Ferdinand

There is currently an active thread over at the other place (Green Building Forum) on this subject, which references this paper: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268098972_Passive_Houses_What_May_Happen_When_Energy_Efficiency_Becomes_the_Only_Paradigm_CH-12-032 Thread:http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=14342&page=1

I thought this process was relatively easy to DIY. IIRC the chap with the bungalow-in-the-woods on the IoW in GD did so. F

How about doing a ring of planks with each type up the house, then you can give us a definitive conclusion in 10 years time for when I'm ready to start my self-build? (Gets coat)

What a lot of possibilities. My thoughts were around marine products, or scorching it (itching to see someone on here do that), or even something like Tar Varnish as used for the bottom of boats. https://www.promain.co.uk/black-tar-varnish-for-narrow-boats-6886.html But then you said "no blacks" :-( . Perhaps as it is a rough surface you might actually spray it on? Ferdinand

If it works for your setup, any decent printer driver will have a scale or fit option that will reduce A1 to A3. Ferdinand

@Sensus Yes there are perhaps some obvious alternatives to improve the distribution without adding much cost, perhaps applying the principle of the Leaky Hose to air, even controlled by WiFi if necessary, perhaps with holes getting larger away from the source. People on here could self-experiment with that using normal ducting and holes every 0.5 to 1m and some 'corks' i.e. Adjustable hit and miss vents. Circs permitting it might be interesting to put all the services under grills round the room periphery as in a Victorian church. Best of luck. I think the key thing is what we in software development call Maintainabilty, in this context the ability to change all the services without destroying the fabric. I try to do that in my small way when renovating. On the books, I just spent £50 of my book budget on a study of houses built by Peter Aldington from the RIBA, which is superb. So SPONS will go begging for now. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Houses-Created-Peter-Aldington/dp/1859467008 Ferdinand

Is there a season for buying plots? Rather like one season for buying houses being the next 3 months if you can find what you want :-). Ferdinand

You get a big wall and screw them in. Innit.

Luxury is relative and some economies are false ! For the record, A3 laminators start at about £20 and A3 pouches at about 20p, or less than half that if you catch an offer. Get some wipeable markers for doodling on your plans, while you are at it. Or permanent ones if you are willing to sacrifice a 50p print/lamination in your discussion with your £10k architect. So really it is cheap enough for you to do whatever you want. Your £100k+ build budget will not be decimated. You might even be able to afford an A3 ring binder, 4 hole punch and cellophane presentation bags without losing a bedroom. Don't skimp on the punch as a decent one will last 20 years. A decent 4 hole or 2 hole punch will have a capacity of 25+ sheets which should be double what you will need to do at once, and will cost £25+ (2 hole) to £40+ (4 hole). But if you punch a laminated copy through teh drawing it will get wet. Ferdinand

This may be helpful. http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/screws.htm

I would quite like to explore the relationship between increased ventilation and increased heating cost. Relevant to passive but also relevant to the new environment created when old houses are double glazed and treated for draughts - even as crudely as door sealing etc. My experence of older (pre-1950) houses is that insulating well plus double glazing and upvc doors with seals is still a very significant improvement even if there is still a lot of ventilation. I can point to one where we only got as far as half double glazing, which had condensation issue with the remaining single glazed bays. That was fixed with trickle vents to those rooms with the "close the vent" shutters removed on fitting. But it was still a warm, relatively inexpensive house compared to others those Ts had lived in. It is due to become a road now. Another we have reduced the energy bills by about 60-65% by insulate / double glaze / board out as convenient doing other work. The T has an indoors/outdoors lifestyle due to a statistically significant qty of dogs (8-10 depending). It also has a loft-fan fitted which was in before we double glazed etc; that may now be unnecessary. Typically the statement seems to be that leakage account for perhaps 30% of lost heat. How much of that leakage do we actually need to keep, and is there a method to find out for a particular property other than by suck-it-and-see? Can we fix a stuffy passive house by fitting a couple of HR trickle extractor fans, a leaky cat flap and a non-sealed loft hatch :-) ? Ferdinand

It is also where the plots are, and I think that the current self-build community is very fussy and perhaps still looking to make a profit as well as a home in some cases. I can point you to plots starting at about 35k, all within an hour of Sheffield, Derby and Nottingham, or half an hour followed by 1:45 hours to London on the train. Mansfield District Council is struggling to sell land in good areas with Outline PP for £200k an acre. The train journey to the regional centre - Nottingham - is under half an hour with trains from about 6am to late evening. As if by magic, here is a small 258sqm plot in a cul de sac near here which has just sold for £35k (advertised at £45k) after several months. Probably suitable for a compact 3 bed detached or 2 bed bungalow. I think I could have a 1000sqft 2 bed nearly passive bungalow built on that for around £100k plus the plot - but little or no profit in it as a sale. http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-37649083.html Original ad: http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/41781573?search_identifier=c7db1d80e8e63c0757967fedfbf15181#4kv4Apdvw6t72aTw.97 For a comparator this 3 bed 2 recep garage house on a larger plot 3 or 4 doors down is on at £160k http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/41175270?search_identifier=c7db1d80e8e63c0757967fedfbf15181#BbmgvCMUcH5kcYj3.97 Ferdinand

And you can get your own A3 laminator for peanuts.

Is that first half actually the case when the needs of the homeowner are now so much more flexible? Is there actually much downside? Any house I lived in even on my own would need a spare bedroom and an office as a minimum, and intergenerational households (or shared or HMO or friends) are becoming more common - which is like a return to pre-1970? We need teh flexibility. If I don't need a room, in a properly built house the extra heating is negligible, and I (or the developer) can recover the expense because we buy houses by the number of bedrooms. People in the country in France seem to just just close the door to the top floor if the children have left, and stay in the same place. Is the problems you discussed previously on stagnant spots with MVHR an argument for relooking at ducted warm air heating as used to be around in the 1960s/1970s? Say using the heating element in traditional PH MVHR systems but giving it more oomph and perhaps more distribution? Ferdinand

I missed that picture. Perhaps I need to post another one. There used to be a website called Karma Sooty. I must have a copy somewhere ... or not.

To be fair this is not a topic which will be referenced as part of core content, and I don't think anyone would start posting inappropriate construction related keywords to bring in visitors. Ferdinand

I'm keeping schtum. Couldn't find a suitably unsuitable "gagging for it" Garfield cartoon featuring a gagged Garfield as a double entendre. Ferdinand

Our advice was to go for the max in case they were cutting it down on principle or rationing. Ended up with 9.98 kWP . It took a fortnight.

OK. Here's Garfield on a private forum. Credit: Fadri https://drawception.com/player/148070/fadri/ Ferdinand

That depends whether they are answering questions or sending invoices . Welcome.

Heh. Was his name Mr R Sole ? Absolutely, the massive ramp up of lithium battery production is going to increase prices ! (Which are dropping at 5-10% a year iirc). And the mines are running out .... that is why we currently have about 300-400 years of reserves (and 1000 years+ of resources) ! And aren't Lithium batteries virtualy 100% recycleable? (At high cost - so we mine the landfill in 50 years). http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/the-geopolitics-of-lithium-production Wonderful. Ferdinand

I would like to know whether it is possible to get a continuing authorisation for cyclic pruning say every 3 years with a single application, or at least a single report from a relevant ologist submitted with an application every 3 years? That would recude paperwork so I suspect it is not possible ! Ferdinand

That was the one which the wife hated the concept of it until it was built iirc, and the husband was building his own aeroplane in the shed? It has been sold: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-58397390.html And I ran into this interesting website: http://granddesignsforsale.co.uk/ Ferdinand

I'll add that I was mainly responding to the existence of the TPO. Depending on the circs, particularly the visibility and if the work was very minor, there are occasions on which I would JFDI a TPO trim if I was sure what I was doing. eg I might trim downhanging branches on a weeping ash since these snap off every 45 seconds anyway. Whether I would do it when Planners were potentially around, and if they had previously inspected, though... Ferdinand

Note that your right to trim overhanging branches does not mean that you can go ahead regardless of a TPO. The only exception to that is Dead, Decaying, Diseased (?) or Dangerous, and that decision will need a tree man and the Council would be very likely to visit. I would look at the last application, but the Council are inevitably going to want a tree report from a tree man, and have the work done by a qualified professional if there are TPOs involved. It is actually free to apply, so you *could* try copying it, but then you will be up against copyright etc. Any aboriculturulturulturaliologist will have a template report and a copy of 20 pages of standard method blurb to attach to the back of the survey and recommendations. Or offering Peter W a crate of high quality wine and a copy of the last report might work :-). Or not. My neighbours actually got advice by email from the chief tree officer, and used *that* as the body of their application, complete with his sign off, but that was quite a coup. The most practical option may be to get a tree man and turn him into a tame tree man. I would get a couple of estimates including handling the Council interface, and intimate that they will get the job next time too. Perhaps talk to the one who did it last time? For my last one - I knew it was coming so I had a couple of rough estimates by eye from Treemen over a couple of years, and knew the one to go to. The expense was a sod (3k), so the report and council costs were easily absorbed. Ferdinand