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Why not go the whole hog and fit a Durex machine? That'd go nice with some polished, exposed copper pipes and maybe some posters advertising upcoming theme nights. Don't forget the blue cubes / pineapple chunks to give you something to aim at. A nice thick marker pen left next to the pan could let visitors leave their own comments on the walls for that really authentic feel. A glory hole might be a step too far but you can borrow my 70mm Starrett if you want...

Fit a urinal in your house and you'll be staying single mate. I would not want my house looking like the pub or the motorway services. I'm old fashioned and just pee standing up but actually keep the floor dry. Guys working for me get told with no doubt left that if they piss all over the customers toilet / floor etc they will be paying to clean it up. Pet hate of mine. My two boys must re-inact scenes out of Star Wars thinking their dicks are light sabres, brings a whole new meaning to "wet room" grrrrrrr.

Saved some wallpaper paste from the last wall I had to do. Didn’t think this through did I? Cutting off the important part of the instructions. wont harm getting some new. Grrr...

I included temporary construction stairs in the TF contract, having seen the benefit of what @jack had installed. MBC bought cheap stairs from the nearest BM and they were in place from the very beginning, We removed them when we were ready to install the permanent stairs and MBC collected them, taking them to their next job,

Years ago, when I was doing my yachtmasters practical at Fowey, I saw something similar. There were four candidates on the boat doing the week long exam, three blokes, one lady, plus the (male) RYA examiner, and we spent one evening not at sea but moored in Fowey, so we all had a run ashore to a pub for dinner. On returning to the boat all the blokes made a bee line along the decks to hang off the leeward shrouds and "pump ballast". One mentioned to the lady that this was a major advantage that men had, in being able to just pee over the side. To our surprise the lady, loosened her jeans, leaned back and demonstrated that women were perfectly capable of peeing over the side too. There was a moment of bemused silence amongst the male members of the crew, as none of us quite knew what to say. It was one of the most memorable things about the whole exam, though.

Cleaners...we could with one around here! For a laugh I actually write the date on dusty shelves. It's like a time bomb. There's this slow realisation why she's not talking to me...she's bought some new piece of tat to go on the shelf or it's Spring cleaning time and she's found it!

Buy a cheap set of stairs and get it temporarily fitted. This one is free delivery.

Cladding now installed on the utility and porch. Unfortunately, the rest of the cladding will need to wait until the start of the block work starts in a month or so. I have also been busy nailing away and fixing what felt like a million truss clips.

Yes, now that the first fix has been completed, the plaster boarding has started with the upstairs being done first. The builders will move downstairs an a weeks time or so. Whilst they have been boarding out, I have been installing the insulation for the partition walls, loft space and ceilings downstairs. The insulation being used in the loft space is 140mm - two layers laid at right angles to each other if that makes sense. The insulation used for the partitions is 100mm and the plasterboard for these walls has sound proofing properties, weighing in at 6 kilos more than the standard boards. You will see from some photos that we have also managed to install two full length oak beams. One for the sitting room and the other for the kitchen/family room. They look great even if I say so myself. They are not structural just aesthetic. Outside, the stone mason and labourer have been cracking on with the stone work. They intend to get the house done at head height before moving up as additional scaffolding will be required. They start the back of the house later this week. Enjoy the photos and I will be back in a couple of weeks, hopefully with a full boarded out house. Thanks for reading.

Recently I stumbled across a neat little project called Pi-Hole (https://pi-hole.net/ ). In essence, this uses a Raspberry Pi (any variant) to send all ad requests on your home LAN to a blackhole. Websites you visit won't know you're blocking ads, either, so won't throw a wobbly. I decided to install it on a spare Raspberry Pi Zero this morning, the very cheapest Raspberry Pi you can get (currently less than £5). Pi-Hole doesn't need anything other than a very minimal operating system, so I loaded Diet Pi, (https://dietpi.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=9#p9 ). In addition to a Pi Zero a µSD card is needed (I used a spare 8Gb one I had, but 4Gb would be more than enough), plus a 5V power supply with a µUSB lead and a cheap USB to Ethernet adapter. The Pi Zero connects to a spare router port with an Ethernet cable, via the USB to Ethernet adapter. Speed doesn't matter, as all the Pi-Hole does is deal with DNS requests. Getting Pi-Hole up and running was easy, just run the script and let it do it's thing, then change the default login password and note down the IP address that the Pi Zero is using. You then just log in to your network router and change the default DNS IP address to the IP address of the Pi Zero. You can have a safe back up by setting the secondary DNS IP address in the router to something like 8.8.8.8 (the Google DNS), so that you can still connect to the internet OK if the Pi Zero is powered off. I'm pretty amazed by the effect this cheap little add-on has. Every device in the house now loads web pages a great deal faster, with no adverts. The page load speed increase is really significant on a lot of websites, and as a bonus your data usage probably drops a fair bit too, as you will no longer be downloading all the ad-related stuff.

We had this situation last week and as my wife is an accountant she asked the senior VAT consultants in the office to clarify the situation. If the invoice is for the supply of concrete and the hire of a pump with an operator then the whole amount is VATable and you can reclaim the VAT on the material aspect (but not the pump hire). Although the pump hire with an operator seems like a sub-contractor, it is not considered to be so as the operator is not really doing a task as such, they are more a means of delivering the material i.e. the driver of the pump. If the pump operator poured the concrete, levelled it, smoothed it and troweled it to a finish, it would then be zero rated as they would be supplying a service but it would need to state this quite clearly on the invoice.

Tha vat rules on construction are a nightmare I’ve been vat registered for over thirty years and still have problems We often do carehomes and sheltered accommodation some are 0 rated others are not Sometime it relates to being self contained ie own or communal kitchen Somtimes it is down to the ownership of the building and sometimes it’s a reduced rate I think the rules are made up as they go along

Feel free to pick the brains of any here - quite a few of us have built passive houses, and learned a lot of hard-won knowledge and experience in the process!

You can request penetrations in the steels ( prior to installation) and you can make holes in the Glulams. For eg on one build I have requested penetrations through 254mm UC's big enough to take a 110mm FW pipe through, and also, in the same steel, a penetration ( letterbox shape ) 51mm x 300mm for pipes and cables. They will be plated to fortify the section where the steel is compromised. The 315mm glulam will have 2x 60mm holes mid-span & mid section for 2x 50mm grey waste water pipes. All passed by MBC's SE.

You’re mixing two different VAT documents up here - be careful ..! That quote is from the VAT guide for suppliers of services in the building trade. ( @Nickfromwales Take note of this....) The quote requires as it says, all parts of 3.1.2 to be met, but to meet those you need to satisfy point 3, which is the relevant certificates. Section 18 lists both certificates, but they are not for domestic dwellings, but for residential purpose which relates to the building of care homes etc. There is no recognised certificate for zero rating in a domestic dwelling otherwise it would be listed. The full VAT 708 notice is here. Your supplier has incorrectly interpreted the rules and would be unable to produce the correct certificate - and could effectively request the VAT from you...

No, nothing, none at all ... Jet blue is not for plastic to plastic, and they seal flat enough not to leak anyway.

Oh, and welcome to the forum ?

There arE couple more options. This is a single handed 7.2V device from a Company called Terratek. £30. Weighs 1kg. Comes wIth a 5 inch hedge cutter and a 3 inch trimmer. Can get an extendihandle, and a longer hedge cutter. 1hr run time. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Terratek-Lithium-Cordless-Trimmer-Cultivation/dp/B071ZSZQKP or a Wolfgarten ACCU60 Comfort. Similar but 800g. http://www.carryongardening.org.uk/shop/battery-powered-handheld-shears-efe6c6ed/default.aspx Or depending on whether It is serious hedge cutting or eg fettling privet or box, then something more like a set of manual sheep shears could work, since they spring back and have 15-20cm blades. Also depends on your dad’s hand strength. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005GCT6CU One place to ask advice might be Age U.K.? Best of luck. Ferdinand

Same one but cheaper. Too lazy to scroll through prices sorry

I bought a set of those recently for an attic conversion I am working on. They are very good - suprisingly strong and stable (ahem) and a lot easier to use than paddle stairs. I only paid £118 for mine though .... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Madrid-Wooden-Space-Saver-Staircase-Kit-Loft-Stair-Ladder/161243883154?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

The kitchen is a no brainer for silicone / other flexible sealing. Thats oranges and the bathroom is apples. So, for the bathroom, mix a bit of grout up and use the float to push it deep into the grout line / gaps. You should be doing that until you see the force of the float make grout ooze out above and below the float edges. Leave to partially cure before running a square edged float / other up the internals and sponge off the remainder making sure to clean it all off the already grouted bits. Id only then recommend getting into the silicone sealing IF the grout lines start to show signs of movement. If they dont, you dont need silicone. If you dont ram the grout in there then dont expect the results

That's what I had been using until today, but there are problems with them, as some sites have started putting up flags saying "we've noticed you're using an ad blocker and this may affect some of the functionality of this site" and one or two sites just refuse to work unless the ad blocker is turned off, I've found. Pi-Hole is massively faster, and web sites don't seem to know that you're blocking ads - one site that always puts the "we've noticed you're using an ad blocker..." no longer puts the banner up now (although I had to disable the ad blocker first). The big bonus is that site loads times are massively faster. Some of the really heavily ad-infested websites load in around 1/4 of the time that they used to take with the ad blocker installed.

Why don't you just make a hole in the bottom of the boat and pee into that?

The golden rule is ALWAYS pee over the leeward side! That way you're guaranteed the wind will always take it away from you. Easy enough on a yacht, as she'll be heeled over that way, so the traditional position with arms wrapped around the leeward shrouds holds you reasonably safely in position. As @ProDave rightly says, though, it's bloody dangerous and a lot of men have fallen overboard doing it over the years.

You’re lucky she only likes 2 shades of grey and not 50 lol.

We had settled on a freestanding bath for our main bathroom A touchstone from Bathstore £1150 more than we wanted to pay I thought I’d have one last look on eBay Found the exact same one for &690 new but no original packaging at a clearence warehouse ten miles from we’re we live Though it took four of us to lift it upstairs

I second the cheap stairs suggestion. We bought a cheap set and had to cobble up a couple of extra steps at the bottom to make up the height difference. So much safer and easier for all concerned. Your tradies will thank you!

...for the MBC team, and not their fault, but I have a slab. This is only down to the tenacity and incredible hard work from the MBC team who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat today following horrible equipment failure on the part of the concrete company. So, let's start at the beginning. The slab team worked like frenzy yesterday morning to get all of the EPS down, followed by the mesh which then got tied into the ring beams. After that, they put all the underfloor heating pipes in (there are several zones and many, many pipes to come into the manifold). The building control officer turned up just before 6pm last night and gave everything the okay for the pour today. Here's the slab with everything on it first thing this morning, just waiting for the concrete, at shortly after 8 this morning. On site already is the pumping lorry and one mixer of cement. Very exciting, so far, so good. They started with the furthest part first, and the first lot of cement went onto the garage area, where the chaps are standing in the above photo. Here's the pump, concrete lorry and plenty of other equipment all good to go. Except, it wasn't good to go. Well, it was, because that's what it did in the end. Go, that is. The concrete pump packed up and after a good while of trying to fix it, nothing was happening so off it went. All wasn't lost, however, as one of the drivers was also a pump operator and offered to get a fairly old pump out of retirement and use that. Brilliant! This is the ageing pump putting the concrete over to the garage. Meanwhile, several hours have passed and after a bit of grumbling earlier in the morning about the concrete lorries not turning up on time, suddenly, they're coming thick and fast and are all parked up our narrow country lane. Then the second pump got blocked and couldn't be cleared. A very large man with a very large mallet did all he could to clear it, but it wasn't working. By now, it was nearly 2pm and the slab should have been poured a good few hours ago and power floating started. Left with no other choice, Harry, who was heading up the team, got the bucket onto the whopping great digger and ALL of the rest of the cement got dumped onto the slab by digger, and then the guys had to drag it over to wherever they needed it. This was for a floor area of about 180 sq metres. Fortunately, there were 5 on the team today as they had brought in an extra guy to cover for one who was late back from holiday, but turned up straight from the airport to the site so the numbers were beefed up, and boy, did they need all of them today. The garage slab was screeded (is that actually a verb? Dunno, it is now), and was looking fine. Eventually, the rest of the concrete got where it was supposed to be and the lane finally emptied of concrete lorries - there were 5 on or around the site at one point this afternoon. Now, the eagle-eyed amongst you will realise that there are no photos of the final, powerfloated slab. This is because I pushed off at 5.30 this evening and they were only just starting on the garage; they reckon that they would just about get it finished this evening by the time the light went, so I'm afraid, dear reader, that you really will have to wait for those photos. One final photo from earlier in the day has something of interest, as it shows the shuttering that was put in place on the threshold for the lift and slide doors that are going in the living room area. Tune in soon for the next thrilling update!

It's supposed to keep the foxes away, "marking your territory"! (It doesn't..... )

Sorry mate but they look crap.

Thats out of date and 12 months old .... Sounds like the supplier is pushing the crap your way - ask for fresh bags as that will set very quickly and go lumpy especially when it’s got a porous adhesive to pull the moisture out of it.

Welcome. Loads of people here now have 100mm thick passive slabs with integrated UFH pipes, including me, and I'm not aware of anyone with major problems, apart from one issue where a sub-contractor wasn't used to levelling such a slab as it was their first ever job. In that case the main contractor paid to have corrective action taken. I documented everything except the power floating (because that went on well after it got dark) in our blog: http://www.mayfly.eu/2013/10/part-sixteen-fun-and-games-in-the-mud/

Since the last update, things have pressed on but unlike other activities, the visual impact isn’t as obvious. I have uploaded some photos but sadly they are not very exciting as you have to look hard to see the electrics - Anyway, it's a record. The upstairs has had the same treatment as the ground floor; in as much as the walls have had additional insulation fitted, wrapped in vapour barrier and had service battens fixed. The last two weeks of July has seen the plumber and electrician come to site to do their first fix. A lot of work has been undertaken and all their efforts will be covered by plaster boards. Whilst all this has been going on, the chimney has been started – the wood burning stove will arrive late September. The front and rear doors have arrived and been installed. The scaffolding has finally come down and I’m pleased to see them off site. This has allowed the stone mason to start laying the stones – a total of 177 squares will be laid in all. So far we have had 31 bags of stones delivered and we await a delivery date for the final 25 bags. Things must be heading in the right direction as we have started to order sanitary ware – a bath, 2 showers, 3 toilets, 3 basins and associated taps and traps. The plumber wanted the shower valves and basin traps on site for his first fix. We have also ordered all the oak skirting, window boards, internal doors, door linings and architraves. The oak products are due at the back end of August. The joiner has assured us the walls will be plastered boarded and plastered in time!! Thanks for reading.

6 month update. Started fitting ducting for the MVHR, my wall build is 3 layers, 140mm, 70mm and 50mm so the ducting fitted well (luck) within the walls. Just need to uncoil the 50m lengths and start dragging it through the build. Then I added the final 50mm timber and insulation before I started the OSB. It took about 2 months to fit about 150 boards, the vapour barrier, double sided tape, airtight tape, it was quite a challenge especially the vaulted ceilings. For the flat roof, fitted the Velux Rooflights then GRP, about 35sqm, 2 layers. Just need to be very organised and keep all tools and materials clean. I might put some Sedum on at a later date. Had some windows and doors delivered and fitted. Kastrup and Internorm. The whole experience disappointing so far. Most of the Kastrup need replacing due to roller marks on glass. Fitting below average. Finally the Tata SSR. Took me ages to set out but once the eaves and verge square it goes on well. 3 roofs to fit. Now half way through the second roof with 7 Velux which fitted well though very heavy, the soft wood frames very prone to damage if not protected. Working out how the EDW flashing kit works around the SSR takes a while, lots of measuring and cutting, creating upstands and folding but the end result is good. About to move the Kwikstage round again. Body struggling though. If anyone wants more detail do ask. Its all quite challenging but still satisfying.

Lol, that would take lots of practice! Respect! For mere mortals there is the shewee ?

The Bal grouts are nice, very fine, but the adhesives are just crazy money. When fitting for a local 'luxury' bathroom showroom I noticed one customers bill had adhesive at £65+VAT per bag........12.5kg's not 20 ?

Aye, still fine. You’d know if it wasn’t cos the voodoo doll would be working its magic ?