ToughButterCup

We're made from the same mold, then. Bosch 18 Volt cordless, and newish Bosch blade. But I did nick a nail or two the other day .... arggghhh? Trouble is, that some cuts are perfectly clean

Just interested... its CLS for studding: except I cant see the sodding line....

Is this tear out? I ask because this only happens occasionally, not consistently. Sometimes with the same blade I can get a beautifully clean cut. The big notch at the bottom left came with the length of wood.

Let me get this right. Your roof build up is ' normal ' and in the top-most photograph in the back of the photo, we can see the ridge beam? And above the OSB there is a warm roof? I think I may have a similar build up. My instructions are to tightly pack the gap with Kingspan or something similar and to foam the micro gaps. Tightly isn't easy. So I went through foam at a rate of knots. Most of it on my trousers, I think... ?

We bought BioPure. Nearly managed to fit it last summer (water table at it's lowest) , dug the hole, popped the digester in it went off on holiday. Came back, and there it was bobbing around on the surface like a starboard marker buoy: I hadn't concreted it in place. Eejit. We'd gone to Scotland - a hot dry week. It'd rained like mad in Lancaster.

Gary... you've got rid of the urinal? Bit mean that innit? ?

@Sue B wrote a post in this thread telling us that she was due to attend an ICF pour. It strikes me that it might be useful for us to make a simple list of the things that guests watching the concrete pouring process might look out for. This list refers to pointers to help guests - not the plot and building owner - because that is dealt with elsewhere. (here ) Get explicit permission to be on the property. Ask for permission to take photos Wear Hi-Viz Wear wellies Keep out of the way Note the access for the boom (if used) and concrete supply lorry. Note the shuttering arrangements (if any) Think about where you are going to store your shuttering before the build. Watch what happens if there is a burst: use that as the starting point for your plan for a burst If this pour is one of a series, have a look to see how previous bursts were repaired Make a detailed plan and preparation for a burst on your site. (we had several and became really efficient at reinstatement) Look at the number of people involved in the pour Note the arrangements for pipe flushing Where is excess concrete poured to? Be aware of the noise level and the difficulty that causes for communication If you can, note the level the pour at start and finish Look at the site in general: notice how many trip hazards there are. Try and reduce that risk before your pour. Ask how the builder checks the concrete slump Check the price of the concrete and the boom (delivery system) Offer to make a brew for everyone There'll be loads more; when the list is complet(ish) I'll edit and pin it. Ian

So do we. I wish you every success - admire the fizz of your creativity. Try it small first. See what works, what breaks, what can be improved. I have very clear memories of my father supervising concrete shutter builds during the M5 and M6 construction (last century). He was one of the bridging engineers. The shuttering installations he helped design were massive. Working with the architect, he used to run small trials with different shuttering material. Mostly WBP or planking. I remember one trial with raw planks of rough cut timber. Even the trial installations were (relatively) massive. To keep me busy he made me help shovel concrete into the 'mould' . H+S would have a seizure if that were to happen now...

Not yet, but soon. It might be.... No. Does '...it... ' above refer to the build method? If so, here's too much information based on our experience

And ours ( United Utilities) told us the colour had to be red. I had two pre-visits (by Gallaghers, the company making the connection) to check I had complied, and the cable was duly connected. Not very far from me - within line of sight- , and about a month later, the same connection crew refused to connect two properties - because they had not supplied the correct specification ducting. The knock-on effect was to keep the road closed for a full week, rather than a couple of hours in our case. It was great.

I wholeheartedly agree with your decision. But your visit would be made so much more useful if people with ICF experience could suggest things to look for.... If I can manage to put up our studding a bit quicker than I had planned today, I'll start a thread for the rest of us ' ICFers ' to contribute to. Ian

And there's the difference

@Weebles, do you want me to translate the guidelines for you? MfG Ian

I'm here now. Are you small or big?

@Russell griffiths, may I suggest you do nothing. ' Leave 'im 'ee aint wurf it Russ !' Unless there are many photos, it'll be an unnecessary distraction for you. @Ian suggests £100. You'll have to work hard for that.

Here's a set of explanatory videos.....

Artfully displayed, yes. All done with the Best-Possible-Taste.

Thats what our Winter Garden is about: shading a huge Gaulhofer 4 meter window. Kevin of TV fame calls arrangements like this a Breeze Corridor. My tame retired roofer calls it a patio wi' a screen.

Got my copy of Passive House mag today. So instead of lining up the head plate of my studding..... An article / advertorial about Passive Purple on page 77. Truth to be told, working on my own, I haven't had the courage to focus much on airtightness. So sticking a coat of paint on the inside of my ICF appeals. Here's the website. Anyone know anything about them?

Here be Dragons.

How long is a piece of string? Without detailed knowledge of the local micropolitics and recent local decisions, all anyone can do is give general guidance: of limited value, therefore. 2 meters may well not make any difference. Locally, a recent similar decision where the increase was three meters passed without comment. But you could be poking a hornet's nest. Yes. Maybe not formally, but there's nothing to stop the commenter popping into his mates office (the planning Officer) to give an update. The scenario you describe is in my limited experience, highly unlikely to be problematic. If the gap between you both is 150 meters, there are all sorts of things that can be done to mitigate perceived negative impact.

Help us out a bit, please..... How many people will be living here? How many visitors 'always' come to stay? Any 'yoof' around? Anyone in a wheelchair? How do you get the shopping from the car into the kitchen - without ruining your carpet? Where do you kick off muddy shoes when you have two arms full of haggis (that you've just shot)? Can you get to the garage from the house without getting soaked?

Your local council is the place - their Naming and Shaming Department. Guessing (from your screen name) here's Folkestone's DC's Street Naming Department And this is the search string (search terms) I put into Google (plenty of other search engines available) to find it change house name kent.gov.uk Good luck Ian

Look at Peter Millard's reviews (link above). Key points: the paint needs to be very thoroughly mixed (nay lumps Jimmie) cleanliness is next to godliness.

@lizzie, try it out on series of other things first. Get the feel of it. You could try @Nickfromwales 's new van for example . When he comes round, see how much you can take off it before he notices...... Taps - annoying things - maybe a bit later?