Ruairi

Hi Does anyone know where I could get an espresso machine repaired/serviced locally? Thanks Ruairi

Hi I am looking for someone to repair leaking cast iron gutters and replace a section of rusted down pipe. Thanks Ruairi

Just wanted to put up a recommendation for John, "InNeedOfWork". He helped me stripping wall paper and plaster boarding the ceiling in our bedroom today. He arrived early, worked hard all day and stayed an extra hour so we could finish the job. Thanks John Ruairi

No problems, yes I have a small local practice with a friend, PM if you want any more details.

Hi Your Architect should really advise you on this, (we normally advise our clients of the process and prepare the party wall notice letters etc.) but it is all explained here: https://www.gov.uk/government/upoads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/35796/party_wall_guide-new-p35.pdf. Costs can vary. If your neighbours do not contest the work then you do not need to form a party wall agreement and so there should be no requirement for a surveyor or associated costs. If they do costs can vary, depending on how many neighbours are involved and what surveyor they choose to use. If you end up having to deal with a surveyor or surveyors I would budget about ?1000 per neighbour involved. Hope that helps Ruairi

No problem, also keep an eye out for thermal bridges (elements that bridge the insulation layer and conduct heat faster). These can have quite a big effect on the performance of your building. They should ideally be designed out so the construction is thermal bridge free, but this is quite difficult to achieve in practise.

No problem, always happy to give some advice if I can. Depending how far along you are with the production of tender/construction drawings I would consider changing your Architect if your not happy with them. It will be difficult to achieve what you want otherwise, as the devil really is in the detail with these things. Regarding insulation, a U-value is the measure of how fast heat flows through a component and the lower the number the better insulated that component is, (measured in watts/meter squared Kelvin). I am not sure what u-values you are achieving with your project, but as a rough guide for PH you would be looking at Walls and floors 0.15 W/m2K Roofs 0.10 WW/m2K Triple glazed windows and doors 0.8 W/m2K I would be aiming for this on most projects to start with. Regarding the other items it is hard to give you much advise as things like the selection of a heating systems and renewable is very project specific and there is no one size fits all. Hope this is some help Ruairi

Hi Try googling Passivhaus. Its a German low energy standard that is gaining popularity in the UK and Ireland eco movement. The basic principle in a nut shell is to invest in insulation (more than what you suggest for your project) and airtight construction in conjunction with a heat recovery ventilation system. Then you?re left with a tiny space heating demand which does not require a conventional heating system, though you can have one if you want. Solar thermal is probably a good idea too, my parents in Ireland get most of their hot water from March-October from theirs. You can still have your bolt on renewables if you like, but not necessary, better off investing insulation. If your interested in Passivhaus ask your Architect (not to be confused with passive solar) he should have heard of it atleast. There is a whole certification process for QA, but it?s unlikely you will achieve this if the building has not been designed to meet the standard from the outset. You can still apply the principles though. Ruairi (Architect specialising in Low energy Design)