Cpd

I have a fat interceptor..... i have not built the cage yet so its still a PITA of a job to clean. So living in a very isolated and rural setting its really expensive and very hard to get the Septic tank emptied so i do what i can to prolong the need. i built a very basic trap out of various bits and bobs but in essence the water from the sink and dishwasher run into it vie the top, its about 400x400x400. there is an outlet half way down with a ubend in it that then runs on into the septic pipe line. We are very carful not to put fat down the drains and do wipe out any excess fat with paper towel from my observation the warm water from the dishwasher or sink hits the cold water in the “catchment tank” and any fat solidifies and sticks to the sides, heavy particles sink to the bottom and the rest of the waste water makes its way to the septic tank. This sytem works really well and i have to clean it out about 4 times a year. Its a nasty job, the fat is the easy part, its the sludge at the bottom if the tank that is the stomach turner..... i have a cottage that i am one day wanting to rent out and i have to assume that even with sighns and a bit of education on guests arrival there will be much more fat going down the drains.... so i will be building a new fat trap but with the advanced ideas put forward by JSH So also following this thread for any great easy fix ideas.

Not that this would work for you but (it might for me) in theory would it be possible to have a single room mvhr in a bathroom that could go mad when showering but would not effect the rest of the house ?

Just following this as it may be a good solution to an unlevel floor i have, what recomended make / product would you use. Thanks

@jack i agree with everything you say about this model, i have been putting it through some big jobs with no bother, yes it's heavy and i expect most of this extra weight is due to its very good masonry hammer drill function.

Makita DHP481Z 18 V LXT Li-ion Brushless Combi Hammer Drill cost me £140 from amazon in May and i have been amazed by it.

@FerdinandNo chance, i am as dyslexic as it comes and just typing this much takes me an hour or two...... sorry but i really would not know where a parade goes in a paragraph or what is more or less readable

Really enjoy reading your blog. My property is based on the west coast of Scotland and is just over 4 acres, its got a large wetland and pond area, x3 springs, cliffs, slopes, meadow / grassland areas, much more but very very diverse in its appearance and aspect with stunning south, south west coastal view with muliple islands disappearing into the horizon that is a quintessential west coast view, sweeping hill farm land to the north with mountians in the distance and wild rugged shorelines and cliffs to the west, the east is local close by heather filled hill farm land. The main house is very traditional two up two down with wood panelling, about 100 years or more old. most folk would pull it down and build new but that is not an option as there is no budget. There is also a cottage that would have been a “but and ben”but has now got an upstairs (1.5 floors) and another even older building that would more have resembled a black house but is now a glorified shed with the original stone walls merging into more modern vertical cladding. This cluster of building in its stunning setting is quite remarkable and still unspoilt in my eyes. I have planted 2500-3000 trees already and a few thousand bulbs and plants but mostly in a background setting, nothing to bold until i can understand the bigger picture (broad strokes on a semi clear canvas) Some tracks are already emerging to desired locations, and through slowly understanding the needs and desires of people i am developing other ways through the property that will one day create a web of tracks that will lead an inquisitive visitor through all the different aspects and environments that i am creating. Through planting i can enhance or hide many areas and create habitats for an abundance of wildlife that also plays a huge role in peoples interaction with there meanderings through the property, already areas that were once silent mono culture environments are now teaming with insects, birds and mammals and its impossible to not be aware of them as you move around. The property is open to our guests and visiting friends and i have the full intention of it being open to the public in the coming years when its a more safe environment with a clear defined way around. I have spent a lifetime working in public spaces, predominantly in the wild environments and am keen to put my understandings into this “oasis” that i am trying to create. I am only five years into the project and at a budding 46 i hope to have a good run at fulfilling some of my dreams and aspirations. Your blogs provoke me to think a lot and reiterate how little i know about architecture, and how much of a challenge it is going to be to get the most out of any given environment and how to link all these different aspects together. From the basic needs of food production to the abstract art of creating a space that provokes thought..... and not forgetting my familly including a little tot of a girl and a 2.5 year of boy...... i got a lot to learn and at some point i will need to start filling in the details....... thanks again for your blogs, they are challenging my understandings of a given space at a given time and how they interact with there neighbours. Most challenging is when it comes to buildings of multi use and there smooth interaction with the natural environment both formal and managed wild.... Regards colin

i have spent a large part of my life involved in stone masonry and for ten years i was building and rebuilding historic stone walking tracks in Australia, i always used a 4:1:1 mix and sometimes 5:1:1 (sand cement hydrated lime) and a tiny amount of fairy washing up liquid to make it so much more workable (the use of cements were minimal as it was "historic" ) but this mix was so good in so many applications, i even made a test of rebuilding the front of some stone steps that had five thousand people Plus people using them a year, it was also in an environment that was often fully exposed to the severe sun during the day and very cold at night, but would also be subjected to freezing conditions in winter. I monitored these sections over a five year period and i was amazed at how well they held up, the repairs were on sandstone that is known to expand and contract in diffrent conditions and this mix reflected this or was able to absorb this movement without cracking at the joining lines. I have used it to rebuild various buildings on my property, sometimes putting in more sand if just using it as a bedding for stones and am still very happy with the mix. I do not know if this would create an airtight layer or if it would be waterproof, but it is a very good robust and flexible application as well as being relatively cheep. Totally frowned upon by purists and i understand why it should not be used in many traditional applications but in a new build or full renovation...... I used this mix on the front of one of my buildings to rebuild the stones that had eroded away, it was then painted, there has been no cracking or separation from the origanal stonework.

A lot will depend on the treatment process as to how well and how far the pressure treatment will go into the post..... i use Tornado high quality posts with a long warrenty and an even longer life expectancy and when you cut a post in half you can see clearly how far the treatment has penetrated, cut a cheep post in half and its quite an amazing difference. Tornado provide a additional treatment chemicals in a can for the times when you need to cut into a post and if this is generously applied to the end grain then thats the job done, no end caps or faffing around.

Now i am not saying this is a good idea especially as i used copper after all my free aluminium ones drove me mad.... but what is the actual life expectancy of galvanised clout nails when used in a non harsh environment under a good quality slate roof ? Just asking.

I have a unheared and uninsulated lean to with a back door from the kitchen to access it, i keep my veg out there in a large wooden box with vent holes and it works great. I think i could keep them in the unheated and uninsulated kitchen / house with the same great results.........

Do not go with aluminium as they are really soft and if you hit a knot or even hard bit of wood they bend, you then try and get them out and the heads rip right off...... i got given a load as the local roofers will not use them..... copper every time.

The cottage that i am refitting only has a ground floor area of 50m2 but it has an upstairs as well, i will be fitting background low level / unobtrusive heating set on a thermostat, there is an existing log burning stove that is there for fun. I am not going down the underfloor heating road as there is a lot of comming and going from people and i dont think i will get a quick enough response time from UFH. Had not considered the inline duct heating but this could be a better option if space is a premium. I think people are right that you need to keep it as simple as possible with the option to boost the temperature if the clients require it, ie a fan heater.

To batten or not to batten that is the question ! For a small floor area there is going to be a lot of heavy loading as this cottage is a quirky place where people come and stay, by heavy loading i mean big rustic oak furniture, and when there is a gathering you can get up to 12 people piling in for a cramped shindig...... There is room to have a smaller floor build up (thus creating more head room) but i want to bring the final floor level up to that of the outside level when you come in, ie no step down. From existing concete floor to outside entry level the optimal build up is 130mm this gives a 2225mm floor to ceiling finished level. So one option would be 50mm batten on edge with 50mm insulation in between (600mm spacing of batten ?) batten screwed to concrete then cross batten with the batten laid flat 25mm with 25mm insulation laid in (600mm spacing of batten?) batten screwed to batten below 25mm chipboard flooring 22mm gymnasium flooring srewed to chipboard. where there is going to be tiles put down a 10mm packer board ( ply or fermacell ) glued and screwed, that would leave 2mm for grout and then the 10mm tiles, is 2mm enough for grout ? Not sure what the other option is yet..... going outside to contemplate thanks for help so far.

@AliG yes i have concerns about the areas to be tiled but was hoping that 22mm chipboard flooring and then maybe 10mm osb glued and screwed followed by another 12mm marine ply glued and screwed would provide a "bombproof and bulletproof" solution to prevent movement..... @PeterW have not seen this product but maybe cheeper and simpler than my solution. @richi and @Oz07 i am concerned that a single layer of flooring will not provide adequate stability resulting in problems like what @AliG has seen. Grateful for comments so far and look forard to further input. Thanks.

G'Day folks, so in one of my cottages i have an open plan living area downstairs, 10x5 meters, i am in the process of upgrading the floor and need to make a decision on the floor build up. There is an existing concrete floor that is level across the whole area to within + or - 5mm but never more than a few mm in any one area. Height is limited 2390mm I have looked at various options and keep coming back to the idea of laying the whole area with 75mm of calotex GA4000 range compression strength 140kpa foam density 27-33kg/m3 with supportive timber work only in the key areas of loading then floating 22mm chipboard flooring glued at all junctions and then gluing and screwing ply / osb on top of this to create a really solid raft. I could then lay whatever flooring i wanted, which is a mix between wood and floor tiles. My questions are, Has anyone here built a floor in this manner, ie with minimal timber supports and if so how well did it perform. Would this be a stable floor for laying tiles on. General comments welcome as one friend i asked just dismissed it as a bad idea, without a good reason why beyond the fear of compression and tile joints cracking. So i am here to see what the mind has to say about it. So total build up would be Concrete 75mm calotex insulation 25mm chipboard floor panels 12mm OSB or ply glued and screwed Final floor still to be decided but i have a large quantity of really nice 10mm Spanish tiles and a good pile of reclaimed 22mm flooring from a gymnasium, so a max of 22mm i would add extra thick OSB / ply to the tiled areas to bring The finished height to that of the timber flooring. This leaves a finished room height of 2256mm Look forward to your input, thanks.

@Nickfromwales its ok mate its not the back garden so you dont have to do anything dramatic, its only the front garden looking westerly..... the veiw through the property from the back garden is not nearly as good......

Garden seat oiled and put in place.

It always feels great when you arrive on site in the morning and its all tidy and ready to go, looks very business like, well done.

@A_L as you say 25mm minimum but i think the optimum distance is between 50 and 70mm but would like to hear from others in the know what the sweet spot is.

I had the same situation and used a paver on a few blocks, i also created a raised edge on the top and turfed it just for "why the hell not" i will one day get round to putting a propper top and pots on it but for the moment it works just great and the vegetation survives the random fires we have.......

My windows are at 1800mm from floor to bace of glass, i wanted them to act as a way of letting light in but still provide privacy for the rooms occupants, the view was not a consideration, however it took me a long time to get there placement correct so that they looked good in the roof from outside......

I have the larger of the two Makitas with a variety of batteries and its a great wee saw, would recomend it if you can make good use of it.

I am building an outdoor seat made from old oak barrel staves (photos when completed) its to be sited on top of an exposed cliff top and exposed to the full force of all weather including salt laden winds, does anyone have a "real life" good recommendation for an oil that i could use to keep it looking good and give it some protection, it will be out there all year round... thanks in advance.

Well this is just an update.... shower pod or propper job. This was all done as cheep as reasonable so it took some time to acquire all the materials. Total price including all insulation and materials was about £700, Triton shower, Coram shower tray, vent axia vent and light. Its essentially a shower built on top of a towbar of a caravan....... hence only 900mm to play with and its going to be awkward to hitch it back up...... L