ToughButterCup

.... wanted at a sensible price. Lord Love a Duck, what you can get from Italy in terms of minimalist design is so expensive, they wont tell you the price. And the Nordics are almost as bad. Hard on their heels is this German (German for Gods Sake!) offering of a sheet of melamine covered board for 398 Euro - down from over a 1000. Nuff to send @Russell griffiths round the bend. I've wasted hours on Tinternet looking for what I have concluded is a company that rips off Italian and Nordic designs and sells good copies at a sensible price.

Try a pneumatic air bag under it : available from other sellers too.

Thanks Peter. Nobody tells ya FFS (except on BH)

Nevermind overthinking, I'm over-worrying, I hope. In a fit of what might subsequently be regarded as stupidity, I bought this All else has almost failed, so I thought I'd better read the instructions. Oh dear. Better make @Onoff and @ProDave proud, so here goes Electrician's Guide to The Building Regs , Ch 5 page 75 Reading the Tech Notes in the Instruction Manual: no mention of a metallic sheath to which I can connect the earth wire. So, I tried to contact their tech Helpline. Closed. Hence this post. Is this a some-you-win-some-you-lose case?

You'll get a technically correct answer from others on here @MrsDeS. But the results of heating stuff up depend on how people perceive those results. On how real people feel in situations relevant to them. I'm suggesting, based on a trustworthy estimate, you over-specify by a bit. How big's that 'bit' then Ian? Ask another plumber - one who hasn't specified or quoted for the system. No conflict of interest that way.

... to store it, or use it?.... from the wall or ceiling? Mine hung from a ceiling on a normal floor joist. I ask because using a punch bag hanging on a wall means damage if it's used. I've never used a boxing bag, maybe that's different... From a joist, or noggins fastened across several joists, 80kg is fine.

Find a beekeeper, she'll know, and know how.

For those who can set out and so don't have to ask on BH, that's fine. I rather assumed that asking for advice implied a lack of confidence. And setting out is one of those bits of a build where getting it wrong is potentially disastrous. I'm not sure how to put guttering up. When (not if) I get it wrong, I take it down & do it again.....

As so often , (it is painful to admit ) @Russell griffiths closely followed by @scottishjohn are right. If you have to ask about mission critical stuff, employ someone with Professional Indemnity Insurance. Do proper due diligence, talk to several of the professional's previous customers. On our laying out phase, I did all of that and still found an error of exactly one meter in two places. Cross doesn't begin to describe how I felt.

Yellow Pages. A professional to do it for you.

Bloody Hell Gary. I'm tired just reading that....

The inside of our piggery is nearly finished. It's walls are lined with OSB. The piggery acts as a utility room. It'll be dampish in there for short periods. Painting OSB is new to me. Any gottchas?

Get a farmer to run a flail over it for the first pass. That photo - to me - shows it's too much of a job for a normal hedge trimmer. Much too high. Unless you've got the shoulders and biceps of a gorilla. Then any of the serious tool companies do sensibly priced hedge whizzers. My preference is for Stihl, but there are plenty of good alternatives . Keep on top of that thing... hedges run away with you if left even one season.

Welcome. I almost remember those hopeful days - Building the Dream on every Friday, Kevin Whatsis-Face when we've had enough of Charlie L. I won't make that mistake - look at that stooopid design, that's nice can we have one of those dahling? How much? Ya jorkin' Ah those were the days. Travelling hopefully. Hold on to your optimism and energy. And good common sense approach to standards. We need folk like you to energise us. Thanks for joining. Ian

Phhhhhhhhhh ovewrthinking again ?. Bloody Hell.

Have a look at @Jeremy Harris blog. Loads about it on there.

That about nails it. Ralph's point about location is critical. SPONS ( the architrects price guide) gives a national level guide using factors. With Outer London as 1 (one) it gives various factors for the regions. The factor SPONS gives for Lancaster is 0.96 - but Sandbanks in Dorset will be significantly different (2.5?). Locally (15 miles away), there's a millionaire's row. Tradesmen talk about silly prices being the norm there.... (you can see it from the West Coast Main Line). I'll be glad to come in at £1600 on 146 sq meters. The Devil is always in the detail. There seems to be a good deal of antipathy to SPONS on this board : costs £150. And has saved me many many times that price. Its hard work to get into, but a couple of days working at it repays the effort.

Call that a mistake? Whassa matter with ya man?

I'm on about £1500 ( I guess) a square meter (146 m sq) . And thats working too hard, too long, moaning too much, enjoying small bits of it. It's 'King hard work. I could not have got this far without help from the folk here. The advice and moral support (well, some immoral) is critical.

Interesting. Never heard of one of those until now. This what you mean?

Well, Russ, its good to know that man of your standing in the world of self build is just as incompetent as I am. Very satisfying, that. Blew the bung out while doing the internal pipe test as well , this morning. Thats three meters of pipe (vertical) , so that makes about 300 litres of water pushing on it - 300 kg: you'd 'a thought I might have worked that out before hand wouldn'tcha? Got it in one hasn't he?

Unfortunately , yes. You might get away with cutting an inspection hole for a random sample of joists , making a generalised judgement about how adequately they are fastened and then making good as necessary. In the preceding posts, I smell aggro. It might be as well to get an independent surveyor (RICS ?) to write a proper report, and then present that to whoever needs to see it. It'll take away all the you-said-she-said-thats-not-needed nonsense that you appear to be facing. And get the surveyors fee added to the bill.

The title says most of it .... Is there any point in getting a smart (whatever that means) thermostat for something as humble as electric UFH? I've got a fused spur time switch - I'm not getting up extra early to make sure that Twinkle Toes has warm feet. ?

Hello Tim, welcome. I've built using ICF: not the only system available among ICFs , but there's a healthy range of offerings on the market. Here's my experience of ICF - not all of it good: better you know about the warts as well as the laughter lines innit? The key strategic decision at your stage: who's building it for you ? - experience counts for almost everything. (I take it you'll not be doing it yourself - you've got a decent Beemer parked in the drive - you wont want the carpets to get muddy now will ya? Specially with a wee hoos like that in Bearsden or Milngarvie eh? ?) Ian

If the cash settlement is a complete and satisfactory repair, then thats the best of a bad job. But what might satisfactory mean? To my inexpert eye, just putting noggins across the centre of the house would not be satisfactory. Maybe this is a case for an independent surveyor's report and recommendation?