
As most of the old regulars will know, we are in the middle of MAJOR building work - and living in it with my 3 YO.
After 8 weeks of a muddy hole that got deeper every week then had a foot of snow on top of it and cost us double for the foundations... Then, last Tuesday - the timber frame went up in 2 days, we now have a full outer shell, first fit electrics are done, sarking and felt is up, windows are ready.
Today the ceiling is going up in our upper floor, the insulation is here and going in for the walls and ceilings, the plasterboard should start going on the walls this afternoon, the brickwork is almost finished.
We have picked reclaimed flooring for the extension (we have to hire a van tomorrow to pick it up.)
We need to work out exactly where the stove flu is going to go so we can order it and get it up before the ceilings and roof are done (um... yeah, just realised that would be by today.....um.....oops!...)
Need to find a stove soon too.
Have to work out where the hot water tank is going and who is going to put in the system.
Have to get our dry rot treatment sprayed in while some of the roof beams on the existing cottage are exposed.
We are struggling to keep up - we had a crappy planner (not an architect) So things like sockets, lights and walls!! are all in the wrong places.
We are trying to get in as many eco-friendly materials and design features as possible, but this is not what our builder is used to and it is quite a struggle.
Waiting for the EST dude to come round to do a 'viability test' for solar hot water (ie, do you have a roof? does sun hit it?..... well that is worth sending someone round for.....

Building regs are a pain in the arse.
soooooo........ not having the time to put different posts up about all the issues.......
does anyone have any reccomendations or thoughts on...
- external doors, we need to pick 2 new ones and don't like the choice of 10 that the builder has offered (to grand for our cottage, or not enough glass to let in any light)
- multifuel stoves with ovens and back boilers that are no wider than 900mm
- flat panel solar collectors v tubes (I'm leaning towards tubes)
- double skinned insulated flues that look good naked (I have been looking at the Selkirk flue but it is pricey)
- How many radiators we can run off of an accumulator tank with solar and 2 stove feeds going into it (probably about 20

- accumulator tanks / thermal stores
- showers that plumb in to the hot and cold water feeds (I've only ever had electric showers)
- Holidays on distant islands, preferably with full childcare provision, and a form of heating that doesn't involve me risking my life every 4 hours to collect fuel...
plus all the other 73 items on my list of 'what the heck are we going to do about ...'
any and all comments welcome....
