Leaderboard

The curtains went up today, we have been nervous about how they would look but are really please

Vacuum storage bags is the answer folks, vacuum storage bags. It's amazing how well I can think after a quiet pint or two .... Still

To say we're all exhausted is an understatement but it's done! Was a half 4.30 get up and finally sat down for something to eat (back at home) at around 9 last night. Ended up using 93.5m3 of concrete which was exactly 9 lorries. Drivers were friendly and brilliant but the pump guy was the most miserable unhelpful bloke I could have - and I'll be speaking to the concrete company about him this morning. I don't think they should have put him on my job if he wasn't a "team player", was so obvious he just cared about getting the concrete out of his pump - even asking the drivers to add water to speed things up. He ended up just dumping the crap out of his pump without asking where or for the bag we had, which left a horrible mess over the access road and has probably upset my neighbour (which we already don't get on). Levelling was quite a headache as with so many corners in the footings, things would slump a little. Then when there was too much water, you would have things level and then after half an hour, where it was level was no water which was evaporating. We did use a small vibrating poker but was far from mad with it, probably a 2 or 3 out of 10 in terms of how vigorous. Had one mate doing the rebars (400mm at the top) which saved us a big job at the end, as he was constantly behind us waiting for the concrete to set enough for them to stand up. Weather held off until the very end where we were packing up in the rain, but a massive relief to drive away with it all done

Give it to a charity shop, then buy it back a few weeks later and they'll have cleaned it for you too.

Spent the afternoon playing with my big red snake Had to get wife to help by pulling it. Got a big problem with swallows. The birds that is. Decided they like the house and want to move in

PC is the value of the blocks in there - if you wanted to use a different manufacturer block you add or subtract the difference in cost per square metre to the material price. Rates are covered in detail in the rates tables - it's SE rates I think and you factor a percentage on the labour based upon your locality. I'm not sure if the electronic version allows you to do this for all rates. I've built a version of this from both SPON and a QS sheet I have to validate costs - downside is that you have to take an daily rate and then make it into a per item/m etc rate.

I know a guy in High Wycome who might be able to help, they've gone home for the day but I'll call him Monday

I have a lovely storage container (25ft) with a fully finished site office on one side and 15ft of insulated storage on t'other. Can also be used for hosting international parties, provided you take the boxes out first (site office doubles as handy DJ booth / cloakroom / ticket office).

Hi folks, This is what I mean; I have no interest in SPONS Architects' and Builders' Price Book. Expensive, but -for what we are doing - worth it. There are four pages of the book about block work prices. Ian

I believe you can stack two vertically and have pallet line treat as a single pallet (I see a few eBay vendors do this). I'd be happy to clean out IBCs used for whisky production, might take a while, wouldn't want to waste any....

OK a bit far away - I could set you up with once used (for whisky) IBC's but transport would make them cost prohibitive at £50 a pop on a pallet line.

As an infrequent self build customer I don't think you'll get too far telling tradesmen what their price is because you've read it in some book they've never heard off. Usually the day rate corresponds to the going site rate and they should be covering their dough more days than not.