ToughButterCup

Well since you pointed it out. let me tell you the story, I had to take out a foot or so of topsoil, then put in 64 piles, bring in 400 tonnes of MoT1 for the piling mat , then there was the cage to put in, the wiring team had to come from Ghana, were all drunkards, so I sacked them : the NHBC got involved, but they were useless, so I asked a self builder. He did it on his own for half the price quoted by Wimpeys. Lovely bloke

Hello, welcome from all of us. It'll be very interesting to hear from you about the differences between self-building now and then, especially in relation to the differences in technology. We look forward to hearing from you Ian

You forgot the keyhole(s), mate. And, as for the cat flap, the cat flap, oh the joys of the cat flap. I mean, even Rollo knows that one. Our Sid would flip his feline lid if we shoved that full of Nonsense Foam

Mornin' Fredd. I'll get the tea on. Mind if Rollo does a shift today? Been up all night makin' that sodding spoon, so I'm off back to bed.

Help yourselves folks; slaps all round

@AliG and @JSHarris, you are both stars. That's what I love about this place: constructive, intelligent engagement with slightly complex problems that would take eons to work through for yourself. Ian

I'm off out to my shed to carve a massive wooden spoon-shaped object from a spare railway sleeper.

Thanks. Is there a simple table somewhere which helps us choose board with similar characteristics?

I reserve passion for my wife. However, substitute 'very keen' and you are about right. It's the visibility of the expenditure on every single nut, bolt, bag of cement, batt or Glulam that plays a large role in the way we work. Rather than just paying for someone to arrange a mortgage and booking the removal van.

Quoting from our architect's notes '...Insulate fully between rafters with Kingspan K7 or equivalent, with 62.5mm of Kingspan K18 beneath rafters...' That suggests that somewhere there is a performance equivalence table. But there isn't is there? There seem to be equivalence claims (often unverifiable, it seems) This is the closest I got. Anyone help me do better, please? Specifically, what is the equivalent of Kingspan K7?

Gordon Bennett! Are you running a power station?

Quite.

Type 1 foundation? Is that equivalent to MoT1 foundation?

I'll have just one more attempt ..... Mass building isn't the same as self-building.

Thanks both. I wonder whether for any given specification, I could substitute a stronger beam (i.e. a bit bigger all round) - but one that is available 'down-the-road' ?

@Hecateh, don't. Just don't Head up shoulders back, look them in the eye , face them down. Don't make yourself an easy target. (And then have a weep in private) What you are doing is perfectly reasonable and to be expected in a house build. This isn't to everyone's taste, but just have a listen

Tanners (our SE) have specified two glulam beams for our ridge; 140 by 270 in 5 laminations using C24. One is about 4 meters long and the other 6 meters. I have asked around and nobody does exactly that specification (or at least I haven't found anyone who does yet) in terms of either length or wood specification. Here's what one manufacturer came back with (we have had similar stories from other manufacturers) 90 X 300mm PEFC GL32c Glulam Beam. What does PEFC and GL32c mean? Is 90 by 300 an equivalent to 140 by 270 In addition they have also quoted us for an 8 meter beam and a 12 meter beam. What's the story with Glulam beams? Why can't I get exactly what the SE specifies?

@Hecateh, have a little read of these.... 'Warts' number 1 and 2 will ring a bell Objection overruled, m'lud More recently, this Of the 20 or 30 people who have stopped to natter while the build is in process, a handful have made reference to our neighbours public objections. Without exception, their diagnosis of the motive for negative comment they had personally heard or seen was jealousy. I don't know whether that is right or not. A couple of years on and I'm getting the odd smile, a brief chat from neighbours. And ten years from now it won't be forgotten, but the pointless minor spats will be. And finally, this will put a smile of recognition on your face: @JSHarris at his best. Grow a thicker skin: and take it off as soon as there's a hint of thoughtfulness on the part of your neighbours.

We aren't comparing like with like. The word self is not the same as mass.

Scaffolding is mentioned in SPONS. (2015), but there is scant detail. I suspect it's too job specific to be able to give a set of figures. The best SPONS does is to price scaffold towers at between £3.17 to £7.79 per single or double 'bay' (2m by 7m high)

So, a non-self builder joins a self-build group. Excellent I say! Bring it on - about self-building, that is.

There is a nurse in the house.... @Hecateh, I think. So, just do as you are told .....

I did. After I had posted. Eeeejit

Hmmm, the Gospel according to @JSHarris, @Nickfromwales as modified by @Onoff and @ProDave, translated by @Ferdinand, exemplified by @jamiehamy, rendered by @nod, softened at the edges by @lizzie and @Hecateh, and videoed by @Construction Channel is free. Yes, its asynchronous, but you don't need to go back to the Aramaic, nor the Greek (geeks we have in plenty, but not Greeks, except the honorary one called @TerryE) for translation. Asynchrony is solved by the PM system by the way. There are as usual words of encouragement in the real Bible. Trouble is it tries to tell us about poor build practice indeed, the stone the builders rejected became the corner stone (one of Mark's little gems I seem to remember) . Now, work that one out.

Are you @richi trying to get @Onoff into even more trouble? Good idea.