How do I bathroom / kitchen / extension? etc.

So ours was about 9m x 6m and looks to have cost about £5-6k (cost + mgmt fee + vat). That includes prowarm insulation and was 2 layers of T&G chipboard.

Spot the loo roll

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That's the figure for just the bottom layer - not the flooring too?

I'm hoping we don't need two layers as our boards are in great shape. What was the reason you needed two?

Maybe I'm missing something, but that looks like it should be built of brick (whatever the correct sort is considering water penetrating,weight etc.). Then you cap the steps in a paving stone of your choice.

So yeah, smash it out and build a new one out of brick, render/paint, pave.

Given there could be supporting elements in relation to the wall I'd probably pay someone. But then it might be one of those jobs no one wants to do because they can make more and easier money building rear extensions.

Are you within @ColinTheBald 's geographical reach? Looks like the sort of thing he could do along with paving the bottom.

If you've got young kids something you should really consider is whether a slide can be added to the left at the same time. It would be such a cool feature and make them less likely to fuck themselves running down the stairs.

That’s just for the underfloor yep
Some of it was around building the floor up and also getting it rock solid (our joists weren’t in great shape and a fair few needed replacing)

Thanks - will ask around locally (Devon).

But, in seriousness, have you been my wife this whole time?

you should really consider is whether a slide can be added to the left at the same time.

Some mates had something similar - I think they had a stair built in metal with hardwood treads and handrail. With yours I’d be cautious as the masonry doesn’t look all that great - have a structural engineer look at it first maybe ?

We have had this washing machine for a year - its the quietest machine ive ever used. I think @dbr was maybe unlucky?

Heat pumps. People really have them on their damn lofts? So big and ugly!

I'd like a heat pump, but my architect doing the extension is talking me out of it. He says the air ones don't work in drafty houses and the ground ones cost a fortune and involve digging up the whole garden. Surely we'll all have to do it at some point though? I'm really keen to ditch fossil fuels.

Lovely handles you have there. Valchromat cupboards ?

Oh that’s super interesting, thanks. Yeah I’m really torn, hideous massive box on the roof feels like madness.

I'd like to know what other people have done in Victorian terraces.

Hes right they dont.

why not draughtproof your house?

We're doing a fair bit of insulation and draughtproofing our victorian terrace for that reason. Our boiler is only a few years old but i want to be ready to replace it with a heatpump when the time comes.

Also interested.
I can't do a box on the roof! I'm having a soil pipe boxed in internally because I can not have spaghetti junction over my roof lights.
I will not stand for this.

FWIW its heat thats the issue so not sure draft proofing will solve the problem.

We have so much of that stupid heat pump discussion fueled by conservative assholes right now here telling people it will cost 100'000€ to install.

Yes, it's not that easy if you live in a house with 1900s windows and isolation. But then you also want to heat more than your kitchen, have electric lights and don't shovel coal?
But if you do the bare minimum of sensible insulation (underfloor, roof, decent windows) and add radiators it does, as I understand as a layman, work.
There are also heat pumps that do 70 degree Celsius of flow temperature.
If you want to test if changing gas boiler for heat pump will work, just regulate your flow temperature to 50 and see what happens.
And oh, a box on the roof is ugly as argument against carbon neutral heating is ridiculous.

This. Saving energy is good.

Your ridiculous.

Ventilation rate is an important factor in calculating the heat loss of a building (and therefore the output required of any given heating system to keep it warm). A modern house might have a ventilation rate of 0-0.5 air changes per hour (ACH), whereas a drafty Victorian house could hit 2 or even 2.5ACH. That is quite significant.

Do you not read the daily mail? Always some sop in their crying about it not working

I’ve never spoken with someone with an air source heat pump who thinks it is a good investment. People complain that they use more electricity than they thought they would, which seems to either be because they need to preheat the air (when it is cold) or they are just not as efficient as advertised (when it is cold) so when you actually want it, it doesn’t do a great job. Obviously anecdotal (sample size ~6) but it has put me off considering one.

Ground source seems to work better but costs so much to install I only know two people who have done it, and they were not driven by price.

Exactly!

i also mentioned insulation though

we've engaged a Certified Passive House Designer and Architect who has used SAP, PHPP and Psi-Therm energy modelling to outline what improvements (ie, insulation and draught proofing) are needed to transition our victorian terraced to highly energy efficient and heat pump ready

What @tenners says about ACH is correct.