G and J

+1. I've tried clever stuff with long cables and feeding multiple displays but 3D works best with the source close to the tv/projector with dedicated and short (and actually cheap) HDMI cables. Sometimes I’m so busy being ‘clever’ I miss the bleedin obvious simple solution.

Sounds an excellent plan. However, if, @Amateur bob, you went this route there still may be quirks in lending criteria that you might benefit from checking out sooner rather than later. An example is that some self build mortgages dislike lending in a plot that’s already owned. With then you have to arrange the mortgage, do the next stage of work with your own money and only then will they advance funds. Appears bonkers from my armchair but it is what it is.

Don’t assume that logic that is self evident to us mortals applies to underwriters. It’s a bit like tax law, there will always have been a reason but it’s so buried in history you could never second guess it.

Isn’t this a classic problem for a water level? You’ll need a friend, some wood, some cable ties, a clear tube, a funnel and a marker pen, and of course some water. Cable tie the tube to the bits of wood so when each piece of wood is stood either side of the patio the tube forms a big u shape. Full tube till it’s at a sensible level to mark the level on both bits of wood. Dismantle, put the bits of wood next to each other and measure the difference between the two marks. Do lots of maths to calculate angles, sigh, then shrug and accept that it is what it is and dig a small French drain between the patio and the grass. Even better, forget all but the last bit.

We can do clever stuff like casting or mirroring (from various devices to displays) but HDMI offers simple local reliable connection. Looks like you’ve several sources of stuff you might want to watch in your comms area so HDMI is a really obvious choice if it’s less than 10m (you can get further but it gets a bit device dependent). Of course once you’ve turned on your tv and selected HDMI as your source you’ve then got to select what feeds that HDMI cable…. We’ve a complex system with a digital recorder that can feed every tv in the house including the projector and is controlled by radio from anywhere in the house. Pity we turned it all off a couple of years ago when we realised that all we needed was a streaming stick on our old tvs and a couple of 3D bluray players (one in the lounge and one in the kitchen). The av in the new pad will be so simple it’s silly.

We (meaning I) forgot to pay. How dumb do I get? (Don’t answer that!). Sorted in no time.

So…. I’m now looking at the sheathing material for the frame of our stick build. Much of our walling is less than a metre from our boundary so we need to design in fire resistance. I don’t think I can use cement board as it isn’t breathable and I don’t want a wet, sticky, suffocated frame. So far I’ve come across Magply and Econic General Purpose Sheathing. Both appear to have the physical attributes needed, (racking, breathability, etc.). Are there any others that might be worth considering? Has anyone reading this (or anyone you know) recently used such and got a warranty? I’m told that historically there has been issues where warranty companies dislike these materials - we do want a warranty and frankly I’d see it as a red flag and investigate further even if we didn’t. I will also approach the manufacturers but real life examples are far more reliable. As always, help much appreciated.

Each lender has their own criteria. Viewed from outside they will often seem strange and illogical but they’re likely there because of weird historical problems or mortgage fraud, both attempted and successful. I deal with peeps who struggle to prove identity and address and it really can be difficult to get round, so I can see that being a problem. If the potential, future mortgage you mention is to help you build I’d suggest opening a dialogue with a good broker pronto. You may find such a discussion illuminating, and that may well inform decisions on actions to take now that will make things easier later.

Our span means we could get by with very thick 254mm posi joists but 304mm will actually work out cheaper and will be thinner and lighter to handle too, and gives slightly less deflection so a better feel. And with flooring on top and plasterboard below that gives us damn near 8’ for each floor and cheap standard roof trusses. I like cheap and standard. No alarms and no surprises, please. (To quote a well known lyric!).

It means he wanted you to vote Labour. 😉

Hmmmmm. I’m now feeling like a bit of a troglodyte. Our planning, entirely reasonably methinks, requires our ridge to be roughly the same height as next door’s ridge. That means 16’ of room between upstairs and down unless I go for collared trusses and chamfered rooms upstairs, which I am not keen on. So it’s probably standard height both floors. Perhaps I’ll just think of it as homely (and not invite Kevin McC round)

Congratulations on moving in. Hope it went well.

And will you be somehow putting slack in between sockets?

Won’t that mean there’s nothing to stop your skirting warping?

Crumbs what an interesting idea. Presumably the battens are far enough apart to fit a back box in without cutting into them. Do you put small loops every so often to give you slack for new sockets or pull new cable in?

carbon emissions, - I care but can’t quantify with any certainty so this can’t guide me EPDs, - don’t know what they are. recyclability - I intend what I put in to last decades so don’t care about recyclability. sustainability - unless I know that a particular product I’m looking at is really bad news then this isn’t a factor. I’m not going to have a tiger skin rug but telling between different types of ceramic floor tiles? aesthetics, - bingo. The big one. functionality, cost, durability - all hygiene factors not motivators.

Spoilsport.

We are replacing a dwelling with a combined system. We are on sand, so could easily use soakaways instead of dumping our rainwater into the sewers. That would require capital investment. Anglia Water incentivise such behaviour by reducing my annual water bill by £15 if I did. Everyone I talk to just tells me to forget it and stay combined, save myself money and hassle. One has to ask if Anglia Water care about sewers being flooded by rainwater. Maybe it keeps em clean and flowing without having to pay for it to be done manually.

Ah! So that’s why I haven’t got a PhD! Now it all makes sense.

In the meantime I REQUIRE it to stop flippin raining. Sigh.

Good point, and very possibly a factor. I also think it’s easy to forget on the net that it’s actually people at the other end of our messages, and like a smile in a shop, a little courtesy makes everyone feel better.

We’re aiming at nicely airtight but wall thickness precludes that level of insulation. However with some psychedelic pipe laying maybe redundancy can be effectively achieved….

As I think through many different aspects of our forthcoming build few worry me as much as the potential damage to underfloor heating pipes awaiting a protective screed. Presumably almost all such installations survive being trodden on by the guys laying the screed so I simply needn’t worry so much? Or are there steps one can take to reduce the risk of damage?

You require. I take it you missed the first year lecture series Manners: An Introduction. And I take it you repeated your demand because you didn’t get the response you hoped for instantly. May I suggest that if you asked in a more appropriate and courteous manner more of the many helpful peeps on this site might be happy to respond.

That’s centralised long term thinking. AKA heresy. Think of the effect on the share dividends. Bit like preventative healthcare. Can’t afford it in this year’s budget. 😕