How do I bathroom / kitchen / extension? etc.

UFH going down here today. I was under the impression they'd be using aluminium spreader plates between the joists but they're not doing that and just stapling straight to the insulation and expecting the builder to put some sort of mix in over the top to more accurately dissapate the heat. Not sure the builder knows this yet. Trying to tee everything up with builders and plumbers and getting everyone talking and agreeing to who is doing what is a bit of an art and a good builder is like a conductor in an orchestra. This is my first time having any major work done. Not sure I'd ever be able to cope with a new build or an extension. Plans on all sides seem to constantly be changing.
Have noticed that all trades seem to offer a critique of each others work.

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We hired an expert because they know what they're doing and can get results. But he's less attached to original features than I am, and I'm just looking to strike a balance. That fireplace has been in the house since it was built 130 years ago and I think it would be nice to keep it here. It's an attractive thing and it's part of the history of the house. Nobody's had a fire in it for decades. I do appreciate that ditching the breast would make the room much bigger though, and am into that idea. Just trying to fumble my way through these decisions and am looking for some middle ground if it exists.

UFH needs a screed poured over the pipes to encapsulate them. You'll need to wait weeks before tiling onto the screed. You can get quicker drying screeds for more money.

Has anyone done a heat loss calc for the room? Probably fine if it's a kitchen, but if there are three external solid walls and no insulation under the UFH pipes that room will never be warm. You may be able to mitigate some of this by reducing the UFH pipe centres to an absolute minimum. Plumber will moan but in a space that size it'll take an hour, and you only get to do it once. The joists may get in the way but a snail pattern allows for tighter spacing without 180º tight turns.

I’m no expert but my first thought was what’s the U value of the nice looking single glazed door?!

No heat calcs but as long as it takes the chill off the floor on a cold winter morning, then it's all good. It's only 4.2sqm There's a huge sheet of insulation under the pipes so should be good. All the heatloss will be through the sweet single glazed door 😂. The ply will be going down over the top of the pipes, then ditramat (sp?) then 60x40cm Limestone tiles over the top.

sweet single glazed door

Not to bang on about it but it is a sweet door though

Might as well not bother with the UFH! If there's ply and decoupling membrane between it and the tiles it'll be the least efficient heating system ever. You want the tiles, adhesive and UFH screed to be one solid slab.

At least you have rigid insulation under it all 👍

If you are getting rid of the one below 2000% get rid of the one above.
If we got rid of ours we would have enough wardrobe space.

Im pretty sure that's just going to be an expensive layer of stuff that might cost more money if it ever goes wrong. Unlikely to even warm up the limestone tiles...

It's more a try and take the chill out of the tiles type system.🤣 Hopefully will do something. I do need to get some proper calcs done for the rest of the house though. As you can probably tell, I'm not known for my good ideas and this project is a huge mishmash of weird ideas that probably don't work. I assume that's what's happening anyway re the floor and the ply is staying there.

If there's any way to get the builder to screed up to tile subfloor height, do it.

Maybe I've monumentally misunderstood what the plan is and that's what's happening. All I've asked for from the builder and plumber is warm feet in winter and a seamless transition between the floorboards in the hallway and tiles in the kitchen. The builder was talking of some self levelling screed so maybe the ply is only temporary. I've been so busy at work and with the children that I haven't really had the head space to ask the questions.
I've been skip diving on the street over the last few years on a mission to reinstall some original features and have amassed a collection of original architrave which has been stripped by PJ Pine in Crystal Palace and ready for installation on the rear of the door heading back into the hallway.

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Just looking at the small fireplace I have in this room it would require a hole 10-15cm deep in the wall to install it. How would you do that against the wall?

I've had several chimneys taken out over the years and they make a frigging mess when they come out. It's absolutely horrible.

they make a frigging mess

Only 100 years of dust, soot, wrecked parging, probably some anthrax in there...

All I've asked for from the builder and plumber is warm feet in winter and a seamless transition between the floorboards in the hallway and tiles in the kitchen.

You won't get that if there's no coupling between the heating elements and the surface on which your bare feet are gonna go. Rather than a ply top, you'd need a compound, like you say, that connects the heating elements to the tiles.

Getting rid of the chimney breast means freeing up the wall to just be a plain wall. It doesn't make much sense to me to add back a feature which will prevent you putting furniture there etc. If you like it and want to keep it, then adding it to a retained chimney breast in a different room that has had its fireplace removed sounds ideal. (But more work if you are wanting to actually open up the fireplace again to look 'right' even if you don't want to use it - you don't have to of course, you can just fix it on with a blank fireplace.)

I'm *slightly* concerned that the fixings have made lots of little holes through the membrane but a screed (or other continuous substrate) should act as a vapour barrier ok.
Also yes, don't have an air and timber sandwich between the pipes and tiles, it won't be effective. It might take the chill off but it would be a bit sad in terms of heat efficiency.

Pipe clips through membrane is normal. There should be at least one DPM below that insulation.

Slippers / rug may have been a cheaper option.
we've got rid of our chimney and got a load more space - looks much slicker on the roof too!

Hmm we are looking at getting a chimney removed ground floor only (as don't want to mess up children's bedroom upstairs) but comments from a neighbour are putting me off - it's a single skin brick wall and apparently the chimney breast helps keep it solid, so even with a steel he was sceptical.

Anyone ever had any issues after removing? We had a structural engineer round but they didn't fill me with confidence, said it would be fine though (with a steel)

My parents took the ground floor chimney breast out, adding a beam, of their Victorian single skin brick house about 30 years ago and it's still standing.

Personal experience, but if the shoe fits sadly.

We hired an expert because they know what they're doing and can get results. But he's less attached to original features than I am, and I'm just looking to strike a balance. That fireplace has been in the house since it was built 130 years ago and I think it would be nice to keep it here. It's an attractive thing and it's part of the history of the house. Nobody's had a fire in it for decades.

Keep the fireplace and the chimney breast if you like it. The next owner will probably like the original features having been retaining too. Personally I think they should always be retained in a bedroom or a living unless it's really impinging on the plan. Kitchens are a different matter.

I often muse on the derision / scepticism of integrity levelled at architects. I know a lot of them and I just don’t see it . In 2023 it’s poorly remunerated as a profession - considering the length of training / hours / overall level of professional responsibility required. People don’t get into it for the money in my experience. Generally it’s smart(ish) kids who are creative and technical and like the idea of making a difference or at least shaping a bit of the near future in some way. Sure there’s the fashion and taste element, the intense competition and big egos - but some ego is a requirement to create present and ultimately sell a design .