TheMitchells

came across this article and thought it may be of interest. http://www.sofiepelsmakers.com/suspended-timber-ground-floors.html It talks about the different types of insulation used and how good it can be.

Hi Vpip. I have been on here for a good few years but have been very quiet for last 3-4yrs as no chance of finding land. But there is light at the end of the tunnel (hopefully) so I am back. Its amazing what you can learn here. I just hope that this time, i can make use of it. Ask away - there's always someone who will help. Good luck too.

I drove past it last month when attending a wedding at Croyde - i thought it was the lighthouse from grand Designs. it looked fairly close to being finshed.

yes, hubby added the screws and he went in between the two of them so its more like 5-6cm. the boards do seem secure so hoping that adding screws between the nails will prevent any movement. Will tell him to go either side on any more that we do. as there are loads to do all over the upstairs, we may just live with them and i'll concentrate of the joint lines. after all, we've put up with them for 25 years so it obviously isn't too much of a problem. ?

This is another line of plasterboard tape that has moved. I am trying to repair the small one first to see if i can make a reasonable job of it before tackling the longer two lines right across the stairs walls. The small one is on the landing so easy to access. this one will involve ladders!

Have done as you suggest. Am now looking to re-plaster. Do i need anything on top of the nail head before I start? PVA glue or something to help it stick? And does thefact that it is a painted wall change anything about applying plaster?

I am planning to paint the hall, stairs and landing (okay - not me, a proper painter) and am thinking of repairing the plasterwork beforehand. There are lines where the plasterboards are joined as well as numourous blown screw heads. However, when i started to remove the blown heads, i discovered they are nails, not screws! Has anyone come across this before? The house was built by Americans about 30 years ago then sold by the MOD 23 years ago when I bought it. I have put up with the bad plaster but would like to sort them out and plan to have a go at the plastering. Should I knock in the nails and add screws before attempting the plastering? I'd rather not have to remove them all and the plasterboard does seem solid.

I have come late to this party but wanted to add my congratulations on such a beautiful build. i have just read through ervery one of your posts and think you have created a wonderful home - I'd move in like a shot! so when i want to build my house, i'll be on the phone to you - i love everything about it and would hardly need to change a thing. Well done! hope you are enjoying it still. ?

Looks great Mike. can you tell me what flooring you used in the kitchen. I like that look.?

Cannot help with the question but good luck and please do a blog so we can all follow the 'journey' with you. I have heard good things about Scotframe. They did the first Passivhaus in a town near us and the owners gave a talk about the process. they certainly didnt have anything bad to say. Their only problem was finding stuff for the cleaner to do as the MVHR helped keep the house clean too!

water based.

Well, I bought the sheet of mdf and the OH cut it all up. I am now in the process of painting the pieces. two coats each of undercoat, rollered on. it only takes a few minutes to paint then several hours to dry as its so cold in the garage. So the next quesiton is which is the best paint to use? I need something hardwearing. we have a dog and the hall gets lots of use so it must be tough. and ideally not gloss as i think that would show up the imperfections. I did wonder about car spray paint as that must be pretty tough but it would be a pain to spray all those pieces. Would a couple of coats of a satinwood be sufficently hardwearing?

Thank you for all the tips - I am going to tile the wall but need a cupboard as the heating vent is behind/underneath the basin and we want a small cupboard to store odds and ends. I have seen Jali doors which will allow the heat out the cupbaord without having to extend the vent which would be difficult and look a bit silly. Our basin will sit on the cupboard. I did look to buy one but it would need to be an odd size so easier to make one to fit. It fits in the end of the loo so only 88cm wide. I did manage to go to Wickes today and the hardwood ply is really smooth and will make an ideal cupboard. The edges looked okay. and I think I'd prefer that to mdf. Photos to be uploaded when its done.

As part of our renovation of the cloakroom, we plan to build a cupboard for the sink to sit on with Jali doors to allow the heat out of the vent which will be covered by the unit. I plan to use 18mm plywood onto a frame and am looking at Wickes (its open and close so hoping i can sneak out and get it - doubt the police would consider it essential). They have softwood and hard wood but say the hardwood is not structural so should i get the softwood? It seems the opposite to expected. I'd have thought the hardwood would be better? Any thoughts.

not sure - doubt it as it has to go into the cloakroom and round the loo so not easy. but thinking it will add to the insulation of the floor as its just laid on concrete. no insulation that we know of. yes, its nice and level.

We are thinking of replacing the linoleum in our hall and cloakroom with a new one as the dog scratched some areas so much it removed the top layer. Is it possible to just lay the new one on top of the old one? Or does it need to be removed?

Just watching the last episode - they are digigng out the foundations but the field is so wet, the dumpers are getting stuck. Didnt it occur to them to dig out the drive first and lay hardcore - or even lay some matting - there must be something they could use! They do seem rather useless and not a lot happens in any episode.

sounds very exciting! Great News re the plot - where in the country are you?? Look forward to hearing all about it.

I think most people have been in the same boat as you and its probably done us all the world of good. I am so grateful that while in lockdown we have a garden and it has been wonderful to do so many off the jobs that i rarely get rouond to doing. and the Other Half didnt seem to mind helping either. Horticulture/gardening is an excellent form of therapy; so much so that some Dr's are even prescribing it. Re designing a garden, thats something i help people with. but Manchester is a bit of a long way from Bicester, Oxfordshire. Maybe i could start a simple guide to designing a garden. I used to teach it so will have a look at my notes and pull something together. it may be some use to others too. In the meantime, if you see a picture of a garden that you either like/hate, try to keep a note of what you liked/disliked. and try to decide what you'd like the garden to provide - is it just for entertaining? for relaxing? for children/pets?

Best time to prune a wisteria is in winter - Feb is good - as you can see the framework that you have. Here are some before and after shots. And here it is flowering. In summer, i go thorugh the whole thing and cut back all the long whippy growths to 4-6 buds. this encourages the one nearest the plant to beome a flowering bud (as well as tidying it up), so in winter when i cut back to 2/3 buds, you have a new flowering one and 1-2 buds to grow. then repeat as many times as you like with the flowering spur getting bigger each year. occasionally cut out some of the flowering spurs to keep the plant in shape or let more light in. and if it needs renovating, cut it back really hard, leaving only the framework that is in the right place. it will soon send out new shoots which you can then train in for the future. The main thing is to be tough - remove any shoots that arent in the right place and tie in ones that are. you'll need a strong support too. Good luck.

Thanks Ferdinand for the reminder of that great song! ?

Dont let them put you off! You dont mention where you are based but there is a great Self Build and Renovation Centre at Swindon which I'd recommend you visit. its free if you pre book tickets and is a mine of information, particularly for those beginning their delf build dream. But I agree that it helps if you both are in this together. My other half is not as keen and I know I need him to be on board too before we do it. There are self build shows all around the country and again, you can get free tickets from various sources; magazines or companies which are keen for their potential customers to attend and see their stall. They are great for talking to other self builders to get a true picture of what its like. And there are plenty of self builders who are happy to show you their own house. Then you can truely see the benefits as well as discuss the pitfalls and downsides so at least you go into it with your eyes open. And lastly, try out the podcasts at Houseplanninghelp.com. Go back to the beginning as they are going to be most relevant. Good luck!

Dad has already ahd a letter saying that they have seen his car on our temporary drive and he has crossed the footpath which is illegal. while they dont mention prosecution; that is implied and as am 80 year old, he does not want to do anything illegal and would be horrified to think he'd be sent to court. yes, thats correct. The council say it is the cost of making the pavement to the right specification. and I guess that does make the price more reasonable. howwever, there are loads of places around where people cross the pavement and even park on the kerb and I doubt they get any letters. I shall look into that as we have been told that we can only use those contractors on the list. we did get someone out to give a quote for the driveway and he was not happy as he had tried to get on the council list and couldnt. so he he could not give us a price for the dropped kerb. I still think the prices are way too high for the work. hopefully we'll get more reasonable ones now we are after Christmas and some of the other firms willcome and give us quotes. Fingers crossed!

Go for the Double Height hall - will look fab! who needs another En-suite. you already have two bathrooms upstiars. thats my twopennyworth.

Have been getting some quotes for a dropped kerb for parents bungalow. It tool over 6 months to get the permission but the council finally relented and sent us the contractors list that we can use. Tried about 5 but most too busy as its Christmas! however, had two quotes - £1500 + vat and £2,500 + vat!! here's the kerb - its 5 cm high and made of granite cobbles which they will re-use. Is that daylight robbery or not?? I guess £260 of that is the council licence they have to have. But even so, are they going to re-do the whole footpath around the bungalow? Anyone else had a dropped kerb to give me some perspective on costs? But like usual - we cannot use a local reasonable firm; we have to use someone off the Council list which seems to give them the ability to charge anything they like. Bah Humbug!!