How do I bathroom / kitchen / extension? etc.

We went through this whole thing too, decided it wasn't quite the house to do it in and the market as a whole isnt developed enough yet. My friends in Denmark were suprised how much more expensive it is here.

We're going for a high efficiency boiler, and as much insulation as we can fit in.

Careful which products you use for internal wall insulation. Wood fibre is generally perceived to be best, or something similar that can manage airborne moisture. Pavatex looks good.

Yeah, I've been down this rabbit hole and have now flipped to an air gapped stud instead of a heritage lime/wood fibre approach with no gap.

The latter is better if you need to drive moisture out of external brickwork, but has a maximum possible thickness/u value to be able to achieve that aim (otherwise the bricks become wet again).

We're sheltered externally and will be managing moisture levels inside with heat recovery units.

Is there somewhere we're you've summarised your build? As it always sounds really interesting and well researched.

We're moving at a snail's pace as we only spend the occasional weekend on site and we're trying to source materials on-the-cheap.

Envelope upgrades list
Loft: 400mm loft insulation 0.1 W/(m²K)
Sloping roof: 30mm PIR between rafters, 150mm below rafters 0.15 W/(m²K)
Eaves: 400mm loft insulation 0.1 W/(m²K)
External walls: 180mm PIR internally gapped away from solid double bricks 0.15 W/(m²K)
Floors: 400mm loft insulation 0.1 W/(m²K)
Double glazed low-e argon sash windows 1.2 W/(m²K)

Ventilation list
Airflow front-to-back via cleared under ground floor (10 bricks deep)
Add more air bricks
Airflow vertically into newly gapped external walls
50mm above sloping PIR
Cold/sealed eaves/loft
Block chimneys
Air tight tape everywhere
85% bathroom/kitchen heat recovery (4x single room units)

Imagined heat loss reduction (assuming 150sqm envelope, 0°C outside, 20°C inside):
Losses before: Avg. U-value of 2 W/(m²K) = 2 x 20 x 150 = 6kW
Losses after: Avg. U-value of 0.5 W/(m²K) = 0.5 x 20 x 150 = 1.5kW

Ventilation losses are more difficult to guesstimate, but we'll aim for a 85% improvement everywhere.

Switching to PV (planning willing) or an overnight electric tarrif for a Sunamp would reduce the cost of our hot water by at least two thirds (nice-to-have).

The budget for renovations, plumbing and 3 new bathrooms is non-existent (£25k), so we're trying to secure the cheapest price per square meter for insulation and are doing the work ourselves. An AS heat pump is another nice-to-have.

Once the renovation work is done, we'll improve the kitchen. Currently there's a dodgy rear extension which we'll remove and then re-build including a side-return (planning willing).

The last two weekends we broke the back of the loft rooms (attached). We've been very lucky with the condition of existing materials so far.

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did they remove VAT from insulation in the spring statement ?

doing the work ourselves

I really need to do this but I'm a scaredy cat.

these kitchen units seem good value? given the cost of material alone..

seem to be a few ebay shops doing them

Cheers

Yea

https://weaver.build/

Never used it but thought it might be useful for some on here...

i can't find anyone in scotland who actually works with woodfibre

Give pavatex a call and see if they have any recommended installers. It's a relatively new product, so there's a good chance most installers haven't bothered to train their workforce in it yet.

Is this going to be passed to consumers?

It should be:

To help households improve energy efficiency and keep heating bills down, the government will expand the scope of VAT relief available for energy saving materials and ensure that households having energy saving materials installed pay 0% VAT.

...

VAT relief for energy saving materials – The government will reverse a Court of Justice of the European Union ruling that restricted the application of VAT relief on the installation of ESMs. This will mean wind and water turbines will be added to the list of ESMs and the complex eligibility conditions will be removed. The government will also increase the relief further by introducing a time-limited zero rate for the installation of ESMs. The changes will take effect from April 2022. The Northern Ireland Executive will receive a Barnett share of the value of this relief until it can be introduced UK-wide.

Useful. Fingers crossed the price will come down.

Re doing my loft is on the list of jobs.

We're getting there! I really do hate painting ceilings though.

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Anyone any experience in demolishing/removing an old bomb shelter? Looking for a ballpark £ for a professional job, not attempting it ourselves. All waste would need to be removed through a lean-to garage. The walls are solid brick ~30cm and the roof is reinforced concrete. Dims 3.7m L x 2.3m W x 2m H. Reckon its about 15 tonnes. Location Bristol.

Anyone had something similar done before?

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don't be too hasty that might come in handy

Drillcut in Bristol specialise in drilling and demolition of reinforced concrete. Give them a try. I always though bomb shelters were good bike sheds.

Snap.

I'd be filling it up with tins.

I'd be filling it up with tins.

And spiders.

How do you know it's reinforced concrete?

100% keep. Preppers paradise.

Thanks all. It's not actually mine. I've been asked to scope out how to turn it into a garden office and am trying to work out the costs of
a) leaving it as is and insulating it
b) remove the roof only and put on a new taller one in timber
c) remove completely and build new

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