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So apart from the long running saga getting the Northern electric network to understand their own reson d'etre, I've started to do the utility and downstairs bathroom, so as to give us facilities as soon as possible. Coincidentally the two houses to the North of us have been bought and are being renovated and the guy doing the building work called in to see me and very kindly told me that there has been a 14% or so rise in insulation costs and another forecast for October according to his BM. He realized I'd be buying quite a bit so had popped in to warn me - which was nice of him. So I checked online for the best price I could find and rang my local Jewsons branch with my account number and asked what their price was - it was about £6 more per sheet - so I told them the price I could get it at and they said they'd match it - so since that meant quicker delivery I just ordered 20 sheets (it was celotex I was after but they only have a different brand so I thought I'd only order a limited amount until I saw the quality). It seems fine, though being 100mm it has made me realize that I need to think a bit more about the floor build up as it still leaves me about 150mm + to the door level (disconcertingly, on the ground floor I find the beam-&-block level to door opening levels to be different at different entrances!) , though that does mean I can squeeze in another 100mm of insulation - a pity that for some reason it shot up in price recently. So my plan is to buy seconds unfaced insulation and put that on the bottom, and the foil faced on the top. I had planned to buy it all from a seconds supplier, but found that I can now get better prices for new in the foil faced versions than their seconds are priced at! After getting a few quotes, and reading peoples comments I chose Wunda to supply our UFH kit. I began pricing it all by buying it individually via eBay and so on, but found Wunda to be very competitive, so went with the easy option and got it all in one go in the end. We bit the bullet and after months debating have gone for only having UFH on the first floor in the bathroom, though obviously the whole of the ground floor will have it. Although I know the calculations say we should not need it, I am tempted to fit "just in case" background electric panel heaters in the bedrooms. My daughter bringing her horse to visit!

im trying to stay out of this (other than the odd wind up) as others are clearly more qualified on the subject than myself. but if you do it with "wet" concrete there will be a slump and mess issue. nothing major but they will be there. FWIW im planning to do a similar thing with my wet room excluding the red plastic bit and i am fully intending to use dry screed, on such a small area screeding will be a lot easier than you think

Glad it worked OK, Ian. However, I'm now getting increasingly concerned that, by the "law of averages", I must be coming perilously close to suggesting something that both doesn't work and costs someone a lot of money..............................

Or temporarily fit the angle iron guide rails the "other way up" and then use them as a rough guide, remove them and then trowel/ float it up

The lane to our site is made and maintained with blinding, I'm seriously considering recommending planings the next time there's mutterings about maintenance.

I was pleasantly surprised during our SIPs construction when we got heavy rain (that's not the bit I was pleasantly surprised about) and had to get something to firm the place up - road planings at £8 per tonne delivered from a local farmer who has a side business in this sort of thing, so just £80 for 10 tonne. I've found water drains completely freely through them despite the telehandler etc. running back and forth and compacting them a bit. Going to get some more as a sub base before final site leveling.

I read that somewhere too but couldn't remember if it was 60 or 80. No need to ask people to jump on the scales before pooping , but tbh, if your 62 stone then by the time you've bailed out you'll probably be back down to 61 again. Wheres my granola ?

I recently changed my electricity supplier from EDF to another of the big six. I gave a meter reading to the new company, and waited. Eventually, I got a final bill from EDF, but the final meter reading was 664 Kwh more than my meter reading. I wondered where they had got that "meter reading" from, so did a bit of homework. Turns out that my meter reading, plus the 664 kwhs came to EXACTLY EDF's projected figure for the year. So, I had been charged for £86.00 more electricity than I had used. I rang up and complained, got no explanation, but was told they would resolve within 30 days. The day after, I received an e'mail, acknowledging my complaint, and the day after, I received a cheque for the full amount. No apology, no explanation, just another final bill. I have solar PV panels, so don't buy in a huge amount from the supplier. I think calling this "sharp practice" is being kind to them, more like fraudulent behaviour. Still, it does show that these companies CAN correct things quickly when the boot is on the other foot! Make sure you scrutinise any bills very carefully, particularily final bills.

We had our first outdoor light switch on last week, it was a strangely exciting time even though its of very kittle importance! Yours look like they kick out a good amount of light?

I'm currently with Iresa. I think they host their website on a ZX Spectrum. Alas the earlier model without the built in tape drive.

Make sure it's cleaned recycled stone. Ours turned up unwashed and is pretty unpleasant. Unfortunately I wasn't here, and it had been accepted, laid and whacked (fnarr fnarr) before I got home.

I fixed it, in the past few hours I have removed the tiles, taken down the stud partition, levelled up the wall, Re-boarded, retiled, regrouted, refitted the toilet to now only have a 2-3mm gap to seal... (Either that or I realised it was me being daft) ? P.S - side fixing toilet brackets are a weird bastard of a thing, hopefully I'll have the hang of it by the 7th toilet in this house! P.P.S - thanks buildhub, sometimes just posting your ridiculous problem is enough to help make you think about it enough to solve it!

Jeremy, its a personal judgement call, but I bought this Titan TTB674TAS 254mm Table Saw 230-240V and it has done a lot of heavy duty service in the past two years and saved me many times its purchase price of just over £100. But at this price, and with the ability to set height, tilt angles and fence positions, I can't see making your own table worthwhile. Do it as a project if you are running out of things to do, but don't do it to save money. I have made changes to the Titan -- like dumping the riving knife and guard, because I came to agree with the US sites. It just gets in the way and halves the functions that you can use the saw for. (For example dadoing) It also means that you can't see your cut so I find I can cut a lot tighter without it, I have made other changes like replacing in the handle on the fence to increase the grip and square framing the whole table on the sides and back so that I can clamp a running fence to wider pieces and cut pieces like sheet materials. Again any form of guard gets in the way with larger pieces. I have a couple of rules: (i) I treat the "cone" above the centre plate as "death" and never put my hands inside it whilst the blade is spinning. I always use push stick if I need to control a work piece within this area, and (ii) I always set the blade depth to no more that a few mm higher than the work piece. (iii) I make sure that I can see the teeth stationary before I move my hands over the table. I also have a couple of roller props -- handy for managing longer cuts.

Not acceptable - how someone walked away from that thinking it was acceptable is beyond me. I'd go so far as to say it's appalling! It's one thing not having it level but that's not even flat. However don't be downhearted, it all gets covered up anyway. Builder should be hiring a concrete grinder to smooth it right down. As far as he should be concerned, it's got to be flat and level. Onus on him to sort and not get out of jail because of efforts of a follow on trade.

Wow, your plasterer has polished the shit out of that, it's like a mirror. I'd start by getting a fine sanding block, NOT loose paper in your hand as you'll scratch lines in, and take a bit of that sheen off. Painting over super polished skim is a pita and it doesn't take the first coat very well. Nothing crazy, just a good sweep over the surface like your waving the MIL goodbye after a 3 week long visit. . The best roller will be the one you can't buy, cos it's in the decorators van and has more miles on it than a taxi A good Harris roller with a medium pile will be your friend for the first two coats ( obliteration / mist ) and then a finer pile for laying on the finishes. 9" roller working quickly in small areas ( as the paint will dry in front of your eyes on rubbed, new plaster ) for the first two, and then onto a 12" roller for the finishes. Remember the finishes will be better quality paint so don't judge how the high-opacity ( HO ) stuff goes on as the rule of thumb for the finishes. The first coat of HO paint will dry quickly. By the time you get to the end of one wall, it'll be ready to go over again, so basically you'll be two-coating each wall in the same day if you get a groove on. That cheeky two-coaster gets rubbed down the next day quite heavily to remove the first roller marks, and any other bits of plaster or other surfaces grot. Don't worry about sanding through the paint, but, tbh, looking at the skim I doubt if you'll have much to do, it looks like a good spread laid that. After sanding, apply another coat of HO and leave to dry. Lightly sand that back and your then ready for the finish coats / colour. Spend money on a good quality finish paint and you'll get better results. Oh, and don't water down the HO stuff, trust me. When you coat the skim for the first time you won't believe how well it's covered even with just one coat. Don't try to get it covered uniformly on the first coat as it'll go a bit patchy here and there where the skim has been polished, which you'll see as you go along. Wait until the following morning to judge it, when the new paint isn't so opaque, and you'll be pleased with the results. Leyland HO brilliant white from B&Q ( look for the 20% extra free tubs ) and lots of it. ?. Oh, and the best painting tips come from those who HATE painting, i.e. ME! Cutting-in brush needs to be a 3" chiselled one, don't use anything smaller unless it's the nooks and crannies. This is the kiddy

A lot of merchants do that, in fairness to TP. Cant help feeling sorry for Joe Public when they mistakenly venture in and get bitten. .

As per title really, best way to move them I find:

So do I, there is no reason at all why we build such pitifully small homes. Except our historic class system, nimbysm, xenophobia and snobbery. We really need to change as a society and move into at least the late 20th century by becoming more inclusive and equitable.

Regards the housing crisis, I think houses should be getting bigger if anything, in the UK, and so I don't think this is a valid solution and we may just end up with a load of inadequate housing. I suppose if these "tiny houses" can be sustainably dismantled and re-used after the housing crisis is over (i.e. Government grow a backbone and start pushing back a little on the volume house builders) there's no harm. But that's a big IF.

Slightly related. Several years ago I wired the electric hookups for someone that had imported two American Airstream caravans to let as holiday lets. I went back there last week, and asked how it was going. It wasn't. He had made the "mistake" of asking for permission form the council, who said yes, BUT they must be made suitable for disabled access. That killled that idea and they have sat empty since.