ToughButterCup

Come on you pair of old farts; @Ferdinand, @Onoff, just do it! Extended pub lunches indeed. @Onoff, your comment about diet is too close for comfort. Meat flavoured meals, rather than a main portion of meat, very small amounts of alcohol, half-size portions (think Kids meals) and the odd day of 600 calories only clear my @MikeSharp01-esq spark plugs

You are doing it now. Right now. Reading this.

Nail on the head. You are not alone thats for sure. Novelty attracts. But sticking-to-the-knitting is what self-building needs. I think that your thread on the bathroom is a good way of drawing everyone's attention to progress, and an excellent (if virtual) way of not doing it on your own. You see your project anew in the light of all the comments. I used to worry about site visitors. But I have had a lot. Every other day two or three. Even if it just a quick reach through the gaps in the HERAS to poke an ICF block. And I realise (in hindsight) that even negative comment about the build or a detail or an error is in fact a useful motivator. Networking does it best for me. How about you?

Just do it.

This phenomenon is exactly why I started this thread. How do we all motivate ourselves to '...just do it...' despite how you feel?

Carole King Carol King: Beautiful does it for me sometimes... not always. Give it a go here

Oh... If only. We're building in our garden. I can't decide if -overall- that is an ad or disadvantage. Progress, or the lack of it stares out at us every moment of every day. We just can't put it down. I'm also clear that here am I grizzling like a nipper when in fact I'm immensely lucky.

3 years into the build and my standard stock of self-motivators is running low High energy music Three cups of coffee, not two Procrastination - and just a little bit of self-loathing resulting in whirling dervish readjustment Reading Buildhub posts: You did what? Oh thats a good idea! Hmmm, mustn't forget that Go for a walk with the dogs Do the ironing: the world is a better place when you stop doing that Go to the local shop and buy a cheese and bacon turnover, some Lucozade, and a choc bar Clean the bathroom thoroughly: (as for ironing) Its no accident this post is written on a Monday morning. What do you do to motivate yourself when energy and spirits are low(ish)? Ian

All of them are mine. So how do I prove it? I don't know how long I been putting off photographing all the serial numbers on my tools. This is the nudge I need to get the job started. Hmm, and I was stuck for something to do today, I really was. Thanks @Crofter Ian

So, there's no point to a weight forward hammer.........? Shame. I won't need to buy one

A what? Is there a Weight Backward version? OK, googlied it.... What difference does a weight forward make?

Think about it.... How much of this sort of security can you provide for the price of CCTV? Lots. Good luck Ian

It was on the basis of exactly this advice a couple of years ago, that we invested in some expensive locks and chains and secure (no such thing really) storage. And both our dogs (farm dogs) are in kennels and runs right next to our site stores. Any attempt at theft will have to be noisy. Thats the best we can hope for. Our son is a local copper, his partner a CSI. They both say that a balanced approach mixing high quality insurance and low-level theft prevention is worth the investment. We are right on what they call the M6 Corridor crime route. And most of the proceeds are distribute in the local ports within hours. The high speed rechargeable angle grinder plus ultra thin cutting disk is the key weapon to resist. More than one layer of protection slows the thief down and makes the process noisier. Cover your chains with anything that will clog the grinder blade. Add dogs to the mix if you can. Geese are the best, but messy, and problematic in other ways. You also need some luck.

You guys have forgotten how much you know..... Cast resin joint? How, what with? Do you smoke it?

Interesting '....eg a view over fields...' I occasionally employ a teenager whose dad is one of the biggest estate agents in the North West. I was discussing this topic (he reads BH as a guest he tells me) with him the other day. "Biggest mistake people make on buying a property is to think they have also bought the view. If they want to protect view, they need to buy it." Made me think, did that. He's right.

Maybe the difference in our approach, @Nickfromwales , is accounted for by my age: I'm too long in the tooth to threaten old biddys. She did have the grace to beat a hasty retreat. She probably heard my ill-disguised laughter. And I don't suppose she'll be asking for another lift to Lancaster anytime soon either. Bless her.

Exactly what happens to us. I'm so tempted on such challenges to say something like.... "Would you make comments like that to someone you respected?" A wise line manager told me once to 'develop a thicker skin' She was right. Must put it back on.

Just had a venerable member of the local Mafia (the 'NdrahangetaInMyBackYard group) walk past our build..... No prompting, no previous, no altercation, no nothing and then this "What are you putting on your roof?" "Oak shakes as explained on the planning application" "Well, I could forgive you if you were putting slates on like everyone else" "Well If I pay the pizzo, would you forgive me? After all we're only a thousand miles or so from Corleone" Is what I wish I'd said. As it was, she got away with a simple tight-lipped stare from me. What gratuitous nonsense have you had to put up with from random passers-by?

That generosity is exactly what encourages people to read this forum.Thank you. Ian

Self interest requires self control. At so many levels and so many ways in this entire affair, self censorship has failed. It is too much to ask. The argument for independent high-standard regulation is compelling. Time to admit we got it wrong.

The company is indeed Helical Systems. Very helpful and prompt when last I contacted them.

I'd forgotten that sketch. In my case it wasn't the breaking top rail, rather the second rail, the below-knee-height one that did for me. And if I remember correctly, she did look after me well. But, at this remove, maybe that's fantasy.

The pilot drill size is critical Pete. Got it wrong once and the roof (lean-to) got wrenched off. There might be guidance somewhere about the correct pilot hole size.....

Wooden posts are fine for a couple of years; after that, you forget them and then, when you least suspect it, leaning on that particular wooden fence, drink in hand, romantic interlude warming up well, your eyes looking into the depths of your partners' , the thing breaks and you fall into a gorse bush. Not fantasy in my case. Fact. Gimme concrete every time.

Simple question: simple answer. Concrete posts. If ya wanna get fancy, then paint them.