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Oh god I have a funny one about sacking a painter, it probably won’t sound as funny in print, but I still chuckle as I think about it. So the painter had well and truly annoyed me, so he was going to be leaving from a top floor window if he ever showed up, i spent an hour going around the house and collected all his tools and stacked them in the drive for if he ever showed up, an hour later he appeared so I made a sarcastic remark about being 2 hours late, he made the mistake of saying something stupid back, so I picked up his tools, buckets rollers steps and proceeded to throw them at him across the road, tools flying everywhere the road littered with rollers and brushes, I launched a couple of milk crates at him but he was managing to bob and weave as the barrage of things rained down. As I was in full flow a van pulled up with the carpet layers on board, one of them lent out the window and said to my mate who was leaning on a shovel watching “should we come back later “. Cool as a cucumber I turned round and said, hang on lads I will be finished in a minute. Well You had to be there to appreciate it. One of my most outstanding moments in life.

Very good it reminds me of Micheal Atherton had just gone out to bat for England His wife answered his phone Told the selector he had just gone out to bat But added I’m sure he will be back in a few minutes

Why would you not worry about items you couldn’t see? If they have an important function they are surely just as important whether you can see them or not? Form over function? Plus things you can’t see are often more hellish to correct later if there is an issue.

For England see page 30 of Approved Doc B: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/485420/BR_PDF_AD_B1_2013.pdf Either the garage floor needs to slope toward the outside and away from the door into the house (no minimium slope specified) or you need a step of at least 100mm. The idea is to stop spilled fuel flowing into the house.

I solved this with rolled up balls of chicken wire, with a bit of heavy gauge fencing wire threaded through the centre and twisted back in itself. What you do it feed the pipes, cables etc through the ducts, then poke the ball of chicken wire down, with the heavy gauge wire poking up. Then use expanding foam to seal the duct on top of the chicken wire, again with the heavy gauge wire poking out. Do this at both ends of every duct, although there's no need for foam on the outside ends. The ball of chicken wire should act as a pretty effective rodent barrier. If you ever need to run another cable or pipe in the duct, you can just pull the ball of chicken wire out using the heavy gauge fencing wire as a handle. The foam seals the ducts up reasonably well, but doesn't adhere that well to the inside of the duct surface, so can be pulled out (I've already had to do this to one to run another cable in). I finished off over the foam with some airtightness tape inside the house, but I don't think it's really needed, the foam does a good enough job.

It isn't just developers. I suspect that the small family firm I engaged to do the plasterboarding at my house cut corners when fitting ceiling insulation. It's an attitude - they either have it or they don't. If you find someone with the right attitude, stick to them like glue, and cheerfully pay them a bit more than the alternative if necessary.

If he’s rough after 40 year It’s a good job you didn’t get him a few years back

We're about to open our holiday let and need to decide what we're offering in the way of TV. People are only going to be staying for a few days at a time so simplicity is key. A good proportion of visitors will be from overseas as well which could complicate things and make written instructions less useful. Terrestrial reception is very poor and a dish sounds like too much trouble- no guarantee of getting a good line of sight anyway. We use a Fire Stick ourselves and find it very intuitive. Not without its glitches, and removal of support for YouTube is a big step backwards. Any other streaming devices to consider? As I said, ease of use is everything. I'm told people will often want to log into their own Netflix accounts, so actual content provision isn't that important and I'm sure free to air stuff will be good enough.

You can buy an MVHR core for about £150 that just needs fans adding. You could use that as the basis for a home built MVHR that you can expand over time.

RiscOS forever !

agreed I would level it on the grounds of a crime against architecture. It looks like a 1990's office entrance ..that some donkey has added a few bay windows by accident. and as for them dorma's ..they look "stuck on" ...they appear to be manufactured with the same material as a stealth aircraft ...(intentional?) ...but sadly it failed will this be on grand designs ? ....not as long as i have a hole in my ass-phalt suggested improvement option 1

I had a conversation regarding this with a BCO and they said as long as the fire door has a threshold that would stop spills he would be happy (this was for a Scottish property).

Being on site as much as possible is critical, otherwise its all on faith, a faith and trust which needs to be earned. Don't be afraid to state at the outset that you'll be on them like velcro, and tell them loud and clear that you'll only accept the very best of quality and finish. If their top lip starts to quiver at that point, its bye bye. Clearly and firmly set out your expectations at the very outset, before a spanners been turned or a single nails been knocked in.

Get the architect to add a paragraph to the tender that states to each company “please include a list of any items you would normally include with a price breakdown for each item” That means if anyone has missed anything - or you want to compare additional items - then you have the info.

Never noticed...it's all about the choonz!

Great advice all! I've been talking to a few builders / timber frame providers off the back of recommendations only and plan to get out to visit / see their work while I wait for planning to come through. I'm happier that I can specify a preferred timber framed provider despite what the Architect stated so I'll be sticking to my guns there. Then I plan to be onsite every day to check as far as I'm able that there is no messing around. Getting that tender specification right sounds like I should pay careful attention there.....

I'm concerned about a smart tv becoming obsolete very quickly. The one I have was my in laws' and is already outdated. We have a Nespresso and the local broadband is being upgraded a we speak. Like you,I don't really rate TV- more of a Radio 4 type

@Nickfromwales and @SteamyTea this is all remarkably helpful. A lot of homework you've set me. thank you.

Luke @ MPC Services very helpful - 2 separate units best bet he says. Thanks @PeterW

I like the Roku box, I use it connected to a Samsung TV. I found it better than: Roku Stick - it's faster Amazon Fire - Roku box has more channels that I wanted Apple TV - Roku box has ore channels that I wanted Samsung Smart TV - Roku box is far quicker/responsive

I thought this was an establishment for selling tap water by the £5 glass in Notting Hill ?.

Or as therapist’s notes.

A lot of the plastering companies have an army of fillers that go in after mist costing and fill everything i skimed our five bed bed in a week Paited our last weekend Just a couple of knocks to fill were the skirtings have pushed the corner in

I need to have serious words with the person who recommended him, or send her to Specsavers

Nooooo, that's not right. Make sure you get an architectural specification telling the builder exactly what to use. [Link to specifications article by architect removed] But we've done a couple projects one without the specification and one with. It makes so much difference to have a spec as it dictates the quality of your build. Your builder will always use the cheapest materials otherwise which will kill your project... But! The only items which were up to the builder in the project we did with the spec were items we couldn't see and did not worry too much about in terms of quality e.g. pipework, underfloor heating system, type of studwork. That way we got cheaper spec and items on things that didn't bother us.

Another attempted piss-taker, clearly. Should have dug down and lived in peace. Tit.

Something dropping from a great height? This then. A tenuous link but I just love the track. It gets me "going":

Take the lid off the manhole whilst your doing it and plug the outlet to the sewer with a couple of bin liners folded into a ball / plug . Leave that off to ensure any stench stays outside. Dont do this if anyone's needing to send U571 to a watery grave .

We are rarely asked for sand and cement now Simply because most jobs are specified Breathable Which sand and cement isn’t ive used 300 bags of K tend on ours A weeks work for two of us With my wife taping up Quoins and stone cils most St will tell you that you need a base coat and mesh which will rack up the cost If you are on concrete block You are wasting money We never have any problems with K rend colour match or Stucco Manache We don’t quote for jobs that are specified Webber Batch colours vary wildly Go for a company that are using these renders all the time Not some plasterer that will gain exsperience on your pride and joy

We give a ten year guarentee But it’s a product guarentee Agaist discolouration If it any consolation It’s rare to have any problems with through coloured render after six months On the rare occasion that we get a bad colour match We Persue the supplier for the materials a stand the rest

Have you chosen the noise for the flush yet?

Like I'd have something as naff as that in my bathroom!

And here is just the thing to complement that! ? https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B074P3F7JL/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1525987374&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=toilet+light&dpPl=1&dpID=51hSF7zH6uL&ref=plSrch

You don't want to go above 1:40 as it will be too steeply sloped, or below 1:80 as it won't be steep enough, so aim for 1:60, but be flexible depending on obstacles etc

Hmmmm. Two boilers in a house with an ACH of 1 or less ?!? . Decide if your going with PV before deciding anything else. It's a complete game changer for the space heating and DHW system design. You could go ASHP > UFH & ASHP > UVC and just leave it at that, but if gas is available I'd say use it. A decent high-flow gas combi will give 2 reasonable showers simultaneously, but they won't be blasting you for sure, but then you have nowhere to store excess PV generation. Sunamps are great for storage of PV / E10 and they're compact too, around 3-4 times smaller than the equivalent cylinder. Capital cost is higher, standing losses considerably lower, but in a passive level dwelling they can be the only wet heating device you need. Weigh up the cost of the gas install, standing charges, then you'll need a buffer tank for combi > UFH, or gas system boiler > thermal store ( TS will buffer the heating and provide DHW in one device ) plus annual servicing for life, life expectancy of the boiler and its service costs over 20 years and you soon have good argument to stay clear of gas unless you ABSOLUTELY need it. ( Cooking on gas is still achievable by using a single 47kG bottle of LPG ). PV or no PV, that needs to be decided first. .

... but you know a man that...

These would look amazing sat in the floor beneath some walk on glass ...

I'd take a step back here and think about fundamentals first. If you haven't worked with them previously: Can you see his three most similar projects to the one you're proposing. Can he provide three names and contact details for references should you need them. Are they RIBA / ACA registered Will they provide Building regulations issue drawings, or just planning (the difference is enormous). WHich RIBA stage will they be working up to. What form of contract. Will they project manage. What form of construction are they comfortable with. Have they tried modern forms, or have only done two-skin masonry. Then if they haven't got nervous answering all those, move on to discussing your design. Hope it helps, and hope you get what you need.

Well, all the outside is done now except for some weird small bits the builder has not yet done for no reason I can work out - the stone above the porch window (1 layer about 6" thick) and the ground floor bathroom window sill, and the bottom of the porch doorway. They are coming back which is fine and there is no panic, but I don't quite know why they left those bits undone. Anyway, as is the way of these things, we ran over by a good few thousand - mostly because both the independent QS costings we paid for and Buildstores own costings people, omitted parts of the stonework (quite a lot of stone mullions as well as stone water tabling). I contacted Buildloan and explained we'd need more dosh. First advice was that it would be cheaper to get a loan - so, knowing we have a 999 score credit rating and more than double the equity in the house & land, we applied - and for the first time in our lives were refused! It made no sense, so we tried another - same result. Reasonable income, its affordable, whats going on? On a whim I checked with Experian and found Talkmobile (who I've not been with for about 2 years) had wrecked my credit record claiming unpaid bills! Simply not true! So I chased them - they apologised and said they'd get the incorrect information removed by Experian "in 30 days" - I offered to sue if they didn't do it immediately for the extra thousands it was going to cost me having to go the mortgage route - rates plus Buildstores £500 + fee for filling a form in. So, I check and sure enough, my credit record was restored a few days later. Next day we apply again, - and were refused again! I check and find TalkMobile have done it again ! This time adding a completely bogus claim of a late payment "within the last 2 months" - for an account which has not existed for about 2 years! So back we go, and they apologise again and within 48 hours this one is also removed from my record (I've looked online and they've done this to loads of people - to one guy for a supposed £1 debt!). But now we have several "refused" records showing, so they've absolutely stuffed us, even though they admit error and we are back to a 999 maximum credit rating. So, with heavy heart we've had to go back to the nightmare that is Buildstore/Buildloan, and yet again, they are dragging the application out for as long as they can. First time round their game was to ask for say 3 months bank statements, then once you'd sent them, wait a couple of weeks and then ask you for the previous 3 months to that - this went on with payslips, P60s going back about 6 years and on and on - but never just asking for what the Building society wanted in one go, just one document at a time, even when I called and said "look, tell me *everything* you need and I'll send it all in one go" - oh no. (we should have known really when our initial application to Buildstore sat on someones desk for a month with nothing done until I rang and asked what was happening. I then had to chase them every single step of the way to make them get on with each step otherwise they just sat on the documents until they "expired", at which point they'd want the next months document, then the next months payslip - by which time a new statement was due and so on and on and on. I had to find how to contact the Chief Exec in the end to get them to actually just submit the damn application! A job which if i could have done it myself was all doable in maybe a week maximum. To my horror, they are doing the same again - they asked for 3 months (cunningly sent them 6 months so they couldn't play the same trick) payslips and bank statements, and already they've sat on them so long they are asking for the next ones! They have to be the most stressful way of getting a mortgage by far. when I rang the Building Society they assure me they send out a sheet to Buildstore at the start and list everything they want in one go (Buildloan tried to tell me it was the Building Society asking for one thing at a time - which made no sense to me, as why would any building society or bank do it that way?) . So I've just read an email asking me for a statement they *already have* and for this months payslips (which we don't have yet of course). I've written back pointing out that this will go on indefinitely if they don't just submit the paperwork and keep waiting until the statements and payslips are a month out of date. So I've also asked for a definite date when they plan to submit and have said if they cannot give me one, and do not plan to submit it this week then it makes sense for me to send all things in future direct to the Building Society, telling the Building Society why, rather than them being sat in someones desk at Buildloan until they expire. Give me strength!