ToughButterCup

Thats good to hear, John.

Yer a star @Nick1c - ??

You going to video it Ed? Please would you ?

Naaaah mate, I'll be using less re-bar ....far less re-bar. Ich werde viel weniger re-bar verwenden. Vorsprung durch Beton Jungs! Well, Technik anyway.

Exactly my plan, @SteamyTea ... I've already had a go at a pure cement and water mix: but it's soft ... scratches easily. I'll try some 10mm stone next

A lifetime ago (2016), SWMBO and I had a palpitation or two ? - Settle down , settle down, the palpitations were about polished concrete floors. Well, that rush of blood to the withers soon died down. We posted about polishing concrete here Too expensive. But, the idea (lust?) for concrete has never died. I know they are heavy, need effort, need maintenance, need care. I've viewed endless videos about them. Loads of German videos about them - surprising that innit? Somewhat against my better judgement, I'm eyeing the prospect of building some worktops in my spare time ? But there's not one online resource about the practicality of a concrete worktop. For example, what happens when a heavy shopping bag is dumped on the worktop, and then dragged across it? someone chops food without using a cutting board? leaves a cut lemon on the concrete surface overnight? someone too full of vim and vigour decides to use wire wool to get rid of a stain? uses a blunt knife to scrape off dried out egg stains? spills bleach on it? Are they more maintenance trouble than they are worth? Anyone got a concrete worktop and care to share their experience? Give me some good reasons NOT to give it go please.

@zoothorn, please take a bit more care in formulating your questions. For example, 1) above. You write '.... So a 500 mm exposed area ...' A reader could be forgiven for thinking - is that problem or not? And if it is a problem, then how much of a problem is it? Its a good idea -where possible - to begin the discussion by suggesting answers to your own problem, thus Members can evaluate your answer, or suggest their own answers to the problem. When people see that you have done a bit of thinking of your own, it oils the wheels a bit. Reading through some of your other threads, I got the strong impression that some of the confusion could have been avoided entirely if you had provided some carefully composed images. Its as if you rush to the keyboard to contact BH rather than sit, suck your teeth a bit, look at the issue, think and then after a while write your post. Slow down.

I seem to remember that an impact driver sorted it all out OK ...

Thats exactly what we did. Because of the build sequence, sometimes that wasn't possible (because of lack of experience on my part).

Any one. It doesn't matter. What does is attention to detail. Nitty gritty finicky fussy attention. Choose one system and get it done by someone who knows what they are doing.

Oh how useful a bag of those is! And another bag with wedges of different sizes. I feel like taking a few of them with me when we eat out - beats shimming or wedging the restaurant table with folded paper napkins dunnit?

We wont kick it because we know about it. But little GrandTots won't know or care about it. How do you make Kickboard lighting truly kickable?

I thought that. Until our sparky showed me that it'd (for us) be easier and quicker to put a continuous wall plate in first, and then drill through as required or, if necessary cut it. We spaced the attachments (thunderbolts and sometimes threaded bar) accordingly. That worked well for us.

Now there's a characteristic we share, @SteamyTea, at least we did until I started going to the gym. It has mirrors on all walls - and in front of each, loads of anorexic stick insects stretching, bending, arching, flexing, balancing, pretending that they are in some sort of Zen-like zone of concentration and calm. I hate it. Nowhere to hide from my paunch.

Liar. It was a golf course you were on mate! ?

Developer over claims on tax deductible expense: to the value of the fine (at least).

Welcome. I'm no brickie, but looking at your post, may I offer a small word of advice since you come from one of the hottest places on earth? At this time of year, consider covering your work with a bit of plastic or hessian or something (your auntie's shawl would work too) overnight....?. But you knew that dint' cha? I'll get me coat.

Well Dave, that's the cost of intelligent planning ... can't get the staff these days squire ....

Hannah, get them cut down, pronto. Just do it. Locally, if a tree has a TPO on it, developers employ a mate of mine to disappear the tree. He does it on Sunday mornings well before breakfast. He's usually in church by 10:00. The developer pays the eventual fine and writes that down against tax. Oh, by the way, welcome. Ian

Clive, yer a star. You've just saved me a good few quid. Thanks Ian

Sheeeeet . I didn't know I was sticking my [... ] in a hornets nest .

?? everyone. Ian

Whats wrong with trying?

Bleedin' edge dimmer eh? @Conor, I'm working on it... Do GU10s need to be Fire Rated if they are going to be put in the ceiling downstairs?

Exactly. I'm almost past caring now. It won't matter if we leave the ceiling open until next summer. So it can dry out. It takes about an hour to get a drip during heavy rain. And a day or so to stop dripping. Thing is the area concerned is in the rain shadow, so it drips every few weeks. It has been the next but one job for the last few weeks ... ?