Ferdinand

If necessary we could consider a trad shower chair, but we are not there yet in needs terms. Whilst the person can stand and hold on whilst under a rainfall shower, that is probably preferable In terms of mainta8nihg mobility. Plus we can also have the mounting at the correct height .. slightly surprised not to find a fixed-to-wall one with adjustable-on-fly-height at less than four figures. @Hecateh I have been stomped upon wrt the dispenser. It is instead a single bar of soap and a push top bottle of shampoo, and a shelf has been requested for them to stand on. Ferdinand

There is an online calculator here which you can use to get the u value of one or more layers, and that can be used to compare approximately. https://www.vesma.com/tutorial/uvalue01/uvalue01.htm The bloke likes detail so PIR is isanocyanurate is Celotex or Kingspan. Ferdinand

Looking at shower chairs, they seem to be in several categories 1 - Wall mounted fold down stool which seem to have capacities of 80kg - 100kg. 2 - Wall mounted fold down stool with 2 legs, which seem to have capacities of more like 120-180kg. 3 - Fold down chairs ie with a back and perhaps arms, as 1 and 2. 4 - Standalone traditional shower chairs, either as per institutions or more domestic in appearance. 5 - Things like smaller freestanding stools which may fit neatly into the corner. Materials are some combination of plastic, stainless steel, aluminium or wood. I am going for category 2, as 1 looks to me that a heavy person might sit on it and break it by mistake, and I want no risk of an elderly family member having that problem. Prices for reasonably attractive ones - we want a wooden seat - seem to be in the £80-£250 range with various outliers each side. Any comments would be welcome. Ferdinand

Does anyone have any photos of elderly adapted showers or wetrooms, showing things that have been done to make it easier to use? Photos would be welcome. I’ll post one of mine when done, and of the other later in the year. Ferdinand

Don’t fret the isolation valves on the whole shower .. which are probably a different issue ie threads drift sorry. Was Informed firmly by my plumber yesterday that the self-builder who had converted my bungalow had NOT fitted isolation valves and that it was most unacceptable. Fair cop. Ferdinand

Does Mr SPONS have an opinion?

Plus https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/273808935435

We did a chat with an OT. In my experience they will usually give me a couple of catalogues, and sent information through, rather than recommended particular products. Very useful on the sort of facilities that could be available, but if you are in a reasonably sized house a decent type of shower that we usually talk about on BH (say bath replacement size) should be OK if you think it through. On the hoist, I would think that most modern joists would be up to the job, as that is what they are required to do for more than one person upstairs plus the weight of the floor. Though I could see sense in extra bracing just to be sure. This ,may be different if you are into eg 160-180 kg individuals. In 2019 I would expect showers first, perhaps with a seat-under-the-spray, unless the individual has a greater need of third-party care. I think that the cases OTs struggle with are eg compact terraces due to really tight staircases. My downstairs bathroom is tight (3.5m x 1.8m part under the stairs), but we can manage. If I had to I even have a plan for threading a real lift in, but my family member will move downstairs more readily. Ferdinand

Grab handles. I have been specifically recommended this one from Screwfix, because: 1 - It is white plastic not chrome, and therefore less likely to cause grip to be lost. Aesthetically I would prefer chrome, but safety stuff is not a place to compromise. 2 - It is ribbed. 3 - It is under £10. 4 - It is "Trade Rated", which is a category I place at least some weight on. https://www.screwfix.com/p/straight-elderly-disabled-bathroom-grab-bar-anti-bacterial-abs-white-x-35mm/93501 Add: Croydex have a couple of metallic ranges of grab rails etc, one of which has a knurled grip section, and the other of which has rubber rings every 2-3 inches. Ferdinand

I don't think we are quite in Rear Window territory :-). Though Ali McBeal did have a telescope ... It's a good thread so we'd better get back on topic.

That sounds a bit sinister... I will now imagine you as Action-Man-with-Eagle-Eyes, behind your carefully adjusted blinds.

I have blogged about the replacements of my downstairs bathroom with a shower in preparation for when an elderly and becoming-more-frail family member needs to move downstairs. This thread is intended as a resource for recommendations for disabled/elderly - both for products and practice. One tension is that traditionally anything that looks "institutional" or "medical" is not liked by people who do not need the aid, and some who do need it.

At the end of day two ... the shower tray is in. I was planning a moulded non-slip shower tray, but these are proving elusive without a special order so I have gone for a normal one instead and will add a full size non-slip mat. The only other point worthy of note is that the UFH manifold-and-gubbins are under the stairs, but that a lot of other gubbins is in the garage at the other end, so I am putting in a couple of runs of water pipe in case they are needed later. These will be sealed at the garage end. Look to your laurels, @Onoff, we'll be done in the time it takes you to choose loo rolls.

Cheers @JSHarris and @NSS. Will this be tricky for larger 3g windows, due to the weight of the window? Or is Sageglass a supply-and-fit item, and you just need to supervise like Alfred the Great's mum with baking? Does it come as a 3g unit and they take the old one away? F

I think one issue with Sageglass will be electrical connections during retrofit without messing it all up. F

Speaking as a restorer of (mainly 1970 or earlier, often pre-1920) houses for rent I agree with that. I am now probably confident enough to put one into the next house I do, but I would want to be restoring to an EPC number of mid-70s to do it. I am not sure how it would be perceived in the sales market, however. Ferdinand

As @PeterW comments - this is mainly backwards. Your heating system spec depends on your heating need which depends on the fabric and context of your building, as well as the size. It is quite possible to heat a normal sized house with a single fan heater, if built for that. So you need to start by estimating your spec. The one thing I would say is that if you go for a a gas boiler, site it such that an ASHP replacement is possible in without gutting everything. That mainly means oversized rads or ufh. Ferdinand

I have family who build electric external roller-shutter style security blinds into an extension in 2001. 1 - The security aspect was overegged for them as they are in a row of semis and garages so getting to the back is difficult anyway. For an isolated or private house - yes. 2 - They do use them for solar blocking sometimes. 3 - They do really need to be designed in first wrt soffits etc, then they can be properly invisible. 4 - You do ideally want a "touch and release" option not just "touch and hold" switches. By the time you have stood next to 4 blinds for 30s each, it is tedious. 5 - Ideally also an "all close" or "all open" switch. 6 - "Easy to use" is very important; or you won't use them. Ferdinand

Very unpredictable. When a house was demolished near here to make a road into a new estate, they continued collecting the bins ...used by a neighbour who was stretched .. for a coupe of months. They had also been used for the previous number of months when it was empty. F

What's SWMBO doing opining about your man cave?

I think a key concept here is robustness .. to coping with 95% or 99% of whatever may happen during the lifetime of the house. Tod ensign to a more conservative temperature in PHPP and to (say) 1-2% not 3-4% of time exceeding that threshold seems to be a god approach. And given that solving the problems afterwards can cost into 4 or 5 figures, it seems worthwhile to provision for a variety of remedies .. since circs may move in several directions. Ferdinand

Talking of auctions. Closure of a high end furniture store, with about a week to go. https://www.bidspotter.co.uk/en-gb/auction-catalogues/timed/william-george-auctions/catalogue-id-wi412608#lot-2ed3eee2-54b7-4674-be5d-aa5300a24308 Current bids - light £2, sofa £80.

I would add 2 items. 1 - Some form of automated or touch of a button outlet for nighttime purge ventilation at the top. 2 - This interesting detail of a briese soleil that does not look like a chip cutter, from the House Of the Year if it was Designed By An Architect programme. Old Shed New House. They have a belt of trees quite close, which will help with the autumn and spring. Ferdinand

And just wait until you pay for the carpet. F

That's a lorra lorra hoovering ?.