Design my extension & hopefully build thread with updates!

[Neil - YVM]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Rangemaster are a reasonable option, and offer a fairly good service back up.

Dependent on the style of kitchen you are having, Range cookers can look great in a traditional or country style. But personally I am not so keen in a modern kitchen. If modern, I would consider a pair of single ovens under a worktop with a large hob. I prefer the appearance, but thats always a personal thing, plus the ovens will be larger. Also each is individually replaceable should one fail at a later date.

[herbialfa]

I've just specced one of these..............

http://www.ultraframe-conservatories.co.uk/oranger...

Complies with Building Regs and also passed a SAP calculation.

HTH

[solo2]

I've had a Rangemaster Classic 110 for over ten years. Only had one issue with it which was of my making so I'm not knocking it for that! Would recommend

[Muncher]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Split the UFH up into as many zones as you have rooms, firstly you don't want massive long runs and secondly you want as much control as you can from it, to be as efficient (and comfortable) as possible you want lots of zones. Different floor coverings will heat up at different rates so independent control is important. We have 17 zones split between upstairs and downstairs.

[Muncher]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Yes mine is a wet system.

In simple terms it works like this:

- 9 port manifold upstairs, 9 port manifold downstairs
- There is a supply to each manifold from the boiler and a return leg, each supply has a motorised valve to it.
- The hot supply to each manifold goes through a mixer valve to reduce the temperature of the water to 45 degrees and it is then pumped through the manifold
- Each room has a thermostat on the wall connected to a "wiring centre" which is located next to each manifold
- Each thermostat is completely programmable and there is also a central touchpad from which you can control/monitor all the individual rooms
- When a thermostat detects the temperature in a particular zone is below target it does 4 things

1. The boiler fires up
2. The zone valve to the upstairs or the downstairs manifold opens
3. The pump to that manifold starts pumping
4. An actuator opens a valve to the loop for that particular room.

So 45 degree water gets pumped through that loop only until the temperature raises in the room, at which point the boiler turns off, the zone valve closes, the pump shuts off and the actuator shuts again.

So you can set a pretty elaborate desired temperature profile independently for every room in the house and the system will kick in as each temperature drops out of range and corrects it.

In my main living area I am averaging about 12 hours of heated time per week at the moment, so less than 2 hours a day at the coldest time of the year. Due to the residual heat stored under the floor if I turn the whole house heating off, I can probably go about 4 days before I start to think it is a bit chilly.

If you can, it's worth putting UFH in upstairs under wooden floorboards, it is still very effective.

[Muncher]

I would say the Nest style of control is not needed with UFH as it is a very slow to react, but stable temperature. You set a temperature profile and then leave it to it, the Heatmiser thermostats at about £40 each are more than capable of doing that and can be controlled through an app if you really wanted to.

[PugwasHDJ80]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

If you want max glass then the ones we quite liked the look of were http://www.atlasroofsolutions.co.uk/

(we bought Bi-folds from their sister shop and were very happy with the quality)

[Muncher]

www.u-heat.co.uk These are the guys I used for mine for the supply of the kit, I will be using them again.

[PugwasHDJ80]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

From what I understand you can buy the roof from the bi-fold guys!

[TA14]

If it's an internal wall, 5m.

[z4emsee]

If it's a large opening it will require a structural engineer to design the beam over and they would also look at the bearings and piers to either side. Building Regs min pier size is 665mm (three bricks) but that's usually with a smaller opening. An engineer can design smaller piers than 665mm and to get right down to say 300mm (width of return wall) you'll need a goalpost steelwork arrangement with posts each side and beam over. Comes down to how much you want to spend.

[Yazar]

As above, the goal post arrangement can enable end to end.

I had a long think over this and decided againts it as form over function, and more cost. End to end looks good but imo not so practical.

I would rather have minimum 60 ish cms+ each side at least(maybe match to installed kitchen unit width?).

Means internally the Kitchen can go up to the wall and line up to bifold openings rather than block the bifolds or stop short/can make the corner space usable for storage/put light switches on the remaining wall for outside lights/wall lamps each side of bi-folds and so on.

Also outside you have wall space left to mount garden tap on/wall mounted water hose reel and so on.

Edited by Yazar on Monday 23 February 11:01

[Muncher]

Yazar said:

I would rather have minimum 60 ish cms+ each side at least(maybe match to installed kitchen unit width?).

This! I thought we might have problems as we didn't leave that gap, in the end it was ok as we finished it short and used a curved end unit but it is worth keeping that in mind.

[TA14]

I'd have a double goal post across the end of reception 2 and the kitchen (that is, the full width of the house tied in to the external and internal walls) then rest and brace everything on/back to that. For the external bi-folds just have a 665 brickwork return with a beam over the doors.

[Yazar]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Do what I and others are doing, and start reading up on plaster/plumbing/Kitchen fitting etc. It's not that hard, just takes an investment in time and some practice and I can now skim fairly well, fitted a kitchen a few weeks ago and doing heating work this week. Granted won't be as good as the best tradesman, but the best tradesman are not cheap and rather do myself than get a cheap guy in and watch over him all the time.

My plan is to then just get the builders to do a watertight shell for both extension and loft conversion and rest myself as labour is a massive chunk of the cost and would rather spend that cash on higher spec materials.

Alternatively once you get quotes, you can always get back to the builder you like and say that it is more than you can afford and can we discuss what can be done to get it down.

[Muncher]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

It's cheaper providing you can manage it and providing you pick reasonably priced tradespoeople. If they don't turn up and things get delayed it is then your problem to deal with it however.

[TA14]

That looks quite restrained considering some of the ideas that you had come up with. Regarding the skylight, I did wonder whether it would be easier (and more in line with your original thinking?) to have it the full span from the TV room to the bi-fold doors and resting on the outer wall to the right (boundary wall.) Whilst this would make the skylight more expensive it would save the cost and complexity of three steel beams and ensure that there is not a deep flat roof construction adjacent to the skylight robbing the light. If you wanted to do this would it have to be shown on the planning application?

[TA14]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

No, not a lean to, still a pyramid but I hadn't considered the lighting, I was simply looking to simplfy the steel beam arrangement.

anonymous said:

[redacted]

FWIW I would have thought that someone could have come up with a solution to the lighting problem, eg:
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=suspended+lightin...
but the architectural considerations will probably be paramount anyway.

Good luck with the annoying neighbour.

[sleepezy]

Not sure if it is the same but we've just had the house re-plumbed as part of a total renovation.

We wanted an unvented system (which uses mains pressure and doesn't need a cold tank). Our issue was low pressure as our feed in was small bore copper. Our options were to have a loft cold tank, garage cold tank or upgrade the incoming pipe to wider plastic. Cost options for us were neutral as cost of digging up / replacing incoming was roughly the same as tanks etc plus we didn't lose the space.

[TA14]

I wouldn't order anything until you've appointed a builder. Appoint builder, discuss ordering and suppliers, then take the decision on which supplier and who will do the ordering.