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ToughButterCup

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Everything posted by ToughButterCup

  1. ToughButterCup
    I knew it. @Onoff does read poetry in the bathroom. Instead of DIY manuals.
  2. ToughButterCup
    Bear in mind that he will not be invoiced for anything until up to thirty days after the date of order at the Builders' Merchant. And then he will have up to thirty days to pay. At best 60 days in total, worst 30 days. And he's asking for payment after two weeks. Hmmmmm.
  3. ToughButterCup
    Exactly.
  4. ToughButterCup
    Over-thinking it , yes. As usual.
  5. ToughButterCup
    Thanks @Cpd, @Barney12 and @JSHarris. Very informative and interesting. Now the question is .... Will cheap Aldi washing up liquid do the trick too? I think, just for the crack (craik?) I'll try putting a bit of lime in on the South face of the house - the surface that's going to experience the biggest temperature range.
  6. ToughButterCup
    I must be uglier than you then.
  7. ToughButterCup
    Is there such a thing? Carrying a few knee injuries from last century points up the fact that the knee pads I use seem to slip out of place. Anyone solved the problem? Maybe its the Aldi Specials work trousers I buy?
  8. ToughButterCup
    Hein ? God this learning curve is steep. Thanks so much for the nudge..... I thought hydrated lime is a plasticiser, and so would do the job of compensating for minor movement. This page has a comparison table for both types of lime against OPC (Ordinary Portland Cement). I treat it with a good deal of caution because of the Internet-as-Shared-Ignorance factor. It's of interest because all types of lime are breathable. And, in this case, the end-in-mind is air-tightness. According to the table, the choice appears to be sand and cement and a high risk of cracks, against putting some non-hydraulic lime (hydrated lime) in the mix. The decision matters because I have 240 square meters to cover. But luckily I have a test bed in the Piggery. I am also quite happy listening to conflicting but apparently authoritative advice. The key issue is the mental wrestling done on the way to taking a decision.
  9. ToughButterCup
    So, @Incipiens Mox, in line with your forum name: get on with it!
  10. ToughButterCup
    Well, I'll add some lime to one or two areas as a test (in the piggery rather than the house). And wait.
  11. ToughButterCup
    Ahhh, the more the better......
  12. ToughButterCup
    A wise old bloke came a' visiting last week. Looked at this and said Tha'll need lime in that , fella. 'S Gonna crack, else. So when both @MikeSharp01 and a wise local both say the same thing, I think I ought to take some notice. (All it needs now is for @JSHarris to pile in and I'll have to ) I am using plastering sand in a mix of 4:1, and adding a bit of plasticiser. If I were to add some lime how much should I add?
  13. ToughButterCup
    Right, @Onoff, I really like that approach. So, I'll mock it all up today, take some photos and post them here later. It's the journey (code for 'learning') that really matters. It takes a huge chunk of time, but sod it, I enjoy learning for myself. Even falling walls can teach you stuff.
  14. ToughButterCup
    Hmmm, excellent idea(s) @Onoff The roof will be vaulted, so no need for trusses. I like the projecting studs idea. I'd have to set them in some kind of 'chair' so they are perfectly vertical.... I like the idea partly because I have about a mile of threaded bar left over from the shuttering. The other thing is the the wall plate can be tweeked perfectly level with that system (- I suppose: never been here before as usual ) Thanks for the photo @Alex. I like that corner detail. Makes sense.
  15. ToughButterCup
    Avoid, avoid, avoid. He's either the PC or he isn't. He's either in business or not. His being over the VAT threshold or not is completely irrelevant
  16. ToughButterCup
    @Hecateh, how about £7,000 up front Monthly detailed invoice How are you going to manage quality control (to give it a pompous name) ? Thing about people like @JSHarris and others like him, they know what they're doing. I don't....
  17. ToughButterCup
    £15K up front sounds (feels?) too much. But, but but.... You want to start, you need , neeeeed to get started, he's been good to you so far. There's tremendous pressure on you to get going. Won't it be good to get into the new house? I'm new to this lark too. And if there's one thing I have learned it is that this sector takes the mickey if it can. Self-builders are often seen as a money tree. Trust your instinct.
  18. ToughButterCup
    Ian
  19. ToughButterCup
    I'm about to pour the last bit of concrete before putting in the wall-plate on the piggery. Have a look at this; Once I have poured the last 100mm or so of concrete, (in the holes you see) I will need to fasten the wall-plate to it. Should I run the wall-plate right the way through the gable, or cut the wall-plate flush with the gable and fill that with concrete? The image below should help explain.. I have deliberately not poured concrete into the gable block in line with the wall-plate - just in case your advice is that the wall-plate should run all the way through the gable Maybe it doesn't matter, and both options are reasonable. Just for information, this building isn't subject to Building Regs: it replaces the old piggery which has stood there for about a century or so.
  20. ToughButterCup
    A delicate one this: your 6th sense is a good a guide as anything. However, as a starting point, you might like to consider the following 20% of what? Is that figure reasonable if you were to source much / some/ all of the materials? How will that figure ('of what' above) be evidenced? How will you deal with poorly executed work? Who will judge the standard of the work? What level of detail will be included in the invoices submitted to you? Does the contractor have an account with the local BM / suppliers? If so, why should you pay more frequently than he pays his suppliers? I used to settle bills very promptly indeed. Until this tale of woe. Luckily, Debbie (SWMBO) trod on my foot before I paid the final invoice. She put it very neatly "Why do you think you should enable him, by paying up front, to over-trade even more than he is?" Be very circumspect until you have good reason to trust one another. Little steps. 20% is a big step.
  21. ToughButterCup
    This series will start you off Treat yourself to a small hand-held router first. Here's an example of what I mean. Routers are addictive.
  22. ToughButterCup
    You've lost that one. Durisol is dusty. And covered in cementitious material. Lots of chasing out to do. I now never go into the house without eye protection. That'll be a four pack of Hogoblin please.
  23. ToughButterCup
    It's been on the bottom of a long list for a long time.
  24. ToughButterCup
    Blimey lads! I write a post, go for a blow on Arnside Knott overlooking Morecambe Bay - hang on like grim death to my wig - and come back to all of this. Thanks very much. Least I can do now is to make a pucca job of the repair. Having isolated the circuit first
  25. ToughButterCup
    Being a responsible builder, I installed our eyewash station in the most used room of the house - the kitchen. Right where everyone can grab it easily and quickly. Put it up, right pleased with myself, until Debbie asked why the kitchen lights weren't working anymore? I've put a screw right through a cable buried in the wall haven't I? Right here..... The right hand screw is the culprit. The mood-o-meter says it all. To repair it, I need to isolate the circuit, prove that it is is dead ( a la John Ward) Dig the cable out, and find the break Then what? Help please....... I know less than anyone in the world about electrics. Thanks Ian
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