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Everything posted by ToughButterCup
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ICF How much more expensive ?
ToughButterCup replied to Dave Jones's topic in Insulated Concrete Formwork (ICF)
Oh how many times did that have to happen before someone enlightened me about shock-load? Hundreds. From hand-held hammer drivers to dumping heavy objects on shelves, or being catapulted out of a mini-digger seat, or tapping a 'locked' nut, or opening a tight jam jar. -
You write about possible motive. ( fishiness). Almost always a mistake because normally nobody can evidence motive. You want to test the principle? Do so. You want to reduce the risk of doing that? Ask another Planning Consultant. Research -online- similar Applications in your LPA : know why and more importantly why NOT you should be given Planning Permission on the basis of evidence. And that's there for anyone to find.
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Biodiversity protection method statement
ToughButterCup replied to Drellingore's topic in Planning Permission
First port of call: the LPA website. Download and pick apart any that you find..... Next : heres what ChatGTP spewed forth.... -
One of my early errors was to assume that self-builders got worthwhile discounts. We generally don't. Because most often we're one-off customers. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try....
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Geberit in wall WC frame - instal height?
ToughButterCup replied to markharro's topic in Bathrooms, Ensuites & Wetrooms
Back injury makes one a God sent answer to a problem that appears when it decides to ruin a couple of days for me. Get one with a drier as well as a 'hose'. Download the app (Geberit) and tune it to your particular Botticelli. There is genuine fun to be had if a relative refuses to use the app. For example they might be sitting there with a smile of benign relief and you - using the app from elsewhere in the house - change the water temperature to cold , or the strength of flow to ArseBlast: Or both. On hearing the screams, jump in the car and off to the only pub in the area which is in a mobile signal dead spot. Flowers from the garage on the way home. -
Geberit in wall WC frame - instal height?
ToughButterCup replied to markharro's topic in Bathrooms, Ensuites & Wetrooms
The closer you get to the full squat position , the healthier it is for anyone to drop the kids off in the pool. It reduces strain, straightens the rectum out, and stretches yer hips. The puborectalis muscle is also relaxed. A footstool helps because your knees should be higher than your hips, the old puborectalis again . So lean forwards slightly, rest your forearms on your knees, and then think of England, Harry and St George. A long way of saying Lower is Better Please don't ask me why I know so much about this particular issue. -
Good start. Head down - go -go go
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Removing tree ear marked for retention
ToughButterCup replied to flanagaj's topic in General Self Build & DIY Discussion
Here's the West Lancastrian answer to your problem Ring my nearish neighbour: outline the problem and if you can understand the reply book a holiday leave your phone at home leave for your holiday my neighbour turns up at 08:00 on Sunday morning while you are away parks so his Land Rover's number plate is not visible fells the tree if small enough, he logs it and drives away with the trunk in bits in his trailer hope his LR doesn't break down you come back from holiday and say Nowt-to-do-with-Me-Mate. I know Nuffin. Problem sorted Worst case: he gets busted by Mrs BizzyBody and he is hauled up in court pays the fine smiles smugly because you reimburse his fine and he uses the tree for next years firewood Meanwhile at the inevitable sophisticated Christmas drinks parties you tell the story of how you have no idea what happened and that you have already plans to plant several replacement trees. And everybody's happy: you all can piddle in peace and my mate keeps his feet warm for a month or two. Whas' not to like? I tell ya - West Lancs: it's the new Wild West -
Architects, ballooning fees and estimates
ToughButterCup replied to Drellingore's topic in Costing & Estimating
Which is what we did. Here's the charging schema used by our architect - easy, simple, open. More detail here. -
I parged out AND in , and then wet plastered inside as well. Why - in AND out? Because I didn't know any better, and because I'm on my own - so don't (didn't) have the research time. Skim-reading is deadly sometimes.😔 PM me when the time comes -
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Almost recovered from our Durisol Trauma. I'm up for looking at your build ... when do you start?
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I've read the article. Might this be another of those Lying with Statistics articles with spin and mendacity by omission interleaved in the paragraphs? For example, there's no mention of Dividends paid out - but private investment of £100 billion is. Here's some fireside reading I recommended to my U/G students. How to Lie with Statistics Been in print as long as I've been alive.
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Ask a few AIs. I am finding that DeepSeek gives a more detailed answer to a question that I also asked of ChatGPT. They both gave the same answers, one answer was more detailed than the other. DeepSeek gave a more reasoned answer. Have a quick check to see if there's a public AI for Structural Engineering......
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Here's a series of ideas to help ..... Find out what your Trade / Professional body is doing to support your sector Search for AIs specific to your sector / interest Search for online MOOCs about AI (Massive Open Online Courses) - many are free heres a set of examples Choose an AI (any one) . Download a Cheat Sheet for its favoured prompts : use them Open two AIs. Ask one a question. Paste its answer into the next AI ( Eg. Chat GPT > (Whats the best way to insulate a house foundation) < Answer> Paste that into DeepSeek) AI is fundamentally iterative: learn how to ask questions that illicit an appropriately deep response . And then> Focus on part of that answer and ask a further question about about a small section of the original answer (Is EPS 300 sufficiently thick to achieve an U value of 0.4 > What results would be achieved by using EPS 200 ?) The fundamental rule is Drill Down into the answers And the most important of all Play with them for a while And then remember your 'O' Level maths - check and re-check the answers ( in modern parlance Triangulate the answers)
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Built-in wc needs maintenance. How?
ToughButterCup replied to saveasteading's topic in General Plumbing
Thanks Dave. I'll look for that on our system (Geberit). The so called flush buttons are in fact levers, and so wear out as expected from a lever .... and they charged us £76 for the privilege of buying shite... -
Read the instructions yet? Y / N ? Y Re-read them carefully. Do what you're told to do. Success? Y / N ? Y Send a donation to BuildHub N RTFM Send a donation to BuildHub Still SNAFU? Y Need access to the pipe for maintenance? Y / N ? Y Put a rubber band round the cover (to form a weak seal) where it slides into the pipe. Test. Adapt. Retest N Araldite Still SNAFU ? Y Leave the bloody door open. Send a donation to BuildHub
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Vous n'avez que de lire. Et de la patience.
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So we are going to committee..
ToughButterCup replied to deancatherine09's topic in Planning Permission
I had that technique for a while. And then - because one of them grows beautiful roses - I started complimenting him on his care for the rose thats outside his front door. One day I got a grunt in return. Then a wave. Later that year, he really needed my digger: but couldn't bring himself to ask for me to tow his bogged-down car out of his water-logged (human faeces-filled) 'garden' - the rain had made his open cesspit overflow. The car was parked on a 45 degree slope. His wheeled back-hoe couldn't manage the job. He buys and sells cars .... I drove the digger round to his gate and waited ... couple of minutes later he was there. 3 years later, he came and apologised. -
So we are going to committee..
ToughButterCup replied to deancatherine09's topic in Planning Permission
@flanagaj, it's a rite of passage. It's a hardening (cintering?) process. On hearing of our application - and subsequent success, our immediate neighbours Were gratuitously rude - in person - in public made ridiculous Trump-like baseless claims about our intention to build told lies about our intentions to anyone who would listen made false representation to the Planning Process at an open public meeting nailed a communal gate shut, denying us access to a communal pathway across his property ( photo here on BH somewhere) trolled me here on Buildhub Eight years later they have forgotten their behaviour. Speak civilly, wave occasionally, chat now and then. One neighbour came to apologise, and ask for help. That took guts, and I admire him for it ( posted here on BH about that discussion) They embarrassed themselves, and want to forget. To me behaviour such as theirs is a simple symptom of their lack of emotional intelligence. And thus need to be forgiven. But not forgotten. -
Rough tiles are no problem: a glug of bleach, a brief scrub, wait a minute, rinse. Done.
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So we are going to committee..
ToughButterCup replied to deancatherine09's topic in Planning Permission
Unless you have mis-read the objections submitted, they are likely to be Immaterial to the Application. The Planner is highly unlikely to Refuse the Application citing Immaterial objections because if he (she) were to do that, (on those grounds alone) success at Appeal is a foregone conclusion - costs awarded to the Applicant. Planners are used to unpleasant people. -
Here it is. Just looking at this makes me feel tired. On the other hand those small cobble are everywhere: some are mere sandstone ..... . The owner says it all needs pointing. Unlike your setup @saveasteading, everything is _on edge_ rather than flat. And so some of it will delaminate over time as frost gets to work on those bits of stone where the layers are set on edge. I've never seen this style of wall build before. Has anyone else seen something similar?
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Cobble sorting. Patience. Focus. Time. Well done. Takes guts that - I lost that level of focus in the maelstrom of what I now know is normal for housebuilding. Our neighbour has taken that idea one step further down the evolutionionary path (we've built on glacial till) and built a wall with what I call sub-cobbles. It really does take effort. I'll post a photo of it