ToughButterCup

Lets not fuss about a small thing like that.

And was exactly why GD got its fangs into the project. Nowt to do with building..... Our cat nearly killed me (a play-bite gave me sepsis). It changed my mind about the need to take non-verbal cat behaviour very seriously indeed. And then we started a self-build project which we couldn't afford - hold on a minute ?

Bliss, sheer bliss. Would have saved me thousands, and about a year. Ya live and learn, eh?

And you'd still be dead right.

That's a real shame for all concerned. Aesop's sucking his teeth. Be not hasty to envy the conditions of others

Yes. Unforeseen delay. One company we employed disappeared for five weeks: no notice - well that's unfair, they did tell us at 4.59 on Friday that they wouldn't be in the following week. Over a month later, they turned up. Discussions about the £585 scaffolding charge for that month were interesting. It was the scaffolder (a really decent local bloke) who warned me about the company. The scaffolder had just had to remove the boarding from another job to force the company to pay his bill. It was quite spectacular - I'd never seen a scaffolded two storey build without planks before: right in the middle of a local town.

I think that clause may well be common.

Our PP has the following Condition. PD rights have been removed. I understand that (locally at least) this is a common requirement. Not sure of the rationale, but there it is.

Welcome to the Avalanche Ski Club.....?

PMSL... wet the sofa, tea up my nose, cake stuck in my craw, coughing fit to cause a hernia. Seen this? or this? or read this? For a calmer take on things, read this ... The height at which the wall collapsed was 4 meters plus. You can (but dont ever try it) pour a complete house. I have seen it done. Its a stupid (and should be ) an unnecessary risk. The pour height issue is one where willies are waved and sales spin weaved..... I have a feeling that a good rule of thumb should be - dont pour more concrete than you are prepared to lose at any single pour. For me, thats about £500 (concrete, plus pump, plus reinstatement). Not all of the concrete poured will come out of any single block burst. Multiple block bursts will almost certainly be the result of negligent or criminal mishandling of the blocks or substandard blocks which should have been identified before placement.. Multiple block bursts are rare, but in our case - a godsend. I kid you not Read on

I've won one: the award for employing the nicest work-experience chappie. I get given pints every time I meet his dad in the pub - yes still - 2 years later! (Here's a link to the series if you are interested)

Having flooring cock-ups under my belt (including losing my trousers in the process) may I support what @PeterW says. Maybe I'm too used to coping with cock-ups, but now, I tend to shrug and get on with it far earlier than before. That doesn't mean I'm satisfied with shoddy work, or that I don't face the issue head on at the time . But lawyers, contracts - they win in the end, nobody else. I don't pay for shoddy work (any more) either. So come to an agreement about Pete's suggestion if you can, and part company company if you don't.

Who wouldn't? But I sometimes long for someone to give our J a really serious, well-argued run for his money: if only because we'd all learn far more from the back and forth. Expert power needs to be handled with care (because it's Personal power French and Ravens 1958 ish) . Otherwise, I do what Sue (above) does.

So that's where it is. I knew I was one short. Mystery solved

I do. We are. Keeps the kids away ; grand children are welcome to stay.

I missed that.... Come to think of it 4 tonnes of water has a significant thermal mass dunnit? (I'm off - no apology - too tired)

Tried BuildHub? All the right words, but not necessarily in the right order.

Arrrgggghhh, there ain't nothin' like a self-made planter ter warm the cockles.....

Got a concrete pour coming up? Use the excess. We have the screeders coming next week: I'm trying to find time to make a simple shallow 'tray' to absorb some of the excess. Got an old, shallow metal kitchen bowl? Force some sort of container into the bowl during the pour Got an old 25 litre liquid container? Cut the top off and force a couple of empty 5 litre containers into the 25 litre container during the pour. Pop a bit of scaffolding pipe through the bottom (drainage) Etc.

How much water is there in a transformer then, eh?

Yes. The discipline in our case wasn't the engineer, it was the ecologist. And the consequences cost us £6000. How to deal with it? Fulminate, swear a huge amount, get pissed. Calm down. Move on. When I see an opportunity for revenge appropriately professional feedback, I might just take it

I have 8 fingers left, of which 6 work well: the other two are only good for hooking underneath a pint glass and emptying the dishwasher - I can hang four cups on each - and I can hang unbelievably heavy weights from them - cant feel much. Used to teach: to base 8, not 10. Great fun watching kids count and re-count my fingers .....?

Before I forget, beware of the dust caused by trimming the blocks. It gets in your eyes - and its vicious. Get an eye wash kit. And some form of eye protection.

And level (or laser) or taught string line, or all three. Check every single block for line and level.... Twice or three times.

All I'm saying @scottishjohn, is that I've become much analytical - not to say critical- about what suppliers (of anything) send me. In this case, the lack of accuracy in something as simple as a building block causes significant amounts of aggro downstream. For which I, personally, this time, have had to compensate. Less aggro sending it back and insisting on accuracy next time.