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I don't think any of us doubt the climate changes naturally over time, this is well documented, same with CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere, but as you see from the graph above, we are very much in unchartered territories now with CO2 concentrations, within the last 800k years, and not just that, but the speed of that change is where our climate emergency (and it is an emergency) will come from. All living things can and have adapted to change, its what we do best, but over 10's if not 100's thousands of years, not 10s to 100s of years, thats the difference here...at least thats the way i see it anyway. If the temperature follows the CO2, as it always has done albeit with some lag, then we are in for a very bad time. Your sea level argument, wrong again. The world isn't under water yet, as we are currently at the 'normal' peak over hundreds of thousands of years, but again, as above, that temperature will likely go skyward in the coming decades

Take the advice - don't invite them unless absolutely needed. There's a small bit of leeway as houses can't be built mm perfect as on paper but there is obviously a limit as to how much it can be stretched.

If it's just a straight stair, then dead easy to make (as long as you've got a cordless drill! and a saw!) Couple of bits of 225 x 50 for the sides, short lengths of 50 x 25 batten to hold it all together, and decking for the treads. Mine supported 4 guys and a 150kg triple glazed window with no problem. Have a go!

All this Burnham talk about a 0.48% property tax has got me thinking about how much we're going to end up paying in council tax (or property tax...) at the end of the process. At the moment we live in what can only be described as a slightly posh shed (it has plasterboard on the inside - mainly - but doesn't have heating or insulation) so our council tax is minimal. Once the new house - on the same plot - is finished, we will be knocking the shed down and will move to the new one. And I expect the council will want their pound of flesh. What are other people's experiences of the council valuing their new house/replacement house? How have they gone about creating a value for it? Did the process seem logical or was it as obscure, overly bureaucratic, and nonsensical as the planning process that started the whole affair?

Most planners are too busy. Chances are they won't give you anything in writing unless you apply for a certificate.

I’ve read about temporary staircases on here before (Howdens for £100?) but no luck finding one for our build. Our local Howdens wouldn’t say how much for a basic staircase and weren’t interested in us signing up for an account. Nothing on eBay. We are not skilled enough to make one unfortunately!

Well now the "have you had a car finance deal in the last five years then you could be owned thousands in compensation" adverts are fading I suppose we'll have the "have you bought a new house in the last ten years" adverts offering to claim back all that money on your behalf. At present the radio has "did you buy a park home and find a) it's not worth much now and b) the service charges are now extortionate, then you may have been mis-sold (or just gullible)" adverts. The claims industry has to keep looking for the next golden egg to keep it in business.....

Ah, sorry hadn't noticed the "Highland" location. Can't really say what the Scottish Building Standards say about access, but I agree it's a regs concern rather than planning.

i used https://www.stairbox.com/ for my own landing design.

I think I did, TBH. I should have put the specs under people's noses and banged my fist on the table immediately prior to work being done. Lesson learned😖 Here's the cold feed to the kitchen, coming off the end of the manifold instead of the valved outlet. Apart from triggering my OCD and not looking as pretty, I'm going to assume this works ok. Besides, the merchant didn't have another manifold in stock (I could have picked one up quite easily of course). There is a valve in the pipe just under the photo. Manifold is now 1 inch, off a 22mm feed 😕.

Love this. Can we have a final final blog in three months with all the snags and things you have changed? Mind you, given the story of this blog series, I expect everything will have been perfect!

Maybe you had a bad supplier? I've never had this

Any threads on here or case studies with it? Sounds interesting. Is it cheap?

I do wonder whether the approach to this accessible appliance isolation switch requirement ought to change anyway. Wouldn't things be a lot easier if a suitable DIN Rail box was installed somewhere with all the cables run via that location. Then wireless DIN switches installed. Siting and operating switches to isolate any appliance would then be as simple as installing wireless smart switches anywhere you wanted (or indeed using just an App).

Floor levelling finished at last, but wonder what is best for radiator pipes coming through the leveller ? (See Pic) The leveller has effectively cemented the pipes into position. Is this OK or unwise ? LVT will be going down on the floor. Possible issues - Will this make it problematic to remove and reinstall the rad because of lack of play on the pipes ? Will the heat from the pipes crack the leveller or effect the LVT ?

No I just did a degree on the subject in 2000-3, so a little ahead of the curve. I have my own view, thanks

Typo edited 👍. I’d use a rotary wire brush and then a rust convertor, and then Hammerite / Similar back over the lot.

Depends on the valuation. The getting out of the ground stage is the most expensive part, but also adds the least value. You really want some walls built before you get the valuer out. Get as much money as you can at each stage. Our biggest regret is not drawing down more!!!

You need look no further than the USA for recent and irrefutable evidence of climate change. Germany lost a World Cup penalty shoot out. I rest my case.

Hi anyone with expertise with ecology stage valuations and draw downs? they don’t follow typical stages or give a clear indication of how much they will release at each stage only that they will release funds as the build progresses. i have a mortgage that will release up to 65% of the value at any one stage. i drew down the max 65% of my plot valuation to clear my previous residential mortgage (knock down and rebuild) and this left a small buffer to commence the build. i have enough funds to get to foundation and block and beam using the buffer and personal savings. im planning on then getting them out to value and release funds. The question is will they release enough to get to the next stage! And what stage would I then be calling them out again? my build is quite heavy in the earlier stages up to wind and watertight and would be great if I could budget effectively .

You don't have to buy my view. Decide for yourself, just don't sit there absorbing propagandised media reports like the one at the top of this thread as though they represented any form of balanced rational truth. Random attempts at insults - always a valuable form of scientific argument. https://wattsupwiththat.com/start-here/

Do exactly as you say, but instead of sand and cement I use dry lining (dot & dab) adhesive which is far more robust and doesn't fray like S&C does. Use a load of plasterers scrim tape to bridge between masonry and new works, and wherever fixings timber back to masonry, use plenty of solvent free gripfill behind the timbers when fixing them back to the wall, which will go off rock solid.

Really smart. Lots of stone surfaces to absorb heat during the day and radiate it back out in the evening too. Really nicely done.

I would do a timber structure attached to wall and then skin with plasterboard

Excuse the drawing, no architect here ha. Blue lines are block walls of room that are sand/cement/plaster finish. At some point someone made a boxed in area (red colour) for services. The covering of the box is a bit crap, out of alignment with the block wall and damaged. I am going to strip off and put new plasterboard covering on then skim all the walls where the pink lines are. What is the best way to join the plasterboard to the existing sand/cement/plaster finish, where the green arrow points? The existing plaster on the block wall is damaged on that join but the sand/cement underneath is fine. I was thinking chip off a couple of inches of plaster, SBR the sand/cement mix, apply mesh tape over plasterboard edge / sand cement then skim whole wall?