epsilonGreedy

Ok thanks for investigating, I will go back to the supplier. Think I will leave an offcut out in the weather to see if it copes as well as yours.

Just been out to read the manufacturing text on the board, of the bits I can comprehend it says... SterlingOSB Norboard 03 Structural 2+ 11mm 3mm Gap

I share your doubts however long term static caravan dwellers all advise we will notice a difference, perhaps it will keep us safe from frozen pipes if the beast from the east ever returns. Our gas consumption is falling in this improving weather (probably £140 in Feb) so too many variables at play to determine if the skirt reduces fuel bills.

Can someone recommend a clear runny sealant paint for OSB? I am in the process of making a static caravan skirt to create some under floor storage space and also help with insulation. Over December & January it was costing £200 per month to keep the static caravan warm with bottled lpg C/H and everyone I spoke to said, fabricate a skirt to box in the underfloor void. The skirt is made from 11mm osb sheet screwed to a 2" square wood frame. The more I work with OSB sheet I realize it is just one step up from compressed Weetabix in terms of longevity if moisture gets at the edges. In order to help the skirt survive 18 months of British weather I sandwiched a roll of dpc between the new frame and the caravan underbelly and this protrudes 15mm beyond the top of each OSB sheet to create a lip which throws off water running running down the walls of the caravan. So back to that paint, I am just looking for a clear paint that will help extend the life expectancy of the skirt particularly through next winter. This is what I am considering: https://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-water-repellent-seal-clear-5ltr/57474

I think you first have to quantify the risks. Most discussions here focus on 3rd party liability due to members of the public entering your site and second, the risk of invited tradesmen trying to take advantage of a self builder. Theft is a distant 3rd of discussions here. What gets stolen? I am told it is not heavy materials like bricks, sand and cement. Fancy tools are attractive but protecting these is not the role of boundary fencing. This leads me to conclude the largest material theft risk is when a house is not yet a lockable weather tight shell and there are valuable portable materials on site such as copper pipe, cable reels, a boiler or system hot water tank.

Trouble is that Scotframe design is not normal for Norfolk, hint look at the name. Depending on how sensitive your rural location is you might have to localize the finish of that Scotframe design. You could adopt the @JSHarriscladded exterior, then ditch the croft stone finish of the entrance wing and use use some English heritage bricks.

Re. the wood cladding. Is it a trick of the light or is there an irregular line to the bottom of each plank? I like the effect.

So pleased I can only afford Jurassic PV and as a result I will not have to understand this debate.

How deep is the main 50mm pipe as it exits the pump chamber and at the other end before it branches into the field? I am raising this again now that you have a theory as to why the accidental sump is the root of your problem. In your position I would install a branch at each end that terminates at ground level to facilitate annual purging with reverse pressure, if an initial trial unblocks the system.

Is this because of the freezing risk? Are you suggesting a tee connector because I will will be able to reuse it in the main house later in the build?

@OnoffPlumbing seems simpler than I thought, even better I do not have to learn how to copper pipe solder at this stage of my build. I might even advance to a posh shed plumbing job and fix the copper pipe to the internal shed wall with insulation. I suppose a stop cock for the shed branch makes sense to eliminate burst pipe concerns winter 19/20. Since posting I realized the Cafe Nero factor means we spend more than £100 per month while visiting the launderette.

@recoveringacademiccannot have a complete monopoly on basic questions this week, so here is mine. Our launderette bill is nearly £100 monthly so it is time for me me to install our washing machine in a garden shed next to the static caravan on site. The plumbing starting point is an MDPE 25mm branch from the static caravan mains water supply. Having fed an MDPE pipe up through the floor of the garden shed what bits do I need to step down the 25mm pipe to the point where a flexible washing machine connector hose can be attached? It is a cold feed only W/M. p.s. I will not install the W/M until the risk of an overnight hard frost has past but I am submitting a Pipestock order now and want to get the right bits for the job.

Have you tried my suggestion of applying some reverse pressure on the pipework from the far end of the system?

You can, £18 at Pipestock. https://www.pipestock.com/plasson/mechanical-fittings/repair-slip-coupling

Lawn mowers have been buzzing in my corner of Lincolnshire for a week or more, mine was in action Sunday afternoon.

That is an impressive running cost, is there a post where you have documented the insulation element of your build e.g. insulation thickness below your floor screed? Also does your ASHP benefit from a warmer south facing position? In my case I am discovering that my plot is positioned in a three sided couldron about 1 mile square and as a result nighttime temperatures are routinely 2 to 3 degree below forecast when there is little wind but conversely the couldron heats up quickly which means Swmbo is currently sitting out in the garden reading a book at the end of February. The ideal location for the ASHP is on a north facing wall.

I need to install a postbox on the plot boundary so the postman does not have to enter my site. So far the village postman has been happy to walk along the temporary hardcore drive and drop letters off into a plastic box next the to the static caravan entrance door, in practice I usually greet him half way up the drive and then we talk about the build. As the build progresses and the dangers/liability increases I need to provide a letter/parcel box at the plot boundary. My self build neighbours have installed mini letter sized postboxes on wooden stilts but I need something larger to cope with small book-sized Amazon parcel deliveries. Can anyone recommend an oversized and/or waterproof temporary postbox that can be installed on wooden stilts? I have found a few and looking at the gripes on Amazon, the main design flaw is rainwater ingress. Sterling MB02BK Post Box https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sterling-MB02BK-Elegance-Post-Box/dp/B000TASGES/ref=pd_vtph_lp_tr_t_1/262-0471113-6267847?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000TASGES&pd_rd_r=b9af5108-3942-11e9-b47e-3d7f076171ed&pd_rd_w=AA2AX&pd_rd_wg=ArVX5&pf_rd_p=eb02db1b-a172-4b0e-887c-299e5e502bb0&pf_rd_r=QHEGQQ5ZF2FYWF604V4C&psc=1&refRID=QHEGQQ5ZF2FYWF604V4C https://www.amazon.co.uk/Letterbox-Mailbox-Post-Box-Model/dp/B079ZVJKNW/ref=pd_vtph_bs_t_1/262-0471113-6267847?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B079ZVJKNW&pd_rd_r=b18d684c-3942-11e9-8b53-c51629a82c82&pd_rd_w=xc9Vg&pd_rd_wg=j3Kfs&pf_rd_p=eb02db1b-a172-4b0e-887c-299e5e502bb0&pf_rd_r=T3H350A8G5SAGV42A9WK&psc=1&refRID=T3H350A8G5SAGV42A9WK

Yes, me and my follow self builders postponed our site road resurfacing because the price. I wonder if at this time of year more road projects are for fiddly frost related pothole repair or other urgent surface restoration and then later in the Spring the industry veers towards scheduled remaking of miles or A road and motorway hence more plannings.

This explains why the last example I walked on had a slight springy feeling, it had been compacted with a whacker plate.

Just a term used in the aggregates industry to indicate the hardcore is comprised of a single graded size in contrast to something like MOT1 which is made up with a Ministry of Transport recipe of different sizes. I don't think the term indicates a hardcode contains dirty, toxic or recycled rubbish.

If the OP is going to create an access ramp say 400mm high will the plannings lock together under compression like 2" clean hardcore or is there a risk the plannings will squelsh out sideways under a roller?

I have been told that the downside of this option is that the plannings will be ungraded and will include some large lumpy bits, fine for a forest track but for a domestic door approach ramp?

I tried to get some last week in mid Lincolnshire and there seems to be a shortage, have been offered 40 tons at £18 per ton or "call back in a few weeks and we might have some". One problem with road plannings is that they can get a bit smelly under direct sun light so I would not want to use them near a patio area.

Ok this presents a new option. Are you suggesting buying a regular Makita circular saw and then coupling this with the adapter and a decent 1.4m single piece rail?

And the same model used in Tracksaw Workshop series by Peter Millard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JQjGwZT3Ak However in the Triton/Workzone tracksaw comparison he favours the Triton because of the peculiar non standard Workzone/Scheppach track. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZGt_LqR5O8