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A quick search found this as an idea

Probably easier to buy threaded rod and cut to length, a nut on each end.

I think is was when I started to derail a topic about something or other that @saveasteading said 'why have I not heard of this. Well here is a bit about it. Not new, nor clever, and it has been tested. Start-up is developing world’s first ammonia-powered ships Paste of copywrite material has been removed. You can read the full article here: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2367003-start-up-is-developing-worlds-first-ammonia-powered-ships/ Meanwhile here is a precis of what it says by ChatGPT: "Amogy is a New York City start-up that aims to harness ammonia as a low-carbon fuel for the global shipping industry. The company has developed a more efficient and miniaturised "ammonia cracking" method that can chemically extract hydrogen from ammonia at a lower temperature. In July 2021, the company first demonstrated its system, supplying 5 kilowatts of power to a drone. Since then, Amogy has shown that its technology can work in a John Deere tractor, a semi-truck, and now a tugboat. A successful waterborne demonstration later this year would set a course for the first commercial offerings to follow in 2024. Ammonia is more easily stored and transported in a stable liquid form at room temperature than hydrogen. Many countries already have pipelines and port facilities for handling ammonia that is produced industrially as fertilizer for agriculture. The US alone has more than 5000 kilometers of ammonia pipelines. However, ammonia still "has a carbon footprint associated with the production" because the standard industrial process uses natural gas. Low-carbon ammonia production would require the use of carbon capture."

Hi, I have 240m2 of light grey facing brick to used for my self-build so have been playing around with different sands and ratios to achieve a mortar thats lighter than the brick. This is the shade used on a large development and looks good, so I want to copy it, only they've used a silo. Because it's a grey brick with grey mortar, the colour consistency is key, using other brick colours, you don't seem to need to be as fussy. I think I've got it to where I need to be now with a cheap & simple 5:1 mix of Hanson cement & a buff sand only. I know plasticiser will need added. So, have a few questions if anyone with experience can help? 1. Does adding hydrated lime add any value and does it affect the colour? 2.Does liquid plasticiser affect the colour, if so, in what way, and can you recommend any brands I should aim for or avoid? 3. Whats the simplest way of gauging the ratio without seeming like a pain in the backside for a bricky. Make a wooden gauging box for both the sand & the cement, or use other? 4. Should sand be alternated between bulk bags or is this a bit anal? There's only 2 bricky's and they are willing to work with me, but I want to keep it as easy as possible for them. Gauging boxes all look to be 2 man lift unless this is fine. It's too easy to forget how many buckets of sand have gone in the mixer without one. Any advice appreciated, thanks.

As you say, the opening isn't structural exactly, that just seems to be the term most commonly used for the hole in an internal wall where a door will one day go. I don't need to worry about deflection, the frame itself accounts for that (not that I'll have much). I want to complete the metal stud walls and also plasterboard one side of the walls (all internal), ideally just leaving openings where the bedroom doors will later go. My instinct is to take the size of a door, add 40mm to both sides and the top and create an opening of that subsequent size.

So it seems that we have been lied to from the start. Always promised that our payments were sent to Isotex in Italy and our order would be held over there in their yard as they had the space. Isotex has replied to us today, the same as already previousy posted ...45% discount but also confirming that there is no order for "us" in our name. So Jamie is the Director of Insulhub and is also the Director of Insulhub Contracting which is still active and have submited their accounts recently , insulhub conveniently also sold their vehicles to insulhub Contracting prior to voluntary liquidation for £343k. As far as I'm concerned Jamie Anderson would have know this was going to be happening well in advance and definately before some people had made their recent payments. If the monies were not paid to Isotex then where has it gone? Is this misappropriation of funds or the like , who knows but as a Ltd company not alot will happen I expect other than the insolvency practitioner will get paid first as always and everyone else will get sweet fk all. From previous experience I worked for a company that entered VL status and as an employee we knew well inadvance this was going to happen and I and others made plans accordingly. Ive attached the pdf recieved from Isotex , response and prices. Isotex Response.pdf BLOCKS ON DEMAND SEPTEMBER 2022.pdf STANDARD BLOCKS SEPTEMBER 2022.pdf

Finally got round to doing some sums. Water heating currently around 6kWh daily so with a bit of round up call it 2500 annual. Eshp with a cop of 2.5 would mean a 1500kWh a year reduction saves £225 at my current overnight rate of £0.15 Hopefully these models make firya reasonable comparison. ESHP (Vaillant aroSTOR 270) - £2300 Telford Tempest 300 Indirect Unvented Cylinder TWIN Immersion - £750 So about a 7 year payback assuming identical maintenance costs between both systems. I've not looked at install cost differences. The Telford states lifetime guarantee (I'm sure there are exclusion). The ESHP 5 years on the cylinder and 2 on other components. Adding solar to the mix increases the payback time on the ESHP and I can't help but assume an unvented cylinder will be a cheaper product for repair /maintenance. Unless my maths is way off, looks like UVC with multi immersion is the way to go.

Sort of half true They had taken two fire door off and where using them as ramps on the stairs Mummy a daddy will probably get a large bill 😁

We’ve done two jobs with Bushboard Each job had over 150 shower rooms Lots of students Weve been back snagging but nothing major Stick them directly onto Moister resistant Plasterboard Super easy to use

Here's a credenza I made for my daughter. It's solid, not veneered, (cos she's special) but has bookmatched doors and back panel.

@ProDave said "Get 1m lengths and put nuts on before cutting into 3 or 4 (I'll explain if you go ahead with this). Rod, nuts, washers, angle grinder." Good call. And when you (OP) forget to put the nuts on you'll be off to buy a grinding disc for the angle grinder for 'fine tuning'.

My pallet shed is held together with bog standard screws and off cuts of wood. M10 rod sounds a bit OTT. It remained standing for the last 3 years no issues.

I think toolstation threaded rod us probably cheaper but these aren't a lot more... M10 x 300 and nuts pack of 10 for £11.62 https://tradefixdirect.com/coach-bolts/zinc-plated-coach-bolts-and-nuts-m10-x-300mm

I used Multipanel and always have done. BUT check how they are made now. Mine are the original ones with a marine ply backing, but I recall readinf somewhere that due to supply issues they had switched to MDF. Can anyone that has used them recently confirm or deny that. Do NOT buy them from a "bathroom shop" The local one here wanted nearly 3 times the price for them that Jewsons supplied them for.

Doesn't take much looking. They are at toolstation and screwfix, any DIY and builders merchant. For a lot I buy them online from a specialist (not ebay), where they offer plain steel, galvanised or stainless, and the fittings. Get 1m lengths and put nuts on before cutting into 3 or 4 (I'll explain if you go ahead with this). Rod, nuts, washers, angle grinder.

I saw a video, from Japan, where the flat had a secondary floor that sat on the primary one. There was a void in that floor to run pipes and cables in. Quite a good solution for a flat as you cannot easily get 'underneath' to access services. Would be fairly easy to design something with a steel or aluminium plate that could conduct thermal energy effectively. Then pump in warm air.

Have you considered one of the "wet wall" type products like multipanel?

https://en.blocchiisotex.com/contact-us/ ? Give that a try.

Has anyone booked into the Grand Design show this year? It might be an opportunity to get together, would be good to form a group? I noticed Insulhub had booked a double stand we could meet on their empty site!??

I to have suffered a substantial loss having ordered blocks from Insulhub. Jamie Anderson continually lied to me right up to and until he went into liquidation this week. I contacted Isotex early this week only to be told they had no knowledge of my order of 465sqm of blocks despite Jamie telling I was to receive them next week. I believe Insulhub has been trading fraudulently for some time and my suspicion is monies received for Isotex blocks has been redirected into his Insulhub contracting business that continues to trade. All of us need to register our interest with the liquidator and ensure we attend creditor meetings where we need to establish where our funds have been spent? This scumbag needs to be exposed for his deception and if possible challenged legally. Isotex have been willing to step in and support me with a substantial discount for replacement blocks. It’s obvious they are embarrassed by the actions of their UK distributor who has put their brand reputation into disrepute and want to stand by the impacted customers.

Fill the side gaps with gravel.

For oil vs ashp generally... Cheaper because of solar pv, no big tank in the garden, no arranging for deliveries, no risk of fuel theft. For my old system specifically, no fumes and was horribly inefficient. Obviously a more modern system would be more efficient and not be fumey either...

Quick update, we eventually received the daughters number, one of our install teams are going out on Sunday to survey and we’ve had numerous offers of free doors, trims, mastic etc. The auld man is going to be treated well, and he’ll have a well finished and nice looking door after this. Kent news apparently want to cover the story but that’s not what we’re all doing this for. The window industry might have a bad rep and rightly so on occasions but it is also full of really nice and helpful people. I’ll post an update once it’s surveyed/installed. To those that donated to the just giving page, it’s not reached it’s target, it’s unlikely to be needed and I’ll find out whats happening with the donations. Thank you.

my friend lives on a new build estate and most of the houses have a section of the stairs that lift up on hinges/ gas struts to reveal a big cubby hole underneath.

Roof pitch is 25 degrees. I think you're probably right about the builders, however I think it's too late for me on this one to change the roof construction significantly. Just got to work out which of the options left to me is going to be acceptable. It seems like surface mounted spots with just holes for cables will be acceptable, and probably shallow flush mounted spots within the insulated plasterboard will be fine too. If we get fire rated spots then we don't need ventilation to cool them. I'm not really sure how essential a VCL is in any case - the ventilation above the rafters should clear any condesation that get through cable holes in the PIR shouldn't it?

Hi All I am doing a wrap around extension and the external walls on the current drawing have a 100mm Cavity for insulation however I am looking to achieve a U Value of around 0.15. What would be the best option to achieve this at the lowest cost? I have the option to increase the cavity to 150mm if needed as we have not yet started the build. Its going to be a Block construction using Thermalite and dense blocks. Renders and cladded on the outside. Currently looking at Xtratherms Cavitytherm CT-PIR 150mm insulation boards. but the cost is really working out to be very high. Attached a few plans. Thanks in advance. 02C_2061BR.pdf 03C_2061BR.pdf 04B_2061BR.pdf 05B_2061BR.pdf 06B_2061BR.pdf

Made these stairs today. £100 of timber and about 6 hours. 3400mm going and 3000mm rise, 900mm tread width. Made with 225x50mm cls. The lack of a protractor and basic trigonometry skills easily added two hours to the build time. Might be able to repurpose them for the basement if they survive. (Yes, handrail etc to be added)

@ProDave I checked the handbook before the epic trip, but was unable to find a set of scales to weigh the staircase. It wasn’t massively heavy so I took a punt, seemed to go ok. I also checked the overhanging regulations, not exceeding 1m, no problem. As I opted to put the stairs centrally on the roof bars (crazy, I know) the overhang was around 0.5m.

To transport I guess you mean? We transported a full staircase many miles on roof bars on our diminutive Yeti* without a hitch. (That’s a car not a snowman thingy) Just to add, the roof bars were generic £30 or so, the staircase was free from a fellow (ex)Buildhubber, and the petrol was probably £12 or so.

@ToughButterCup I’m willing to bet he doesn’t answer, but would love to be proved wrong. if he does, please tell him he’s a lying two faced c**t

that would test his waterproofing ..!!!

Hi Pete, sorry to hear that, I am in same boat as you albeit a smaller amount, I was told my blocks were on way 27th March so Jamie lied to me right up until beginning of April, I also contacted Isotex and was told the same as you. I also wonder how long the lies and deception have been going on, I was manipulated by Andy to pay the balance of what I owed in December so I have suspicions it could have been prior to that.