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it's a a wall in the garden

What you need is a 45,000,000 litre catchment tank in your garden, I bet with 5 days of solid rain mine won’t rise by 10mm

Well it Looks like weve got a fixed deadline now. Better get a wiggle on hadn't I.

Apart from the dodgy way the wrong type of cable's been run, my particular worries would be these: Is there adequate earthing at the accessible outlets in the garage and summer house? (only testing can really establish this). Are the cables adequately protected against overload? Is there earth leakage/residual current protection and is it functioning within the required time and current limits?

Ouch. Even my temporary telephone cable to the static caravan is routed through the garden better than that.

subtle hint....?

You may want to hold on a couple of weeks as I have been running one of my Silly Sunday Experiment (actually 50 weeks so far) about the thermal properties of different masses, but identical volumes. The data will show what is happening, not looking good for added mass. I also have some house data from a new build, hardly any difference between the heated and unheated sections even though they have very different masses.

I've seen worse, TBH, but I'd very definitely look at getting it replaced with a proper installation. Given that it's a real bodge job, my main concern would be whether or not there's adequate protection provided at the supply end of the cable. People who clearly don't know the regs, and who install bodges like this, are pretty likely to have ignored the requirement to protect that dodgy cable and the stuff that's connected to it. That may well present a significant hazard, more so than just the risk of damage to an unprotected and unsuitable run of outdoor cable.

The blue cable is ( I think outdoor rated) the other one is not. If it’s a permanent fixture then it’s not legal I expect. But as pro Dave says better up in the air than two inches below ground.....

It is certainly against wiring regs, typical of a DIY bodge, Marginally better than burying it 2" under the lawn, at least you can see it. Where is it?

The day we changed the regs from having fire officers doing inspections to a “fire risk assessment” being ok for public buildings was the biggest mistake ever ...

With better designs machines you get little facilities like components that get blocked that can be reversed so you can blow them out with the machine itself. On the logo, I now know what paints work for me in my applications so I will continue to use them as they do what I need. Ferdinand

As discussed upthread, I have a Wagner Project Pro 119 machine. New is 700-750 £££ If still in production. Probably lowish end of pro range vs the upper end of DIY range cited above. it it is described as suitable for independent professionals. Power 720W. Pressure to 200 Bar. The 15m pipe is worth its weight. IMO key things are practising - allow a day to get to grips initially .. on eg a shed or garage, paint choice, and not reusing containers ever after they have dried. Each time it gets bunged up with gloopy paint or crunchy bits you lose 30-60 minutes. Overall you will spend more time prepping than painting, but it is still 5x quicker. On paint choice, I have used Leyland Trade and Valspar successfully, and also paint from professional decorating companies who do major paint jobs themselves, making sure that it is the same stuff they use. I have tried Dulux once, and it was too claggy for my machine, despite Wickes claims that it was OK. Was something in the formulation. Total disaster that bunged it all up and we ended up using rollers and 3 extra days painting.. TEST WITH A SMALL 5L pot first. Never Dulux again for me with this machine. NEVER. JSH has a more DIY machine that may be a little less demanding. NEVER put new paint into an old container that has dried paint in it. Your nozzle is about 0.2mm and it will block. Even of you use a bucket get cheap ones and switch to a new one as soon as any has dried on the old one. Ideally open a new 10l paint container and use it completely each time. If you have a half left, start anew nex5 time and leave the other for brushes and rollers. On an example of how fast these things can paint we did about 4 coats on a 30m by 7m average height wall within a 24 hour period from a staff tower, starting from the raw breeze locks. This was doing up a 7000sqft industrial unit in one weekend. But you will come to your own policies. Ferdinand

Oh dear..... Oh dear oh dear... We all know what you mean but give it a few hours and I'm sure you will find out why you can't just go throwing terms like that around the place Willie nillie. ?

I've done some digging. For a 100m² slab you are talking in the region of £35m² for insulation forms, delivery and design. For your hardcore, binding, DPM/ tanking, mesh, rebar, concrete & floating, you are talking £75/m², excluding initial groundworks. Remember you'll have less excavation, disposal and concrete costs compared to traditional founds. And you've no need for a secondary screed layer. (Northern Ireland costs)

Building regs regarding fire protection needs a root and branch reform IMO.

Staple guns always annoy me. Iv been through a fair few by either losing my temper, Just loseing or having them stolen. Nowadays I favour towards clouts and a hammer. They seem to hold better. I usually need a hammer to get some of the staples in anyway and staple guns don't sit in my pouch very well. Tried a hammer stapler once. Missed the rafter, tore the felt. And that's the end of that story

A bound notepad and pencil. Not the rubbishy tear off ones or ring binder style. Similar to the ones you get free from howdens. E.g Portage Field Notebooks (3 Pack) - Memo Pocket Sized Notepads Perfect for On-The-Go Field Notes - 5.5" X 3.5" - 64 Pages https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073SFW8DQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_jn-.CbCY8AXTE Other tools- cordless circular saw with rail attachment and rail. I assume he already has cordless tools so whatever brand he uses should be fine.

@bissoejosh yep, had the same problem . Not just with Cellulose but with a lot of materials . For your cost per m3 , this one helps: https://www.thermofloc.com/palmCMSv3/_dateimanager/Verdichtungstabelle/Verdichtungstabellen_Thermofloc.pdf Warmcell gives following ballpark figures 360mm walls @ 63kg/m3 36deg 360mm roof @ 56kg/m3 So most of the manufacturers sell on prices per bag (in my example it is between 9.90GBP -11.00 GBP/bag) Each Bag is approx. 14 KG This gives a estimated price of 0.71 - 0.79£/kg Assuming average of 60kg/m3 (for exact calcs, see the table on Thermofloc) the price would be somewhere around 42.60- 47.00£/m3 (which again works out as 12.78-14.10/sqm on a 300mm wall ) below are the Thermal properties of Cellulose (even though German, might be able to understand some bits ) https://www.thermofloc.com/palmCMSv3/_dateimanager/downloads/Leistungserklaerungen/Q-4-412a-Leistungserklaerung_Thermofloc_F_DE_2018-11-20.pdf These are figures for a wall without windows and doors, so have to calculate openings into this, obviously. Installation costs are approx. 14.50GBP-16GBP per m3 (obviously extremely variable and might be much more expensive depending on where you live and how difficult your setup is) @joe90 PM me

It looks like what you need to do is take the roof off and construct something better / larger. I strongly advice against trying to live in the house during such major work. I know someone that tried, and moved out in under a week What you can do depends largely on what planning will allow. For most space a full second storey would be what you want. Is the planners won't allow that consider making it 1 1/2 storey so the upstairs rooms are still partly in the roof. Below are some pictures of our house that use "gable ends" rather than dormers (think of dormers but without the side cheeks) and this gives standing headroom for almost all of the upstairs floor area while still keeping the planners happy (we would not be allowed 2 full storeys here)

You can. The roof span at 45 deg pitch was just over the maximum span for SIPs panels so 3 14 metre glulam purlins were needed to support the roof. The pitch reduction shortend the span and allowed removal 2 of the purlins and a lot of structural constraints.

So quick and cost effective then dig a small trench down the centre and put a small 100mm deep x 300wide concrete footing in fix treated 4x2 to both walls with chem bolts and 12mm studs level across from both of these and build up your sleeper wall with half bricks missing for cross ventilation lay a treated wall plate on top of the sleeper wall with a dpm under it fit hangers to both pole plates on walls fit treated joists across from side to side screw down to centre wall fit 100mm celotex between joists fit vapour barrier on top of joists screw and glue down 18mm t and g chipboard glue and screw 9-11 mm wbp ply on top for your tiling ensure everything is 100% bounce free ensure a flexible tile adhesive compatible with timber floor. Good luck with your first house,

Would be safer though. You would know what you are buying and it would be clean. The stuff they mix with class A’s is worse for you than the drugs themselves. Look at the Rolling Stones. Mick just fathered another kid at 70. The heroin they take isn’t the same poison smack heads on the street take. It would reduce drug related crime too. Guns, prostitution etc. Not a perfect solution but better than the current mess. The tax raised would help pay for rehab too.

I bored two holes on Sunday Next to the foundations Each 600 deep Both immediately filled up with water As pointed out above It was on the engineers advice that I angled six cube of concrete and installed a drain with a flood valve I thought it was overkill at the time But in light of the recent weather Its looking like money well spent and Somthing you can’t do retrospectively

Last call on this furniture. Piaggo Zip currently at £350. Drives and rides 1:45 to go. https://www.bidspotter.co.uk/en-gb/auction-catalogues/william-george-auctions/catalogue-id-wi412608/lot-5e2c5af3-b5b9-4b26-8757-aa5400a7a38a 1 x 1 X STROPICCIO VASE Currently at £80. 1:50 to go. You know you want to.

I think Big Jimbo will be getting that call today!

Congratulations Proper grand designs getting her pregnant.

I can't be much help but to say we had raking wire balustrade on a commercial stair. Must have been 2m centres and it did not flex much even if I climbed on it. You could ask the wire company to do some calcs and worst case you may need a link between a few of the longest ones to limit deflection. The 100mm sphere is supposed to represent a baby's head so you don't need to factor in excessive force.

I suspect building control will not pass this. I know someone that tried it, and they could not get enough tension to satisfy building control that they would not push apart, and so fell foul of the "100mm sphere will not pass through" They ended up putting an additional handrail, which oddly enough seemed to disappear again after the building was signed off. I recall seeing the same issue on a Grand Designs house, there they inserted polycarbonate sheet between the wires, and I suspec that sheet did not stay long either.

Used the Stanley stapler on and off over the last few weeks including a lot yesterday. Very happy with it - easy and comfortable to use and a lot more reliable than the others I have.

Why do you want to go timber, if you have to dig out the poor concrete floor, why not install one correctly, dpm, insulation, concrete

Sod it. I'm going to go with whatever my 1980s Reader's Digest DIY bible says! ?

It's beyond me, too. I saw a report on the BBC earlier by a woman that nearly died from liver failure, because she was in the habit of drinking large quantities of wine every day. She didn't seem to think she was at fault, and wanted the law changed so that the amount of alcohol in a bottle of wine was clearer (what could be clearer that the ABV that's already on the label I don't really know). The really big problem with having maintained a ban on cannabis for so long is that it's stimulated the development of very strong strains. If it had been made legal 40 odd years ago I doubt this would have happened, as it could have been regulated and taxed like alcohol and tobacco.

I use this a lot. Been using it today for setting out some lights in a kitchen. Would not be without it. Lasers for distance can be handy in big rooms but would not spend loads on one - I bought one on ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Handheld-Digital-Laser-Distance-Meter-40m-Measure-Tool-Range-Finder-Diastimeter/253734057471?hash=item3b13ba75ff:g:esUAAOSww7RbPyDe and tested it against a Leica one that I can borrow from work - identical measurements up to 4dp.

Technically you can DIY an installation that needs a Part P building regs approval (in England and Wales) without using an electrician that belongs to one of the Part P cartels. All you do is make a normal building regs application and they are supposed to send out someone to inspect and test the installation. Recently I ran into a case locally where someone had done exactly this, and pushed back at the reticence of building control to do the inspection and test. What normally happens here is the building control will say that they have no one accredited to do a third party installation inspection and test, and they will request that you get the work done by someone with a Part P ticket. This chap pushed it, though, pointing out that building control had a legal obligation to do this work. What happened was that building control sent an inspector around, who didn't do any inspection and test work, but who witnessed the DIY'er (who's a retired electrician) do a few tests, then they signed the job off (it was a conservatory, with a lighting circuit, plus a few outlets and an air con unit). Makes me wish I'd pushed harder when building control were extremely reluctant to inspect and test our electrical installation.

Width x height will give m2 for a wall

@Ferdinand I can't find any photos of ours sorry. Our spec developed as we researched and I think what you do needs to take account of the personal circs of the person who will be using it. Our story was aged 88 we moved FIL into a ground floor flat in an over 55's complex close to us as his house was just too far away for us to manage him. He was reasonably fit at that age but we had taken his car away (3 clutches in as many months on brand new car...not faulty either!). For the first year or so he walked to the shops and was independent, his bathroom had a shower over the bath. The bath was a low access one. He never bathed always showered and happily hopped in over the side of the bath. By the time he was 90 his knees were giving out so got him a scooter (nightmare pavement hog- look out pedestrians!) and a daily carer to help with insulin injections and general stuff and keep some independence from us. That was when we decided to remove the bath and make the room into a level access wet room as he was struggling to get over the side of the bath with his knee. There were already some grab rails in place but removed when refurb done. We asked advice from OT and carers on the best way to proceed with new rails/seats etc. At the time we did the refurb he was still able to stand and shower independently (with rails to hang on to) but we knew at over 90 the day would not be far away when he needed a seat and help. The advice we sought took account of this and future proofed it for him. He lived to 95 used it every day right up to his last few weeks which were spent in a hospice. He said his lovely shower and wet room that he could get right into on his walking frame was one of the joys of his last years.....he was a retired semi pro opera singer and used to sing loudly in the shower, serenading his carers in his last years. It pleased me immensely that his wet room refurb gave such pleasure. The wet room was a good feature when we came to sell it after he departed.

I’ve got an older one of those and has come in handy one a number of occasions. On our last build we had ClosetMaid shelving in 3 built in wardrobes. Was great for projecting a level line round three sides of the room to get the shelf pins aligned. Took about 2 minutes from getting it out of the case to having the line ready for use. Used it last weekend to get a level line either side of a window opening. I’d buy another if this one failed....

Any dewalt xr tool - solid gift . They are great to use for example maybe installing some walk on glazing ...

Deejay Maverick as a name?

Congratulations! Sleep deprivation may be coming your way. But who knows. Easier while you are young anyway.

Ideally you need them in a range of sizes. Smaller ones fit in tighter spaces:

Just wow!

Snowbeetle, I have a similar project in the pipeline. Can you mention the floor structure thicknesses and what floor finish do you have? Also, how has the drainage performed in terms of moisture in the building? Thanks!

I have got this Stanley, it’s VERY good and has worked faultlessly for over 2 years. I have dropped it of many a roof without a problem...... I have also got a hammer tacker but really don’t like using it, personal preference.

for stapling what exactly? A hammer tacker is a very handy bit of kit for the various external membranes.

OK so perhaps not the best idea then!