ToughButterCup

Thanks @Tony L for drawing attention to the erroneous information from Gemini. I use the same AI source a great deal. The answers to my questions are often simply wrong. But it's correct often enough to keep my custom. Annoying, but useful because simple acceptance of the answers given is not an option.

You might consider asking for evidence of her Professional Indemnity Insurance...... maybe things have got past that stage - just a thought

Here's a simple practical guide - ( which we followed) Water Testing a Pipeline ( downloaded October 2026)

There's a lot to be said for relative poverty. In my case having to use my brain rather than my (empty) wallet was and remains a valuable resource. Uncomfortable but valuable.

Hello Ben . Happy Monday Morning Glad you are enjoying your house : and have the courage to think of even more building. We are at the same stage - well almost. A few SWMBO requests seem to have surfaced. I haven't got much time this morning, so to help my thinking I did a quick AI search ( yes, it makes mistakes). Here's the result. I treat AI as a starting point for my own thinking and always check it using a different AI, and - if merited - always ask for professional advice This is from Gemini Your points about beam sizes is about half way down..... 2. Structural & Material Options Timber Framing (Posts & Rafters) Freestanding Post Size: Minimum 100 mm × 100 mm (4"×4") pressure-treated C24 timber for lightweight roofs; 150 mm × 150 mm (6"×6") or green oak posts for heavier or wider spans. Ground Anchors: Metal post shoes or steel stirrups set directly into concrete pad footings (minimum $450\,\text{mm} \times 450\,\text{mm} \times 600\,\text{mm}$ deep) to keep post bases elevated out of standing water and prevent timber rot. Cross-Bracing: Triangular knee braces at the top corners of posts are essential for racking resistance against crosswinds. Metal / Aluminum Systems Powder-coated extruded aluminum frames offer low maintenance, slimmer profiles, and integral rainwater drainage within the support legs. Roofing Coverings Twin-Wall / Multi-Wall Polycarbonate (16mm–25mm): Lightweight, economical, lets natural daylight through. Corrugated Bitumen or Steel Profile Sheets: Highly durable; low-pitch metal roofing sheets require anti-condensation felt backing underneath. EPDM Rubber / Felt on OSB3 Decking: Best for flat or low-pitch roofs (minimum $1:40$ fall to ensure water run-off). 3. UK Planning & Regulatory Constraints In England and Wales, a carport is generally treated as an outbuilding under Permitted Development rights, provided it satisfies these core limits: Location: Must sit behind the principal elevation (front wall) of the original house. Boundary Proximity & Height Limits: Within 2 metres of a boundary: Maximum overall height must not exceed 2.5 metres. More than 2 metres from a boundary: Maximum height is 3 metres for flat/pent roofs or 4 metres for dual-pitched roofs. Land Coverage: The structure, plus other outbuildings/extensions, must not cover more than 50% of the total garden/curtilage area. Building Regulations: Open carports (open on at least two sides) under $30\,\text{m}^2$ floor area are typically exempt from standard Building Regulations approval. To help tailor the specific structural layout, beam sizes, or roof pitch for your build: Will this be freestanding or a lean-to attached to an existing wall? What are the dimensions or types of vehicles you need to accommodate? Where on the driveway or boundary line do you plan to position it? Downloaded 05/10/2026

Are Lindab's assumptions the same as yours? (Page 4) '...Lindab has used the Swedish standard with a rainfall volume of 0.013 l/sqm...' and further '... It is difficult to generalise when it comes to the design and dimensioning of roof drainage, even though there are industry standards to rely on. In recent years, we have seen that rain volumes increase in certain rainy periods and, above all, that the intensity of rain showers has increased both in terms of time and quantity. Adjacent topography, other buildings and the building’s design can also influence the needs of the building in question. Combined, these factors mean that a property owner should - in addition to industry requirements - take into account the building’s needs and vulnerability...' When it rains in BC, man does it it rain. Might you have generalised rainfall reference tables for your area?

Have you paid them yet ? Or did you have to pay in advance? If so, complain. If not, don't (pay). That'll draw attention. Is cable tape laid? Is the cable laid at the require depth (900mm ? )

Now that is interesting. Worst action because.....?

Now that's neat. Remember we want photos. Instinct tells me this is maybe a bit complicated (?) One factor will be the quality of the wood; definitely a case of going to the BM and choosing the wood yourself. German chippies would solve the shrinkage problem with foam😑

No: the opposite. Making it parallels learning ( for which read the 'errors' ) involved. That learning builds over time. And thus confidence. But most of all quiet satisfaction. And deep pleasure if only we ( I ?) allow ourselves to enjoy it. There's your opportunity right there. Excellent. Do it. Photograph it. Self-build-porn that'll become. I mean you might even get a compliment from @SteamyTea ( mind you it's not Friday yet)

Welcome. There's a whole winter's worth of reading here. Many of us have been here for years - and still find its worth the effort to waste time learning stuff.

Well @Pocster , hair won't grow round this one.... A quick look for a cracked foul drain scouring out the pipe trench ? Cheap, quick, easy.

They would tell you to do that. In addition to the quip about weight and blocks, the next thing they'll say is "Oh, don't worry about the rain and the chipboard - it'll be fine. " Birdcage - keep going

Grinder (shank bit) or drill @Onoff ?

For the sake of completeness, I thought I'd list the 'issues' I came across while doing the drilling; Here's one - I used AI to see if I could find an answer to the problem ( remove the broken stone stub ) . The answers - tap, poke, fiddle didn't work. Since I don't have a pillar drill any more, this ( below ) is what I'm going to try next ( 48 holes yet to be drilled ) The aperture of this drill is a good bit bigger, and there's a slot for a screwdriver to wiggle broken bits of stone out of the core. The narrower one above has no slot. I'm thinking of using the type of core 'drill' that attaches to a grinder (threaded shank) rather than a drill chuck - because I will be able to exert more pressure. But I'll have less control perhaps (?) Anyone have any advice?

😁 Naaah, the GPS signal is poor here - shaded by trees. Now if they did a robotic strimmer on the other hand

There's nothing incompatible with low maintenance and lots of plants and trees. The terms Low maintenance and plants and trees mean different things to different people. SWMBO designed our planting for exactly those criteria. Easy to maintain (self maintaining) trees, zero mowing, and no-faff plants. It took her two years ( or a lifetime depending on you POV ) to design it. There's a lot of fun in thinking about it and visiting places to get ideas. And lots of friendship in chatting to anyone and everyone about their ideas. My criterion? Zero mowing. ✅

Yes. I used one of those hollow diamond-tipped drills with wax in the internal 'hollow'. I dribbled splashes of water to help form a grinding paste - interesting to watch the water on and in the surrounding stone evaporate after a few moments - cue for another splash of water. I find myself increasingly using AI to solve little problems like this. Annoyingly, I also find that AI (Gemini in this case) just plain wrong. Hence the check-question to BH. Thanks everyone for your help.

Thanks folks, on my way to Screwy's as we speak

It's getting expensive now - any ideas how to do so without smashing the stone? I need to fasten some fence baseplates through capping stone ( Indian 'stone flags' 50mm 600 by 600) So far I've used a 6mm SDS with hammer action - might as well have used a pick axe used it without hammer - I want to finish the job sometime this year splashed a bit of water on the slab - better but still iffy.... Ideas please .....

Quite right. But, I'd like to have a go at making one. There's a couple of jobs that need to be done first (finishing off) but I have had a hankering to build one for a good while. It's an itch. And it's mine to scratch.

@jack it was who told me -years ago- to make a plan and stick to it - and then to take photos of what actually happens and tag them so the photos are searchable. Or repent at leisure. Well thats what I'm doing now : repenting. This post is about trying to make the best of it - by building a grease trap. This thread is about how to design build and install one We had no idea where our kitchen sink was going to be. So instead of being able to duct the foul drain out under the foundation, I had to bodge. Drill a 50mm hole in the wall after the sink was installed, pipe it to a trap outside the house. It worked for a while, and worked well. Until she decided that it would be great to have a kitchen garden. Some plant roots push soil up and outwards. Not a lot of people know that. I do - now. The plants picked up the pipe bedding that was round the drain and dumped a great deal of it inside the drain. It took me a year or more to notice it. I had no idea that pipe bedding was really good at filtering kitchen fat and waste. Man did it stink ! But through it all, the kitchen sink drained fine. Slowly, but well enough for us not to notice a problem: until I did. Based on @saveasteading 's post here I thought I'd design, build and install our own - in parallel with the current system. And then switch systems once the grease trap is shown to work properly. I've looked at grease traps online now for a while. They're either to expensive or too small, or frankly sloppily designed. The trap needs to be easily maintained. Easy and quick to empty as well as easy to clean. My first question is how big ( volume ) should it be? Some advice says 40 to 50 litres. Ideas?

... erm , stronger positive correlation I think. 😁

When someone - anyone at all - finds acoustic insulation that works, please send me a postcard. You can still hear flies fart in our bedroom when we're outside. I propose swapping the aphorism Money for old Rope to Money for Shite Acoustic Insulation.

Yes. Yes. I had the same 'jangle' that you are having. And to a lesser extent that feeling remains. Its almost as if keeping foul drainage inside the house rather than getting rid of it out of the house as fast as possible is 'wrong' . I still feel a small 'is-that-necessary-wince' every time I hear the passage of foul drainage inside the house. And that 5 years after the piping was successfully pressure - tested. And it still hasn't leaked