Crofter

I've always just drilled holes in the back on the panel frame and used u-bolts to attach panels to frames. For automatic tilting, I imagine you could set something up using a length of threaded rod and a windscreen wiper motor. Would be a fun project!

My new Aluplast sliding door came with a box full of these. No instructions and the pdf I've found online doesn't really help. I was just planning on screwing through the frame prior to fitting the glazed units, but thought I'd check in case I was missing out by not using these.

We're windier, and we have lots of scope for pumped hydro storage.

https://www.euronews.com/2026/03/11/spains-renewables-revolution-likely-to-keep-energy-bills-low-even-as-gas-prices-soar Spain are seeing the benefits of using invested in renewables. I presume they have a more sensible energy pricing system than we do. The idea that we "can't afford net zero" is almost laughably wrong.

I don't feel like I've cut any corners. There's genuinely nothing I would do differently even if I had a bigger budget. (Actually there is- I'm never tiling an entire room in metro tiles again!)

Wow. My entire bathroom cost £700.

When I started my build, I was getting 25x50 battens that looked like any other treated timber. They were fine. At that size, you expect a few splits especially near the ends, but overall they behaved ok. At some point the supplier switched and began selling me those godawful blue stained battens. Apparently the colour is there so that BCO can glance up at the roof and tick a box as he knows that they are approved battens. Or so I was told. Anyway, they are utterly awful. The blue staining comes off in the rain and stains your hands. And they split at the mere sight of a screw, let alone a nail.

It's so frustrating. Parcel force deliver to here at a decent price, and obviously anything royal mail is a fixed rate. But so many companies ignore these options. I swear that when I was doing the build, I spent more time trying not to get shafted on delivery than I did actually building! One little good news story though- yesterday I phoned a supplier for something and they agreed to cut their stock 2m length down to the 1.8m I needed, which dropped it down a price bracket on delivery. Order went from £93 to £52 with a single phone call. Very decent of them.

Already bought but thanks for the offer 😊

Interesting. Our MDF has stood up pretty well. Eight years so far as a busy holiday let occupied about 200 nights a year. We don't go mad with the floor mopping though, because the floor is bamboo. And in the bathroom, I have replaced one small section of MDF with tile because it was suffering from damp.

I wanted solid oak. Then I priced it up (not just skirtings- architraves, liners, and stops too) and had a change of heart. Considered veneered, but it wasn't all that much cheaper and seemed far more vulnerable. In the end I just went with MDF, and painted it. Very happy. Not only did I save a lot of money, but fitting was an absolute doddle. If you make a mistake, you just cover it with filler, sand it smooth, and paint. Can't do that with solid wood! I already had bamboo flooring, exposed timber beams, and plain white walls. The colour of the skirts was a nice extra touch to what could have been quite a bland interior.

Oh well in the end I've chosen Illbruck me315, because the places selling the other stuff all wanted silly money for delivery (of a single roll of tape) to a Highlands postcode. Hopefully it'll be up to the job.

Is Vana the same as Pro Clima?

I've just started replacing a couple of windows. Previously I'd used SIga Wigluv black tape, and I can confirm that after nearly ten years it's still perfectly adhered and has done its job perfectly. It's flippin expensive though. I can get e.g. Illbruck ME315 for a third of the price, and it also seems very highly regarded. I'd be interested to hear what tapes other people have used and how you would rate them.

That must depend on the product. I've got a set of French doors from them and they're definitely not completely airtight. They were cheap though, and they're on a pretty exposed elevation.