twice round the block

Snow forecast for next week so get all your pack of bricks and blocks wrapped up along with any timber while you still have time.

Hope you get a price off the builder for stage 1, and don't do it on a day work price. Will stage 1 include putting the drainage in and supervising the concrete pour for the footings? so stage 2 will get the slab in and upto dpc etc.

If you live in the country you won't stop foxes. For cats use kebab sticks in beds and pots. Cats seem to be very attracted to clumps of grasses and fresh top soil. When 5 neighbours had multiple cat's I did revert to an electric fence which worked well. As most cat owners don't seem to be keen gardeners, they don't have any comprehension of how much plants cost.

Back in the 80's we had 11.4%..... Thank your blessings

425 to 650k some of it to do with estate agents that wore rose tinted glasses for overpriced tat that needed a fortune spending on it. Others we're more than new builds.

The market will be swamped with them shortly as the ground work and hire companies struggle to rent them out due to the lack of work in the domestic market and all new sites are being put on hold due to the up and coming interest rise. People are pulling out of sales and the market is collapsing fast, with developer's trying cash incentives to get buyer's to sign. I have a couple of emails per week where 25 to 45k has been slashed off the price of a properties in an area of Devon, where I'm looking to buy. Sit tight and wait 3 month's and there will be lot's about for sale for a good price.

Welcome. The ridge height looks low. Is there any insulation in the loft area?

Done the frozen water and frozen gas regulator bit in a static with the wife. Not sure I would like to try it with a wife and 3 children for a 2-3 year period. It helps to keep the build moving on when it's on your door step, as there are always bit's to get on with providing food and drink is on tap to keep the energy levels up, and the wife shares your passion for the build.

Barcham Trees & Majestic Trees both have very good Web sites which includes mature size and soil conditions for different species etc. I've purchased 8 Trees from Majestic over a two year period and all are going well, even after the scorching summer we had.

All paving and driveways around a property should have a gap of 6 inches. This is normally filled with pea shingle to allow any water to drain away. The gap is also to help stop any heavy rain showers, bouncing water off your drive / path and landing above the dpc line of your house.

Job's going well then...... you posted back in November 2021 you were looking for a builder in the Southampton area for the renovation work. Judging by your wish list above you may get a bit of change from 30k for the whole job.

Good luck with the project. You need lots of resilience and a clear focus of the end result so you don't loose your way, as it's going to be a long haul. Anything your not sure about ask the question on here first so you don't make a costly mistake or end up doing a job twice.

Photos on here would have been a preferred way of us giving a proper opinion on whether this is a height, square footage, too close to a boundary, or over looking other peoples gardens or properties from your NEW view point. The planning department want photos so they can make an instant assessment as they are a bit behind with trying to get all the self builder's application's processed !!!

Add a metal deck by www.CDI-ICM.co.uk. No more creaking floor or noise pollution.

Buy from a dealer he will have the machine registered with TER Equipment Register and will give you the certificate of registration to prove it isn't stolen. The risks are too great buying from Facebook, Gumtree, Ebay Anyone with a trailer, dumper, digger etc should get it registered with TER, it costs nothing to do, and you upload the serial numbers plus photos of the item, if it's stolen notify them and the police. The police use the site to trace the legal owner of equipment when they do stop and searches etc.

I know the advantage of buying one at the start of a build, but even mine I had to put a new crown and pinion gear in it as I lost all drive. If you own your own small machine you can use it when the weather conditions are suitable so you don't churn all the ground up, rather than being pressurised by a rental period to get the job done. Buy from a local dealer that way your transport cost will be less, make sure it comes with a selection of buckets. Have a look on www.machinerytrader.co.uk I wouldn't hire, such a handy tool to have available if you don't mind some of your finances tied up.

It's not surprising that so many listed buildings especially old industrial buildings are so prone to arson attacks. 🤔 For the owner they are an insurance nightmare and for the developer they are a bottomless money pit, made worse by local authority planning departments.

That looks really good. You should be proud of yourself. I bet that wasn't an easy project on the side of a hill.

You'll have to be careful not to bridge the dpc with any render stop you use and try and put 30° angle finish on it. Sand and cement render will be stronger than a porous face brick at the end of the day.

Someone never used frostproof bricks below the dpc all the way down to the footings then. In normal circumstances all the brick work would be cut out in sections and replaced with frostproof bricks down to the footings. Bit like Underpinning. Is your chimney stack or neighbouring houses in the same condition? As for render your just pretending the problem has gone away. Your concrete path / drive should not butt upto the house there should be a minimum gap of 100mm filled with pea shingle.

Slightly noisy, liquidiser breaking down the solids 💩 . Best invention ever

Hire one I use them for my work as pest controller, both my units were in the thousands. Even a cheap spotter / viewer around the £800 mark, still doesn't give very good detailed definition.

Take your rose tinted glasses off for a reality check.

Allow 1 year to get drawings and costings done. Allow 1 year to get planning. Allow 2 years to build it and finish it completely including landscaping. After 4 year's of stress you may still be together or the place will be on the market for the divorce settlement.

Not sure what your intended use is but I've been using thermal for a number of years and I think you maybe very disappointed with your purchase, especially if your trying to pin point heat loss areas. You may get a faint heat signature if it's freezing outside.