1930s Semi Refurb - Part 11 of ... (Summer House)

[dlockers]

4mm is typically good for 32A but the cable length and installation method needs to be considered.

What protective device do you have on the house-end of the SWA? That’s what protects the 4mm SWA, regardless of what you fit in the Garden Room.

Your electrician may decide you need a larger earth conductor regardless.

It’s good you’re getting it inspected and tested

What do you mean, protective device? It goes into a BG Consumer Unit. It is fused at the house end and on an RCBO.

Edit: oh you said house-end; missed that bit. It is wired into the house CU on an RCBO. It is an existing circuit that was already there; I've just uprated it from 2mm to 4mm as it was cheaper. I have another thread on the electrics

 

[dlockers]

@dlockers where did you get to with this? Final pics? Final costings?

All finished mate. Well, bar skirting board, which arrives today. And guttering which I've bloody forgotten again . Once the guttering is fitted I can final fix the outdoor AC unit (currently just freestanding).

Total cost was £14528 but that includes the TV/Sonos/Computer Desk (£2.5k). Also £3k of that was the bifolds. So roughly £9k for the super structure (as doors are quite a personal choice).

Big items were...
* Wood (whatever is left over once you subtract all the other bits)
* EPDM (~800)
* Doors (3k)
* Floor (600)
* Cladding (1k)
* Plasterer (700)
* WiFi/Smart Lights (400)
* AC Unit (700)

 

[dlockers]

Wow. Nice job. The AC unit was only £700 including the interior blower thing and the exterior fan unit? Does it warm as well as cool? What's power consumption/cost like?
I'll go back and re-read the thread but how did you do your power stuff? Did you connect this summer house up so it has its own consumer unit, then do a light circuit off that, 13A socket circuit and an AC unit circuit? Was the electrics DIY?

Yeah the split A/C is a specific "Easy Install" model from Electriq. It is propane filled rather than F-Gas and it is pregassed. It warms perfectly - currently enjoying 20 degrees.

It is powered from a 4mm SWA that goes into my main CU in the house. It terminates in the summer house into a "garage" mini-CU with a light circuit and socket circuit. I did all the electrics DIY but it is only "first fix" at the moment (I need to formally wire it into the house CU, but I have a workshop I need to sort at the same time, and a potential solar install happening).

Also random one. Have you heard of SIP panels? Not suggesting I will use them if/when I do a build, just only just discovered their existence when a friend pointed them out to me the other day. I don't know in what applications they would be used but found the below youtube video where they do a summer housey thing with them.

Yeah they look pretty good. The Oakwood Garden Rooms guy is developed a SIP kit where you can buy either the instructions or the full kit cut to size. I was going to go that route but it felt more complicated (ironically).

 

[dlockers]

Insulation comes under wood? Or you got it all for 50p from matey Facebook?

I'd hope to keep mine under 10k, and looks like I can provided I don't go mad with cladding. Not into fancy doors TBH, prefer insulation to light.

Oh yeah fair, insulation was ~600 IIRC.

 

[dlockers]

Is that stats for the summer house AC usage? Do you run it 24/7 or have it set to maintain temp at certain times? Also how have you isolated just the power to the AC to get those stats if it's wired directly into your garage mini consumer unit rather than via a smart plug?

Just the AC --- it just plugs into an smart plug rather than being hard wired into the CU.

I have it coming on at 4am for cheap electricity to take edge of, then on from 0830 till I finish work (6/7/8pm).

 

[dlockers]

OK. Interesting. I wonder how the usage is when it is cooling in summer more than heating. I would assume cooling costs less. So some days in Jan you are pulling 5Kw a day. That's about £1.25 a day. It's not cheap tbh but then... my daily train commute is more than 2 months of usage so it fades into insignificance on those grounds.

Yeah exactly....it's a lot cheaper than petrol too. It's my cost of doing business for the day. Still a fraction of a coffee/lunch/train ticket day.

 

[dlockers]

Yeah it can dehumidify / fix air quality. It's essentially a giant plastic bag inside lol....so I still try and open the doors every now and then to refresh the air

 

[dlockers]

Cost wise I think mines nearer £13+K and I haven't even got it finished . Ive way over ordered on timber mind you and tend to go with the " more price = better. I think i can use all the treated timber for decking supports on the outside. Reckon that seems sound?

I'll get a couple pics of mine later. I spent £1500 getting sparky to fit 10mm armoured cable down the house and also armoured ethernet, he's done a neat job and saved me a lot of time.

I think i might get mine fully plasterboarded inside and not bother getting it skimmed whilst it's a workshop, and if I want to change that in future it's easy. It's not high on my to do list tho.

Hope you're enjoying kiddo #2 @dlockers , I struggle with tiredness with #1!

Hah to be fair, I stumbled on this epic merchant who only deals via WhatsApp lol. Got all my insulation from him for the house too. It is as good as cost from what I can tell. I accidently ordered double OSB and sold it at the cost I paid for it within 5 mins of listing it on Marketplace, for example. Some bits I did have to get from Merchants Market or w/e it is called. I also frigged trade membership wherever I could (Wickes, Merchants Market, Cladding).

I also didn't pay a sparky £1500!

Second one is great thanks; it's the usual pain and headache coupled with the "are they going to be ill/cough/cold/fever" as that's what really makes it tough vs. just being very hard