Roger440

Buy lots of spares. LED lights seem to have quite short lifespans. Even if who you bought it from is in business, most of the manufacturers are just buying stuff from china, if they stop making it, you wont be getting it.

Sorry, thread drift!

Sadly its not just builders who hold in contempt. Its pretty much everybody involved, including the "designers and sellers of some of the so called solutions. Like porus tarmac and block paving. Porus block paving doesnt stay porus. Its obvious to anyone with a couple of brain cells to rub together. Sure, the conditions will state it needs to be maintained. Which is basically, remove and relay every three years or so. Its utter BS. No ones going to do that. The designers know that. But, as you obverve its just about ticking boxes. Actual useful implementation is irrelevant My BCO told me he doesnt check any SUDS related stuff. Not interested! As someone who lived in a flood prone house for a good few years, its tends to focus you on observing what goes on. And the councils are the worst offenders. The whole thing has a lot of similarities to insulation installation.

Im sure there are much more complex things coming. But the real life problem will just get worse. Ie, while they work, great, when they stop or break, no one can be found who can sort it out. Cars, as you mention them, are a great case in point. The level of sophistication is such, that the people capable of fixing them is of a much higher level than the industry has. So employ better peole i here you say? Great, but why would people smart enough to solve the problems want to work in a nasty, cold, draughty workshop, in what, in most cases is a hostile target driven work environment. Answer, they are not. Dealerships are full of cars no one can fix. Nor can the manufacturer. Its notable that the stuff that cant be fixed is always electronics based. All highly frustrating. They very last thing i will do is bring all that needless crap into my home. Ill admit, i simply cannot fathom why anyone would do so, with all the challenges and costs it will bring.

Up until about 10 years ago, car manufacturers were extremely good at complex but reliable electronics. Sadly, of late, they have gone the same way as everyone else. Half baked, incomplete and untested product released onto the market. My newest car is 2016 (corsa) which is a releatively old platform. There is not a chance id buy something newer, certainly not whilst owning it and being responsible for anything on it.

Any cheap digger, i think you are pretty much on your own. Older stuff is simple and reliable, but, hydraulics are expensive when they go wrong. My first digger the slew motor developed a massive leak (turned out a previous bodge). Cost abot £300 to get the motor repaired. But many hours were spent by me getting to it. Im sure its the first part they start with when building a digger. Owning an old machine, is, essentially gambling.

Looks good. Are they different colours?

Thanks. Another option to consider. Seems odd that all the suppliers are in ireland?

Just been getting quotes for my wall. Its really gone up since last time i bought. And all the suppliers are sticking ridgidly to full retail price. No negotiation Not really got much choice unless i resort to concrete block and then face them with something. But i cant do that so labour will exceed my quotes any way!

Not great id suggest, though common it seems. We will take stuff back up to 30 days after purchase with a full refund unless it was a "special order", ie, we air freighted it in and not a stock item. If its bought online, you have 14 days by law. Over 30 days id consider it a case by case basis. If they are buying something else id normally just swap them in a case like this. But as i said in another thread, most companies dont care beyond whatever cash they can extract on the day. And most customers expect pushback. Its not unusal when they call, they are geared up for an argument. 99% of customers are reasonable people and so are we, so no argument is necessary.

I got mine for £5k last year. Older stuff doesnt come up often, but it is out there.

Id probably being do the reverse, ie, when i reconfigure the heating ill put in ASHP provision, pending some (affordable) battery solution later. Im on oil, so no standing charges to worry about, so absolutely zero motivation to get rid of that heat source, especially with a flaky electrical supply. Interesting on the home assistant, as i wouldnt be able to make it work with it! I suspect i would need to simplify further. No doubt at the expense of some efficiency. Its something i need to ponder once ive got the current round or works out of the way. All good stuff when someone doesnt just follow the herd and applies thought and logic to a problem

Thanks. Makes sense. I have lots of concrete too. This is shaping up for a "next year" project for me.

Thanks for the explanation. Lots to think about, but i like the concept. You specify the conditions of the battery which make the ASHP run, but what if there no heat demand? ie, house up to temp and a tank full of hot water? Id probably have to to have a long ponder how to avoid such things as home assistant in mine. I absolutely wouldnt want a computer or wifi involved in mine.

Excellent. Much appreciated. Some questions. What is POD? What is CCT? You say the ASHP is set up to use the excess PV. How is that actually done? Is it a off the shelf device, or something you sorted out yourself?

Word of caution. The Marshalls ones do NOT have a locking system. No use for real retaining walls. The blurb says 6 blocks high max for this reason Your only options are the A&G stuff i linked to and Tobermore as far as i know. Tobermore currently seems much more expensive for no apparant reason.

Its not cheap, but nor is good timber. And what you suggested isnt good in any way. It probably works out more expensive, but will last multiple times as long. I guess if you will sell within 5 years, then, like most developers, take the cheap option, failure wont be your problem. Personally, i wouldnt ever entertain a timber retaining wall.

100x200 aint no railway sleeper. Sadly its all just marketing guff for a large bit of crap wood, that will be rotted out in 5-10 years. If you must use wood, by real, used, railway sleepers. Full of lots of lovely chemicals, and proper hardwood like jarrah. Better stil, just use these, https://ag.uk.com/outside-rooms/products/garden-walling/bayfield/ Other variants available. Small trench, bit of type 1 and lay them. No mortar. Easy as can be. Ive used these twice, and just about to do another. If i can do it, anyone can. Will last a lifetime.

It seems to me, skirting on the fringes of this stuff, that the BCO's answer to anything not completely standard is a report from some professional or other. At this rate, it will cost more in reports and calcs than to actually build. I cant even fit some insulation to my wall without a suite of reports to keep BCO happy, that cost more than the insulation! I wonder where it ends?

Another vote for FH Brundle. Their delivery charge is a tenner, seemingly regardless of what i have. Then the drive from birmingham to mid wales to deliver. In their own vans. Always responsive, always helpful. It will never catch on....................................

Kind of inevitable, but that was rather earlier than anticipated. Still, someone will have got rich off it.

Harsh! Not quite sure its pointless tat. Its how i get about from A to B. And carry stuff. It performs those tasks very well and has done so for 22 years. Thats significantly more than then most of the consumer tat people are installing in their houses.

To be honest, i just dont get it. I want simplicity in my life. Clever technology only ever goes wrong, breaks down, and then, is no longer supported. First rule, no electronics unless i absolutely have no alternative to achieve the outcome. Home automation though, no, still dont get it. I guess im not a target customer for all this pointless tat 😂

I dont think it is. These same people, on a cold winters night, wouldnt leave their front door open, and then wonder why its cold! The concept is that simple. I cant imagine there are many people so dim as to be unable to grasp this. Bone idle, disinterested etc, possibly.

Its worse than that though isnt it. It seems that most cant understand that if the air on the outside of the insulation can get behind/go round the insulation, its not insulation any more! If you cant grasp that, then as you say, they are morons. OP's brick layers included.