jamiehamy

Thanks! Thought I was going mad at one point, will pick one up from Screwfix.

Just a quick one for my sanity - I'm assuming the reason I can't get a seal at the compression join is due to the two imperfections in the moulding on the inner face? The join weeps slowly so I'm putting it down to a micro gap between the rubber and plastic?

Hmm, the relationship between the supplier and their credit card merchant is nothing to do with you - and most certainly should not be used as an excuse to put you off using credit card (if I'm reading rightly). If what they say is true, they should move to another provider. Re: Section75 - interesting but nothing much we mere mortals can do about it tbh. I pay virtually everything I can on credit card, paying it off every month to get the benefit (I have a Flybe card). I avoid ever paying anything directly from my bank account except any contractors.

Rooflight wise any reason they are not bigger? We're likely getting one for our garage which will have something like 25mm glass on the outer pane meaning the roof space - if flat - is fully usable? Can be tinted with a mirror tint for privacy. Just a thought!

They are being very proper. Just get it all out and then submit a blank statement...!

Interesting - looks in a good condition inside - could be tempting to tank the lot, insulate and scree the floor and line the 'external' walls with a timber framework. I'd keep those pillars exposed. Ceiling could be interesting - theoretically you could as Jeremy mentioned earlier insulate the outside and leave the internals exposed. Much depends on how you want it to look side. Btw - if cutting through deep walls, a Husqvarna Cut n Break is a godsend!

It just seems mahoosive. Not even a small hovercraft is that big :-p Hmm. For day to day. Two single fit the bill but probably. A decent sized double or slider is going to be more practical in the long term. The lintel just gets cast with the ICF pour, just need to ensure it's suitable propped. Wind wise there is no issue as the location is very sheltered. I just worry about someone ramming. The garage door to get on (its at the roadside). Detachable bollards on the inside should do. External ones allow opportunity to defeat.

Haha, Scotland. You have a great taste in car and garage door tis all! Lol.

Thank you, that's really useful. So if you need access to the trap in future. You lift the tray? I wasn't sure if it was realistic to make it accessible in that floor makeup. Thanks again. J

We should meet :-p

My thinking with the double is that it would be around 3m-ish wide - if it's in the centre then there's a lot of space at either side. A would never need a wider door than that but you would need to manoeuvre cars parked behind the door to fit both in side by side (two parked cars being more than 3m). Argh. First world problem, I accept that. Single not as flexible but double maybe less practical than you'd expect?

Tell me more...!

Looking for some thoughts to help me decide on this. We're about to start the garage walls and I need to decide whether to go for a double garage door or two singles. My thinking is that two singles is probably best as it will be easier too get cars into position as the garage is 6.5m wide(assuming I use it as a 4 car garage rather than try squeeze 6) Possibly more privacy when working as can have one door open for light and air (it's pretty much underground). The only problem is that undoubtedly I'll want to put a car trailer in and singles will be too small. Double: Most likely cheaper Can get most unusual thingsin. Bit of a pain lining cars up every time if I want space between them. If I went single, they'd need to be a decent width - do these things come in 'standard' sizes or just get made to measure? Also. How high can I have them? I was thinking roller doors as I want at least 2m if not more to ensure I can get a pop top campervan in. I'm assuming with roller I can pretty much have any height (and width) door? (ceiling is 3m). I need to decide by next weekend latest so would be interested in thoughts that might sway me one way or other. Thanks!

Hi Jon, Link to my blog contains most of what I've put online but feel free to ask any questions if you see any similarities. Pretty much as @JSHarris. said in terms of how to approach. We commissioned a structural survey on the tank first of all. This told us that the walls and floor/founds were sound however there one wall was bowed - (cast that way) and some remediation was required before they could be used structurally. There were some cracks too and other bits of spalling evident. We effectively built inside the existing walls which avoided complexities involved in tying into the original structure and made waterproofing much more simple. I did consider external insulation however the walls are chamfered and planning were keen they were retained visually. If you can post some pictures we collectively can probably provide you some more food for thought that is more targeted to your build.

Mike, can you share a pic of the base where the trap is to go please? I'm about to start the exact same and trying to work out the best way to accommodate the trap - I've left a big void in the concrete that will need filled. Keen to see how you are doing it. Is the trap going to be enclosed in cement? Thanks! Jamie

I don't have an answer but our garage pour was not dis-similar. The concrete was the wrong spec (was supposed to be the not self levelling self levelling stuff, but turned out as normal c35 which was a real pain to move as it didn't flow well. Then there were big gaps between the loads arriving which caused issues with the smoothing off. The finished surface is less than satisfactory, but it's a garage and I'll be covering it anyway. These things do happen - you just had more than one at a time. You've got the rest of tonight to be annoyed then forget about it - you can do things to make it better but you can't go back and undo the concrete

?

Never had any derogatory comments per se although I thi k it's the height of bad manners when showing someone a potential tile or piece of cladding or whatever and people blurt out 'oh I really don't like that'. Like others I don't even pause before replying that they probably shouldn't buy them for their house then. However being asked -'Are you going on Grand Designs' ad nauseum is certainly abuse. I just say 'No' and move on now... :-)

Funny you say that @JSHarris. I wrote to the convenor of a Scottish Parliament Committee recently following an evidence session. I'm going to follow up on this with them. "Dear Mr Doris, I read with much interest the official report for Local Government and Communities Committee 03 May 2017, which you convened. I’m currently building my own house (literally!), I found the session fascinating. What struck me most was just how informed the committee are and how prescient their questions were. For me, they were absolutely on the ball and I suspect your committee may be opening a can of worms that to date has been left unopened – there is a real gap here in terms of inspections (created in part by removing the clerk of works) and a rather worrying case of inherent bias in the warranty process that a number of members highlighted – although oddly denied by NHBC! The other key point highlighted is the real lack of recourse for home buyers when things go wrong – I know people who have bought new homes and experienced problems – all agreed the NHBC warranty was a waste of time as it was very difficult to get any remediation. The value in terms of quality offered by the current inspection regime has been the topic of discussion directly and indirect on the Buildhub online forum for self builders – with the same issues raised on various occasions. I have nothing specific to add in terms of my experiences – whilst I have a good relationship with my BCO, I am aware that their remit is fairly limited – I would say that increasing their responsibilities for inspections should be something worthy of consideration along with whether having a dedicated Clerk of Works would add value in terms of quality and standards for projects above a certain size. In summary, I would say an excellent session, very good line of questioning and obvious to me that your committee members know what they are talking about. I look forward to the final report and recommendations. "

I see John McDonnell made a helpful pronouncement from Glastonbury that the deaths were murder. For a variety of reasons that man is a moron.

I used a magnetic drill and put through M12 coach bolts with washers. Bit footery but ain't going anywhere.

Wot he says- don't create a rod for your own back! Unless you think Jean Claude Juncker is going to visit...

This is my offending item - although the liquid PTFE *seems* to have done the trick. All great suggestions tho, thank you :-)

So this is for the manifold (I'm using the connector posted above for the shower valve). The manifold ports are pointing down which means the male elbow still has around half a turn left to tight - which would have it pointing the wrong way. I'll try more tape first, I've probably been a bit sparing and the Loctite stuff if that fails. The other two are fine, just this one weeps slightly.

You and me both - I've got one joint into the manifold that I can't seal...! How many winds of tape is excessive?