Redoctober

Ha ha @Mr Punter - Yes, I agree with both you and @Stones regarding the Heras fencing. In the short term it will help educate / discourage passing traffic to not park on the open and inviting verge. Long term a hedge / fence, planters or some nice over sized rocks may assist. @recoveringacademic messy? I'll leave others to comment but you may finds the answer via my blog ! ?

Our window suppliers provided me with a sticky cling film type of product. They kindly left me with a large roll of it which allowed me to replace battered coverings with new ones. Sadly I don't know the name of it or how readily available it is! ?

Here is a photo - the cables all stem from the ceiling space and hang down.

OK, the Electrician has finished the first fix and the plaster boards are being installed. We have noticed that in two of the bedrooms, the location of the sockets for the bedside cabinets are incorrectly positioned. Ideally they should be a further 200mm apart. How easy it this to rectify? Is it a simple case of removing the plaster board panel to expose the cable behind and moving said cable across? What if there isn't sufficient slack in the cable to move across 200mm? Hope this makes sense and I would welcome your thoughts.

Interesting.... ours is horizontal - and we are in the Scottish Borders.

Hi @newhome the budget........... so many variables can be included but if I just include everything that has got me to this position thus far, stripping out all the professional fees, services and the cost of the land, we are currently at £1220 p.s.m. It does include such things as skip hire, toilet hire and electric meter cupboard, amongst other stuff!!!

Yes, now that the first fix has been completed, the plaster boarding has started with the upstairs being done first. The builders will move downstairs an a weeks time or so. Whilst they have been boarding out, I have been installing the insulation for the partition walls, loft space and ceilings downstairs. The insulation being used in the loft space is 140mm - two layers laid at right angles to each other if that makes sense. The insulation used for the partitions is 100mm and the plasterboard for these walls has sound proofing properties, weighing in at 6 kilos more than the standard boards. You will see from some photos that we have also managed to install two full length oak beams. One for the sitting room and the other for the kitchen/family room. They look great even if I say so myself. They are not structural just aesthetic. Outside, the stone mason and labourer have been cracking on with the stone work. They intend to get the house done at head height before moving up as additional scaffolding will be required. They start the back of the house later this week. Enjoy the photos and I will be back in a couple of weeks, hopefully with a full boarded out house. Thanks for reading.

A well documented record of what is photographed above. Hopefully the issue causing you concern will blow over once you talk to the guys in the morning. The others above have suggested alternatives and I'm sure the builders will work off trestles. I know our stone man is and is happy to do so as our scaffolding went a week or so ago. edited for typos.

Lovely larch cladding - great to see the same corner detailing as to what is on our car port. Somewhat re-assuring that it is a good job well done.

Looking sharp - love the windows, blends in well. Good job.

@newhome This is the information I received from the suppliers - The following heating requirement calculations for the property have been based on your floor plans. IMPORTANT NOTE: The performance of micro generation heat pump systems is impossible to predict with certainty due to the variability of the climate and its subsequent effect on both heat supply and demand. This estimate is based on the best available information, but is given as guidance only and should not be considered as a guarantee. Estimated annual income from RHI £878 per annum Qualifying period - 7 years £6,146 total. So, yes I am hoping that the RHI payments cover my interest free loan payments for the 7 year period. As you say, a no-brainer.

Yep, sorry my mistake. Having read my documents again, I can conform that the price previously stated also includes the cylinder so I'm not sure of the breakdown for both items. Thanks Peter for the heads up but I knew I was content with the overall package price when it was being discussed some months ago.

Yes it is a Mitsubishi 5 kW Ecodan unit with a Mitsubishi pre-plumbed 170 litre hot water cylinder - supply and fit for just shy of £7k. If you do contact them, please mention Paul from Darnchester. The ASHP is £4.5k

Hi - if you are looking for accredited installers then can I recommend Borders Under Floor Heating - they operate out of Galashiels and have / will install our UFH, ASHP and DHW cylinder . Through them we have been accepted by the Scottish energy trust so will receive an interest free loan and receive RHI payments, which will cover the cost of the interest free loan.

Our materials were supplied by - http://www.optimumunderfloor.co.uk/ Another option to consider perhaps.

Hi @Thedreamer yes sweeping up can take a while - I couldn't believe the mess left behind by the electricians after they did their first fix - Saw dust everywhere, cable drums and wires etc. Don't get me wrong, I would rather tidy up behind them than they spend an hour or so doing it but I have to say I was surprised by the mess. Sorry forgot to mention the gable - it will all be in stone - no cladding other than on the car port. I hope to have some photos in about a week or so.

Guys, the tidy site is sadly down to me - I am fortunate enough to be on site most days and happy to sweep and tidy up behind them, as my hourly rate is far cheaper than theirs!! ?

Since the last update, things have pressed on but unlike other activities, the visual impact isn’t as obvious. I have uploaded some photos but sadly they are not very exciting as you have to look hard to see the electrics - Anyway, it's a record. The upstairs has had the same treatment as the ground floor; in as much as the walls have had additional insulation fitted, wrapped in vapour barrier and had service battens fixed. The last two weeks of July has seen the plumber and electrician come to site to do their first fix. A lot of work has been undertaken and all their efforts will be covered by plaster boards. Whilst all this has been going on, the chimney has been started – the wood burning stove will arrive late September. The front and rear doors have arrived and been installed. The scaffolding has finally come down and I’m pleased to see them off site. This has allowed the stone mason to start laying the stones – a total of 177 squares will be laid in all. So far we have had 31 bags of stones delivered and we await a delivery date for the final 25 bags. Things must be heading in the right direction as we have started to order sanitary ware – a bath, 2 showers, 3 toilets, 3 basins and associated taps and traps. The plumber wanted the shower valves and basin traps on site for his first fix. We have also ordered all the oak skirting, window boards, internal doors, door linings and architraves. The oak products are due at the back end of August. The joiner has assured us the walls will be plastered boarded and plastered in time!! Thanks for reading.

Hi - I think he is looking at the cavity between the block work rather than between the block work and layered TF - Should have made that clearer first time round - sorry

Just a quick inter web search - Resin bound surfacing – Stone blend Resin bound surfaces are created by mixing together aggregates with the resin itself. The completed mixture is then poured onto the base surface, where it is spread and finished with trowels to leave behind a smooth, flat and consistent surface that is water-permeable and slip resistant. Resin bonded surfacing – Stone top Also known as the scatter method, resin bonded surfacing is achieved by first applying and spreading a resin mix to the base layer, and then applying the aggregates on top the resin. The scattered aggregates are left to bond with the resin, leaving behind a rougher textured surface that is impermeable to water. Once cured, any loose aggregates which have failed to bond are swept away and removed, to ensure that no loose stones are leftover on the newly finished surface. Main differences As you can see from the descriptions above, the main differences between the two techniques come from the method of application, as well as the resulting surface properties. Resin bound surfacing is water-permeable, while resin bonded surfacing is impermeable. This key difference makes each method suitable for a range of different applications.

With regards to insulation, our builder has suggested a specific type due to the problems of getting it into the cavity with all the "ties" we have up the structure. He says rigid would not work so has suggested "compressed" glass fibre strips.

I believe one is permeable and the other isn't. One is cheaper than the other and it depends on whether or not the area being laid requires a SUDS appropriate product.

Hi @Christine Walker - great progress being made and a lot more during the coming week. Were the wooden sections around the dormers and gables finished on site prior to erection or did they come to site already painted? Either way, it will no doubt save a lot of time and effort. Sadly this is an area we still need to consider!

IKEA appear to offer a variety of options - Our son has the Godmorgen unit and found it to be most useful. https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/storage-furniture/bathroom-storage/

Hi @Thedreamer. Looking great. Pleased to see the fire battens are in place ! ? How are you going to overcome the Part M requirement for level access for one of the exterior doors? At the moment it seems there is quite a distance between the intended finished floor height and the outside ground level.