ToughButterCup

By chance the other day, I hear some authoritative medical advice about getting old(er) . Keep your hips in one piece. Apparently at my age a broken hip is one of the markers to look out for. Why? It becomes increasingly difficult to recover from a slip and subsequent fall. So a trip to Topps Tiles has added significance: the manager at Morecambe points out the Pendulum Test Value (PTV) classification on his tiles - the range of slippiness extends from somewhere between Wet room approved and deadly. But ouch, the prices! Off to Wickes round the corner. My God what sloppy couldn't-give-a-stuff-staff. Tiles half the price. 'Scuse me Mr Wickes, are these wetroom tiles PTV rated? Wha' ? Tested for slippiness? Yep, 's on the packet Where, show me please. Drags himself reluctantly out of a nice comfy office chair ... Erm, erm, hold on, I ring 'ed office Yeah mate, funny you should ask - our 'ed office bloke said to go to Topps Tiles if you want PTV tiles. 'Ee used to be a manager at Topps Tiles see. Ya live and learn duntcha?

Top Tip. Cable drum frame - DIY . Piccy? (For the Hard-Of-Thinking)

Firstly, welcome. This sounds like an interesting project My answer assumes that your level of technical design skill is about the same as mine. Got an idea, but not sure whether it'll work. Right? Can I suggest you ask a professional designer to do the design? Then all you will need to do is tell her that you want the beams to be exposed. OK, this has cost implications: but that will be as nothing to doing it yourself. There be dragons. Lots of them.

Setting up a choke (venturi?) in this context is errrmmm interesting. Forgive me, I'm bit of a Slow-Bear this morning Your idea fascinates me. How in an extract air duct might I create a venturi powered by the cistern (water ?) feed?

Over the years I've been bought a few pints telling your story . Nobody believed me. Now, I can refer them to the post about it......

.... amount of electrical cable needed for a house of a given size? I'm busy itemising my shopping list of electrical requirements : it's easy (almost) to pick things from a catalogue or online database. And I know my house is roughly 10m by 10m; but at the rate at which I seem to be adding a this, that or the other thing, I'm thinking that my guess at cable needed will be way out.

Boarding out the Wet-room today, SWMBO scribbled a hasty ditty on the wall; it was lost to sight a few seconds later. Never to be seen again in maybe? Not to be out-done, I retaliated under the next sheet of 8 by 4. Deathless bit of prose and a passable Banksy imitation. Took 20 seconds. Wonder if anyone will ever see or read it? Got any suggestions for the upstairs bathroom??

Exactly. The issue is somewhat similar to - and related to - calculating the 'area' of a house. Hence the RICS Code of Practice on area measurement. (2018) Our house has two areas which will never be used by anyone - tucked under the lowest part of the roof (not part of the Net Internal Area) annotated in their diagram as 'Unusable Space' I hear @SteamyTea's voice in my head saying "Whats that supposed to mean?" Here reproduced without permission the RICS definition of Nett Internal Area https://www.rics.org/uk/upholding-professional-standards/sector-standards/real-estate/code-of-measuring-practice/ August 2019

I'd really love to know why the same mix ratio with hydraulic lime is much darker. I got a real shock when on @JSHarris advice I used hydrated lime instead. Beautifully white as Gary says. To make matters worse, I read here that both commercially available types are both hydrated and hydraulic. Further

Right there. That's the problem.

You are right : chartered status is highly valued across the board among Germans. You are similarly correct about the training system. There is ' parity of esteem ' across the three main sectors of the Secondary Education system (there are five sectors in all). That means that, on successful completion of the end of year exams, students can change school to the type of school of their choice (Theoretical, Theoretical Practical, Practical). Th The irony? The system was designed by the British at the end of the war. However, I understand, but regrettably disagree with your perception about German engineering. Many in Germany argue that the diesel emissions scandal was not merely a rogue software team coping with the challenge posed by the American Emissions Standards. That other hoary old chestnut, punctuality of their trains, is now widely seen as what used to happen. (For example) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0007xsx

Really? I mean really? I'm just a bit tired of asking you to evidence sweeping generalisations.

Efficient, well-organised storage is the quickest route to sanity.

Plenty to chew on there, Ferdi. Thanks. ian

My back is only going to get worse. Old war wound dontcha know. ? No, not the Boer war either. So , while framing out the wet room I casually mentioned that I was building in strong points for a couple of grab handles. SWMBO: "Well I don't want the place looking like a steam room for geriatrics" How on earth do I duck and dive round this one? Recessed handles? Hefty towel rails? Help!

OK : dread to think what a Tiger Bay Screwdriver might be then ?

Naaah lads, that's a Birmingham Screwdriver innit?

She's too busy keeping me in expensive tools and spares for my digger. Top lass!

With the prices Bosch charge for filters.... No brainer

Thanks J. I found this video by Peter Millard and on his recommendation I'm thinking the Intelliplug might do the trick?

Thanks. I know what to search for now. An auto-switch box. There seems to be a dearth of them for sale currently (geddit?) On the DIY front - I jus' lurv your optimism man. My name's not @Onoff or @JSHarris - or even @Construction Channel

switches my vacuum cleaner on when I start my saw? Whats the name of the type of switch that you can plug into the mains which allows you to start (say) your crosscut saw and automatically switches your vacuum cleaner on? I have a Bosch vac with that type of switch integrated tof it : you plug the vac into the mains, but plug the crosscut saw into the vacuum. Switch the saw on, and the vac starts - switch it off and there's a slight delay while the vacuum 'clears ' the hose of dust. That (double?) switch on my vacuum has failed. I understand there's a device you can plug into a mains socket that does the same. Whats it called?

Have a think about integrating the vacuum cleaner with the tools that will be used around the build. And insist that trades use and integrated vacuum cleaner with their tools when their work is likely to create dust. So, the hose diameter - or the availability of an appropriate adapter - between tool and vacuum cleaner is more important to you than for many. Your first guess of my choice is likely to be correct.

@MikeSharp01, you'll be able to advise in more detail on Saturday maybe? The promo videos seem a bit 'optimistic' perhaps? @Construction Channel, for the life of me I can't remember 9, 11, 18, 22 - I am soooo knackered

I'm framing out our wetroom at the moment. We'd like to fit AB Multipanel Wall board. We've got a fair bit of of thinnish OSB3 ply 'spare' . Any reason why I can't use that as backing for the wallboard? It'd be good to use it up.....