Big Jimbo

Abbey Pynfold do piles with a reinenforced slat connected to the piles, with a void underneath. There is no insulation in the slab, and that has to be put on top of the slab before screed. I have looked at it as they are close to me. Not cheap though. I did also look at another company who use screw piles. These are all linked with a steel frame. Is insulated between the steel frame, and has steel sheets on the top surface. Cheaper, but i'm not sure how a warrenty provider would view it. Have you considered a basement ?

Santa can stop time, which enables him to travel the whole world in One night delivering presents. The other one is a total wanker, who works for a Council. Is shite at his job. Rubbish at working to any sort of timescale, but knows he is never going to get the sack for being crap. Oh yeah, and Santa brings him a new woolly tie ever year, because even Santa thinks he is a wanker.

It's bigger, the greedy git.

The only thing i would add is that normally between 1930's semi's you have a single 9" party wall between the properties. If you have managed to take out a chimney on the party wall, and have managed to not crack the plaster on the other side, then you have done very, very well. I have never managed to do it. Even taking the chimney out by hand. Cutting a steel into a 1930's semi party wall is also very hard to do without causing damage on the other side. Taking out a chimney requires Building control. As does taking out a wall and fitting a steel. (Did you have building control ? ) Obviously, without knowing the layout of your house, what walls you have removed etc, it's hard to tell if you may have cause damage to your neighbours property. It is however possible that you have......Get your structural engineer to go round to your neighbours, and take a look. He or she will soon tell you if any damage may have been caused by you. Good luck with all the work.

I planted 130 Laurels about 4 years ago. However they were 5 footers at the time. I planted them 750mm apart. The only thing i was told was to make sure they were watered well for the first year. They are 10ft tall now.

I have done a fair bit of roofing with EPDM in my time. That roof is a joke. If it ain't leaking now, it will be in a year. You should not be paying for that. That is a typical builder (who have no clue) doing roofing...

Show us pics of the inside of the workshop Zoot the Hoot.

All of my renovations done previously contain a tupperware box, usually within a stud wall. The boxes contain a small toy. Usually a teddy. A family photo, and a note with the date, and a bit about the family, and the renovation. One of them also contains a hammer, and several tape measures.

Didn't that fella who had his bitten off by his Mrs, end up with a bent one when they stuck it back on. He became a porn star so perhaps a bent one is better. Reaches parts straight ones can't.

You ain't ever going to get that bit of steel straight fella. Just saying. It will forever be a quirk. A bit like some of the other bits of your place. Don't worry, be happy.

I doubt that your existing ceiling joists on the first floor will be man enough to become the floor joists of your new second floor. Normally much larger joists are placed inbetween the existing ceiling joists in order to form a new floor. So i doubt that at 2.15m you have enough height for a loft conversion that would give you a 2m internal floor to ceiling height.

And try and create a small wild area, for the birds, bugs, bees etc. Every little helps.

Nice garden. I'd be tempted to just seed it for now, and see what you can pick up over time. Freecycle and other sites. Easy enough to strip off bits of grass when you fancy a feature here, a raised bed there etc. I think the best gardens are those that evolve, rather than just appear.

Oi Ferd. I like the Northern Irish geezer. The other One is so predictable.

Ìs it the handles, or is it the locks/ latches ? As far as handles go. There are a few posh companies who produce high quality handles, but get ready to pay £250 a pair of handles.

As the Drifters would say. I would be looking "Up on the roof"

Yeah but he is "Going Underground" to be fair

Zoot, don't go for the shotgun. I have just read that a surprising amount of neighbours actually kill each other over disputes. I don't want to be a party to a death. Hide in a bush, jump out, and custard pie the offender. While catching them on a wildlife cam. A woman near me, beat her neighbour to death over the position of a fence.

Another thing to consider Zoot the Hoot, is a cheap, battery powered, wildlife camera. I would have thought £50 including batteries and a storage card. They just record when movement is detected. Either that or a shotgun licence.

Go luck, and have fun. I would say that 2003 standards, even if they were met would allow you loads of chances to improve. I think standards, and the checking of those standards were quite low at that time. A cheap thermal camera might be a good first buy.

Hi zoot. I have got POE 8 cameras. Basically a recorder box. I think mine is 4 terrebites (or whatever they call them) 8 wires go from the recorder to each of the cameras to both power the cameras, and to bring pictures back from the cameras. (Routing these can obviously be a pain in the butt. The recorder is plugged into the t.v on its own source, Ie; so the tvchannel is source 1 the dvd source 2 etc. This allows me to look at the cameras on the t.v. The recorder box is also wired into the internet, and an app allows me to look at my cameras when i am not at home using my phone, or laptop, or i-pad. The internet connection would also allow me to store what is recorded on the cloud so if somebody nicks the recorder box, i will still be able to view the cameras. The systems are actually very easy to use. They must be because i am completly rubbish with computers of any kind.

That plaster looks very wet. The only time i have seen a problem with the salts in brickwork leaching through plaster, it caused a dry spot that brought the paint off, not a wet spot as yours looks like.

Old Kettle. I agree that in england it is measured from the highest natural ground point. I think you will have to do some working out of the materials you are going to use in order to work out your height. To be honest i think that the 2.5 eaves is very out of date. Especially when you consider modern, warm flat roofs. If you think about a flatroof, internal height 2440mm + roof joists 220mm + Sterling board 22mm + pir 150mm + sterling board 22mm + epdm 2mm. None of my flat roof extensions that i have done on my 3 daughters houses have anything like a 2.5m eaves height. Perhaps flat roofs have different rules ?

I like the idea of the prep sink. Getting glasses of water, or a cuppa while somebody is rushing around in the main kitchen. I used silestone at my daughter place with a 350mm overhang to one side, and One end. When i used to do a lot of granite they never wanted overhangs of more than 300mm. Quartz is much more flexible than real stone. I think 300mm for me is the minimun for stools and seating.

Mine only took a few days. I would give them a ring.