Smug to Mug

[Hecateh]

 

 

8 hours ago, Nickfromwales said:

Are you saying he's fitting electric UFH on the entire 1st floor, and setting it into SL compound? There are foil mats that go down without SLC to do this, thus saving several hundreds of pounds. Can you get as much detail on that environment of works as you can plz? 

Cost of UFH components and the supplier?

Cost of electric UFH and the supplier? ( argue in both cases that you want good warranties etc if you need a cloak to go with the dagger )

Does that include manifold/s?

Does that include manifold pump/s and blender set/s?

Whose designed the UFH layout? eg number of loops per zone and the pipe spacings. YOU MUST KNOW THIS BEFORE THE SCREED GETS ANYWHERE NEAR THE HOUSE!! It cannot be rectified afterwards. 

UFH controllers and room thermostats? Does he think the boiler fitter will be "sorting all that out"? eg then you get another bill for change of £1k for the controls. 

 

You say the boiler will be supplied. Price and EXACTLY what boiler? If its a combi then you'll need a buffer tank to drive the UFH, so factor that into the airing cupboard so you know up front that you'll lose a bit of space in there but the heat won't go to waste, but most importantly that you get quotes from plumbers to do the correct job rather than 5-pipe jockeys who will bolt the boiler to the wall and scarper.

 

What is the depth of the ground floor screed, and what is the M2 so I can get you a price to compare?

 

I don't think he knows the answer to all this.  He went with the spec to his pumber and then came back to me with a quote.

I am not having him do the work. I'll get my own plumber, who I am 'allowed' to talk to and get a price that details this.  I sent the details and plans to 'the underfloor heating store and got a price for all materials except the ground floor screed at under 3k. This included the layout, which was not the optimal circular one, when I raised this with him he said that it wasn't an issue in such a small area. 

Not sure what the crack is with the boiler.  I think he's already got one for some reason as, even if he isn't fitting the heating he wants to supply the boiler.  I'm not happy with that and need to discuss it further with him.  

[Nickfromwales]

Baxi, Vaillant, Worcester Bosch, or similar are good, any thing other needs serious scrutiny. Also need to know how much this boiler has had allocated to it so you dont get a bag of shit for megabucks and BB has had it for a song. 

[Hecateh]

49 minutes ago, AliG said:

Biggest saving you can make is changing the kind of driveway. Resin bound is pretty much the most expensive driveway that you can build. £120ish a square metres as quoted seems about right as the costs would drop for a larger area.

He quoted me an alternative tarmac driveway at only £1000 less. which seemed wrong to me as tarmac has to be down before the resin anyway.  Albeit a thinner layer maybe

51 minutes ago, AliG said:

From a quick look at the plans, you could probably lose the wall and door that create the vestibule as it is not necessary

That's already gone

52 minutes ago, AliG said:

do away with the skylight currently in the en suite

Skylight is staying - Already put the framing in the roof joists for it and it is bought.  

 

53 minutes ago, AliG said:

does the window quote include window sills

I asked that question and yes it does.  However may go up as having now measured the windows I have found that aprat from the 2 1200 x 100s they are all different sizes despite all being the same size on the plans.  

 

54 minutes ago, AliG said:

I guess it might be too late to change the plumbing,

Not too late to change the plumbing - nothing has been done on that front apart from a couple of soil pipes

 

My thoughts were to skip the ensuite initially and just have the entry level bathroom - ensuite to be fitted later

[Hecateh]

8 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Baxi, Vaillant, Worcester Bosch, or similar are good, any thing other needs serious scrutiny. Also need to know how much this boiler has had allocated to it so you dont get a bag of shit for megabucks and BB has had it for a song. 

My thoughts exactly

[lizzie]

1 hour ago, Hecateh said:

He quoted me an alternative tarmac driveway at only £1000 less. which seemed wrong to me as tarmac has to be down before the resin anyway.  Albeit a thinner layer maybe

I want a resin drive but its megabucks.  I have to put in 70  metre long tarmac road  (its a bridleway that we have permission to tarmac)  that is just to get as far as my personal drive where I want the resin.  Tarmac road is v v expensive  (its 300 sq m) but I am legally bound to do it to the final surface so that is going down this week but inside my boundary on my personal drive (circa 100sqm) I am just having the binder course (on top of hardcore put down by my ground workers). We are allowing 20mm at the edging to take the resin when ready so I will live with perfectly serviceable but not pretty base layer until I can afford the resin. 

 

I was advised by several tarmac companies not to waste my money on black top finish if I was having resin as the resin can go straight on to base coat.

[epsilonGreedy]

On 4/15/2018 at 17:29, Construction Channel said:

And AFAIC no that’s not acceptable BUT you will find that is general practice for brick layers. Insulation is just a hinderance to them. 

 

 

The insulation finish at the window apertures is only a bit worse than the reference build I snoop around after the building team has knocked off for the day. That is a one-off executive house under build for a small time local builder to be sold on completion.

[Construction Channel]

I can’t speak for all but that is generally how brickies leave it. Not so much the gaps above and below the batts nor the masses of mortar left behind but not filling right up to the reveal. 

You just need to hope the person that fits the windows (usually me on our firm) cares enough to fill them up before fitting the cavity closures, unfortunately in this case they had fitted the closures with very little regard to “finishing someone else’s job”, 

[PeterW]

8 minutes ago, Construction Channel said:

Not so much the gaps above and below the batts nor the masses of mortar left behind but not filling right up to the reveal. 

 

This is one of the real plus points for having blown EPS beads is that they filled everywhere up to the edges - we had to tape back in some places where the machine was blowing them at pressure through the tiniest gaps at the top of the reveal near the lintels. Now just waiting for the plasterer to finish and may book an air test just to see what the air change really is (not needed for BC as it’s a conversion technically) as I’m sure the beads also make a difference. 

[Hecateh]

s 

Edited April 17, 2018 by Hecateh

[Dreadnaught]

@Hecateh 

 

Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success.

C. S. Lewis
 

And…

 

Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.     

Isaac Asimov

 

Brighter days lie ahead. Chin up!

 

Edited April 17, 2018 by Dreadnaught

[lizzie]

f

Edited April 17, 2018 by lizzie

[Onoff]

@Hecateh, I can only sympathise. Due to bad pension choices I dread retirement and have to think something will happen to mitigate the shortfall. If not then what will be will be is how I look at it. 

[newhome]

I didn't get to read your post @Hecateh but I'm sorry to hear you are still having issues. I can't give you any really useful advice but there are people on this forum with amazing skills who will help you see things clearly and practically without judging you. It's so easy to give advice retrospectively and tell people they should have done something differently but that's never helpful. The only helpful comments are those that you can use to help you move forward and there are bundles of people to help with that on here. My circumstances were different but there were times when I wanted to walk out of this house, shut the door behind me and never look back. I did get through that dark stage however and you will too. You just have to hang on in there. All I can do is sent you a virtual hug xx 

 

 

[ProDave]

On 15 April 2018 at 17:05, Hecateh said:

Looks like all of it

 

The parking/manoeuvring facilities, indicated on the submitted plan, shall be surfaced in a solid bound material (i.e. not loose chippings) and made available for the manoeuvring and parking of motor vehicles prior to the development being brought into use, and shall be retained for that sole purpose at all times.

Reason: To ensure that satisfactory off-street parking/manoeuvring areas are provided, in the interests of highway safety and the free flow of traffic and in accordance with Core Strategy Policy CSP 26, New Development and Highway Improvement.

I read that as ANY solid material, which could be tarmac, concrete, paving bricks etc  I would avoid resin bound gravel, awful stuff imho.

[Hecateh]

2 minutes ago, ProDave said:

I read that as ANY solid material, which could be tarmac, concrete, paving bricks etc  I would avoid resin bound gravel, awful stuff imho.

There was another condition somewhere that said it had to be permeable, I do realise that there are many finishes that meet that.  Not concrete however.  That decision is definitely on the back burner though - thank you

[newhome]

And you've probably considered this already but could you let out your spare rooms to lodgers for example on a short term basis to help ease cash flow? 

[Hecateh]

23 minutes ago, Onoff said:

@Hecateh, I can only sympathise. Due to bad pension choices I dread retirement and have to think something will happen to mitigate the shortfall. If not then what will be will be is how I look at it. 

I did make poor pensions choices also BUT not to the extent that it would have caused me real problems if the government hadn't suddenly decided that I couldn't get my peniosn when planned.  Equalising pensions is something I totally agree with, although not the way it was done.  BUT adding yet another year, one year before retirement  was a step too far.  

[Hecateh]

3 minutes ago, newhome said:

And you've probably considered this already but could you let out your spare rooms to lodgers for example on a short term basis to help ease cash flow? 

I have done this in the past.

It is possible in the future but not currently as I need this house to sell.  I have also thought about fostering in the future.  As a registered children's nurse and someone who has worked in private children's homes it is an option.  At the moment it is the next 6 (ish) months that is the big issue.  I have no money, no income (apart from £93 per month), and a house to finish.  

[newhome]

4 minutes ago, Hecateh said:

I have done this in the past.

It is possible in the future but not currently as I need this house to sell.  I have also thought about fostering in the future.  As a registered children's nurse and someone who has worked in private children's homes it is an option.  At the moment it is the next 6 (ish) months that is the big issue.  I have no money, no income (apart from £93 per month), and a house to finish.  

 

Fostering sounds like a great thing to do. So rewarding and much needed, in addition to the income angle. I don't know your circumstances of course but would you not be able to get some work as a nurse again in the short term, to tide you over for a few months? 

 

[Hecateh]

23 minutes ago, newhome said:

 

I don't know your circumstances of course but would you not be able to get some work as a nurse again in the short term, to tide you over for a few months? 

 

Unfortunately not - registration lapses and further training would be needed.  I haven't worked as a nurse for. I guess, 30 years.  

[Gone West]

10 hours ago, Hecateh said:

There was another condition somewhere that said it had to be permeable, I do realise that there are many finishes that meet that.  Not concrete however.

You can get permeable concrete, although at what cost I haven't a clue.

[PeterW]

Best permeable surface is blocks, not cheap though as they need a proper sub base to support them. You can get permeable tarmac too, permeable concrete isn’t something you could consider here as it’s not usually vehicle bearing. 

[Trw144]

@Hecateh Does the drive need to be finished now? Could it be done in a a few months/years when finances allow?

[Ferdinand]

Leaving it as a sub base may be the best option for a bit.

 

Grid paving to be filled in with gravel is a permeable option.

 

Things like TruckPave come in at from £30per square meter, but not really ideal. Discussed here when I was looking for a perforated wall:

 

 

 

[Hecateh]

30 minutes ago, PeterStarck said:

You can get permeable concrete, although at what cost I haven't a clue.

 

23 minutes ago, PeterW said:

Best permeable surface is blocks, not cheap though as they need a proper sub base to support them. You can get permeable tarmac too, permeable concrete isn’t something you could consider here as it’s not usually vehicle bearing. 

 

22 minutes ago, Trw144 said:

@Hecateh Does the drive need to be finished now? Could it be done in a a few months/years when finances allow?

 

8 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

Leaving it as a sub base may be the best option for a bit.

 

Grid paving to be filled in with gravel is a permeable option.

 

Things like TruckPave come in at from £30per square meter, but not really ideal. Discussed here when I was looking for a perforated wall:

 

 

 

I can't get the house signed off until there is some kind of drive.

I am thinking though on the lines of getting a solid sub base down and the sub layer of Tarmac and leaving it at that until this house is sold.  Whatever I get when this house is sold and all my debts paid is it.  There will never be any more money.  I have to live on this money until January 2020 and then I will get my state pension. Once the current builders are off site I can see what I really need to have enough drive to turn on (has to be drive on and drive off) and start getting some prices.