- Thread starter DAPPH
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So many new buildings - domestic and commercial - have fancy wood cladding. Doesn't do much for fire safety does it? And in the British climate they just aren't going to last.
Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
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They say ignorance is bliss. I've said on there and will say again I wish I'd never found Buildhub and it's predecessor eBuild.
If as we should take it were doing these things to "save the planet", "for future generations" etc, then initial outlay has to be ignored to some extent in the face of benefits reaped. I guarantee most on here will have little clue how energy inefficient the majority of UK homes are. I genuinely get quite depressed over it.
You might say "Oh but I've over a foot of loft insulation!" Great but it can be taken so much further. A big issue is traditional construction methods don't lend themselves to Passivhaus, you'll never get the results. The aim is an airtight, thermal envelope. EnerPHit is a Passivhaus system for retrofits but it's always going to be a compromise.
Without a knockdown / rebuild you can go a long way but it's never going to be as good as you can get.
Most depressing is the government pushing everyone into heat pumps which a) run on a fragile electricity supply and b) that they are being fitted to totally unsuitable properties in many cases. Why? Because many firms don't give a toss whether the heat pump they're fitting is going to save the householder money or be better for the planet. They just want the cash!
I've seen loaded members pay builders to build their Passiv spec place only to find later that shortcuts have been taken. Either the builder is unscrupulous of just doesn't grasp the concepts and is mired in tradition. The best builds are by the anal self build types who fuss they're short of 200mm of airtight tape etc
I wanted here to take a room by room approach and believe me I know what to do. "Luckily" the house lends itself to running a MVHR system as there's a damn great gap between ground floor ceiling joists and upstairs former, floor joists. SWMBO just won't buy into it because "I'll take too long" or "we don't have the money". Well luv it's going to be a bloody expensive winter. This is one time I'm going to hate being proved right!
If as we should take it were doing these things to "save the planet", "for future generations" etc, then initial outlay has to be ignored to some extent in the face of benefits reaped. I guarantee most on here will have little clue how energy inefficient the majority of UK homes are. I genuinely get quite depressed over it.
You might say "Oh but I've over a foot of loft insulation!" Great but it can be taken so much further. A big issue is traditional construction methods don't lend themselves to Passivhaus, you'll never get the results. The aim is an airtight, thermal envelope. EnerPHit is a Passivhaus system for retrofits but it's always going to be a compromise.
Without a knockdown / rebuild you can go a long way but it's never going to be as good as you can get.
Most depressing is the government pushing everyone into heat pumps which a) run on a fragile electricity supply and b) that they are being fitted to totally unsuitable properties in many cases. Why? Because many firms don't give a toss whether the heat pump they're fitting is going to save the householder money or be better for the planet. They just want the cash!
I've seen loaded members pay builders to build their Passiv spec place only to find later that shortcuts have been taken. Either the builder is unscrupulous of just doesn't grasp the concepts and is mired in tradition. The best builds are by the anal self build types who fuss they're short of 200mm of airtight tape etc
I wanted here to take a room by room approach and believe me I know what to do. "Luckily" the house lends itself to running a MVHR system as there's a damn great gap between ground floor ceiling joists and upstairs former, floor joists. SWMBO just won't buy into it because "I'll take too long" or "we don't have the money". Well luv it's going to be a bloody expensive winter. This is one time I'm going to hate being proved right!
dobbslc
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A mate has that in his house and did fit a MVHR system throughout, he says it's very good.
Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
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Cheers, really galling knowing what I could do but for lack of support here. Got a 23 year old, jobless man child, mummy's boy sat on his ar5e here. No reason why he couldn't be breaking floors up/doing demolition works whilst I'm at my day job
Doesn't mind using the hot water!
prepman
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Ours is traded in Welsh shekels.....very voltile at present, due the rise of the yen against the Aberyswyth groat. Or is it goat?
prepman
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Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
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Plus you can claim the VAT back on a new build.
Local planning from what I've seen is the biggest crony fest ever. Do as I say not as I do etc. Applications from planning dept staff get "lost", applications that should never get passed. They miraculously turn up and it's passed on a technicality. All whilst they're preaching how they're by the book.
Allegedly...
EPC assessments seem a farce. As I understand it you can do it online as long as you've got your cheque book.
There's a development near me, the show house was all tickety boo, the air test results etc were just copied from that to the rest. Girl I know bought one and found it had no insulation fitted whatsoever. It was rectified as best as but nobody went to prison etc.
I had I'm sorry to say one of those feckless man-childs too (youngest boy, while eldest girl is a grafter).Cheers, really galling knowing what I could do but for lack of support here. Got a 23 year old, jobless man child, mummy's boy sat on his ar5e here. No reason why he couldn't be breaking floors up/doing demolition works whilst I'm at my day job
Doesn't mind using the hot water!
Was only tolerable if left totally alone to come and go as he pleased, and allowed to eat whatever was in the house, and never asked to do anything (funny how doing anything about the house was beneath his dignity, but zero qualms about being a total parasite).
Needless to say - I simply couldn't sit back and be taken for a sucker, plus the thought of endorsing his "lifestyle" was I felt sending entirely the wrong message - so I hounded and badgered him to either get into further education, or get a job (any job).
One day he just left without a word, to basically "sofa surf" and leach off a mate till he wore out his welcome, then move to the next one etc.
He found a girl fool enough to settle and marry him, and has spent several years now where he coasts and she plays the adult (& the earner). I suspect one day she'll wise up & pull the rug - but I can't see him ever being a responsible adult and contribute / pull his weight / earn his corn, sadly.
Round here there is a well-embedded and very much nepotistic, "jobs for the boys" scratch-each-others-backs collective, of local wealthy businessmen, contractors and councillors. All are members of the local Chambers of trade and commerce, the Buffs, The Masons etc etc.
"Bent" doesn't even begin to cover the extent of their skulduggery and dodgy deals.
I lump them all together under
"The Taffia"
Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
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Don't get me wrong he's a great lad. Clever, good company etc. I think he may have some autistic traits going on but undiagnosed. His sister is full spectrum, statemented, the lot.
SWMBO and I find him possible jobs but he doesn't seem to want to do any of the running. Openly expressed his ideal would be to work from home masking and selling stuff on Etsy.
Tbh, I wouldn't mind that either!
My lad is "nice" and intelligent too - no harm to anyone (just no practical use to himself or anyone else either). The lad can find 50 reasons not to do something/anything, but never finds the one reason TO do something / anything.
Not how I tried to bring him up, but he was just like a stubborn mule. He'd never kick you, but you'll never get him to move either.
prepman
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might be of use attached.
I have a friend who has a passive house, they got planning based on it being passive. It cost a big chunk to build. I quite like it but my wife isn't a fan, all open plan, polished concrete floors. I think there is some timescale restrictions on when they can start changing things. They have a big venitaltion system and even most simple things require some thought. I installed a 4G broadband dish on their wall and getting the cable into the house required some effort as the skin needed to stay air tight. It's a nice environment but in the winter they still use some heating, it's comedy they run a space heater in there and with the ventilation system 20mins has the house warm. I suspect they will put a wood burner in once the restrictions are over.
Pigeon_Droppings2
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Yea could be a rough winter...they're also talking about more interest rate rises too. I suspect by the end of the year the economic outlook will be very different...currency markets seem to be pointing towards a tough period ahead for the UK....lower pound really isn't helping us given the level of imports!
The government will step in and stop it happening. My concern is how they are going to do it.
One solution is to give the suppliers new much higher fixed term contracts. Lower than now but too high for business to be competitive in the long run.
Hopefully they will de couple other sources of generation from the gas price. Wind farms are now getting paid something like 7x what they normally get as the gas price has shot up which is madness. This is also happening with nuclear and solar. The running cost haven't really changed so some people are laughing all the way to the bank.
pedrobedro
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it's politics so we're not allowed to talk about it but the Conservatives have allowed it to happen so they can step in and save us from the hikes thereby gaining popularity after the debacle they have become. 
I thought it was energy policies from the last 20 years of governments.it's politics so we're not allowed to talk about it but the Conservatives have allowed it to happen so they can step in and save us from the hikes thereby gaining popularity after the debacle they have become.
Remember it's not just Britain but most of Europe!
