Owning your own home

Ha ha same - was wondering if I could combine some celotex or similar with some plasterboard and clips and attach them to the deep rafters under the roof glass.

Probably turn in to a crazy condensation trap though

I’ve gone for a Solar and Tesla powerwall system due to be installed in September for Solar and the battery when available in March.
One of the reasons for the more expensive powerwall is the Tesla energy contract, which has a equal energy buy sell rate, which currently for me would be about 12p / kw.

The 6.5kw of solar panels should generate enough energy to give us a profit at the end of the year (until we get EVs) and can use electricity to heat water instead of gas should the gas cost go about 12p/kw.

At increasing energy costs, should have paid for itself in cost savings in about 5-6 years or less.

Also doing little things like insulating the garage under our extension room, and adding some window films which should reduce thermal loss as well as reduce heat in summer.

5-6 years

I think this is the crux of the issue.

Time to draw up a list of what is achievable and put some numbers along side.

Also work out what is complementary. Eg We hate our double glazing and I think the lack of trickle vents is a cause of damp. It's not bothered us enough to do anything, but if new better double or triple glazed stuff would improve things then...

Would be interested in costs for that. I was quoted some scary numbers at the beginning of the year but if energy prices are assumed to stay high long term, they become much less scary!

https://www.robertdyas.co.uk/draper-3m-telescopic-washing-brush

Now £20.

(Sorry, didn't notice post I was replying to was two weeks old!)

We plan to stay where we are for 10 years probably, so should take benefit in real savings during our ownership of the house.
Also the hope is that a well designed solar panel system with 25y warranty on panels and inverter will be an selling point rather than a hinderance as solar panels have sometimes been in the past.

The numbers were pretty important, particularly with glazing. Almost always not worth changing if you’re looking purely to save energy costs.

Have you considered adding passive air vents through the wall? Not the prettiest thing, but neither is mould on the walls.

We've reinsulated the small roof space above our lounge. I'm really tempted to get the cavity walls filled.

Also our wall cavities are open at the top into the loft. I thought these were supposed to be capped to limit air movement.

a positive pressure fan in the loft (if you have one) helps with mould/condensation.

triple glazing virtually eliminates condensation as the inner surface is usually only a few degrees below the air temp.
if it’s freezing outside and 20° inside the inner pane should be 16°.
have occasionally had it on the outside pane though but thats quite rare.

We went quite high end, and wanted to support a local business so not the cheapest but:

16 x 410w panels with solar edge optimisers, Solar edge inverter, and Tesla Powerwall 2 13.5kw battery for approx. £17500 including 25y warranty on panels, optimisers and inverter.

Optimisers due to east/west facing roof and a bit of shading occasionally from block of flats.

Currently vat free for solar and battery installations, though costs and lead times are getting longer and longer.

Given our expected electricity usage, if electricity hits 58p/kw then whole system will pay for itself in 5.
If gas exceeds 12p/kw, then maybe even faster.

A more modest system with similar 16 x 410w panels, without optimisers and 6.5kw battery i was quoted £12500.

I would have been ok with this (maybe a bigger battery) but my wife preferred not to have limitations when she could use electricity/charge cars and the Powerwall with Octopus Tesla contract allows that due to its cheap flat import export rate.

Assuming that you can be largely electricity independent and use 6000kwh per year, £12500 would be effectively paid off in 5.2 years at a 40p/kw

a positive pressure fan in the loft

My concern was with the electricity usage plus blowing cold air down from the loft.

That's good to know. It's actually about what I was quoted but for two fewer panels.

The main issue I have right now is that we're locked in for 2 more years at 15p per kWh so we're not worried about spiking prices today, even with two EVs.

Decisions decisions.

15p per kWh is a great price.
You’ll repay the about £1800 of the Solar outlay in the first 2 years, and who knows how much after that.

Cost of Solar, especially if they remove the vat free scheme will be more than £1800 if you purchased in 2 years I would think.
Also battery capacity/price doesn’t seem to be improving at the moment, probably due to inflation and demand.

I've got a sash window in my bathroom, and the top window refuses to slide down further than 5mm, like it's catching on something- all the others in the house move fine.

Any ideas? Only a couple of years old.

Checked outside for a screw?

Bit forward of you

So i have just had an email sent to me from out buyers solicitor...

they have admitted that they have made a catalogue of errors on this one.

EDIT: i have snipped loads out as this email is just for solicitor/client but you can get the gist of it.

Not only wasn’t sent to the valuer until mid-July
underwriter had then ‘paused’ the case. I’m not sure what this actually means,
internally it means that no one (except that underwriter who paused the case) can action or see what is outstanding on case.
matter was then expedited by X 5th August
put a ‘threat of losing property’ note on the file
this would mean it was sent across to an X urgently to action
again this wasn’t dealt with
as a previous X had already paused the case.
I have no idea what on earth they have been doing
now been escalated to management with a complaint

thing is we have had promises/deadlines/escalation's come and go and neither of us have the energy to raise our expectations as it’s likely our seller has had plenty of offers as it’s a week and a half back on the market.

Just another story about the shambolic way property is bought and sold in England. there are plenty of others just like this and far worse!?

We just had the photos done this morning to put our place on the market. Am now steeling myself for all these shenanigans, and prepping to be as unemotional as possible about properties we offer on even if they have space for a brick built workshop #notlondon

Double checked today and nothing. Feels like something is blocking the counter-balance on one side

threat of losing property’ note on the file

Lol as if that actually happened.

Did they put a little post it note of a Christmas tree on it and it gets put in a special filing cabinet ?

well I have no idea if they actually wrote that but it’s the reality of the situation.
Everyone in the chain is desperate to move and this has been holding things up for nearly 3 months, if this doesn’t happen in the next 2 days there will be some really pissed off people who have wasted 8 months and a fair few thousand of £’s (especially when you factor in the 3 interest rate rises and our deals that expire in 2 weeks time.
not after sympathy as there’s plenty of similar stories and worse just need to vent the frustration.

I had a response back from Access Garage Doors MD to my "I didn't get what I ordered".

He says, on the side-hung doors that what I ordered wasn't available anyway, so that doesn't matter.

On the sectional, he admits the quote is unclear, but states that the sales person in making the decision to install the doors contrary to my request was fine because "they look good".

He then goes on to request the full balance.

If anyone that I'd talked to had the integrity to say "we made a mistake and I apologise" I'd probably pay the money and forget about it, but it's the absolute, total refusal to accept any responsibility for me getting doors that I didn't order - and then saying 100% of the blame is mine.

I imagine that if I suggested that we discuss this in the small claims court I'd lose on garage 1 (the side hung) because it does state 50:50 on the quote, what do people think would happen re garage 2 where they admit the quote was unclear and that the sales person made a unilateral decision to "correct" my order, without consulting me?

Sounds like it may have been easier to make the garage doors yourself.

A little late now.

I thought you said one set mounted on the inside of the frame?

Surely that leaves plenty of scope for building your one in front.