epsilonGreedy

Track/Plunge saws are the tool of the moment on YouTube though here on BuildHub they do not get so much focus. Is this because track saws are more relevant to serious DIYers with permanent carpentry workshops and/or odd job tradesmen? I could do with one now to knock up 20 door panels (600mm x 500mm) for my under static caravan skirting however before parting with my cash I was wondering where a track saw could be put to good use later in a build. This is my list so far: Trimming first floor 8x4 flooring sheets to size. Kitchen fitout e.g. counter top trimming. Alcove cupboard fitout in MDF. Any ply sheet trimming during a bathroom fit out.

I saw a YouTube video published by an Aussie tradesman, he fitted a plasterboard cutting disc to his track/plunge saw. Sounds like an eco/health disaster in the making though I imagine the end result was neat.

When installing a similar system to an outside garage office I did not believe the instructions that clearly advised against an extension lead, "how could a short extension make any difference I reasoned". The system refused to link via the extension socket whereas a weak link was established via the wall socket. Someone here mentioned additional electrical echos can become established at joints which can degrade signals.

I was going to say look at the spec for an underground LPG tank, adjust for the density of LPG but add back the extra weight of the tank but then I realized the cylindrical shape of the tank would be supported by the back fill. Anyhow I make your pressure per cm2 to be 0.16 of a kg so not a major civil engineering challenge. What soil type do you have a meter down?

Sounds like a plan, I guess you have the gradient to drain from the bottom of the tank into the storm water drain?

That is also my approach to funding a vehicle, I have been a cash purchaser of cars since 1991. My best buy was a fleet disposal VW Passat at auction. With such a clear swing towards leasing and other "just add fuel" retail deals I suspect resale prices must be depressed for 2 and 3 year old vehicles which these days must translate to £10k at auction.

Is the type of tank shown in your photo suitable? It is more than a matter of capacity as the tank needs to soak away or drain somewhere at an attenuated rate. Underground crates are often used wrapped in a water permeable fabric.

Not in my sample of three. Two were plus 50 and the lady planning officer erm about 40.

Which reminds me of the day I took my Liverpool made Jag to an independent specialist for a 4 wheel alignment. Before looking at my car the proprietor said 3/4 of the job will be taken up with drilling out the rear axle adjustment clamp because they did not bother to grease the bolt at the factory and they all rust inside the rubber bush.

These are planning issues in the first instance, building control happens after.

That is what I thought hence my surprise when a lady planning officer turned up in a vehicle I normally associate with argi business farmers of 3000 acres of wheat. Purhaps she is married to the brick salesman.

A perfect storm for blackouts after 2025 is being formulated. With the old aging nuclear stations going offline due to safety concerns and their replacements nowhere in sight because foreign companies bailed on the Government. Millions of commuters arrive home from work just as PV generation is dropping, they plug in their electric cars then as they step into their super insulated WImpy new build they wonder why it is so cold and so whack up the thermostat of their ASHP and finally to warm up put a carton of soup in their electric hob.

We experienced a similar consumption rate over 3 years for hob-only cooking in our previous house. Th only time I bothered to check the bottle fuel level was the week before Christmas out of concern for a trouble free cooking of the turkey.

I base this allegation on the vehicles of building trade bods who have visited my site over the last 7 months. Swanky BMW 4x4 = Electric grid DNO job estimator. Top of range BMW saloon 7 series I think = Heritage brick salesman who was extremely unreliable. Local planning office application inspector = £50k Merc SUV

I had a look but have to question the validity of a calculator that estimates soil characteristics across a whole 2-character post code. I am at the edge of PE (Peterborough) which is one of the largest postcodes in England and covers a wide range of soil types. Lincoln is closer and in that case the calculator recommenced more shallow foundations at 0.3m deeper than my foundations. You cannot beat the intuition of my private, 70 something building inspector, who for 10 years was the UK's representative at the annual European congress of building inspectors.

I encountered that problem yesterday but I doubt you will be impressed with my solution = metal surveyors tape measure.

I wish, it is 2m beyond the plot boundary in my neighbour's garden. According to the building inspector who spent a long time examining subsoil samples on foundation dig day it is principally silt with a few veins for silt. He then said 450mm non rebar concrete would suffice, actually I think he said 225mm would pass. Anyhow enough concrete for a 600mm x 600mm semi trench fill had been ordered so that is what I have in the garage and house foundations. Yes further away from the willow. The 600mm x 600mm garge foundations were poured 7 months ago during that dry spell and while cleaning out the footing trenches over the winter I have been looking out for any fissure on the concrete. So the good news is the foundations have coped with a full, very dry to winter wet subsoil swell, without trouble arising.

Just been out with my laser to double check, said willow is actually 11.5 meters away from the nearest corner of the garage. If I packed the outer perimeter of the slab with the same stuff used to insulate the edging of an internal screed floor would that help the slab slip against the footing blocks should the oversite soil heave? Size wise it is difficult to say because it has been pollard'ed in its life.

Ok thanks for the clarification. The YouTube tool reviewers focus on tracked/plunge circular saws and don't give much coverage to the standard and cheaper alternative. At dusk last night I was making a 2.4m length ways cut through an 11mm OSB sheet at a painfully slow rate with my old 240v jig saw. Swmbo was not amused as she watched while holding one half of the sheet. Next I have to cut some 600mm x 600mm doors from the same sheet and need a clean straight cut hence my new interest in circular saws.

Do you use sand-only blinding or a weak mix concrete? https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Blinding

Re. resistant to cracking would this include coping with a few mm of ground heave? My subsoil is mainly silt with an element of clay and I have a willow tree 10 meters away.

That will also save me from starting a thread about galvanized rebar as recommended on YouTube videos produced in the United States.

This will be my next purchase. When you say "circular saw" is it the plunge saw variety?

I have been looking at instructional videos about how to lay a ground bearing concrete slab and noticed how much effort is put into tamping down to a level finish (prior to smoothing). Would I be correct in thinking the task is simpler if the footing walls are no more than 1ft higher than the FFL of the concrete as this allows direct external access round the perimeter of the slab? The other option would be to crack on with the walls, put the roof on and then lay the floor slab when protected from the weather. The garage floor is 4m x 5.2m and will have a 2.5m or 2.8m opening.

Sometimes the best decision is "no decision for now" particularly when mentally exhausted. Why pay an architect silly money to "replace the old ruin with a fairly restrained 3 bed" house. Here is my advice: Get some estate agents in to value the ruin as an immediate resale option. Go on holiday. Then Consider selling now that you are in the driving seat and can attach covenants. Or add value to what you have for modest extra expenditure by: Obtaining outline permission for a house designed by a timber frame company. Get quotes from local builders for carting away the ruin.