ToughButterCup

And the best outcome possible has been found ..... The camera shows a hole with solid sides all the way through. How can that be? Easy To facilitate cutting blocks exactly in half some blocks have a double central wall with a three or four mil gap between them. Normally blocks have a single web joining both sides. Those would be really hard to cut in half. I had accidentally put my drill exactly between the two central webs : and so drilled through fresh air. Photo to follow. I will double check by drilling 20mm either side of the original hole where there should be concrete (and back-fill with foam) Yours faithfully, Relieved of Lancaster

Move.

Ok, here's the national guide price as cited in SPONS page 226 (What's that? Click here) Per meter squared Labour: 0.69 m sq per hour Labour cost: £18.25 per hour Materials cost : £1.30 per m sq Local variations to those guide costs will apply. £10 per brick replace is a strong indication that they don't want the work, or have a substance abuse habit.

I'd forgotten that @Declan52 Smash someone's face in on a sports field and you become mates for life. I still follow the bloke who broke my nose the first (of many) time(s) on FB. And I still don't talk to him

And here , exactly in line with what @Russell griffiths has just written is a simple story - hopefully it'll bring a smile to your face

The key issue for self-builders who are not themselves time-served trades people is networks: human networks Of the -roughly- twenty trades people have been round our site, either working or blowing smoke into parts of my anatomy. Of those, 10 or so said they'd love to self build: and maybe two or three really meant it. They were the most engaging people to talk to: I could feel the fizz in their demeanor, the closeness of their questions, the sheer energy bubbling out of them. Everyone of them knew exactly who was going to do what on their build. In academic-speak, they had all socialised with one another often since school: their social technical networks were complete. And so when I struck a slightly discordant note [ say: we aren't having any hot water ducted anywhere in the building - why suffer the standing heat loss?] one or two of them stopped, and looked at me as if i was crazy - a tree hugger, or yogourt knitter. But they understood the explanation of the strategy behind the statement. They weren't used to thinking on any other lines other than those into which they'd been so powerfully socialised for so long. A nerd like me (as is the local view, I'm told) has great difficulty in breaking into those networks. They are very powerful indeed. And I think one of the outcomes of that recognition - for them - is often to attempt to over-charge. (I hear the song in my head "Will you walk away from a fool and his money?") The only way I have found of approaching such powerful people is by persistent politeness, and careful nurture. They are as powerful as the local elites ( see the story of Rollo). In the words of one of my lecturers: beware of those who are low-enough in the pecking order to really matter. Treat them well. That socialising on our part takes massive amounts of time, and if it doesn't, it takes massive amounts of money. You already have the necessary self-build skill. Go talk to people. A Lot.

But don't lose sight of what you really want. Put the infrastructure in ready for it when you finally can shell out. We've resigned ourselves to having to do that for our bathrooms as well. And being a really mean penny-pincher in the meantime.

I am not wun 'o them, pal. However, may I suggest you stick to the knitting - planning, planning, and planning. In detail. And then some more planning. When you've finished that (never) , network like mad. For fun learn a bit of this that and the other, that's not the issue, mainly. It's knowing what to do when things go wrong. Say plastering is your chosen skill. Once you've mastered the basic bits, how do you level out a difficult wall, recognise a wrong mix, know when you can push it with temperature and when not, know how much of this that or the other to order, know who supplies properly graded sand and who's taking the mickey, know where you can get cheap [...] It's expertise by experience that really counts. And the research of which I am aware shows that usually that takes about 50,000 hours. Which is why you want a pilot to be both competent and experienced. A 20 year old pilot (civvy) ain't going to cut it -even though she's the best pilot anyone's seen - ever.

PMSL, full-on, tea through my nose, dropped the cup, smashed it, still laughing Welcome indeed VoH. Or may I guess, dude? I dare ya! A photo would do us all a power of good. @Onoff will be along shortly with soothing words of procrastination and electro-babble. He specialises in wet fingered dabbling in plastic wires that contain smoke. Ian

No. Make sure you use an RCD (Residual Current Device like this ) and use this sort of cable: Arctic Blue 240 Volt 3 Core 13 Amp to 16 Amp, commonly referred to as 16amp arctic. A few meters of this stuff never goes amiss either : mine got nicked after a month.

Welcome! We won't be able to judge the price until you give us a few more details, but as @Russell griffiths says, why worry? Tupperware valleys are fine

And while I think like of it @Hecateh, try and arrange for a safe temporary electricity supply from your house for the duration of the build. Doing that takes the pressure off getting the main supply to the new house.....

Yes. And yes

I spend quite a bit of time planning to put important infrastructure bits and pieces in ready for future expenditure, as well as practising sensible levels of mean-ness thus; unused (blind) piles in the ground for an eventual extension (cost £120 instead of a several thousand) MVHR ducting in the ceiling but no MVHR unit for the first year until I have calculated how much heat the house really needs We'd love a Geberit loo (well 2 really) The (isolated) electricity supply for their control system will be in the services void ready for when we can afford them. Until then...... Supply to an eventual car charging point put in, but blanked off at the CU recycling as many 8mm roofing screws as I can (and other screws if I think of it at the time) recycling as much wood as I can - de-nailing de-screwing (when I have the courage) planning not to have carpets (but I bet we end up with rugs) where possible recycling stone found on site

I would be very surprised if they couldn't. Keep asking . And get a supply map first ....!

My only focus is the support of things like windows, doors and steels attached to the outer skin of the house. Normally the odd empty bit of Durisol block is irrelevant and never noticed because people don't look for it. The problems I face are not new or unique to Durisol: many others will have faced the problems and solved it before. It's just a matter of plugging away and having the courage and humility to ask for advice.

Hold on a mo @Hecateh, why aren't they connecting to the existing supply? By that I mean, the supply that connects the bungalow? (if I have read your diagram correctly)

Evidence, evidence, evidence. Exactly @PeterStarck. Camera on order, arriving tomorrow. Now that I think of it, there are lots of little jobs I have for such an implement.

Always up for a challenge old chap. Keeps me off the streets.

But in our case, that assumption would have been wrong . An exception to reaffirm your rule, mabe?

Hit to whom? The seller or the potential buyer? Do you mean the last 9 months of the 12 year rule? (i.e. permission was given 11 years 3 months ago)

Nick, all the steelwork is outside the heated envelope, and so there is no need to insulate it. Nothing goes through the Durisol insulation, except the M16 threaded bar, but that terminates within the concrete. So there is a small cold-bridge, mitigated by the internal insulation.

Hmmm, @ProDave and @jamiehamy It's Germanic-Me that's thinking of the BCO.... message understood No, @jamiehamy, both structures are said to be independent. I know from experience that the house has stood many (named) storms so far with no ill effect - a few trades people have commented that any other build system (they know about) would have blown down by now. But the steels need to be rock solid too; and given this hiccup (thank God I found it!) I'm proceeding with caution. Thanks very much for your help. Ian

Steels are up! After a fashion: with our build, there's always a twist so read on! First have a look at this....... We finished late last night SWMBO is really happy, and, to an extent so am I. The L shaped steel structure is secured to the floor with Thunder bolts, and will be secured to the wall with 16mm threaded bar embedded in the Durisol block. So far so simple. There was a gale last night , and attack of wind if you like : a useful gale, because it made me think hard. The purpose of this post is to ask you to check my thinking and offer relevant comments before I talk to the SE and Durisol. Many of you will remember the hiccup we had recently with the wall collapse (If not read this) And I am quite prepared to accept that that experience is colouring my thinking too much; but here goes. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Durisol block, here is a brief introduction - to understand the rest of this, it's worth a quick look (Links to an image search for Durisol: you only need to understand what it looks like) The vertical columns (steels) are attached to walls with threaded bar. It's that 16mm threaded bar connection that concern me. Because I cannot guarantee the continuity of the concrete within the Durisol blocks: it is that concrete into which I drill and attach the threaded bar and secure with Fischer Resin mortar One of the holes I drilled through the blocks showed that there was no concrete there at all. (The drill went straight through and out the other side of the block) Normally that lack of continuity will not not matter one little bit. But it does matter when the integrity of another structure depends in part on the attachment to the wall. Proposed Strategy Talk the issue with the architect (already done - strategy agreed) Talk to you all Think it through again on the light of the above and Ring Tanners (our SE) Ring Dursiol - maybe ask them to visit Agree problem solution : Talk to BC and ask for a visit before doing the following - Proposed problem solution Examine each of the current drilled holes with an inspection camera: checking to see 100% concrete continuity Attach the steel columns to those holes which 'pass' the test Create another series of attachment points by; identifying 5 further attachment points and exposing the concrete behind the insulation by cutting out that insulation entirely verifying the quality of the concrete drilling into it to create five more attachment points (one per hole) replacing some of the insulation and backfilling with cements and PVA mix. Bit of a faff, but I have realised that technical reassurance that (in this case) the structure is self-supporting is not enough. I need to know deep down in my gut that the structure is rock solid. The psychology is as important as the technical stuff.

Well, if you put it like that...... I was thinking of just leaving the green felt there and putting counter battens on top of it, and then proper membrane on top, followed by battens and tiles in the normal way. Why? Lazy. (Normal? Ha! Exceptional i.e. once only - ever - for me)