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Thank you :-) The gullies weren't set when the guys were there to fit the downpipes and they wanted to make sure the lengths were right. I'm going to add another bracket about half way up each downpipe just to secure them against strong winds. There's been a little bit of progress in the kitchen again since it became weather tight and the beams have been added to the ceiling. I've also added a photo showing the front from the other end.

(I know, I know...the photos didn't paste in and I will have to do them one at a time...I'll get 'round to it I promise...managed the first dozen, more to come) Part One-Wind And Watertight For Under £6k I'm new to blogging and probably have nothing much in terms of knowledge to impart but some of you might be interested in building on a low budget so here goes. After many years on the waiting list we got offered a plot on the famous West Highland Way about 3 miles north of the starting point in Milngavie, just north of Glasgow. For £4k we get a 20 year ground lease around 100ft square, ground rent is £90 per month and of course membership of the community group that collectively owns the whole estate. See more about Carbeth Hutters here http://www.carbethhu...o.uk/index.html we needed planning permission and Carbeth is itself a conservation area so we kept to the hutters spirit of ingenuity and self-everything and splashed out on some graph paper from the local stationers. We made several models from foam board (thanks JS Harris) and finally paid the fee and waited... I'll add the plans when I find them but permission was granted and we stated work digging the footings by hand. Oh I should say at this point so far we have not paid for one trades person nor used any machines other than a Makita saw and drill and a Hitachi gas nail gun. Many thanks to Dominic Stevens and this website for teaching me all I needed to know about the mysteries of marking out http://www.irishvernacular.com/ In May we braved the rain and pressed on building 14 (dodgy bricklaying) piers one big one using cobble stones the rest using concrete blocks from a reclaimed mono bloc driveway. Our near £2500 load of timber arrived and it was time to see if the 'water in a tube' method of levelling the piers was accurate or not...first big confidence builder-it was bang on level across a 4m span I really wish I had bought OSB flooring as the chipboard got soaked a dozen times...its fine now but we have a few swollen joints that will need attention before final floor goes down. Lots of wet days and rain dripping of noses but a nail gun is a great stress buster for us Social Work types and the wall panels and trusses were complete...time for a big hut raising weekend! The June weather was kind and we got a lot of work done but the tarps had to go back on as the floor was still getting soaked... Magic, frame complete Roof is almost there and again we had 8 volunteers over the weekend...including schoolboy nephews who kept wandering off with tools! Then end of June saw the EPDM roof being stuck on with the stickiest of glues but close to water proof at last. On the odd evening we managed to get the windows in... Got some nice doors from Gumtree for £40 so in they go and by the end of June we are almost there Insulation and building paper on Oh and Gumtree found us some kitchen bargains so shipped then up as its nice and dry inside now *smiley face* Cladding And Lighting Weather was sh#t all July so had to bash on through the rain... Sparrow Fart recommended the Hitachi nail gun and as I'm on my fourth box that's 7000 nails so far! 90% Finished...90% To Go... Nearly there...hearth and fire needed to go in as it was getting too cold to work... Got a reclaimed dance floor 57m for £250 so that went down too. Finished off the ceiling joins with some 5mm ply, looks okay. Finally got the dry toilet finished but not *commissioned* it yet. Put some furnishings in for a trial run. Just some plumbing, wiring and joinery to go. Oh and the view from daughters window... Diy Plans-Graph Paper And Pencil I am putting these images up simply to show that you do not have to employ professional help to submit planning applications. For most of you serious self builders designing the house of your dreams I suspect that this will be the only way to go but my little project is different from the norm in many ways. Firstly Stirling Council (in fact the single planning assistant that deals with the Carbeth community huts) is hugely helpful and happy to talk on the phone and comment via email. Secondly reading through previous applications I noticed that some drawn on foolscap (with imperial measurements) passed first time and the more professional architect drawn submissions had lengthy correspondence in the file. I went with the spirit of the old hutters and splashed out on some graph paper and a sharp pencil. I kept what I could vague so as to allow a bit of flexibility as the build progressed. Eight weeks to the day after submission we got a green light with four simple conditions. Having read some of your experiences out there I feel your pain and hope that ion the future this minefield of a system can be improved and made more consistent…I’m not holding my breath though… Attached Files Planning drawings 1-2.pdf (2.12MB) downloads: 75 Planning drawings 3-4.pdf (2.14MB) downloads: 29 Planning drawing 5.pdf (1.05MB) downloads: 26 Carbeth site plan hut no 3 Jan 15.pdf (254.28K) downloads: 28 Interior Fit Out And Decoration The low tech approach continues as does the re-use and recycle theme. Bought a load of Michelin road maps from the charity shop to make my feature wall background and topped then off with a few nice ones I picked up in Poland during the summer. Probably spent about 20 quid in all. Went to the local mental health wood recycling project (boy, they are not cheap!) and spend 15 quid on an old scaffolding board to make this kitchen unit. Might add some hooks underneath and a couple of shelves on the map wall to complete this corner. I might have mentioned before that around my office Monday is the day that the Council bin lorries come around for bulk uplift. The area is all tenement flats and there is no room for bulk trash in the back court so the local arrangement is you put it on a street corner before each Monday morning. It does make for an Aladdin's cave of goodies and there is a fair bit of 'help yourself' going on before the bin lorry arrives. in fact plenty of stuff is labelled, like a TV with remote control taped and a sign 'saying perfect working order'. Anyhow I helped myself to this worktop and slotted it in next to the beech free standing units from Gumtree to make a little sink unit. Looks okay I think...the rest of the worktop was cut up and kept the wood burner going to keep us warm during the freezing weather outside. Dry Toilet And No Smell Whatsoever Apologies for the pic of the loo, warts and all so to speak... This is the 'seperate' plastic toilet from Sweden that has a front funnel and back void. The thinking is to seperate the solid and liquid waste as it is the combination Of both together that causes the smells we don't like. Urine runs to a soak away and the solids and toilet paper (and sawdust which helps the drying process and Erm...helps the appearance should you peer into the pit!)end up in the bucket below. There is a small fan running constantly which you can just see on the floor behind the urine waste tube. The fan is powered from our 12v battery and draws next to no power at around 0.1 amps. This provides an airflow which removes odours and aids the drying process for the solid waste. Once the bucket is full it can be sealed with a tight fitting lid and left for 18 months when it will be safe to use as compost. Some folk toss it on the fire but not sure I fancy that job. Still needs a lick of paint but all in all very pleased this all works as promised in the literature. As the blog title says there is no smell at all and its really a pleasant smallest room. Balcony, Wood Store, Somewhere Nice To Sit Decided simple was best and to crack on with the decking out front. Rescued some fallen trees from nearby and rested them against a quickly assembled frame of 6*2 treated joists. This gave us a nice deck to work on the roof from... Always keep a tidy site Ebuilders...you don't want a wayward screw sticking into the foot of one of you volunteer helpers who come to play with trainers on! Bit of good luck, we had one 4.8 length of decking left over so fashioned up three nice steps to the front door. Lucky for us 800mm wide was just right. Finishing Touches If you wait long enough, what you want will come along in Gumtree. Seller said they were £100 per metre and I can believe that. 4m of them in the back of the car and the suspension was riding low! Anyhow, had no confidence in grouting these the normal way so borrowed a piping bag from SWMBO and took my time squeezing it into each gap so it was just proud. Ran a pencil around the gaps and hey ho it looks great. Now just some stove paint to buy and a few dozen more jobs before its finished... Exterior views

This section is dedicated to all aspects of tiling. Whether it be wall, or floor, bathroom or kitchen, whole of floor, or other, you'll find all you need to know here. From which adhesives to use and why, through to how to grout, finish and seal ready for use. Just post a new thread here and we'll advise you to the best of our knowledge and help you get the job done right, first time. From this To this

First off.....I bet you'll finish yours before I do! Second, does your wife know mine or in fact are they one and the same? I too have a similar picture of "what she wants". Seriously: I have recessed a pocket in the floor so as the floor off the bath and adjacent room floor are the same level. I'm tapering the sides so when you stand next to it you're "closer" with your feet sort of under the overhang. My taper is 7deg. The concept when you stand adjacent just feels right. The "shoe" design, in two halves is because the spa pipes are the same width as the bath, this sort of shows it. So I couldn't "drop" the bath into a hole in the box. I'm having to fit one half of the box, slide the bath in from the side then complete the other half. Removable tile will be held in by magnets or some other magic, Hogwart's esque device!. Nick posted up a while back on eBuild some removable, tile-able panels. I'll try and find the link. Ref the bath top mine will sit atop the tiles though I did toy with having it all flush. Tbh I reckon that's a recipe for disaster. I'm going to put a marine ply "lip" around the "hole" in my box that'll be pinned & Gorilla glued to the main ply deck . The bath will sit over that. Got to go an eat now, had an APPLE at 5am so thinking more of kebab & beer than bathrooms. Nick will be along shortly.....

I have rainwater harvesting for flushing WCs and garden watering/washing patio, paths and car. no filters, underground tank, (very like a septic) pump to loft cistern, to WC cisterns. perfect tiny ammount of fine silt in WC cisterns, nd more in loft store, lots in the underground one, I have trapped gullies on the rain pipes but some leaves do get in. after two months of operation the water was smelly and I was advised to add a cup of cider vinegar it cured the problem. i love using rain water for cleaning the windows.

Yup. Don't use the add-on upstands as they're useless without sealant anyway. Plus they come between the side of the tray and the wall, so stop you getting a good fix ( as your then relying on the double sided sticky tape to hold both bonded surfaces together where the upstand goes ). Dry fit the shower tray and set the height and level to suit. Draw around the upper edge with a pencil, and if you can reach do the same at the underside. Fit a batten around the 2 / 3 sides stopping 50mm short of each outer corner ( to allow fitting of the skirt / plinth ). A better option is to cut strips of 18mm ply and fit that like skirting board, so it sits on the floor and supports the underside of the tray in one solid section. Bond that to the walls with the Sikaflex ( SF ) and fix with a few screws going through into the studs, or rawlplug into the masonry. Set the battens 2-3mm shy of the pencil line and put a 12mm bead of SF atop for the tray to be offered down into / onto. Once you've got to that stage, draw the tray 15-20mm or so away, re-goop the top of the ply / batten, and then run two parallel lines of SF around the wall, one at half tray depth and another just shy of the top pencil line. Push the tray home against the SF and move it around a bit of possible to ensure the goop has taken well. DONT FORGET TO MAKE SURE THE PLASTIC FILM HAS BEEN REMOVED FIRST, ( if the tray has it fitted, some don't ). CHECK AND DOUBLE CHECK AS ITS SOMETIMES HARD TO SEE IT . Then follow the method described, in the thread I linked, re forming the SF upstand whilst the SF is all still wet / masking etc. Simples

I got them from Slate supplies My Sister-in-laws cousin is the rep and they are building, he did them a good deal and my brother asked would he do me the same deal and he agreed.

There's free air circulation on your build, and thus no temperature difference between outside and inside...? Internal and external mould you say. So I may well be right. I'm making loads of shakes for my house. Storing them in open, but covered racks. Exactly the same spot mould. Don't worry in the slightest.