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Chris HB

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  1. Chris HB
    Thanks, so is something like the Force 8 Half-Mask with PressToCheck P3 Filters or the Trend Stealth masks with filters a little OTT?
  2. Chris HB
    Seems like there a a lot of options to choose out there, so hoping to get a real world recommendation. Looking to get a decent general woodwork/removing plasterboard dust mask. I assume it’s better to get something that’s reusable rather than just some cheap disposable type of thing?
  3. Chris HB
    I understand that it was ‘built by the community’ so yes, more utility than master craftsmen 🤣
  4. Chris HB
    There is a good local archieve, but unfortunately not much is know. They are looking into it for me though… I’ll pursue the CoS as well, but initially, they didn’t seem that interested. Intersting removing some of the plasterboard in the porch. There was a mix of some walls in stone, some in concrete block, and some a mix. Looked like some evidence of maybe some earlier/lower roof rafters? Maybe an early form of a concrete wall plate sitting above this? Feels a shame that it would need to get covered up with insulation to make it meet standards if you want to live in it! I will be doing a photo diary of sorts with it all, but electric is not connect as yet, so that may have to wait a little while. I’ll stick it on my design blog if anyones interested in following… https://www.passion4.co.uk/ Having met with a local person regarding warrant drawings etc. external insulation was not recommended. Good to hear some local expert insight. This makes the next big challenge (of many!), designing a tiny bathroom/entrance area whilst trying to navigate local accessability space allowances. I’ve been advised this is probably not possible! The ‘nuclear option’ is to convert one of the main hall windows into a front door/entrance. I’m loathed to go this route, because if you did this, you could just design and add a big side extension to the building and make everthing simple. At that point, it might as well be someone elses project…
  5. Chris HB
    I’m trying to take things slow and discover as much about the building in its as is state, just so I understand what I’ve got and where I’m starting from. Unfortunately (in some ways) the regulations will probably require me to make some fairly big changes to bring things up to current standards. I understand why this is the case, just that it might end up turning the building/project into something that I wasn’t really intending or after… 🤔 Good news is that services are all nearby so mains connections are all feasible if I want. The picture probably makes it look more remote that it actually is. Roof pitch is about 50° so with the increased height from being an old mission hall, I was planning on opening the roof space up and having a mezzanine level at one end, then keeping the other full height. The other buildings is a cool disused bus shelter with store for the funeral bier(?) behind it. People might be right about the front porch part being newer. I’ll remove some of its plasterboard and see what’s going on behind it…
  6. Chris HB
    you can get decent coffee on the island, and although I’m camping out at the moment, life’s too short for bad tea or coffee, so my AeroPress does me fine, better than most overpriced mainstream coffee chains 😉🤣
  7. Chris HB
    thanks 😊 yeah Lewis is flatter and like a wild moorland in places, Harris and Uig are more more hilly/rocky. I know what you mean, Harris did feel kind of what I imagined the moon would be like! Absolutely loved it! 🤪
  8. Chris HB
    yeah, I can see how that could happen. I’d potentially see this more as a base to go exploring from, rather than just a fixed permanent location.
  9. Chris HB
    the remoteness and the raw and rugged beauty of the islands is what I loved the most! visited some stunning locations on my recent road trip from the top of Lewis down to Barra 😍 https://www.vdubxs.com/road-trips/
  10. Chris HB
    Yep, when you only have 35 sqm to play with, every little bit really does count!
  11. Chris HB
    yep, wind is a major thing here. Apparently the regularly get winds over 100mph at least five times a year! It’s pretty exposed so wind turbines are a good idea here!
  12. Chris HB
    There’s a tiny brook at the front, someone’s Croft at the rear. There’s mains water in the area, just trying to find the nearest access point without needing to go under the road!
  13. Chris HB
    Yep, could well be. The longitudinal axis of the building is North/South, with the van pointing north, so the main roof you see faces West I understand that PV technology is advancing all the time in terms of efficiency, as although long hours of daylight in the summer, not always the sunniest of places! 🤣
  14. Chris HB
    there are many classic cars (including VW Beetles and Splitties) that have had an electric conversion. The instant torque on demand must be amazing in such comparatively light vehicles compared to how much more modern cars weigh. That said, the conversion is not cheap and you can buy a lot of petrol even at todays prices for £30k+
  15. Chris HB
    it seems to be the same thickness, so I was assuming the same construction, but I’m sure I’ll find an area where I can check… I like the idea of just a line render or earth plaster to just allow the wall breathe as that’s how the wall would become dry over time? I could live with that. I’m not sure how you’d get the U values for a stone wall or if on their own they’d meet current standards? I’d prefer to have them exposed internally, but not sure that’s a permissible option?
  16. Chris HB
    isn't that just a particular phase of a project? 🤣
  17. Chris HB
    Thanks 👍🏼 no point in having regrets for the things you might have done, especially if you have the opportunity to give it a try! 🤪
  18. Chris HB
    ha, to me, the T4 is new stuff! 🤣 I like old, new and future tech, and often a fusion of them all if it makes sense! I’m not personally fully convinced that electric vehicles are the way to go (but that could be a whole other topic) which is often why I like to reuse as much as possible, even in this case, with an entire building! Even if repurposing is a challenge! in many ways possibly keeping your older vehicles on the road for longer could be argued is more environmentally friendly compared to all the energy and resources required to make a new one? That said, it’s still a v1 product, so if it were me, I wouldn’t be an early adopter just yet, I’d wait and see how things develop with it. It looks interesting, needs more ideas and development with what the intended use of the rear is for IMHO?
  19. Chris HB
    Thanks. I want to keep things fairly minimal and a little industrial aesthetic wise around the edges, possibly adding a mezzanine level in at one end, but this could be phase two of the plan! I need to find a way to make the very small lobby into a WC as well in an ideal world! Unfortunately the space for that is very tight! 🤔 Interested to hear how you approached damp with your solid walls?
  20. Chris HB
    … and the tape will self destruct in five seconds!
  21. Chris HB
    Exactly, I wanted something totally different and the Outer Hebrides are definitely that! 😍 When I came up for the first time I did a 2,300+ road trip to explore some of the islands and just loved their raw and rugged beauty! https://www.vdubxs.com/2300-mile-road-trip/
  22. Chris HB
    small world 🙂 Yeah, planners are onboard and happy with my ideas which is a big plus 😎 but I have heard the same sort of stories of people that have bought but can’t do what they hoped with it!
  23. Chris HB
    Been meaning to do this for a while, but I thought I’d better wait until the sale was actually complete. Well, that took around 18 months, so that’s my excuse! 😂 This is something I’ve been meaning/wanting to do for a number of years. One positive thing about lockdown was that it brought into sharp focus that tomorrow is never certain, so no point putting things off that you really want to do. Rather than build from scratch, I wanted to take on the challenge of repurposing/reimagining what could be done with a small abandoned existing building or structure. Narrowing my search down from Europe to the UK, I found the building I wanted. At least I had seen a couple of low res pics and a basic floor plan of said building! It just happened to be 750 miles away from where I live, in another country, on an island that I had never been to. Still, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Only time will tell if that works out to be true…
  24. Chris HB
    OK, I’ll upload some more pics in due course… I don’t know all the answers to your questions @Gus Potter and @saveasteading but so far this is what I have discovered… It was community built, date TBC, but could be around late 1930’s, but have heard other earlier dates mentiond as well? Pebble dash exterior, slate roof over main hall, composite tiles over the front small entrance porch. I have glimpsed timber sarking boards in the roof through a loft hatch, but not had chance to get in the roof space currently. Raised tie roof construction. From what I can see/tell, it is a solid wall construction from local stone (assumed). Where I have exposed a couple of areas, it seems to have been internally rendered with a hard white coloured render (see sample chunks) which I’m thinking is more likely to be an early concrete rather than a lime render? It has subsequently had a basic timber frame and plasterboard finish later on at some point fitted over this fixed to the wall. Suspended timber floor/wooden joists, unsure as yet what they are resting on. Boards all mostly good. PS; yes it includes its very own disused bus shelter at the side of the building too! 😂
  25. Chris HB
    I understand, internal insulation might be a cheaper route to go, but that’s a lot to loose off each wall in an already small space!
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