Ferdinand

That ispart of the genius. No one quite knows.

That is actually different to what CAB seem to say. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/report-to-trading-standards/ I agree though .. getting to Trading Standards can be a wild goose chase.

One thing I did not mention was engaging Trading Standards, but I know nothing about their remit across the EU. You need to talk to them. Whatever you are going to do, I think I would want it finished significantly before Brexit - may cause more complications even if only a bigger library of potential excuses / opportunity for smoke screens. Could it be as simple as an expert report, and a County Court action against the UK supplier for the cost of Sioo + putting it on to do a fix or alternatively for replacement (which sounds too big for the Small Claims track)? Ferdinand

That looks very bad to my amateur eye. But I do not know how it should look. May there be mileage in contacting the media on this case? Or a piccie on Twitter might go viral as the failure is eye catching. Or a petition. A brochure vs reality split photo might have a good impact. The key point on Twitter is to embarrass them and circulate widely, while having a set of demands that (to quote Terry Waite) "leave a door through which you can both exit together with dignity". On a petition it is to have a critical mass of signers in place before you launch it so it doesn't bomb, with same exit route. You either need to make them submit eg in a court claim or persuade them to help you, perhaps as an escape before you batter them down. Set out your strategy for yourself, however, and your objectives, carefully, to be ones that they can deliver. Obviously you are likely to need a professional report, and proof of valid install. Obvs once you start you can't stop ... The Grand Old Duke of York strategy does not work, except to embarrass the GODYK, unless they surrender early. And that cannot be relied on. Best of luck, and I will sign your petition if you choose to do one.

For the summer you need a Cold Tub .

I *would* use a membrane because it likely only to be perhaps 1-2% of the budget and will keep the materials separate.

The other one probably just rolled over. YOu get what you negotiate.

Quickest way to make progress may be to go down the road to your closest architect or designer and hire him for half s day to sort out the boilerplate. That may address 80% of it. Much is just variations of statements such as 'Utility room ventilation to comply with Building Regulations Section X Subsection Y Para Z". These things just indicate compliance with the minimum, not precise specification. BCO will be interested in X doing the job according to regulation 23465, not that X is constructed of pre-pulverised trilithium which has survived being sat on by Donald Trump in a Gimp Suit . It will say u-value of 0.2 (say - i.e. Meets Building Regs minimum) for a wall even if it is a Passive House with 6ft of sheeps' wool.

I think there may be good models from places like Oz Coastal and Singapore, and perhaps some of the less desert-y gulf places such as Oman. Places which are tropical but also have advanced construction industries. Are there good historic vernacular practices in Mauritius? Can you do creative things with water ... e.g. Evaporating it inside for cooling, or using some sort of fabric design to cool the temperature overnight and keep it cool through the day? I wonder what the likes of Hilton do at their holiday villages and villas etc. F Also shooting a little in the dark.

I love that. "We do not judge that a district combined heat and power scheme is suitable for our single unit self-build" :-). Gold Star to @jamiehamy for the point by point comment.

I think most of this is basics covered by a set of boilerplate notes that exists on every architect's computer, with small variations.

This is my normal good value Manrose bathroom fan at 75 cubic m per hr, overrun timer and backdraft shutter in the fan at £25. I have installed 2 or 3 in both walls and ceilings. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CJ8L8ZM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 That comment was probably me. If you do do a Through the Wall HRV fan, one tip is to mount it in a 110mm rigid soil pipe set into the wall so you can get it out again cleanly for maintenance.

I think step one would be to increase the timer on the fan to run for 20 minutes after the person leaves the bathroom. If you want to draw air in, then perhaps trim the bottom if the door by 6-8mm (?). The issue I have had with HR fans in bathrooms is that the air coming in, even though it has most of the heat in it, will still be cooler than that going out and will be perceived as cold by a person in the shower. Ferdinand

The best thing you can probably contribute may be to get an understanding of what are relevant material Planning issues, and make sure everything else gets left out. PCs seem to be magnificent tangentialists.

Imo you either make it impossible for them to get under eg slab, sharp gravel, or wire the ground; and have no gap. Or perhaps box it in for storage. Or you make it big enough that you can get them out easily with eg a power hose, and it does not feel like shelter.

ASAP probably does not have a place in the construction vocabulary. ASAPB, now ... " ... But ... " is probably quite familiar to us all. F

Has @Onoff got his windows in yet? Can we defenestrate him for that joke? On LPG, we used to have one for cooking .. family of 4 on electric AGA with gas hob ... and it was roughly one bottle a year. I think it was the red one.

Interesting. I have found my local Howdens pretty good. Very solid units, and factory built saves time and makes it uniform. I find their (room not kitchen cupboard) doors relatively expensive, and I have not tried pricing their skirtings as I have a wood place locally that beats the best online prices. But I am really a customer with a trade account, and I have been doing only one or two kitchens a year rather than a lot. I think we need to clarify what solid backs to units means ... I am used to seeing hardboard backs where the construction is more like chassis plus glued panels rather than glued monocoque, and I have some units from a former Swedish company called Kalmar that date back to the 1970/1980s and are still very sound. Long story! But my current Howden's Kitchen has MDF backs of either 4 or 6mm in 18mm carcasses. Solid backs? Ferdinand

Intrigued by what a 'working Appendix' actually does. /nitpick.

Come less often and fly Business Class :-).

Is there a link as to what your Genvex does extra, @JSHarris? Do I just go blog digging?. Just set the LBB to 20c with the heating on continuously for the next week, and taken meter readings which will give me some numbers. F

North Falkland.

But spray hosepipes are so mch more fun...

@JSHarris - do you have a link on a recommended model?

No. It is in one of the houses done by Peter Aldington at Turn End in about 1968, which is listed and so a basically original interior. It is a piccie from a rental advert two years ago. http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-47209429.html TBH I would not yet be confident that it would rent easily around here - I think Ts are generally very conservative when house hunting unless it is a very tight market. I love the style, and talk about them too much ... I need to visit far more other ones :-). I'm trying to find money and a place for a weekend hideaway, which I would have more fun with. But .. like everybody else ... plots and money though it is less tight around here than some places.