ToughButterCup

There is always silence when I talk about heating - well, its absence. As for no cylinder for hot water.... And Sunamp just kills the conversation stone dead.

I'm getting more used to the range of reactions from visitors to the site. Its the range of reaction that interests me. The thinly veiled sneer. Yer doin what? How much? How yer doing the roof then? Shakes? What, vaulted roof? Haven't done wun o they fer 20 year od. An' ahm a rewfer. Yer wanna trussed rewf mert... Well good luck with that then The visiting BM Driver It takes a BM delivery lorry driver about 10 seconds to say, Whasatt stuff then? Followed by 'Looks like sponge' (Durisol block). The visiting mate Got the keys to yer digger? Need owt lifitin' ? Need an ole dug? Has Debbie got the tea on yet? Ya haven't done much since I was last here. The visiting BH member I'll get my kit out the van, won't take long. The architect Well, the SE will be able to tell you that. The passing cyclist(s) We are on a National Cycle route) I've got no time for NIMBies; seems to me you've just gone and got on with it. JBDI is my motto too. The passing local councillor How come its taking you so long then? The long, slow drive by There are two sorts: the builders' van, and the Sunday driver (every day at least two, never mind if it's not Sunday) Builders: two blokes, one feet on dashboard, 'tother forearm on wheel craning to see of the wall's come down again (UP YOURS pal) Sunday driver: two old biddies, of, though not yet in the grave, ashen-faced smiling. Judder past in the wrong gear because they're driving so slowly. Kindly. Walkers in groups That curious dynamic that makes groups of walkers oblivious of their surroundings, pass by without so much as a flicker. Single walkers How's it going? yabber yabber yabber. Let's have a look then! Cheery, joke-filled minute or two. The precocious child Mummy, what's the man doing, he looks like Darth Vader? (Welding - er sorry writing braille with a welding stick) The local retired super-nerd We chat happily for an hour or so at a time about minutiae, when I repeatedly refer him to read @JSHarris on heat decrement delay, @Temp for planning matters, @Nickfromwales for saucy one-liners. "Well, I have to say (no he didn't) yours is the most over-engineered house I have ever seen". Some locals Studied avoidance of gaze: the sort I used to get in the 1970s as an Officer Cadet when a senior (but arsey) NCO deliberately avoided saluting me. (The NCO was right) Headstrong Old Biddies Well now what are you making the roof out of? What? What's that then? Harumphhhh. I could forgive you if the roof was going to be slate. I may be working on my own at the moment. But there's a committee of watchers out there. I'm starting to sell tickets tomorrow.

Headwinds blowing for us at the moment. But how many people would give their back teeth to have our problems?

I try hard to offer what she wants, and vice versa, otherwise put: consider your partner first. Mostly.

Not on Saturdays. Debbie's list of Jobs-For-Ian-To-Do is getting too long. Need the Brownie points

DOC? Why power flush? It looks like fun

Good idea @Vijay. The other thing I could do is a power-flush. Now that might be fun. @Onoff will be pleased

The last guy to live in this house was a plumber. Cobbler's daughter worst shod ....

Here's one I should have done earlier, I know. But we are where we are. A drain down depends on gravity doesn't it? So all the piping that's below the level of the drain cock level (no rads have drain points) will still be full. So - just a thought - what if I turn the circulation pump on for a minute or two to 'force' the bottom few centimeters of water out? Switching the pump on for a minute or so, will I knacker the pump? Any Welsh plumbers on the board will be most welcome to answer.

But that's exactly the problem : when you do look, you can't see it - because it's sticking to the bottom of the inside of the partly full mug. And, if like me you never get to the end of a mug of tea, yer stuffed. The last bit of tea is camouflaging the concrete. I like the idea of the Tommee Tippee mug, though. Just need the grandad version.

I have a habit of drinking tea on the job. And not drinking all of it because I let it go cold. Doing a lot of concreting at the moment Imagine my surprise then when I took the mug out of the dishwasher to find concrete spatters all over the inside at the bottom of the mug - even after a hot wash. Reusing the mug, the concrete makes no difference. Better keep this one quiet before the HSE gets in on the act

There's a simple rule: no foul drainage, no house. And it is not unheard of for houses to be built only to find that the foul drainage is a huge expensive problem. Cess-pits are, I think, very rare indeed. Welcome, by the way Ian

Thanks for the generous offer. I am one minute away from J33 (Forton Service). So when the M6 bites you in the rear - and you're forced onto the A6, stop by for a coffee! Ian

@PeterStarck's approach (outlined above) , one that empahsises partnership is difficult. All professional relationships are subject to the same dynamic. How can we -domestic clients- know whether a professional's decisions are really in our best interests? Professional Associations - ones that are meant to 'police' their sector - are often loath to draw attention to anything but the poorest practice. So, @PeterStarck's model is for me the only one that stands a chance of working well. It's tricky, though. Tricky because the quality of the professional relationship will only show its true colours when something goes wrong. And, by chance, that's what makes good TV

I appreciate the wry humour. You do not need to defend your discipline here. The odd tasteless comment is exactly that, and should be ignored.

I put mine in a wheel barrow... with all the other sh1te

I thought it was just me. I've stopped commenting because Debbie rolled her eyes once too often. "Stop shouting at the telly dear, they can't hear you"

I knew it. @Onoff does read poetry in the bathroom. Instead of DIY manuals.

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.

Exactly.

Over-thinking it , yes. As usual.

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.

I must be uglier than you then.

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?

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.