Ferdinand

Thinking of the current weather, can anyone recommend a secure way of holding a Velux Perhaps 50mm open when no one is home, or at night. Not a huge issue, but it is a little too close to next door’s carport roof for comfort. The window is a mid-pivot version.

You need a costing exercise. If you are running rads at ufh temperatures, they may take as long. I am sure there are timers available that would do the trick, or it may be as simple as opening the door a bit before your one hour if it is well insulated. How well insulated are you? If it s an extra 5% or 10% on an annual bill of £200, then it is perhaps cheaper not to have the control gear.

Yes .. 2 passive houses built using different techniques. Their project summaries are interesting especially for identifying holes they left and opportunities for future research. And limitations of the approach because people live differently. One of my interests is how this stuff can be applied viably to rental. I applaud your initiative but I was wondering whether there were other ways of adding greater research value. Are you in bed with eg any universities for monitoring, and possible funding? One area that would genuinely interest me would be to build 2 identical and certify one, so that we get a real number for the Passive House tickbox overhead.

Is this not repeating previous work? eg Lime House And Larch House in Ebbow Vale. And welcome.

No brainer imo. If it is integral, then imo do it ufh and make it a separate zone. Family did that 15 years ago and have not regretted it. People who converted mine n theory did that for the future conservatory but did not finish everything so we ended up with electric ufh just to have someth8ng in place. Think about levels and liveability. And also take the time to think through lighting and electrics. And make sure you record where everything is placed ? . Others will comment on the slab. I would also make sure that it is big enough to be considered a real garage, and that you have enough spaces outside to still be more than adequate if it is converted in the future. You could even convert it for a value boost when you sell in x years. F

Says tomorrow for me. So the question: how much in the sticks is Lancashire?

Join Amazon Prime on a trial and @Declan52‘s source will be guaranteed for tomorrow.

Perhaps it is worth me getting that Screwfix Trade account now. more info here: https://community.screwfix.com/threads/screwfix-price-match-the-good-and-bad-well-more-mad.185180/ Thread also mentions an allegedly good supplier called Isaac Lord, which sounds like something out of George Eliot. In Hogh Wycombe. https://www.isaaclord.co.uk/ F

Does that mean Screwfix have a price match policy? That is interesting. Do you happen to have a link?

On the same subject, these wheelbarrows I posted in discounts a couple of weeks ago may still be available at £10 each ie less than what I think is the usual cost of a new wheel if you are pursuing that option. Bodies could make quite good eg mint-restrictors or garden thingamajigs or more mixing wotsits. 65l mental barrows ... quite light ... with pneumatic tyres that are bicycle-pumpable.

just noticed ... I think the smaller one as it comes is sized to exactly fit the hole where a washer or fridge would go under a standard height worktop. So if you have those in your workshop...

@recoveringacademic Not sure if it is exactly what you want but useful to know about, IKEA do some mobile wooden kitchen trolley/islands, which might be suitable for this with the same different wheels or for smoother areas as they are. There is the BEKVAM at 58x50cm at £35. The height is 85cm and the wheels have brakes, and there are a couple of shelves underrneath. https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/kitchen-products/kitchen-islands-trolleys/bekväm-kitchen-trolley-birch-art-30240348/ And the FORHOJA At 1m x 43cm x 90cm high, which has 2 drawers, at £80. No wheel brakes on this one. https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/kitchen-products/kitchen-islands-trolleys/förhöja-kitchen-trolley-birch-art-80035920/ I have had one in my kitchen for about a decade. Very sturdy. Wheels are about 75mm beneath 2 legs, but 250mm wheels would fit nicely into the side of the legs and keep it level by drilling one hole each. Much less work than your other options if suitable. Ferdinand

Heh. Yes - I'm just doing research for when I want to live next to a river and grow watercress with a water reservoir that just happens to be the same shape as a small natural swimming pool ?.

If planning for the garage to be caravan and camper capable, then remember that winebagos tend to be up to about 11ft, and caravans are getting taller. Personally I like the idea of speccing at least one garage to be transit + ladder suitable, or even high top transit.

I don’t know about this, but I am interested in hearing for the future. I know that there is an extraction limit of 20 cubic metres per day without declaring it, but I am not sure if you need to declare the *existence* of the extraction. Not whether using a hose not connected to the mains would contravene a putative hosepipe ban. F

Hopefully not a teetotalitarian ?

Perhaps you could take the opportunity to redesign your garage to be taller? Very useful in future for people with transits with lladders on top. Go for 3-3.5m height? F

Aren’t there chaps you can bring in with a sawmill for stone for a day for several hundred?

We can’t comment without at least some more precise information; planning, like anything else, has an argot, and some of the vague definitions are very considered and precisely targetted in their vagueness. Ideally we need the wording of the emails but that may be a bit close to home. Planning is a game of pin the tail on the donkey anyway; without wording or summary it is an entire beach full of donkeys. It is genuinely very similar to bistromathics. It would really help if you could quote or summarise. ? F

I agree with Peter’s numbers. The last Report I had was £250 or so for reports on 2 trees to give to someone to make him deal with them, ie notice now given and an assessment of what a third tree has done to a wall. I would think you could have someone commute from a long way away and still save some money. I can see they might be cautious given that it is slightly obviously dodgy. Perhaps if you had an agreement that the report would be offset against the cost of removing it, depending on how firm your intentions are. F

It will also help to see t( detail of the points he is making, and which LPA is 8nvolved. They have wide leeway, but they can’t do *anything*, and you can appeal if you need. F

So why are commercial housing sites of such questionable quality? On the numbers, my current potentially large - 3-4k repair job is looking at a day rate of about £135 per man through the books on a local roofing company. Not entirely convinced by your numbers @nod. 14k Tax a year is just into the higher band say 52k income for what you say is a 6 or perhaps 7 day week. If we take 130-135 at 275-300 days I am not sure it is that different once the swings and roundabouts have been swung and turned. F

Thanks for all the comments.

You need the vapour barrier to prevent the wet warm air from eg your breathing condensing in your floor structure where there is a cold surface. Given your ground conditions you could consider an insulated concrete slab floor instead.

If it is not too heavy stuff you are doing, permanent spray glue for picture mounting could be an option if you get a decent one. Would probably need an absorbent surface however.