richo106

No I have not thermally modelled my house...I will work through the spreadsheet today and see what I can play with.

Thanks all for the comments I really am stuck in two minds what to do I will still be insulating as much as I can and will be mindful of Air tightness but as I will be renovating/extending and existing bungalow I am thinking to get ACH down to 3 will prove very difficult. As we are 'off grid' I will be using ASHP with UFH downstairs and upstairs Similar to Jay I don't know if I can now justify a full MVHR system, this will also negate the reason to have posi joists further saving money Would I now need trickle vents in all new windows and also dMEV extractors in downstairs toilet, bathrooms * 2? What about kitchen extract? I would love some opinions on this and I am now rather confused in what to do

Unfortunately with our design the only way to improve u values of the walls is internal insulation (already planning to have 50mm PIR in the existing bungalow) Ceilings I can What do you mean by wind washed? The more I look into ACH and MVHR the more I think i could be wasting my time and money trying to achieve it Thanks again

Hi All At the beginning of our project is was simply to convert a bungalow into a house and then after speaking to few people I became a lot more aware of air tightness and the use of MVHR At the minute the plan is to make the house as airtight as possible and have a MVHR installed. Going triple glazed throughout and a good level of insulation...floor 0.11, ceilings 0.13, walls 0.18 We will be adding another floor to our existing bungalow What are the key things to consider and make sure I do when it comes to air tightness? I will be parge coating all my walls before insulating internally/plasterboarding Is it best to get it routinely tested for air tightness at certain parts of the build? And a big question...is it worth it going down the air tightness and MVHR route? Thanks in advance

Hi In 2 of our bedrooms we are planning to have vaulted ceilings. We are also wanting to install MVHR throughout The minimum spigot height is 110mm and ducting OD is 75mm I have attached a dodgy drawing I have done of how this could work. Have you guys got any better ideas/ways to do it. Unfortunately non of the bedroom walls are stud so can’t have wall vents and the ducting running up the stud work Any advice greatly appreciated as usual

Yeh it was working and in use until May/June this year. No I am not paying for it currently

Wouldn’t like to speculate

My BT phone line comes overhead from a telegraph pole directly opposite my house. The builder removed it as that part of the bungalow was coming down so he coiled it up and we tied it up the pole. However I noticed this morning that the cable is cut and most of it disappeared. when the time comes is it just a case of ringing BT and getting it re-instated? I am guessing at a cost?

Good idea, it’s not a stud wall it’s a block wall. I can just stud the back wall of the WC anyway to house the pipes and cables as required

Hi In our bungalow conversion project we are having a new solid floor put in. Build up is hardcore, concrete slab, PIR, UFH pipes, screed. The original floor was joisted and floorboards. however when I took a section of the wall down today, both inside and outside had 2 courses of blue bricks but the outside course was a brick higher than inside. Is this normal/standard? what level would you put your new floor too? All advice/help much appreciated Many Thanks

Hi We are having an ASHP installed in our renovation project and the contractor has requested 2 x 28mm insulated main flow and return pipes from our plant room to ASHP outdoor unit. (See attached pic) They said it’s better under the floor, we are having a complete new floor put in, 200mm hardcore, 150mm concrete slab, 200mm PIR, UFH pipes, 50mm screed. whereabouts within the floor would you put these pipes? Would you put them in a duct incase they need replacing or anything? Any advice or information greatly appreciated Many Thanks

I have tried protek and buildstore, the premium is coming back quite high Are there any other companies to try? Is it better to ring them up rather than the online forms? Thanks again

Hi All We are starting work on our bungalow conversion in the next few weeks I will be project manager, ordering all materials etc.. they will be stored on site but will be sat there a few weeks until the builders actually start Basically we will be taking the roof off and adding another floor to make it house I will be organising getting the different trades in etc.. Do i need any insurance at all? The total floor area is around 250m2 and quotes are coming back at £2k for 18 months What would people recommend in my situation? Thanks again

That would help! thanks

And any companies that could supply and install this? Many Thanks

Hi all we are wanting a large glass front with our front door in (like attached) and my mrs now has her heart set on a real oak one. I am guessing these are a lot more expensive than aluminium ones. my main concern is maintenance and air tightness, we aren’t going for Passiv but aiming to get as low as we can. have anybody got any experience with these? All information and opinion appreciated Many Thanks

Hi All we are hoping to have a full glass front with built in front door etc however a few suppliers that I have spoke to says it is better to get it split so a beam is required. one option is to have a canopy like the one I have attached. So it can hide the beam but obviously serve a purpose too. Would anyone have any places where these could be purchased? Or alternatively where a full glass front (in triple glazed) could be supplied from Many Thanks

Hi all we really want the flush casement style windows but all the places I have contacted only do a set number of colours which we don’t love any of them. I can’t find a place that does them any RAL colour we like Am I being daft even considering buying brand new windows and getting them sprayed in the colour we actually want? has anyone on here sprayed windows? Did they work out ok? I am also concerned about longevity etc any information/advice appreciated

haha They were just a bit more than the previous quote I had for uPVC casement windows that's all. I think my budget may have to be amended to suit!

Hi All Has anyone got any experience with using express bifolds on this forum? We haven't been to the showroom but like the look of their products and the ability to have items almost any RAL colour. I am not so much of a fan of their cost though! I am just wondered is it worth the cost of the windows/doors etc... We originally look at upvc flush casement windows but the selection of colours the manufacturers do aren't perfect and windows are a big part of any project Has any got any other recommended window/door/glass front/bi-fold/slider companies that they recommend? Thanks in advance

I am starting the strip out this week. I was thinking about protecting the cavity at least what is the best way to stop the wet getting in to the exposed cavity, it’s about 70mm wide with blown insulation Many Thanks

Hi all This week the time has come to remove the tiled roof off my bungalow. The bungalow is gutted inside and now I need to take the roof off so I can start taking some internal walls. any advice/tips that may be of any use for me? my plan was to just go on the roof and Chuck the tiles on the grass around the property and tidy up afterwards. If I keep them whole ish someone will pick them up free of charge thanks in advance

Thank you very much Love the blog!

Thanks for the quick replies, I will definitely look to DIY this. The difference between the vent axis and zehnder unit is around £800, was things am i looking out for when deciding which unit to go for? any particular types on filters? I am planning to DIY the upstairs UFH also Thank again

Hi all I have been quoted £10k ex VAT for a supply and install for a MVHR system for my house I have been in contact with BPC and they quoted just over 4k and 5k for the premium ducting, these are for vent axia/zehnder units I am an electrician and pretty competent at most trades would this be something I could install myself? My only worry is that would it setting up etc.? Would the kit from BPC come with installation notes? All help/advice appreciated