approach (to solid walls) is 50mm of Kingspan plus a vapour membrane on the warm side plus plasterboard and skim, but there are many views on that. On the thread I linked I did not do that for room size reasons, and that the u-value was already down to 0.55 due to cavity wall insulation. Consider raising the floors, and put a floating floor over the top. Needs modelling. PIR or even aerogel? Plus one of the 18mm deep ufh systens? I gained about 60mm by trimming doors, and leaving existing frames. Ferdinand

Welcome ROB - suggest an intro in the intro section, and perhaps a project blog (PM an admin). You can do airtightness with either, but don't overfocus on the walls - you will get better resutls first with floor and loft if it is already 0.46. Do not forget the bit of wall between the floors, though. Work out your whole programme before you start, and build a thermal model using the @JSHarris spreadsheet produced by a member here. Take time to think it all through and do your homework. Of those go internal - external will cost at least 10-15k, and by the time you have done 2G, normal insulation plus underfloor, etc, new CH, and so on it will not be worth it unless you get a grant, or there is a very good reason. Perhaps for a forever house. I have costed up for 4 or 5 over the years, and it has never been able to justify the cost. Then spend money on doing all the obvious usual things, and you should get to an EPC B or so. Two threads, about reno of a 1970-ish bungalow in 2017: And some possible quick wins. Ferdinand

is that actually that different? You are putting the flashing on before you ave finished the wall, then building the last layer of wall over the top. That is not istm functionally different from the slot and wedge approach. F

Is there an opportunity for any education, here? The big issue with residential planet-killing is owner occupied not renovated from before 2013, and more horribly as they get older. Suspect that his house costs as much to run as 5 of yours. Has anyone tried this .. I chat about it as and when I can, but have not been more systematic than that except with tenants. F

Depends entirely how you handle it, and is why the fluffy soft stuff matters. If you go in with eg ‘we are SELF BUILDERS and we KNOW WHAT WE WANT and that’s our DETAILED SPECIFICATION’, with or without the Dom Joly telephone, then the A will correctly assume that anything left out is intended to be left out. And the responsibility for your missing hall light switch on the landing will be yours. If A is already alongside then she can appreciate the process rather than just the stack of docs. You now need to supply top notch coffee or bubbles. There is a need to be definitive, but also warm and fluffy so the architect will engage as well as obey. If you are going in with the above caricature approach then you would need a plans-drawer or technician, not an architect, as they A would charge you A rates for a T job, and be unhappy and frustrated. F

According to the Rich List the 2 founders sold the business for 30m each in 2008 or so. F

Missed the Pipe Organ. It had better be a Father Willis. Organs are really good value from converting churches, but they are like mistresses and traction engines ... the pleasure is intense, the expense is immense ? I think perhaps the most important thing I do not see, but you may be planning, is that you need to explain your understanding of the role of an architect in your project. How would you react if someone gave you your package?

Looking again after an hour, my further comments: 1 - I think your first 4 tabs would be really useful for the architect, but still perhaps as supporting information to a 1-2 page brief with some indication that these are how you have developed your thinking and not a set of "rules". 2 - You do not seem to have covered house automation (unless I missed it). F

That's quite Roman. The 'Pyramid House' at the Homeworld Exhibition in MK in 1981 was like that with a single space in the middle (iirc). Ditto houses which are centred round a conservatory. F

Someone has been collecting all our bees and now you have a bonnetful ! I agree that it is an excellent list of wants .. meaning that you have collected all the details that you have identified, and rationales etc, into a systematic form. An architect will need something higher level, as they will come in with concepts and ideas, a framework to hang the detail on. But they will start from the concept "forest", rather than a big list of individual trees. You now need to talk more about what sort of forest you eg dark and intimate or broadleaved with nuts to eat - pick up on concepts such as your love of light spaces etc, paths to the back (rather than a "1.1m path for diggers etc"). Two risks of supplying so much detail are firstly that that gets treated as all of it, so you have given an excuse if things you have missed get missed completely, and that you unintentionally limit the architect's creativity. So I would be planning to either supply more of a summary, and say that your supportive thinking is attached, or holding off slightly with the full information. Depends on the individual you are dealing with. In any case, you have an excellent checklist for practicality of design. Can't imagine living with only having one shelf for wineglasses, though. What about whisky and cocktails? F

Naturism is so much less expensive...

One of the two founders of the White Stuff fashion chain seems to have build a tennis court, pavilion, and skate doodah on the cliffs near Salcombe without any PP whatsoever, and has been told to demolish them. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-49878737 Rather outrageous. Personally I think he probably needs his nuts roasting for that. I am not sure what the basic building is - demolish and replace or is that a Martello Tower? Looks a bit like an accommodation block at a ski resort. Apparently White Stuff are fashionable; that will be why I have never heard of them.

There's also things such as approximately double the population growth rate in England vs Scotland, different age structure, and different illness / disease levels by ethnic community. F

What my fitter said. But mine is quite a bit thinner than yours. Others’ comments?

Remember that fibres will make it a bit more difficult to spread. The one I have just had done came with pre-included fibres, and the fitter remarked (ahem) that it was tricky to spread because of the electric ufh in it. Anyhoo mine is now tiled but not grouted. F

Nice to see that the number of responses is higher than the last survey ==> growth of community. The missing options are "earth sheltered" and "Jenga".

Interesting looking at my potential need to sort out my south facing traditional bay windows, since mum has moved her bedroom downstairs and the rooms were running up to 35C when I measured it late August. The other one is my office. Expecting a sudden demand next summer. The glass is 2G from about 12 years ago, and to replace 10 off of 450x900 units (ie the main windows not the opening toplights) with new ones with an anti-solar-gain outside pane would cost about £600 fitted, which might be a cost-effective solution given the extra lifetime over a solar film. Surprised at the relatively lowish price.

Having checked, my glass balustrade banister is 900mm, with slightly taller posts.

(late reply) Don’t have the data to answer that I am afraid. Crudely it would require a long term comparison of growth rates, ideally taking into account eg the higher diabetic rate (free prescriptions completely) in Scotland vs England and similar factors. F

I thave hunk you should get a number of years depending on usage level. I have one installed dating back to about 2011, but it in a bathroom and an exceptionally civilised, house proud tenant. Even by the standards of my tenants. No 50 bottles of urine anywhere I would expect many more years from it. Though personally I prefer the Vent Axia product. F

Quite possibly. If I had my classics head on it would have been “Hello, Hippolyta”. F

I think mine are 1m. I think the place to start is probably to consider the function - is one of you small, and does that feel different etc? Is it a tight hallway where getting beds upstairs is difficult? Plus aesthetics. @jack You are a tall family iirc. Subliminal? F

Celtic Fertility Images. Lol. My iPad defines a Sheela-na-Gig 'Allo 'Allo style as "wonking woman". We already discussed this at adequate length wrt to @Onoff's gatepost. In 2017, so a rapid prototyping development methodology. Twas @jamiehamy who was discussing them with an unknown woman on a train in South Yorkshire, apparently. F

If it is not practically possible, that sounds like an excellent reason why the Pillocks of Parliament will make it compulsory. /evidence based cynicism.

True. Prescribable after a process. My too short summary. Speaking to the pharmacist adviser employed by our surgery, the policy is similar ... requires a consultation with a dietician. Ferdinand