MikeSharp01

I did a load of work on some 60mm thick oak treads for a friend they were green oak and I used the cnc machine I have access to so as to put pockets in the bottom and drill fixing holes. It worked out very well once he had put them all up and he dud expect some splitting to make them more rustic.

Hang on, I can see how this might happen, suppose the blockage above you has always been there but not apparent - always somewhat restricted. Now however there is a blockage below you that used to be open to the atmosphere so flow, once past this new failure point, sucks the traps above it. IS there a delay before the gurgling starts.

Nick - trying to work out how the problem might be below POCSTER but drew a blank is there a root to this?

You can find it here: http://www.northernpolytunnels.co.uk/w-wire-wiggle-wire-polythene-fixing-system.html

Interesting conundrum in as much as getting the architect aboard is a sound idea but you need time to do that. Before your do have a read of what @caliwag, an architect himself, has to say on that score, get your mind round the constraints you want to put on them and the nature of your solution both of which will affect the choice of architect. So it maybe that getting a survey will add value by giving you time if you see what I mean. On the other hand and as Tyke2 says having an architect aboard has all the advantages of their knowledge but get your ducks lined up in terms of what you think you want - mood boards etc before you appoint. If its the same as the neighbours then probably an architectural technologist is a better bet than a full architect, cheaper and they more do what you want, which is constrained by what you can think of, rather than give more what you need by interpreting your thinking as a design for you.

Welcome & lucky you are to be living in North Devon! Probably not after we had paid all the claims for Ethically Relative advice!? PS We used screw piles to strengthen the foundations of a single story building we built on the top of. Much easier than digging out and backfilling with concrete.

They look good but you probably need a lot more noted detail / specification for the BC people. EG specification of timbers (C16 / C24) - spacings, RSJs etc. We (English - rules apply here) had to provide all the structural calculations for ours and a set of section details showing how the flashing, DMP, DPC, drain runs etc worked. As you have a PC I would get a copy of DRAFTSIGHT (Its free) and learn to drive it as it makes editing drawings so much easier - right first time is very hard on paper unless you have a lifetime of experience to support you.

Would the unit allow you to run the UFH from it assuming no other demands although the reversible cooling question then arises - assuming the unit has this feature and you could pump hot air out of the exhaust it might contend but in both modes power is likely to be a problem - have I got that right? We are going through the usual mill of deciding how to tackle the DHW side of things and had ruled out ASHP for DHW because of the infrastructure you need, losses associated and the availability of gas on site. ASHP for UFH looks like the chosen route. However we now find ourselves between a combi boiler just for DHW & maybe emergency UFH and one of the many SUNAMP systems - so am looking forward to hearing the @JSHarris verdict on the latest incarnation.

As @JSHarris says but I have, in the past, squeezed the metal tab to close up the hole a bit before re-threading as this often helps if the hole is striped of its thread, twisting the tab can also help although it gets to be a bit more of a bodge!

Yes - it does seem a bit odd that @recoveringacademic feels that this is the result of (or could be rooted from) ethical relativism, although I think I can see how I am not sure that Ethical Relativism is well understood and in this context might well have created an unlucky outcome. The problem is what I think of as the lack of 'grey scale' understanding that it embodies. The infinite grey scale, it seems to me, gets forgotten in as much as people neglect the clear fact, as I see it - ooops, that ethical relativism on any issue is an analog rather than digital signal - IE is has continuous change and is therefore not a step function. So this means that any two people even with the same, exactly, socialisation (By which I mean inclusive background) will still be able to identify differences between their outlooks. So where you draw the line becomes a very, very, fine thing. Hence our friend from Norway may well only be a scintilla away from the next person in the group but the line has been drawn there - I am not at clear why! PS great topic for a lunch time seminar - back to the sole plate....

Think it will still only be electric that is available, water based systems are two thick to get in much under 50mm but you might get down to 40mm at a push. How are things up on Teesside? Our son did his industrial placement in Redcar (great TV that is making just now - mighty Redcar), and we spent several breaks visiting him getting to know the countryside and the industrial landscape along the Tees - very much off our beaten track until then.

Although I may have misunderstood I cannot see this being vastly costly as you do intend to stay within the confines of the restriction - don't you then the risk is one of interpretation, and if you are not then you won't get insurance cheaply as the risk is bound to crystalise . Under which circumstances I would fess up to the 'relevant party' so they are not surprised and negotiate change.

We went round the neighbours with the draft plans before submission and got their feedback, we also tried to be good neighbours, joining the residents association, paying the fee, and joining the work parties - its a private road so upkeep falls the residents. We need not have worried perhaps as essentially they were happy to see the dilapidated bungalow go and we had no objections. We are still working at being good neighbours having paid for the footpath adjacent to our property to be resurfaced and keeping on with the working parties. They all seem happy - the only problem came when we had a bonfire to burn all the vegetation which we had heaped up - the garden had been neglected entirely for 10 years, one neighbour did complain about that so I put it out immediately and light it up again once she went out.

Welcome to THE forum, look forward to hearing more about it.

Welcome to THE forum for all things self build - anybody who can make what is essentially a creamy liquid stick to a ceiling gets my respect!

Our AFT foundation L section pieces came already rendered so we didnt have that problem, although to be fair, when I ordered it I was expecting to render it. My plan was to stick the Marley thrutone cememt tiles that the whole house is covered with on the outside as much quicker than render. I have done this with polyurathane glue (5 minute) on the garden room and it works.

I think of it as valet parking....

Is that a soft landing for the whole crane when it topples over?

Euphamism or what / if ever I heard one.

There is also a possible wrinkle to watch out for as the charge sense circuit may be devised so as to not sense the presence of the battery if the battery is in the charger when it is first turned on. My Dewalt multi charger has this problem (Which might be a design feature I suppose) - if the battery is in the charger when you plug it in / turn it on it never charges the battery, take the battery out and pop it in again and it does its job perfectly.

This effectively makes the visible beam part of the decoration as a false beam, as seen often in 1960s Jacobean cottages, and is not subject directly to fire regs - unless you are building an HMO, so just finish the ceiling as you had already agreed with BC and then fit the false beam. Job looks good by the way,

I have no intention of installing any gas stuff myself, I appreciate the risks, so will have it done by a GS person. Although I have to say the new Sunamp box of tricks might make the whole plan for a Combi to supply DHW redundant.

That cannot be the whole picture. What would the situation be if both my wife and I did the install would that make it legal for us both to live there? If so then all one would need to do is invite all the people on face book to 'help" with the install and anybody can live there.?

Structuraly you need to take the new end load of those beams down to the ground somehow as the ceiling joists for downstairs run the wrong way you will have to be creative by spanning the downstairs walls to front to back and double (at least) up the ceiling joists to provide that support. However you ho you need a structural engineer to sign off on it as BC won't accept it otherwise.

Evostick (other contact adhesives are available) its slightly flexible and can be applied very evenly so no lumps.