epsilonGreedy

I had to Google that, Fexlvolt = interesting hybrid 18v & 54v battery system. https://www.dewalt.co.uk/products/flexvolt/faq.html A little disconcerting to read that these higher volt batteries need special storage for transit because of regulations.

It would be useful if the OP provided some specifics about the "evolutionary changes" to his build because we are all guessing what this might entail and then posting advice based on our guesses. If he adds a new window then the BCO might be happy with the lintel, drip tray and safety glass but the planning office could object much later on the basis of privacy intrusion. If a self builder moves a driveway entrance 10m down the road will the BCO object? From a planning perspective highways could object if the new position creates a dangerous blind corner. Would a BCO notice if a self builder shuffles the position of the foundations by 2m to achieve some benefit? Planning would get upperty if a neighbour complains. As I said though it is more than appearance, their remit covers community considerations such as usage, position, access and drainage. I think what you are saying is BCOs do not warrant that a building is structurally sound. They are certainly focused on structural soundness and safety, as I said. It is not economic for the BC process to count wall ties but examples of transgressions of basic building standards do not prove your assertion that BCOs are not interested in structural soundness.

I was nearly temped by a DeWalt coreless multi pack but then realized they were shifting older brushed motor models in the pack and finally I doubted the power of a cordless SDS drill in the pack.

I was watching a SkillBuilder group tool review the other day and they commented that sometimes a tool brand will have a gap in their product range which is filled by subcontracting out to a generic manufacturer who will clad the machine with the brand's coloured plastic. Probably less of a problem with the most respected names. The key decision you face is which brand for cordless tools i.e. which battery & charger system to lock into. It is early days for me and my build but I am leaning towards Screwfix-Erbauer for 240v tools because the 2 year guarantee will hopefully match my build duration. For cordless I will probably lock into Makita because I want the new generation pulse-strike impact driver.

Building Control inspectors are focused on whether the finished property is structurally sound and safe. The planning department enforce matters pertaining to look, position and access. I reckon Building Control might approved changes that subsequently the planning office will object to.

Well I am still clinging to the belief that the Robertson square drive was invented in the Golden Shred marmalade factory.

Interesting, "Spax" does not get a mention in either list, I assume they adopted a variant of the Torx drive. Moving on from drives, has anyone used this type of thread for flooring? https://www.spax.com/en/service/technical-terms/fixing-thread/

Sent as a private message.

Days of non stop Welsh drizzle does not = intensity. We get more summer tropical downpours in the east I guess.

Borrow mine which came with my plot purchase and was one of the satisfied conditions. Or fast forward to the answer and no need to wait millions of years. The answer is 42 or with some penny pinching rounding down = 4 cubic meters.

I purchased some Spax screws (Torx head type) out of curiosity for a small carpentry job and have been so impressed I am thinking about using them exclusively for the rest of my build. Would it make sense to tool up for a single type of screw bit type and use a single branded screw for a whole build? This large starter selection box from Spax caught my eye, £140 for 2446 screws. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spax-L-BOXX-Countersunk-T-Star-5000009161019/dp/B072B9TTRH/ref=sr_1_6?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1550273546&sr=1-6&keywords=spax+screws Part of my thinking here is influenced by the @recoveringacademicthread where he lamented all those trips to the BM each time he encountered a requirement for a new screw size.

They seem content sitting in the familiar surroundings of their white van cabs.

Did you select an 8" model?

Yup still legal and normal practice in British waters. The Mediterranean yacht charter market dictates the standard fit out of new European yachts hence holding tanks are becoming the norm. There are also regional differences, the tidal range in Scotland is nearly double that of say Yarmouth IOW so lots more tidal flushing action up north.

That is a good point. I used to watch the ploughing next to my old house in the heart of East Anglia's fenland farming agribusiness. A modern tractor will visually lift up a dome of earth for meters around the plough so the horizontal disturbance to the soil could radiate beyond the directly ploughed area.

That used to apply in the days when yacht toilets pumped direct into the sea, these days holding tanks are the norm hence it is difficult to identify the culprit.

If I ever appear on MasterMind my specialist subject will be "unblocking yacht holding tanks". My first suggestion would be to apply some air pressure to the far end of the pipe i.e. in the reverse direction to the normal pumping action. From experience it is surprising how some feeble squishy solids can coalesce and form a plug that fights high pressure in one direction and yet some gentle pressure in the reverse direction causes the plug to disperse into a cloud of nothingness.

A 10" mitre blade feels right for a big boys diy project like building a whole house but when I look for the largest timber I am likely to cut on my non timber frame project I cannot identify anything thicker than 50mm which is within the capabilities of a 8 inch blade.. The ridge of a cut hipped roof on the garage will be 125mm x 50 or 150mm x 50mm according to info I can reach via Google. Budget wise it comes down to an 8" top name brand or a 10" Erbauer/Evolution. The guy on the local Screwfix desk almost pleaded with me not to buy a Titan as he did not want to process the return. The Erbauers are made in the Makita plant he claimed.

Ah. Since I am thinking about about a cut hipped roof for the garage this warning sounds relevant. Your post prompted me to visit YouTube and see how a jack rafter is cut and my conclusion is that a single jack rafter is not a problem with a single bevel mitre saw. The hassle will be when cutting the matching buddy on the other side of the hip rafter but solvable by flipping the mitre to roof pitch on the other side. The top of a hip rafter seems more interesting with a 45 degree bevel each side compounded with the mitre cut set at the roof pitch. I am trying to picture doing that with a single bevel saw and each time my brain starts hurting.

Yes though distinguished from a regular drill (with screw torque setting) because it has the rotational impact feature which translates into a noisy clatter. This gets to the root of my question. There is a technology shift happening which is most appealing to the 8 hour per day tradesman. Makita has a hydraulic impact driver in its range. https://www.protoolreviews.com/tools/power/cordless/drills-drivers-cordless/makita-oil-impulse-impact-driver-review/20714/ This review indicates an oil impulse driver cannot tackle the broad range of jobs that a classic impact driver can but an oil impulse model is better for fine control of smaller screws. For my build the main applications of a driver will be fixing first floor sheets and plasterboard.

Having never owned an impact driver before I have been doing some research and noticed there is a newer generation of quiet impact drivers that use pulsed hydraulic fluid for the strikes. Do these really work or are they the rubber mallets of the impact driver market? The ideal option for reducing decibels in special working environments such as hospitals apparently but as a self builder should I ignore this segment of the impact driver market?

Just another irrational neurosis of the first time self builder. If I do not remove the mildew I will spend the next 20 years imagining there is a natural fissure point in my walls because the mildew reduced the mortar adhesion at that course.

I have a vague recollection from O level chemistry that if the compounds are mixed in the wrong order the whole concoction will explode due to some exothermic race condition?

Over the winter some green mildew has settled on the upper face of my footing blocks and I would prefer to clean this off before laying further courses up to dpc. During my boating days I used a teak cleaning fluid that caused the winter green that settles on a wooden deck to lift and wash off. Can someone suggest a non marine equivalent cleaner?

Will a load of insulation seconds be appearing in the forum for sale section soon?