Cpd

As Peter says they are crap and there are far better options, this is what I did with the one on my chimney!

I have done a lot of rigid insulation and it’s one area I always go OTT on even if the PIR look tight I still jam the foam gun into the joint between timber and insulation and give it a squirt every inch or so along the joint.... cut back any snots and then I tape it carefully. I realise it’s a bit crazy but when it gets covered over I sleep easy knowing I did the best I could. The reason for this crazy detailing is that I live in a VERY exposed location where I have felt the wind wind blowing through less than 1mm gaps. The foaming of tight joints is totally impractical on a commercial build but I am only dealing with 3 buildings all of which I never intend to sell... and I’m just playing around at the end of the day !

Just remember that PIR between studs had to be done very well (foamed AND Taped) if it’s done shite then it’s as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike.... Doing it really well is very time consuming (I am doing it right now....) and you should not “assume” your builder is going to do a pukka job if working to a set price or finds this sort of detailing “unnecessary” using a compressible insulation between the studs gives you a much better chance of getting it right and then stick as much PIR as you can (within reason...)on the inside to really bolster up your U-Values.

40 -70m of fencing is really easy to do yourself but there are some specialised tools that you need. do a bit of research on fencing - maybe try and track down a manual from the forestry commission or somewhere online. track down an agricultural fencing supply company to get the best price on materials. If this is a fence to last then go treated posts with a 20+ year guarantee or even better is creosoted posts i am happy to talk you through it if required. i would use sheep netting with high tensile bottom, middle and top wire with the addition of one or two more line wires at the top to give it plenty of hight. The skill is getting the corner posts (strainers) in REALLY well as they take a LOT of load from the line wire. track down a forestry or agricultural fencing contractor by asking at the fencing materials shop for recommendation and get a price on having the job done, I would avoid landscaping companies unless they can prove they can do this sort of work well. I would be happy to post you some of the more specialised equipment like wire tensioner and clip gun and fencing pliers if you decide to go solo. I have done a lot of this sort of fencing......

Spent half my life digging holes in the ground and 1m deep is easy, as others have said for a very neat hole the post hole shovels are great but not worth buying them if it’s in some rough ground and you don’t already have a set. It should take one person about 1-2 hours to dig the hole with the ground conditions you have mentioned.

The council also put a continuous straight white line on the road where the drop down curb was put in but I don’t know if this makes it illegal fir the neighbour to park there or not..... i have a feeling that the white line is just to highlight the dropped curb and does not have any legal standing to actually stop people parking there.... but I live in the middle of nowhere where the roads are just dirt tracks so what do I know..

Friend just had a dropped curb done in Liverpool with splayed edges and it cost £1k the neighbour kept parking him in with various big black trucks and when he complained he would say tough Luck mate it’s not illegal. Needless to say when the work was done he was absolutely livid it’s not going to end well......

I love being resourceful with materials and use large amounts of recycled stuff as I am on a nano budget (but I am in Scotland and can’t help you!) I like the challenge of making the materials I have salvaged work in the places I need them.

I live on the west coast of Scotland close enough to the sea to get severe wind and salt spray at least once a year, I have been in this location for about 10 years. A few things that grow well for me are. New Zealand daisy bush - fantastic plant with great leaves and wonderful flowers - also evergreen so great for screening -easy to grow from cuttings willow - quick growing and interesting foliage - easy to grow from cuttings hawthorn - grown great and has nice berries - easy to grow from cuttings Griselinia - hardy type - grows well and evergreen - easy to grow from cuttings hardy fuchsia - grows quick and looks fantastic with its flowers - easy to grow from cuttings I will try and have a look tomorrow to remind myself what I have..... can’t think at the moment as I am juggling kids.....

Not sure if you can get a grinder in there but if so something like this might do the job. you can get them in various sizes.

My work bench is directly behind where this photo was taken, it’s an island that is bolted to the floor and had various vices and a pillar drill, if I need a tool I can just turn round and reach for it, I find having stuff on view and close to hand really helps me when undertaking tasks as I forget where stuff is if it’s all boxed away. I do ALL my own work on a rural property in the middle of nowhere so have to have an extraordinary amount of equipment, this is just one corner of a workshop related to the storage of screws......

Open fires are about as bad as it comes in regards to performance and you should really look at replacing it with a multi fuel stove, it will be sooooooo much better.

I converted to screws over nails 7 years ago and have never looked back, even if I’m building a shed or new roof I use screws as they are just so darn strong and if like me your a perfectionist then you have the option of redoing any joint that is not up to muster. Costs more but there is no way I would go back to nailing. I am just doing stuff on my own property so don’t have to worry about the extra cost this would add to a quote on a proper job. Storage is easy.

Thanks @Onoff I just had a look and the brushed are fine, however the battery is the old sort and must be worn out.... it works in the drill and impact driver but the power draw from the saw just runs it completely flat very quickly, the new batteries don’t fit...... I guess I could have a look on line for an old style battery.

Only speeded through this thread so may already be mentioned - but is it ok to have the battens supporting the feather edge board attached straight onto the OSB / membrane or should there be a counter batten in there to allow more airflow ? If water was to get in there it would possibly sit on top of the batten with nowhere to go.

Following this as My really old battery makita is failing and i to will be looking fir the best possible replacement in this brand, the old one is at least 14 years old so has lasted really well and has done a hell of a lot of work.

I would normally add some stainless steel pins and ties if it’s a deep area to replace, these are bits of wire glued into the existing stone so that the new mortar has something solid to attach to, you then add the new mortar all around and over the ties and this prevents any chance of it shearing of if the bond between old and new fails. If it’s a really thin repair you are sometimes better of grinding out a few lies with a diamond cutter so that the the new mortar can again get a better bond with the old. But you could just slap it on and hope for the best......

Welcome to the forum, 5 years sitting on the plot and now another 5 years to get the house up.....

Yes both sadistic and masochist are the wrong term..... just looked them both up..... but you know what I’m saying.......

This thread is truly a sadistic addiction..... I come in after a hard days graft on my own build where I feel like I have not produced much for my efforts and catch up on this thread and realise my hard shite day was actually really great and very productive......

These are great, I live in an old damp house, at the bottom of a damp glen a few hundred meters from a very damp sea..... and use these all the time to understand where I need to ventilate and heat and most importantly at what time of year I need to do this, without these I would be just guessing.......

Could not agree more, it means nothing to have three foot of top quality insulation and quadruple glazed windows if the detailing is shite and cold air bypasses these marvels, yes have a plan and some carefully worked out ideas but the execution of the detail is where you should be absolutely sure of achieving your goals. If your not doing the work yourself then you really need to understand how this detail is going to be achievable.

I have a network over mains for my cabin, the main router is in the house and I have a 50m extension cable to a cabin and another wifi access point plugged into the end and it works fine. The cabin is on a separate mains supply from the house (same electric pole but another feed) and this prevents the network from linking if plugged directly into the cabin as the phone / router is only on the house supply (hence the 50m extension cable) I need to update the system as having an extension cable randomly strewn across the property is crap.... so following this thread carefully.

When you fall of your horse in the depths of self build Hell you just have to dig deep, refocus and get back on top of things.... I am trying to do that right now after realising nobody was listening to my snivelings, Best of luck and as as big Jimbo says life is to short to be wallowing around In a bad place for to long.

I keep thinking I am reading one of Zoots threads in a parallel universe ...... And yet again I keep coming back for more !