ig218

Thanks all for your input. This was my gut feel but I had no experience to back it up. Ho hum...

Hi, I'd also like to ask for some critique on a PV offering. I've got a bit of sticker shock to be honest. I just got quoted for the following: 3.45kWp system 10 year payback 10x Q-cell 345W mono panels Hwawei 5kW hybrid inverter (I think battery ready makes sense) All the GSE mounting trays and associated gubbins About 5k parts and 5k labour. We're in Gloucestershire. Did anyone else spit out their tea? Or does this sound about right?

I'm a novice so more experienced people will chime in I'm sure. First pragmatic question: would you be OK with how it'll look - i.e. laying what got delivered? Do you have a picture of the samples to compare to what got delivered? Pictures 1 + 2 look the same. 3rd picture looks different only because of the dark patches. I don't work in bricks but I have worked in manufacturing - sometimes things get mislabelled in the factory, and normal batch production variables mean samples are never exact. Someone I know recently discovered an entire warehouse stock worth of anchracite radiators were in fact chrome ones in the anchracite box. 3 returned deliveries it took... and a very delayed bathroom. What does the manufacturer say about guaranteeing production bricks match samples? Are they receptive and willing to help you sort it or are they giving you the cold shoulder? Can you find a third real life source of this brick to match to compare to your sample and delivery?

I see, integrated solar not solar tiles. Thanks. @Ferdinand I presume the asbestos all arrived sometime after 1970? There was a lot of it. Ceiling boards in bathroom, wall boards in the kitchen, there were a bunch of old asbestos roof tile fragments in piles in the garden and an eyebrow-raising amount *underneath* the prefab-concrete garage's concrete slab! The original clay sewage pipes were broken up in the earth and in it's place the fibrous stuff which I think had trace amounts? (Something contaminated a pile of excavated earth...) Also lots of styrofoam adhered to the walls internally - with toxic smoke locked inside it... anyway, all gone now. Back to brick and timber... and woodworm.The previous owner was clearly 'handy' but the house when it came it us fell to the deep end of the 'in need of modernisation' category. @SteamyTea is this *the* famous JHarris' build?

Thanks @Mr Punter, shevek is prolific on Green Building Forum but I can't seem to find his own thread - if it exists. Do you remember the name of it by chance? @SteamyTea, yes thanks, typo dropped the h. 32 kWh/m2a. Not mind blowing, but a neighbour only heats their living room in a ginormous house, and we'd like to avoid that. Our family has the tropics in our blood so warmth is really important... Stories of passive house heating systems that run for hours an entire winter make me drool. Thanks for the tips. Reroofing is happening, so will look into integrated PV. New-to-me technology - I had always envisaged an array of PV panels. Are integrated PV panels well proven today? No one else has suggested it so far though I've seen it at NHBRC (tucked away on a corner...) and paid it as much attention. Designing in ASHP - what does that entail? I've umm-ed and aah-ed about getting professionals engaged to really figure out the future heating strategy. e.g. answering questions like - do we need radiators upstairs at all (I bet yes). If so what size rads, and therefore what size ASHP will be needed in future if it's even feasible. We're putting UFH into the ground floor slab so the downstairs is taken care of in the short and long term AFAIA. As for upstairs, the current idea is having electrics installed for future electric rads if/when required for top up heat. (SO wants an electric radiant heat panel in the bathroom, she's not from around here...) I can see now if we're going to bother with ASHP in future may as well use the warm water to heat rads upstairs rather than electric... haven't mentioned domestic hot water yet! Would love to hear your thoughts on heating strategy.

Hi Build Hub, I'm just about to dive into a big retrofit of a detached house (with the help of a general builder). Kicking off with a self-build garage/workshop. Over the past 6 months I've been furiously reading the internet and these forums and watching too much youtube from near and far on how to build timber frame, how to retrofit, and where the latest thinking is on high-tech/high-efficiency building methods and technologies - though I'm much more inclined towards low-tech/high-efficiency everything. Self build garage-workshop: We have an insulated foundation going down in June (subcontracted) with a self build stick frame going up thereafter. We're within permitted development and under 30 sqm, but still sticking close to building regs as we want it to be comfortable for overnight guests and ourselves. Main house: planning granted and structural engineer just finished calcs so building regs should be finished shortly. The house has been completely stripped back to the original fabric in prep for kickoff as soon as all the paperwork is signed and stamped. It's a 1900s or so, solid brick construction detached house. We're planning tons of EWI and a warm roof along with an insulated concrete base and trying to achieve very high levels of airtightness. Basic PHPP calcs predict the house performing at about 32 kW/m2.a, so at 145 sqm thats just under £700/yr at current electricity prices. Not as low as I'd like it to be - but I'm a cheapo... Solar PV and renewable heat kicked to future once the bank account has recovered... MVHR is lined up, the primary heating strategy will be a gas boiler (as there was a brand new one in when we bought the place). Oh - and the only reason we're doing this is because the house was practically unliveable when it found us. From all the chat with building industry people it seems an extensive whole-house retrofit is not that common (is this true? I find that hard to believe, but then again I don't see so many examples) - so if there's healthy interest in any of the above I'd be happy to share as it goes along. There were bat surveys, but no bats in the end. There WAS a large amount of asbestos... (that word 'was' cost a pretty penny). There is still a healthy amount of woodworm and damp - though taking decades of non-breathable material off the inside might have helped that. The concrete render externally definitely didn't! Me: I'm a mechanical engineer turned industrial desiger and I cut my teeth in aerospace manufacturing. I've been told I'm about to 'graduate' from aerospace tolerances to building industry tolerances - I obsess over details - too much my SO would say, and I'm afraid of getting things wrong... that might have to change! Here's a selection of photos. If anyone's interested please do comment why and it'll influence what I share. And a big thank you to the forum as it's all been invaluable already!