Ralph

This is what I was thinking so thanks for confirming. I may not be quite so polite when I have this conversation.

Does this help at all? If not I can get some more pics later today.

I know nothing about plumbing and I've left it to the plumbers. However, I had to take photos of our double check valve (we don't appear to have one, yet) for Scottish Water. I noticed that the tundish finishes above some boxed in bit on the floor. I am going to be asking the plumber about all this but I'd like to go in a bit more informed than I am now so three questions for you guys. Should there be a drain for the tundish? The water pipe you see in the pic is not yet connected so I'm assuming that is where the stopcock and double check valve will go, does that also not need a drain? We seem to have our electric meter close to where the water comes in and the tundish is. Is this a problem. Thanks in advance.

It's the inconstancy that gets me. Our original one was a nightmare. Our site is ringed by a lot of trees but mostly scrub and whins in the middle. He could not be bothered to go on site or even look on Google maps. Just looked from his car and decided it was densely wooded ground. He sent a scorching letter to our architect saying he was disgusted that we would even consider asking for planning. Everything was an issue. You would have thought we were bulldozing Stonehenge and replacing it with a giant knob. We ended up with a new planning officer who was very helpful. Took a practical view on things, was fine about taking out some trees as long as we planted some more, absolute night and day.

In the late 90s my brother opened an ad agency in Beijing. It was amazing to see how rampantly capitalist the Chinese actually were, especially with the added corruption and cronyisim honed by communism.

Well last week some of the press were apparently calling English footballers getting paid £180k per week Marxists so to be honest I have no idea what anything means any more.

Thanks Nick for the nice and clear response. We don't have PV at the moment.

We have a couple of towel rails due to go in that run off the as yet to be commissioned ASHP. The towel rails can be dual fuel, Is there any point in adding an electric heating element or will just the ASHP be ok? I'm thinking about the summer months. Thanks.

Openreach dropped off a drum of cable, all the ducting, and the joint box with manhole cover. They even gave us a little drum of draw cord and duct reducers. we're 120meters from the road and they did not charge us a penny. We dug the trench and pulled the cable, it's now waiting for connection. This has been the only problem, getting them out to dig the last 5 meters of trenching on the verge. It's now booked for a few weeks time and I can see that they have a traffic control permit so it should be going ahead.

Will do

I've decided not to go for it. Looks to tricky and I don't think a butt joint will look too bad.

Has anyone tried to miter a waterfall edge with compact laminate? Right now it's just sitting unfixed with an over hang but I'm not sure trying to cut a miter in this stuff is a good idea. Would it be safer to go for just a but joint without the overhang even though a miter would probably look better? Thoughts? ate?

After our experiences with Scottish Power, Scottish Water and Openreach I sometimes wonder how anything gets done at all. Only advice I have is to factor in a lot of extra time for any of them to get anything done.

I would be surprised if it comes down very much by Sept / October. From what I've read Inventories were down 30%+ before COVID and sawmills are underinvested. Housing demand will still be high and lumber companies are going to start spending on upgrades.

We did this at the office a few years back. Window and seal was all fine but one of the guys slipped and the edge went through his jeans and got him in the balls. Stitches required.

Correct. I'm aware of my inherit distain. Not proud of it but aware.

While many of us find that depressing for some people it will be aspirational which in turn is more depressing.

What I love is the way Bosch make the combi oven smaller than the standard so you need a £500 warming drawer to fill in the space.

I completely agree with this. We're working on a lessons Learned system for one of the largest OEMs in the automotive industry, Co-ordinating software dev across multiple time zones with all the competing requirements and legislation is a piece of cake compared to the last 6 months trying to get our house finished. It's rage inducing insanity.

In Aberdeen, before the last oil slump, I knew of a few people that fit £100k+ kitchens because that was what was expected in their sort of social circle. They did not really cook and quite often the next person to buy the house would rip the kitchen out and stick a new one in. It all went along with the white Range Rover for the wife on the school run, Aston to drive to the office and Mini Cooper for the young bit on the side.

I did hear a rumour that now that West Fraser own Norbord all their production from the OSB mill up near Inverness is going to North America. I have also spoken to a couple of small builders who have stopped taking on projects and are subbing for the bigger outfits until the situation improves.

You know what they say, anything's a dildo if you're brave enough.

Thanks, yup Angus. That is the Angus Glens and start of the Cairngorms.

A ancient haunted burial ground is more my luck. I think it's the views.

I don't know if it's anything to do with the current boom but recently we were offered a surprising amount of money for 1/3 of our 1 acre plot. Not far off what we paid for the whole acre 4 years ago.