Vijay

yep, built a double garage with my first attempt and been using for my internal wall blocks more recently

Look at a Bricky tool if you want to do it yourself, deffo makes things easier DIY https://bricky.com/building-tools/bricky/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjNS3BhChARIsAOxBM6o8x5HUUSHDsq9SWn3yo1nDXqNGRv9n2UfOwMrMZ3gAy6IbTCh9pQgaAtfCEALw_wcB

Yeah I've told them don't skimp on the base, has to be substantial and not likely to rot away

No base yet, it's just earth/grass. She said "So looking at the pergola going from end of garden and stopping at last plant pot"

they're all treated but you need to keep up the maintenance of washing it down and re-treating it

funnily enough I saw that in a retail park on the weekend. It's still the maintenance side of wood though

that'd be a worry and a reason I hate wooden decking. As they're elderly a good grip is pretty vital

just a simple rectangle. Yeah any pics would be good which I can send her

Hi all, Asking for a very good friend of my partner. She was just about to have normal wooden decking down on their patio (I believe it's 2400 x 3600) and I mentioned how I hated wooden decking cos of the maintenance. She has looked at composite and said it's a bit of a minefield in terms of product and price. I just wondered if anyone has used a product they they would recommend and also if anyone has any good or bad points about composite decking. Is it something people wouldn't bother with and go with slabs or something? They're an elderly couple so maintenance needs to be pretty minimum. Cheers Vijay

Found these guys to be very helpful. My partner had always struggled keeping a lawn (many on her estate had the same issue). I gave them a call and they suggested their "childs playarea seed" and it worked great. https://www.bostonseeds.com/products/grass-seeds/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw8rW2BhAgEiwAoRO5rIS__AC0cR74XzLrwDOeBOnm_euMYeX_AH3OpGPBCoxukKt7Qe_pkRoCi8UQAvD_BwE

exactly how I installed it, used blocks to weigh it all down when installing it.

Yep but I did timberwork to support it, but it still failed

I fitted one of these for my parents and I'd never fit one again! They look amazing but weren't well made and Abacus couldn't care less. A year or so down the line, the plastic guttering/drain cracked and leaked. I had to break the ceiling from underneath to fix it which was an absolute headache

The front of the site and one side where my static is is all heras fenced. The rest of the plot has got 4 bar fencing . When he visited in June, the fence on the front was damaged, but replaced in July.

not sure I'd want them to think I'm playing games, but I like that idea for shutting off materials and other bits I have on site

Thank you all for your responses and kind words. I've missed this place and it massively helps reading all the replies. Does anyone know if there are actual laws/rules on what can be left on a building site? It would be a real pain for me to have to move my 2 cars off my land. There's plenty of room to move them which I'll do

no falling out at all. I can't say openly at the moment but if I'm right, it's very underhand......................

The upset is more that I believe a neighbour has this for horrible reasons. I'm a very approachable person and if anyone had an issue, I'd want to deal with it if I could. Last thing as already mention is not peeing off neighbours before you've lived there.....

That's exactly it, I know it will be an amazing place to live and I believe a nice life once it's done

he said he visited my site on June 12th (the only week I took off as I had family over from America for my parents 90th's). He said "I can confirm that we consider the condition of the land to be unsatisfactory and a cause for concern due to the following issues: 1) Potential health and safety risk from unsecure building site / scaffolding - it's secure and the scaffold is erected and tied to the house 2) Harm to visual amenity - no words 3) Potential environmental harm should machinery/containers leak fluids - cars have no fuel in them and only other machinery is a digger and dumper I will take a pic but the only thing I can agree is an issue, is the cars are near a neighbours fence. I would happily move them to a less viewable place.

yeah I have nothing at all to hide 1) Secure the site - it is 2)Tidy up building materials - shocked cos people have commented that my site is always tidy - it's a building site! 3) Remove unnecessary items and vehicles from the site - got the 2 cars 4) Store any oils/fuels/liquids in a safe manner (i.e. spilltrays/secondary containers). - only water on site in 2 IBC's

there is nothing dangerous about my site. It is secure and insured. The council said "Please note that should you fail to comply with this request, we will consider what further action is appropriate to address the breach. This could include the service of a formal enforcement Notice pursuant to sections 215-219 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended), which would legally require you to undertake the works set out above." I have replied to them asking for them to meet me on site to show me the issues they need resloved

Thank you so much everyone. I find it so tough as I flip between what to do and how long things might take. My partner is amazing but she doesn't really share my self build dream. I met her after I started the build, so it's not something she'd ever have thought about doing. She's more into new run on the mill developer houses because they are "finished" and new. She thinks the build would be an amazing home, but doesn't see it as worth it because of the time it would take. When it rains it pours

Morning guys, Another crap nights sleep after receiving a letter from the council as someone has complained about my site. I think I know who it is and let's just say if I'm right, their intentions are pretty screwed up. They have basically complained that my site is abandoned, untidy and unsafe. I have been on site for months most days so I was shocked to get the letter. So my question is what is allowed to be left on site and are there rules about it? I do have 2 cars there that I want to restore (the dream of working in a workshop/garage). Am I allowed to keep them onsite if they are covered up? Thanks for any help, Vijay

Hey everyone. Some might remember me, most probably won't, it's been over 3 years since I did any work on my build and at a crossroads now. I got my ICF walls up to first floor level and got the concrete poured into the walls. Then due to family stuff and health, had to put a complete hold to my self build journey. So nearly 3.5 years later and at 53, I have the very tough decision to make of whether to carry on or take life easier and settle for a normal house and probably no workshop. I love my plot and would love to live in the finished house (and workshop lol), but have to be realistic of how long it might take to get there. I write all this wondering how many of you guys have been in the situation of having to decide if carrying on is the best choice? Did anyone walk away and regret it? Was anyone close to giving up and calling it a day??? I'll probably post a few questions on the next steps of work, which could help me decide what to do. Hope everyone is good and made progress/finished their builds Vijay