Cpd

I was recently using some oak I Slabbed 5 years ago with a chainsaw mill to make a fire place. To get a good top surface I first got a bit of ply and made a couple of timber sides. I then wedged my oak board in and levelled it up so that the vary minimum of wood would need to come of the top surface to get it level. Once it was chocked up I screwed it in place (making sure the screws were well below the finished plane level. I then just stated shooting it through my makita planer / thicknesser what will take up to just over 300mm wide. I just took of a fraction each time to prevent overworking the motor but it worked great. The final result was fantastic and was so smooth I did not even need to sand it. I tried to upload the video I made but failed due to it being the wrong file type....... and I am a dinosaur when it comes to my iPad. I have nearly finished the fire place and will start another thread when it’s done. But I just wanted to show that I did something just like you are talking about with very basic kit. Ie a planer only !

Interesting read and a nice idea but I personally don’t see it as a long term success story, but would be great to be wrong and it works out a total success!

I would just run it in with the big digger and if your concerned about soil washing into the voids then lay some ground fabric down, that way it will maintain good drainage but you will not loose your soil. Do the sums on the cost of ground fabric v importing pre crushed road bace to top it off with.... I recon the fabric will be cheaper and quicker.

Wow Crazy stuff ! but who doesn’t like a bit of crazy ! Your here for a good time, not a long time so have fun and spend your money however you please, I know I do ! My long term plan is to build a sauna out onto my pond area, have an open deck with a spring fed plunge pool, a glass fronted relaxing area with a wood burner and then a sauna behind that with a glass front so you can see through the sitting area out to the pond / wetland area. Slowly I am acquiring little bits and pieces for it and in about 4 years time I will be ready to make it happen. Got to love a bit of crazy !

We are becoming a rare breed ! Maybe all stonemasons suffer from perfectionism..... makes me feel better. Glad you got it sorted out, it looks way better. Onto the next task......

I would want to be there every step of the way. There are just so many horror stories of things going wrong even when folks are on site..... I would not like to imagine what you would miss if you were not there to be the overseer. I strive To do the best possible job and do all the work myself, even then I have to “let things go” but it’s me making those decisions. It’s such a big investment, you REALLY want to get a good result. YOU need to be informed and have an understanding of what to expect and what quality to accept. ‘This is just my opinion, I am a perfectionist and would find it IMPOSSIBLE to be away from my house build while someone I never really new put it all together ! Others will have massively diffrent views but we are all different and one persons priority’s are not going to be the same as the next in line. Read some of the blogs on here, they are really informative and will give you a good idea of the amount of work involved in managing a self build.

Thanks for the ideas, yes...... it would be best to pay a local chap but my dad is really old school and he enjoys doing his chores. I think one day he will pass on the work but this needs to be a staged step down, a graceful retreat if you like. I will get him into the tool shop..... it has very limited choise but better than nothing and hopefully we will get the idea.

Standard rule in our house and we also have a note asking geusts in our accommodation unit to also sit as it’s a lot more hygienic for the cleaning party. We do however have various pee spots throughout the property, carefully located to not cause offence and in areas that either flush through with rain water or are Good soak aways. . Best of both worlds, peeing with a view or sitting down to contemplate for a minute.

So my dad who is into his 80s is still active and going strong, comes over three times a week to help on the project. However on the home front he is struggling with his hedge as the petrol hedge strimmer requires two hands, his balance is not so good these days and he needs a stick so can’t use the big hedge cutter. He asked if I knew of a one handed hedge trimmer, i was dubious but will do some research but thought I would ask the collective if anyone has any idea if these exist ? It’s a long shot I know but worth a try. Regards Colin

I have spring water that comes out the top of my hill ! I tested it for hardness when I got a new coffee machine it did not register on the little test kit provided with the new coffee machine. We have NO limescale at all even after years of using the same kettle. I had a full bunch of tests done by council recently, need to dig them out and read up on it. Very interesting thread. Never a dull moment at Buildhub.

Posted before a read this ! It’s summarises what I think a lot of us are after !

I think blogs are a great contribution to this forum, they reveal more of the daily nitty gritty detail that is both important and interesting to other self builders and enthusiasts. I take my hat of to all who dedicate a little bit of there time to produce a blog and only wish that I could muster the extra energy to do so.....

I had a bad experience with roof shield, it’s used all over this part of Scotland and I was led to believe it was a better product than some others I was looking at. However there is a situation where if the exposed membrane gets really wet and then it freezes it no better than a bucket with a hole in........ the frozen water must do irreparable damage to the structure of the fabric because when it melts the water ingress is huge and it nearly ruined the sheeting on my shed roof. I would not use it again if these conditions were possible. Other times I have used it in summer and it works great at keeping the rain out. Not sure if this would be the same for other membranes of the same type.

1. Impossible to know without more detail. Size of building, ease of location for scaffolding, condition of existing tiles and other parts of roof like flashings. There are a number of diffrent roofing membranes that may or may not work depending on the roof makeup. Search forum for more info. 2. Yes you need a membrane as it’s there as a secondary protection layer for things like “snow blowing in” and and leaks due to tile damage. 3. I would say NO it’s not possible to fix from the inside, yes you could possibly do an emergency repair to a known location but beyond that would be a waste of time and money. Some photos of the roof from inside and outside would help to visualise what the problem is and if it can be fixed without a full re-roof.

Well that’s the end of your holiday with me then ...... it’s definatly a caravan masquerading as a wooden cabin.....

Have photos of me and my grandad walking round there at that time..... long time ago.

Yup..... I’m in that club and have the badge........

I shopped around online until I found a veriaty of prices and then went to my local builders merchant and showed them the printout of the cheapest 3 inc. delivery. They were happy to price match the lowest. Fitting is a whole different game..... depends on the size as big ones are definatly a two person job. Yes it’s an easy job in a clean roof but Each trade needs to understand what’s going on. Timber frame company need to know where the windows are going so as not to build supports in the wrong place, the position will need to works with the roof coverings so that it all ties together seamlessly and you want it to look right! Once you have the positions finalised with the windows and correct flashings on hand then you need to find a competent installer. Use local recommendations from people who have had them fitted. No point getting all the planning done to then just have a badly fitted window !

Not seen this one but if you can’t track it down I would use a liquid grout, i used one for a job in Aus for a very specific loose 1 ton stone slab. Rather than lift it we just poured grout in. Worked great. Conbextra do a range of really good ones the GP is genaral purpose and the UW is underwater both pourable to fill gaps 10-75mm. fairly well priced if you can find a local supplier. Col

Sure is a thing of beauty. Textbook quality. May it continue.

Great stuff and congratulations, it’s so nice when things go smoothly when your expecting the opposite.

You do them yourself here in Argyll and Bute......

@Visti more than welcome but I live on the west coast of Scotland and unless your up for a holiday then it’s a long way ! If your up on holiday then I would ask yo to PM me as I have various accommodation options as it’s an island ....... and to nice not to have a stopover.

@bissoejosh yes it’s the plastisol and it was anthracite if I remember correctly. I have used juniper green before on a roof I wanted to draw less attention to and was happy with it, however this time I wanted to make a subtle statement and designed both the roof finish and the exterior cladding to be a little bit more sophisticated but still being respectful of the setting and the original look of the building. The only window on the front wall is a big velux I got out of a skip (another thread) and the 4 on the roof cost about £1000 all in, expensive and a luxury item but they are the same dimensions to another 3 in the roof of my cottage that is right next door, this helps to bring it all together.

Yes used it on 45 degree pitched roof fully supported by sarking boards.