ToughButterCup

A (few) small block of wood, propped between a vertical and the house, such that if the scaffold moves away from the house then it will drop. Very simple, very 'dirty' - but at least it makes me think about movement every time I see the telltale: that's it's principal value, I think. Otherwise, I'd just walk past it and not give the issue even a passing thought. Caused a few heart-stops when I saw the telltale on the ground - until I realised the wind had blown it down. A quick measure of the gap between the vertical and the house was (is) exactly the same.

Where to start? Easy. Somewhere - doesn't matter where. Then think about it's dependencies. That always - without fail - leads to the fundamentals. The things you cannot avoid. Then, head-down-arse-up-go.

You must be really hacked off. In that phase of our build, I got quite adept at re-scheduling and re-planning stuff. Delay can be turned into a positive thing ... takes effort, but it can be done.

When I do go up there, I do indeed fit a kickboard and netting. There are also four strongpoints to which I fit a fall arresting lanyard and I wear a full safety harness. (Unless I'm up there for a couple of minutes) The structure is properly braced (one bay in three) and is fixed to the house in four places. The next planned work is early summer. So, until then, to reduce windage, I took the netting and kickboards down. Having said all that, let's hope I remember my weekly checks eh? But when nothing is happening on it, and the movement tell-tales (a technique shown to me by my dad, an Ex-Royal Engineer WO2) are still in place, I tend to switch off a bit. Thanks for the nudge.

Welcome! Get to know us eh? Well, I drink Lancaster Bomber and Wainwright's beer, and the odd glass of single malt. I think I need to introduce you to SWMBO because I tending to ignore normal maintenance . She drinks anything dry and white. Stop off at J33 on the M6 next time you pass. ? Ian

North West Lancashire attitude to planning permission, described in 3 words. I just have.

Over-focus, perhaps? But most of all, just trying to get it right.

Oh, it's oooooozin' baby, Its ooozin' OK. All over my trousers ; I've knelt in it sat in it, walked in it got it all over my hands got it on one elbow but not the other got it in my hair one lens of my glasses is coated in it

And what if you put a shed on wheels? The Conditions don't cover that..... and so popping a shed on some form of wheels is a common way round that regulation. Tucked out of direct sight, and incapable of being hitched instantly to a thief's tow truck..... Just sayin' .....

Pheeeew. OK lads, ta! I'm on it. ?

Welcome. You haven't read the forum then? Its ram packed with what you want.

It was all going well: too well - the laying chipboard flooring that is..... But some time or other I had to solve the problem of what happens when the joists change direction. Half the joists run north south, half east west. And they meet at the top of the stairs. That was the place where two cut edges have to sit side by side : and I tackled that little joker yesterday - Oh dear: North South joist on the RHS, East West joists LHS. They meet under the left-hand gap. Its the gap covered by the rule that I'm concerned about. The joint sits squarely across a wide joist. Both bits of floorboard can be adequately stuck down and screwed into place firmly. Debbie wants it to be covered with bamboo. The gap will not be seen. But I know the friggin' thing is there.... GGGGrrrrrr. I've worked really hard to get it all mm perfect. IGNORE : REPAIR : REPLACE? Knock down and start again? (Nein Danke)

Ne! - fuer also.....

My concern is to keep the thread (in truth, all threads ) balanced and factual. And in that respect, expert opinion is highly valued. But danger exists - especially on line - where there is little or no challenge to perceived technical expertise. Currently, we only have direct evidence of one problem install and, as written, second hand reports of others: hearsay. And we have direct reports of many problem free installs. We have to be seen to be objective, fair, and balanced in our treatment of what for many members (and non members) could be an expensive purchase decision.

In fairness, and in pursuit of a balanced discussion, I would like to point out that Jeremy's opinion is not the only one.

If you are wondering whether something is a trip hazard : it is. Design it out.

@lizzie, you're just like everyone else. You have to start somewhere. You'll use them, and often they'll be fine, and sometimes you'll whisper sweet nothings under your breath because [.... fill in the reason here ....] and when you're next in a shed or Halfords or somewhere like that and you see an offer, you'll buy them - because ' I just need them, and they were on offer anyway ' ? Just like wimmin need an apple corer (when hands and knife will do) or a potato flagellator (when a fork will do) ......

Thanks all. Thunder-bolted a wide bearer to the top of the wall : which of course wasn't level - because I hadn't checked back to see the replies. Should'a bedded it in a bit of muck...... Plonka. So I cut a hunk of TR26 and ripped it mm perfect on the table saw. And attached that to the ' wall plate' , set it dead level with a laser. Thanks everyone for the swift responses. Ian

Have a look at this please: The photo shows the joists supporting the (temporary) floor, and the Durisol wall which is at the head of the (currently temporary) stairs. The wall is 100mm short of the level of the top of the joists. I need to build the wall up to that level. There are three ways I can do so With Durisol alone With wood alone With a Dursiol base and timber 'bearer' built into the concrete. My concern is to make the level of the top of this bit of wall exactly the same as the level of the top of the joists. I ask because this is the head of the stairs, and so will be a high-traffic area. And, while I suspect that many of you will mutter ' There 'ee goes overthinking again ' , I'd rather have that than come on here wailing that (say) I wished I'd used a wooden bearer built into the concrete to support the chipboard floor..... The problem with Durisol alone would be that fixing the chipboard directly to concrete is not the best idea. The concrete would have to be perfectly flat and the perfectly level. Concrete shrinks doesn't it? So, it's an all wood bearer fixed into the Durisol as is, or a hefty wooden bearer concreted into some Durisol Wadja fink?

It may or may not be. I think the key thing here is to to break the whole thing into little bits, formulate a plan for each bit , and then follow up on them. To make it easier for us to help you, perhaps a short, succinct post about one of your proposed next steps?

My direct experience of ecology as a sector is, that those involved in a professional capacity - while very keen on their subject specialism - are not good at communication. That's a sample size of 8 ecologists. I am not in the least surprised that an architect doesn't mention ecology. The only defence we have is to be fully informed ourselves. That rather reduces the value of employing an ecologist . I now think their value extends to the mere possession of a valid licence to practice. The customer needs to follow up every other detail. As my mate @TerryE says : welcome to skiing in front of the avalanche.

A quick interim summary. Two issues run through this thread the technical discussion and the way the company communicates with its customers One member has reported direct experience of a SunAmp product failing to recharge. That member reports other users' (not necessarily members of BH) similar experience: the unit fails to recharge in a timely manner. Another member reports multiple problem free installs. Given that many readers (let alone members) of this forum appear to be considering purchasing SunAmp equipment, it would appear that the company's communication strategy leaves something to be desired. Technical discussion is on-going. It important to note that units recharged via a hot water source aren't a concern. The problem is with those units linked to solar PV generated energy. The argument is made that intermittent solar energy supply appears to compound the core problem : the unit fails to recharge in a timely way.

This is a post that's full of pain. I'm left a bit stunned, and wishing that you had found us in early 2014 - heartily wishing you'd found us much earlier. What do you propose to do now? Please tell us and we'll give you at least a sympathetic ear, but also a series of things you can do to protect yourself from further ' damage '

That cliche grates more than most. Almost as much as this morning's lesson. I'd put in a temporary first floor - made from OSB. And laying the proper chipboard meant that I had to take the OSB up first. The lesson? Never underestimate how well OSB hides screw-heads. What's your building lesson?

The title had me worried for a bit there @lizzie...... It's always good to solve a seemingly intractable problem. Time to enjoy it now! Ian