jamiehamy

How time passes and some jobs get bumped to the back of the queue! I'd tried to get the mdf to bend and nearly had it but would have required a lot of attention to sort. Until Craig announced he'd bought curved skirting. I confess to having rolled ze eyes a bit. Until the time came to fit it. CT1 and a sharp knife. Easy as can be, tiny bit of filler required to finished the tiny gap. Jobs a good'un! I don't know how much it was and maybe don't want to know... Anyway, for future curved wallers, this is brilliant!

When we were getting plastering done last year the plasterer mentioned a few times that it can be hard to get and often runs out. Also said something about a core ingredient running out meaning they need to change the composition.

Why would you not rest the joists on the concrete core of the ICF? When you pour the concrete, you leave it shy of the top by around 55mm - and then pace in your wall plate with pre-assembled wall plates with J-bolts through then. If you do it smartly, then you'll measure the joists to be 20mm in fron the outer edge of the ICF core - then ply right along the edge 'B'. And then you can continue up the outer layer of Polarwall to meet the roof pitch. I'll draw something up and post.

How will you brace the walls above ground level? What is the floor makeup for each storey? Can you coordinate install of floor with the concrete pours? Are the floors concrete or timber? How much rebar is required? How many openings? How many corners? How are you pouring? How experienced are the pump crews, concrete drivers and block builders? A 'crew'is all the parts and just saying' a competent crew' is far too general. How long will it take to erect the scaffolding as you go up? How do you ensure no adverse weather? (which is a fact of life and no value in ignoring because one spell of wind, severe rain or other can stop everything else. What system are you using? How do you counter illness or other human factors? Until you provide realistic answers to at least the above, then no estimate is of any use. Answer all of the above and you'll get somewhere near the truth. Otherwise, perfect everything - 2 months. Just a guess! However, you say '. Also assume that you can carry on stacking after the first pour before the concrete is fully set.' Which suggests you think 12hours time saving is worthwhile in the course of building a house. You're thinking about this the wrong way if recommencing block work before the concrete has gone off is a factor in your time savings. Sorry, no point sugar coating it. If building a house to a strict timetable is the plan, you're setting up to fail. If you add more context as above, maybe we could give a better idea of timescales ?

Based on my bitter experience and that of others, , not a chance in hell I'd accept that. I'd not accept anything other than a large chunk on delivery and remaining 10% after fitting. If you oay it all before they are delivered you can wave goodbye to any leverage when there are issues. If they don't like it, walk away. Someone else will take your money and be confident enough of getting it right.

But you're not denying a Senior Government Minister sacked someone for...allegedly having an opinion that didn't fit the narrative that minister wanted? That's my point - a question was asked and it so happens such a scenario sounds like it's not beyond anyone's stretch of imagination for it to be happening today based on events of the last two weeks? How many other people have been hounded out of positions for having opinions that are not those of the mainstream? (lots)

Not a scientist but look what happened to Roger Scruton - sacked for - what Twitter thought was - his opinion. Quite literally sacked because someone took a conflation of statements he made, distorted them and created a Twitter storm. Now - even aside of that part, even IF his opinions were as stated (they weren't), would that be a sackable offence? well - to answer your question @AnonymousBosch - yes, I think scientists with the 'wrong' view or research may well be either denied from a job or sacked once they provide a controversial paper that is contrary to current 'enlightened' thinking. I don't doubt this pattern is being repeated more out of the public eye. I'm waiting on my contract to be terminated because I've resisted doing 'Diversity and Inclusion' training.

I can't disagree with your logic but I don't believe the approach you suggest is right - or will ever work. Of course we could leave it to politicians to try sort this out - swayed as they are by polls, lobbying, ideologies - combination of which is good for pretty much nothing (hence why you'll see Nicola Sturgeon announce none of the above, and instead wishy washy, meaningless policies like increasing plastic bags charges (albeit that's not going to affect climate but you get the idea). Increase taxation on fossil fuels - sure - just like Macron proposed and look where that got him. Other solutions are ultimately either to the benefit of global corporations than anyone or anything else. 'Buy more efficient cars' 'Install double glazing' 'Install insulation' - which is great in some ways and of course simply perpetuates the 'growth is good' and 'buying better is better than not buying anything' mentality to saving the planet. Or we literallydo the opposite and stop the sheer greed that most of us have for 'things' - phones, TVs, clothes, cars, exotic holidays - and watch economies shrink as our demand for everything reduces. My point is more around - we hear hysteria of 'climate emergency' Firstly - how really believes that as it is presented? Secondly, who believes it enough to change their habits? Because I believe - if this is a problem people think should be taken seriously - that the answer lies with the individual, not, as you propose, the state. It will require people to make fudnamental changes to their lifestyles to tackle - switching off heating and wearing an extra jumper during the day in winter for example - Multiplied over millions of households - it's seriously significant. The state can support, absolutely, encourage, absolutely, but really genuinely drive changes in behaviour? I think not. that's got to come from within. And ultimately, I don't think people do care enough. I don't think they believe there is an emergency. And I believe people are far far too selfish to make changes or sacrifices. Maybe I'm too cynical but I've met far too many people who claim to care about the environment but have done nothing in my humble opinion that remotely inconveniences them about it.

I see out Great Leader of Scotland has declared a 'climate emergency'. Given the very specific meaning of Emergency, I've still not seen any action from then in this. I'm sure we'll have it by the end of the week....... ? And will likely include limits of flights a person can take per year, banning of extraction of North Sea oil and gas for use as fuel, banning all new ICE cars sales with immediate effect, commissioning of new nuclear power stations and banning of gas heating within 5 years. I don't buy into this climate emergency clap trap, and in not doing so it makes you realise the vaccuousness of the whole thing. People who claim to be concerned for the environment are not prepared to make any real sacrifice to combat it. Plastic bags... Pah. I've done plenty beach cleans and plastic bags were no where to be seen. Everything that was in them was. I would say in not believing the media hype, it doesn't mean I don't think as humans we are exceptionally wasteful, absolutely polluting, our world but I'm rather cynical that many people truly care and prepared to put their money where their mouths are.

That's fantastic!

The time is coninng I need to decide what do do with the garage roof. It's around 80m2 and sits (as per pic) roughly 500mm above ground level. I've never quite worked out what to do. I used to plan parking the cars in it, but it's a bit high for that. I could just have a lawn? Put a Polytunnel on it and have some chickens? Build a house - an option for future but not yet (more on that later). Any other interesting, practical or funky ideas?! Jamie

One of the few jobs I left to the spark... Who used (I think Appleby) plastic plasterboards boxes. We did have a conversation and he said he'd use what I wanted, but that was his preference by far. They have been fine? They have an element of adjustment in them which is useful. I dunno - we don't have any loose switches? ? Switch placement I could have done better. You get so caught up and only after a year (!) living here do I notice that switches or sockets could have been better placed. Thankfully these things don't niggle me, just add to the list of 'will do better next time'.

Fire doors however are only required in some circumstances however? We didn't have any specified in out house (which surprised me and I did ask the BCO but not needed). Maybe because our upstairs is small and has no bedrooms?

I wish I'd gone pre-hung, as you say more cost but significantly less effort required all round.

Yes. So, rough opening is door plus 2mm either side plus door liningx2 (have you chosen?) plus a gap for final alignment (5mm each side?) - the rough opening is likely to either be slightly out or have tiny bows, which mean you want flexibility to get the door frame perfectly lined using shims)

An extra 102mm makes all the difference when you enter the furniture stage!

Assuming the plasterer taped the joins, this is consistent with looking like shrinkage cracks? Is it the same pattern upstairs?

Well done. As NSS said, he'll always be with you and that's a lovely thing I think, although might be hard at time. No better testament to him to live in the house he helped you build xx

But make sure it's not TOO steep in case 'someone' forgets to put the handbrake on.. Whilst I don't like putting cars in a garage wet, reality dictates otherwise. After driving in snow is the worst -the amount of water once all the under arch stuff melts off is really annoying. A very slight V into the middle would be really smooth - then it all goes exactly where you want and no risk of rolling cars.

You need this one fixed properly - you really don't want to live with the worry that it will get worse over time - and you would worry. Were it me, I'd put the theory into practise on the other two sides - work out carefully what you want to do, do it and work out improvements as you do it. Folks on here will help with a design that ensures moisture is routed to the right area - I.e away and down enough not to penetrate the roof. Then, when you are happy, choose a long weekend (Bank Holiday) and get in there with a Stihl, Jackhammer (wearing all the right high viz and with suitable safety precautions for pedestrians), dig down, put in your water proof layer, backfill, tamp and then (somehow) retar it. Don't ask your council for permission (ask @AliG about that!) unless you decide to go 'by the book'. Only my advice - once you go down the 'by the book' route, you'll get buried in red tape. For now however, you could try some Bituminous paint at the wall/tarmac join and see what happens?

I have a feeling this is it... And there will be solutions, both short and long term. Fingers crossed you get the root cause and then focus on solution.

Personally, I'd put in a gradient. Wish I had, although it would have been near impossible during build. Putting a wet car in results in a nice flat puddle of water with nowhere to go. Just a small fall would allow most of it to run off.

If you still need it let me know!

I've got some you're welcome to. I'm in Largs and in Glasgow CC most days.

I'm interested in this. We have two windows where the airtightness tape is visible. As you say, glue is supersticky on the lacquered wood so I've left it for now!