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Tomorrow, 2 days short of 28 months since we broke ground (and 3 years since we bought the plot), we're finally moving in Happy days!

Well, long day. But we're in and we have a sofa to sit on and a bed to sleep in tonight.

Frame up and just getting right into all things self build!. Been doing some airtightness taping and find it very addictive!! It is true that when you are doing it for yourself you really take care and never seem to get to down at how much work is involved (me thinks). Ask me again when we have finished. Will try and get some pictures up soon but I am not to great on computers , prefer the more practical side of house building. Just as an aside what part of people's build did they enjoy the most?

So after a previous question. @JSHarris has a lot to answer for, my misses wants a word in his ear as the boot room looks like a bombs gone off with glue and polystyrene bits stuck everywhere. New house model being done now.

I have a habit of drinking tea on the job. And not drinking all of it because I let it go cold. Doing a lot of concreting at the moment Imagine my surprise then when I took the mug out of the dishwasher to find concrete spatters all over the inside at the bottom of the mug - even after a hot wash. Reusing the mug, the concrete makes no difference. Better keep this one quiet before the HSE gets in on the act

Doing the battening at the moment and know what you mean. It is tempting to have character and sometimes a darn sight easier but our build is very contemporary and it needs to be straight, flat with no ripples in. We have a cantilevered overhang on three sides and the laminated veneer beams are slightly wider than they should have been and this has created an issue which instead of just fixing the battens in place has meant I have had to break each batten at the junction of the frame and laminated beam, plane and pack the remaining piece of batten to ensure that from the outside the wall will be flat. I suppose we all have issues with the build that we have to overcome and this is the first and possibly not the last we will have! Watch this space.

Headwinds blowing for us at the moment. But how many people would give their back teeth to have our problems?

Well done! You must be feeling so pleased! Hopefully we're only a couple of months behind you.

I'm in! Build hub logo one one side, DIY SOS phone number on the other? ?

Nice

I'm about 90% through airtight taping, and I have to say, I'm sick to death of the stuff, and once I'm finished I wish never to see it again! That said, I'm happy that it's been done to the best of my ability, but I'll cry if I don't get a half decent test result. The best bit? To be honest, I reflect fondly on the dreaming, designing, planning and prepping stage. The actual building part has been hard work. One day, I hope to say that moving in was the best bit. ?

Hi, you need to get a Gas Safe registered engineer to complete the work and ensure he has the LPG qualification as this is an option to their gas qualifications. you cannot change or install gas fittings without being registered and you would require a lpg cooker hose with a bayonet fitting to go with it. i am a gas safe registered engineer myself and would not be keen on anyone working on gas especially on LPG if they are not qualified to do so. as the quote above mentions, you our need to be competent, this can only be achieved by having the correct qualifications and experience, if anything went wrong that's the first thing the HSE would ask to see, proof of competency!

If it's good enough for the Toby Carvery... Seriously now, if not scourer then that flower arranging stuff maybe?

looks great, you should be really proud. Be with you after a few more hundred metres of taping etc

Broccoli?

pan scrub

If I think I'll have a look thru my Telemecanique (now Schneider) stuff but think the styles will be too old.

Talk to Peter Gibb at Medlocs in Crayford he might be able to help you (and will post).

Actually I am going out to the pictures - Death of Stalin, the Hw in my equation thinks it would be good for us. Catch you later!

Discuss.... Although the definition of 'happy' and 'easy' are difficult to define cleanly in this context specific space it is superficially possible to see that this idea has some merit if you are the 'wife' (please be aware that I make no allusion to gender here or in any other part of this discussion - any inferences are at the readers discretion) but that for the pleaser, the one trying to bring about happiness in the other, at least there must be effort involved. Let us assume that Happiness (H) is proportional to pleasing (P). However the whole equation might be drawn thus: Hw = El where Hw = some function of P. So Hw = f(P). One is therefore forced back onto what economists would call the cost / value equation at least in this first portion of the factored equation where the proportionality function needs very thorough understanding. This because the units deployed on each side of the basic equation (expressed as a function here) seem to have the propensity to be very different. How much 'pleasing' is required to bring about a quantum of happiness and in what units EG radiators drained / doors stripped / etc is this quantum measured. Inevitably this is set against the notion of 'easy' and it's unit's of measure EG new tools purchased, meals prepared, hours of TV watched, undisturbed time in the workshop or perhaps conjugal favours offered. However on this latter point and expanding now to the full 'Hw = El' equation one might, in particular circumstances, find similar units of measure on both sides of the equation - making the wife happy might actually be enjoyable for you and thus defeating the base sentiment of the starting equation. Where it true it would require some adjustment to the equation to ensure that it was reversible although doing so has difficult overtones IE El = Hw. From this standpoint of common factors (units at least) on both sides of the equation one might further argue that that if it were possible to find and undertake sufficient activities common on both sides of the equation with - of course, adding in the concept of a fully reversible equation that the problem might be made to disappear as the spiral of bliss moves all parties into a state of ecstasy. There is evidence that this occurs in many partner based relationships know colloquially as Love. Given this we can conclude that draining the radiators is a function of the easy life and the happy wife only asked you to drain them because they want you to have an easy life - QED.

My overriding impression of my first trip to Nova Scotia in nearly 30 years is that every drink is served in a paper cup. Taken me 10 days to find a cafe that sells in a porcelain mug. Coffee was dreadful, bleeding organic. Give me the sweat of uneducated child labour any day. Mind you, it is only C$2.15, or around £1.30 in real money with the Queen's head on it.

As demonstrated here CC ?

Solution. Put the drain cock at the lowest point.

Not sure anybody would want to buy my study - here is a corner, best I can get without a fisheye lens, of what I think of / know is a typical academics (Retired in my case) study. Looking at it you can tell a lot about me from the books, although as there are 2.5 other walls so you would need the whole thing to get a complete picture.

But that's exactly the problem : when you do look, you can't see it - because it's sticking to the bottom of the inside of the partly full mug. And, if like me you never get to the end of a mug of tea, yer stuffed. The last bit of tea is camouflaging the concrete. I like the idea of the Tommee Tippee mug, though. Just need the grandad version.

Most need inserts - the Floplast ones definitely do. Dont use a catalogue description as the fitting instructions ....

I had a quote of £350 to get rid of a small shed roof. I'd say the price is fair, after all.....who wants to do that for a living anyway ? To know it's safely been removed / treated ?......smile when you pay, it's not a bad price at all. ?

These are £10 cheaper, and I believe folk here have used them. I just bought the marcrist one tbh as I didn't want to take any risk with the grade 5 porcelain I was drilling. Don't bother comparing the drill bit you bought to these ones as they're in a different league. FYI, on this grade 5 stuff my regular tubular porcelain bit just barely managed to scratch the pencil mark off the tile before overheating and glazing over, then going into the bin. It literally didn't even make a circle mark. The marcrist one doesn't 'fly' through but it did do about 25-30 holes dry. I'm sure it would have done many more if I kept it cool and wet, so as these appear to be outside locations your drilling at, I'd get the hose set up with a dribble of water and keep it cool / lubricated. I wouldn't use the lightweight mains powered pistol drill as it'll probably be going way in excess of the recommmeded 2-3000rpm speed, so get a geared drill and check first as excess speed will kill the bit in no time.

Presumably for a Campavan you drive it on then declare SORN (?), to save a few hundred £££.

These are fantastic bits . I'd recommend a water supply to keep them cool during drilling if possible.

The usual functions for a single bloke - I'll be fine then! lol

Take lots of photos.... Seemed to work for my BC, in fact he insisted, sent them at different stages, job done, happy man He did of course turn up sometimes