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Slightly old news as I finished it about 2 weeks ago, but only just got around to writing it up on the blog. The house roof was finished some time ago, but it's the garage roof that has been waiting while I do more important things like cladding, rendering and drainage. So just to show the finished thing here are a couple of pics. There is more on my blog at http://ardross.altervista.org/Wilowburn/roofing-finally-finished/ After fitting something like 1800 tiles to this house, I have 34 tiles left over. I would say the roofing supplier that specified the quantities from the plans, got it about righrt.

One time I was home and saw a Swansea based guy with a sign written van, "Bonny Tiler". im sure there was a terrible bonnie Tyler pun on there too but I've forgotten. Nick must be familiar with him, surely (Shirley)

Yep. You sure it's not Keith Vaz for the rabbit thing?

General builders just don't read drawings, they do what they know how to do and thats it. Anything else seems to be an exception to the rule. I have been involved in commercial interiors for 20 years and it has only been the really high end tradesmen and specialists like electricians and plumbers that seem to bother. I was speaking to an 85 year old architect recently who said exactly the same thing.

You would have thought approved installers would understand what was required, but as you say, just goes to show what can happen on site despite best laid plans.

Not sure I get it - if you are paying UK prices and are on mains gas then why put in the ASHP as well? It seems you are adding complexity to your system, plus increasing capital cost quite a lot, and I doubt if the running costs of ASHP will be much lower than mains gas - at least not enough to recover the additional outlay.

Yes cost is a big issue. For the same reason, there are now 5 self builds in progress within 2 miles of me, and 4 of them are using Rationel windows, no doubt because they are very keenly priced. The 5th one is being build by someone with seemingly bottomless pockets, nothing he does is to save money. Once installed your unit will perform well I have no doubt about that. The no legs thing would have been a PITA for my self install. Once we had lowered the unit into the ground it then took us the rest of that day, and then most of the following day to mix, barrow and pour concrete. My aged digger with it's (slightly) leaking hydraulics would not have held it in position that long so we would have needed to find some other way to prop it. P.S I have done the ferry ride to Westray. We did a little tour of the islands, fliying to Papa westray, then to Westray, and ferry back, just so we could fly on the worlds shortest scheduled air service from Papa Westray to Westray, takes about 2 minutes in the air.

Just thought I would post in case anyone wasn't aware and wanted to wear some shoe leather http://www.ukconstructionweek.com/

A bit of a distance from the questions about cutting through concrete Looks great.

I let my masonry build sit for close on a year and let it dry out fully. Have had a few tiny cracks but nothing major. I know most builders are on a rush to get the house handed over so they can collect the money and leaving it this long isn't an option. I used tapes on all the window and door frames and membranes taped to the walls to seal the floor. All holes for lights etc in the ceilings are all sealed up so am pretty happy with how mine has turned out. As you say it takes time and dedication that most here are willing to do. Didn't need an air test to pass the regs, brought in now in NI though. As far as sealing a block wall up a scratch coat and skim finish would be a better option than parge coat,plasterboard and skim in my opinion. Don't get why you build block then stick plasterboard to it.

Delivered today on a pallet. A few pictures for anyone interested: Lid and pump housing Internal shots Housing fitted

I have Ecohause Internorm windows. The installation was a rip off at over 8k, which I accepted as I thought I would get a premium job with easy comeback on damage or problems. The installers were subcontracted idiots who fitted windows badly and damaged nearly every window. I have just had magicman out to repair them, which he has been unable to do. Just to make it really clear Ecohause Internorm have been terrible to deal with and have offered an expensive and substandard service.

I've always believed I would enjoy it once I got started, as it will then me at my own pace as I'm moving on my own into the house. It's just been the whole drama of architects, structural engineer, builders, suppliers which are just proving to be a headache. I'm not sure how a project manager would help me at this stage as it could just be another person who doesn't listen and comes up with solutions for the sake of one rather that the best one

Dealing with the LPA is like Russian Roulette. Get the right planner and the can be constructive and quite good to work with, but get the wrong one and ... Ask @joe90

As requested from 7.30 this morning 4 concrete guys arrived installed mesh on chairs, 9am pump arrived, 10 am first load of concrete arrived one hour later second lorry, then we ran out oops 32 tonnes not enough quick call and another load. Levelled then left for 4 hours before panning then blading and power floating main house being polished to an aggregate show so 4 mm will be ground off, before polishing, the workshop area will be powerfloated with only poloshing no aggreagate show so the guys are still working on that area just took the pics now should look like glass before they finish. Polishers come in 4 weeks today cant wait.

Therein lies the problem. Great Crested Newts are indeed very common, yet they are still listed as being a protected species, dating back from the time when they may not have been so common. The same applies to bats. Some species (pipistrelles, for example) are extremely common, in fact so common I doubt that you can go anywhere in the countryside and not find them. However, they are lumped in with all other bats so are given exactly the same level of protection as bat species that are under threat. If you want real madness then how about the friend of mine that was required to undertake a badger survey as a planning requirement at the same time that badgers were being culled in the area.............................. You really couldn't make up some of the barking mad legislation we have. We seem to have adopted a policy of blanket legislation, rather than allowing common sense to be applied as to where protection is needed and where it is not. Even an ecologist relative of mine says the same, that the current legislation is probably harmful to wildlife overall, as those in the know do rather like you've suggested, and remove any wildlife before making an application, just because they know that common sense won't be applied. As a footnote, we looked at a cow shed conversion a few years ago. It was being sold with PP and the surveys etc had all been done. Half the building was an open-fronted machinery store and the ecologist had found a single Pipistrelle dropping in there. In his report he noted that it was probably not an indication of a roost in the building, as it was open fronted, but most likely just left by a single foraging bat from the nearby woodland. The planners still insisted that the plans include a "bat hotel", with an entrance at one gable.........................