ToughButterCup

Just a quick question. Which resin (brand-names please) are suitable for embedding rebar into existing concrete to make it ready to tie into subsequent pours? I have looked at the technical guidance for that in the Durisol technical information, and can't find it. With a bit of luck, we might be completing this phase of the build within a few days. Fingers and toes crossed. Ian

and / or A self-employed planner who really knows her oats. The gender choice is deliberate. Women are far more capable at focusing on detail; nitty gritty detail. And thats exactly what you need now. You need someone who can answer this question simply , honestly, quickly, first. Why? Because your design taste will be changed by the process of planning for building it. Exactly the same way that drinking cheap red wine , with persistence, evolves into the odd glass of serious claret. Research the planner market. Do that by reading widely. Read the Design Access statements` they have written. Does the statement show a well-argued narrative? Or is it sloppy / slapdash? Waste time with many local estate agents. Encourage indiscretion on their part; and remember those who refused. Network like mad. Then interview one or two. Trust those who want a small amount of cash up front for a quick, straight opinion. And then employ the one who impresses you most. But solve the water supply issue first. There is a long cautionary tale about that to be found on @JSHarris blog.

God, Jane, I thought I was neat and organised, but that's tidy! Good start, and maybe a little drop of giggle water tonight?

Welcome. All sensible advice above. One thing might have been missed; a topographical survey. Levels become incredibly important. We are on a gentle slope ; knowing how much of a slope helped us save several thousand pounds of topsoil removal fees. Ian

While we're at 'my worsts', we moved into a brand new flat on the banks of the River Lune in Lancaster, right by the Maritime Museum: and on moving in , with no notice at all, the builders took the roof off on a Friday afternoon. (Why? Dunno) By Friday tea time a thunderstorm had filled our flat with several hundred gallons of water which promptly obeyed the laws of gravity and visited the flats below, made its way across the quayside and down into the river. The builder denied responsibility until I made up an advertising banner using fairly direct language - and in plain view of the standing traffic jam on the opposite bank of the river. Several thousand people per day with nowt better to do than look at the pretty quayside with our flat three floors up, and; " Ohhh look, there's an annoyed Costains customer! Wonder what's rattled his kennel?" Well now ya know. 48 hours later, the roof was back on, a week later the floor was renewed, a month later I'd sold and moved out. Welcome @redhouse53, let us know if someone takes your roof off just before a deluge. We've got all the skills to help here. Ian

Self builders are very highly motivated, determined people. We have to be. And the margins for those who want to sell on, is small. There's more personal commitment in this community than I have seen anywhere in my professional life (developing online resources for HEIs) because almost all the decisions are high stakes. This community bears testament to the vast amounts of research we all do: just read the level of detail in the answers even simple questions elicit. I hate the abuse to which the word passion is subjected these days. But you won't find anyone here who isn't (or hasn't got to be) about their build. And we are all spending substantial sums - many of us just about keeping our heads above water. The long way of saying I think many of us would love to be able afford someone with your skills.

@Barney12, heres a recipe , or alternatively pop into Aldi and buy some. They come 'flat' or 'bullet' shape, hence the German name 'Buletten'. Any savoury herb added late in the cooking process adds zip. Half the secret moreishness is the small size. The bite size always encourages me to eat one too many.

I think I'm right in saying that there isn't one original piece of metal of any sort in in my 1980s Defender. All of it has been 'updated' at some time or other. Not sure if that's ecologically sound. Financially necessary, though. I will cheerfully replace it when the main build is finished, and buy a bath chair. Electric of course.

Tooth sucking. I've never had the guts to do that, except when taking the proverbial out of builders in the pub. But when they do that to me (us) I find it's an excellent filter - a sort of audible warning: of bullshooshoo.

I have recently been a bit under weather, (ha! just realised what I said there - lucky it wasn't blocks eh?), and in bed, bored out of my mind bumped into this channel He makes videos about a wide range of electrical issues, some practical, others more theoretical. To me he appears to deliver authoritative content. He virtually never responds to comments on the videos he makes, which makes me question just a little bit. My question to anyone who'd like to review his videos is: Is his content worth linking to on BH? https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2uFFhnMKyF82UY2TbXRaNgYT Channel Be warned. The delivery might be thought by some to be soporific. His mother loves him, I'm sure. It's the message that's important, though. What do you think?

Hmm, I'm left thinking that my dad's approach to poor workmanship is the only one that works (he was a bridging engineer for the M50 and M5 to Bromsgrove). "Rip it out, do it again or don't get paid" I used to tremble in my boots when I heard him in that mode.

I'm beginning to think Day Rate is meaningless. Right? or Wrong?

No, @jamiehamy, I don't. Maybe it's that I am so out of touch now (no irony or self-deprecation intended). I remember distinctly during my professional life being held to (and wanting to be held to) high professional standards. Professional review was normal, valued, expected. I remember the pride in a job well done, the almost secret pleasure in meeting a successful ex student and listening to her success story, and somewhat later the searing disappointment when our most senior managers were publicly exposed as - well, 'donkeys'. And for me that points up the importance of personal professionalism. Holding yourself to high standards, no matter what (almost) is happening around you. The litany of probably unforced errors pointed out by @Triassic above all had roots in somebody's decision to do nothing about very minor things. Easy to correct things. Had they cared, the profit from @Triassic's order would have paid the average worker's rent or mortgage for a month or two. So why wouldn't they care?

That's a great shame. I would happily have bought from a UK manufacturer. In my recent experience in the building sector, lack of attention to detail seems to be an almost consistent aspect of UK production and process.... A random list off the top of my head. From banana-shaped walls, to CSL delivered in similar shape, a BCO who arrives on site, spends all his time talking about German race tracks - and then promptly disappears. Oh and I nearly forgot the ecology... the missed email causing a four month delay to the build start.... builders who don't listen to repeated and clear instructions, producers who don't give clear guidance. Lack of high quality and finish is turning me into a nag. Unless poor quality is pointed out often enough and loud enough, high quality won't happen. And I thought I was dealing with mature grown-ups who could give a monkey's. As a family we're investing close to £250,000 into the local economy. Many just take us as an easy target. Because, I suppose the boom will bust soon, and the sector won't - for entirely spurious reasons - regulate itself because quality doesn't sell, I seem to remember. (Woodrow, Bovis, Persimon, Charles Church, NHBC) So, @Triassic, quality sells to some. Not all.

Alright you lot. That'll do about anemometers. I've had enough of wind recently. If it blows your Durisol wall over, (before concreting) its '...strong...' and if the wall stays upright, it ain't OK? Loss adjuster arrived today. Can I share in the anemometer, please? Don't tempt me to abuse Admin rights......

Welcome. A note of caution in terms of proximity to quarries. Made Ground, and Contamination. I am building right next to an old sandstone and clay quarry, and both these issues had to be dealt with. A soil survey, as well as a topographical survey are key pieces of work to have done. They'll provide an evidence base for future decisions. Good luck. Ian

Hmm, the images hint at passivhaus , or near PH design? Right? I love the idea of the light well. Get the window detail right. How are they going to be cleaned? The internal loo might well be a problem. Move it to where you can flush it with fresh air perhaps? Looking forward to seeing details as they emerge. And before I forget, welcome. Ian

Root issue: there isn't one: there are many interacting with one another. High Wind and higher gust speeds. Lack of experience. Failure to communicate. Assumption of common sense. The pressure to take on too much work. The two other stakeholders would put a different emphasis on it. One would say; use your common sense and don't build too much height before pouring. The other would say; but you didn't tell us that. Had the wall been poured, and the concrete set, there would have been no problem. It is crystal clear to me that neither builder nor producer has been trained to communicate well. They do what they do. They don't listen well. They don't express themselves clearly. They rely on what is called common sense. But common sense isn't universal. Add a trusting (yes, naive - but not so naive now) Domestic Client , unseasonal turbulent wind coming directly out of the east (very rare here), a builder who is trying to do too much, and you've got an issue. And here's what's happening next. The replacement blocks are arriving tomorrow morning, (sensible rebate on that) and the builder is going to rebuild for free. Exactly as @Declan52 said it should last week.

@Ian, I have always been fascinated by microclimate; from competitive sailing (reading subtle changes in waves), competitive fell running (finding a few of competitors running in my wind shadow), to the downright terror of landing microlights in wind sheer . Never thought it would all come into sharp focus on a house build....

Cheap 'roll-end' astro turf. God send for us. £50 for a 5m by 5 m throw away bit. Ian

Time for a calm analysis of what happened here. If you haven't read the original post, please do so now: it explains a good deal of what I say below. The weather. That night, it was foul. 30mph+ steady wind and gusting up to 50. I know that at low level it was gusting at 40 + because our plastic guttering rattles at that speed or thereabout. In addition, there's a hiss in the phone wires which (I have tinnitus) is very very close to the pitch I hear in my head all the time. So, background noise instead of cancelling out (or distracting from) my tinnitus was accentuated for the odd second or two in the heavier gusts. The key determinant in the collapse was direction. Here's the view due east (from the top of the scaffold looking eastward) Those hills are the Pennines. Looking to the skyline on the right thats 100 meters away from Forton Services on the M6. The gap in the hills is the Trough of Bowland. The Hills on the left are Clougha and Ward Stone. The wind was from the east that night. Just out of sight between the pond and the hedge is a steep slope. Perfect to create a pressure wave suitable for a slope-soaring glider. By contrast look at our view West The view from the site westward. Four fields away is Morecambe Bay. Look at those wonderful energy absorption systems. Trees. I make this post because of what happened last night. Sailors, hill walkers, glider pilots, GA pilots will understand this all too well. A vicious thunderstorm went through at 21.30 last night. Preceded by a gust front from the west that would have done justice to a small jet engine. It hit the house with a sickening thud, instantly rattled the guttering, and I shot out of bed. Still half asleep I stumbled out into the rain hail and thunder with Debbie's calm words ringing in my ears.. "What do you think you can do about it?" Rushed into the container, dug out my laser plumb line and set it up to see if the blocks were moving. By the time I had fiddled, cursed fallen over, smacked my cheek on the door, trodden on the cat (bless him) woken the dogs and got the laser setup, the wind was abating, but it was hissing down hard. I could see the back edge of the front clearly delineated out to the west in the last of the failing sunlight. Standing out in the open in front of Salamander Cottage hardly a breath of air on the ground, the tops of the trees' west side were still rattling loudly. 10 minutes later, not a breath of wind anywhere. Wind direction matters. Wind strength matters. Local topography matters. Especially when a builder doesn't see the wider picture.

@Russell griffiths, when I go out to feed the dogs in a while I'll take one or two pictures.

Aye, Jimmy. Wan wee bit 'teach

Will you all stop writing interesting posts please. I need to stick to the knitting and get SWMBO's bathroom designed in Sketchup.

Fly over Germany some day: get a window seat. Have you seen it from the air? Did you know that self-generation is being reported in the German press as a threat to the traditional producers? Vorsprung durch Technik, na das ist kompliziert!