ToughButterCup

Dont tell me .... the name of the panel is a secret just between you and the Welsh plumber.... ? PS, just had a thought ... might it be this Impey Graded Screed Floor Former? (Apologies for the error earlier)

Thank God for BuildHub

We're just handing on what others gave us some while ago. And warming our hands on the glow coming from your post.

I have just gone up to look at the hole in a bit more detail. Took a photo and its vanished into thin air.... There's a 300 by 300 (by at least 100mm deep) lump of polystyrene round a large diameter drain hole Whats a Might you mean a 'plug 'ol grating thingy ?

Exactly correct. I have 25 mm to 'play with' The question becomes, how much more do I need to dig down to create a sensible ( 2% ) fall over the area which I expect to need to drain. Spot-on-John I'll go and take a piccy and get back to you all in a few minnits.

25mm is all I have between the slab and FFL. I'm planning for the almost inevitable stint in a wheelchair, so I'd love to able to wheel myself into a wet room. No, I did not keep a dropped section for the wet room. My question is: how much of the current slab should I dig out - given that I have a 25mm head-start as it were....?

@nickw, what's the price differential between the different types? There's more to an ICF block than its price. Ease of handling, ease of re-order, lead time between (re) order and delivery, quality of the blocks, skill level of those using it, storage dry? wet?, what happens in frost? , training support, chemistry between you and the rep(s). I'm sure I've missed some things. Price is important but.....

I've got 25mm left. Between the slab and FFL. And we want a wet room. Ain't gonna happen is it? Well anyway thats what the man from Topps tiles said. Yes, yes, I know. And if you look at some of my earlier threads (2 - 3 years ago) you'll understand why. Moving swiftly on, I need to dig out. By how much? (PS, I've got the drain hole in the right place - and for me thats a success)

Hold on to the fizz you're feeling now. Guard it safe. Cherish it. Polish it every now and then. Keep it ready for future access. Pub tonight then?

I started off bright-eyed and bushy-tailed about rainwater harvesting.Tiggerish you might say. Now, I just want to put the necessary internal piping in, blank it off, and wait until after the main build has finished. If I then suffer a @Stones - type urge to do some more , I can finish it off. We intend to encourage more GCN activity, so it'll be brilliant to be able to keep a gravity-fed reed bed / pond topped up from a rainwater harvesting tank. They are already stirring. Two dead on the road outside this morning. SWMBO and others are already asking me what I'm going to do with myself after the build. There's a watershed moment if ever I saw one.

GD on the telly an BH on the laptop; shout at the telly (well, Kevin), sneer privately at the participants ("Oh that extra £100K arrived quite unexpecredly"), snigger at @Onoff , suck your teeth at the hasty internet searches, plan tomorrows cock-up in waiting, spill your beer on the cat. Nowt better of an evenin'

Just like us.... until it came to emptying the crud that had accumulated in the garage the rest of the year. Can of de-icer costs nowt. It started with the kids insistence that we keep their A Level notes, favourite dolls, smelly fishing gear ..... toe-rags. The mere memory annoys me....

You are most welcome. Tell me about the tool storage (phhhhh) : it's a real issue. I hate constantly moving mine because I can't make the / haven't got the space to put them somewhere and leave them there. I have a shipping container ear-marked for tool storage later, but it won't be long before the LPA bends my ear about it.

I worked through this problem a while ago when, luckily, @JSHarris was writing about the issue. For 146 sq m (our house area) I drew the conclusion that it wasn't worth it. The discussion is on this board - somewhere - not sure where, though - so long ago that I read it that I can't remember which thread. But I do know what you mean about liking the idea of GSHP. There's something elemental about it: something deeply connected.

No, but only because I haven't thought about that - or even knew that you could do that. To be clear, under the joists, tack a 25mm batten (like a roofing batten) to act as a service cavity. Then attach the 80mm. Insulation to those battens, yes? That's got me thinking now..... interesting.

Who's a clever boy then? I am..... Thanks about the tip to use the laser . I might have worked that out after I'd got it disastrously wrong......

Interesting..... yes @Declan52, the difference is that you know what you are doing , and I - well, dont. Did you not tape the little gaps between the sheets of insulation?

Thanks @Mr Punter I'm using 80mm of insulation under the rafters. So, it's drywall screws and penny washers (and alu tape) I need then?

Because I did not know that insulated plasterboard exists. The inexperienced self builder strikes again

I have already put 200mm of insulation between my rafters, and now I need to fix 80mm of Celotex under those rafters. Since I should be able to do that by attaching the insulation to the bottom of the rafters, I am guessing that I don't need to use thermally broken fixings. But I have been known to be wrong before - strangely. So I just thought I'd check. Anyone got a suggestion as to which fixings I should use for 80mm Celotex?

First, a warm welcome. You have a brilliant little project , and if the photo is to be believed, a demanding dog too. So, that makes two clubs of which we are both members. Joined the small budget club too eh? And if your labour really is free, pop up to J33 on the M6 and I'll be happy to reinforce your delusion. I'll pay yer mileage. Exterior walls - I don't really have a technical answer, but I would start by looking at what others in your area have done / are doing. Like I say M6, junction 33, 0900 sharp tomorrow morning.

Blimey! that was quick. Thanks Ian

I came across this video showing an inelegant 'flexarm' reading light. It incorporates a USB charging slot. In other words perfect for SWMBO. But I'm finding it difficult to trace a version of this idea that's available in the UK. Does anyone know of a reading light that incorporates a USB charging slot thats available here.

Right oh! I get the picture... channels at the back of skirting boards are for mice. ?