ToughButterCup

Two simple sentences that sum up the pressing need for well-presented accurate, simply expressed online materials. They need to be accessible, (device agnostic) authoritative (authored by people who understand that online content and presentation needs a sophisticated, thoughtful approach), readable (people hate reading for detail online) and engaging. That last characteristic is what costs the money. That's why it won't happen.

For those wanting to do a bit of background reading, this website (endorse by '...the government...' ) is slightly useful. But it's what the HSE offers us. From my (ex) professional perspective, the site is dreadful. It commits all the usability, readability and some of the coding bad and malpractice (plagiarism) that I worked for years to eradicate. In short, someone has shoe-horned a paper-based resource into the Internet and called it a website. Lazy, lazy, lazy. What we as a sector need is some bespoke online H+S support. Well designed, encouraging, full of practical help and perhaps laced with a bit of appropriate humour. Stuff that causes a smile-in-the-mind, not a belly laugh. A resource that encourages deep learning, and thus practical commitment . You do that by structuring and simplifying : not by handing highly-committed people a cat's cradle of copied and pasted information wrapped in an old fish and chips newspaper. But that takes effort on the part of the HSE and I really don't see that at any level for our sector.

And that 'sense' is in short supply often enough in my direct experience for me to realise that the building sector has brought the H+S hammer down hard on it's own head.

Well, that looks a picture, as it were. Thanks for the link to the supplier. Ian

Just a thought... I expect I've missed something.... Each waste exits the house under the nearest wall and the foul drain runs round the outside of the house. That means minimum faff in or under the slab. Ian

Drill(s), angle (erm, thumb) grinder, chop saw, multi tool, work lights. I'd really love Makita stuff, my son uses it, but I'm just not in that class. It doesn't really matter which brand you use, we all have multiple chargers because not everything uses the same physical connection, or demand the same charge input. I have a complete drawer full of chargers and their associated paraphernalia, and I wondered if anyone had, like me, got fed up of it, but, knowing a whole load more about the ins and outs, solved the problem. It's a relief really to see that we all seems to have the same issue. Most of us solve it partially by being loyal to one brand. But that still seems to be only a partial answer, I think. I mean wouldn't it be great to be able to chose the exact battery-driven tool you want, and know that recharging the batteries will be simple. Plug, charge and play as it were.

Not open Bank Holidays

I'm trying to rationalise all the various chargers I have accumulated over the years. And find to my horror that I have at least ten different charging systems (well, I stopped bothering to count at ten). I have taken the Bosch 18 Volt shilling. That means that for most of my power tools I use just one charger. But there are a whole host of other 'little things' to charge; a screwdriver here, a laser level there, a this, a that and the other.... How to rationalise? I bet someone here has thought this through and come up with an elegant way of sorting out the mess of charging cords and connection systems. Driving me nuts!

It was indeed. Everyone visiting our front room for the first time was drawn to the large 'picture' window looking out over a thousand square mile view of the Vale of Evesham: Gloucester Cathedral to the south, Bromsgrove transmitters to the north, and Broadway to the West. Watching the progress of lightning strikes on the power grid in the valley was an especial treat as the strike's effect flared along the HT lines blowing up sub-station after sub-station. Since the Radar Station (RRE, later RSRE) was within spitting distance (where I believe @JSHarris worked) , the RAF would regularly 'attack' it; I vividly remember a Jaguar fighter crashing into a field right below us - strange to watch an aircraft crash from our vantage point several hundred feet above it. The impact caused a perfect smoke ring to rise in the still air......

Now I know why the houses in Great Malvern (my home town) are so expensive. I used to live on the Old Wyche road, one of the steepest streets in the UK. Handbrake starts, no problem.

That's interesting. We'll find out more later this month

I don't know, but it looks as if they'll be straining at an angle, as it were.

Hi, @RichS; not sure what you mean by skirt, but, since you ask, do you mean something like this? The vertical white EPS300 'skirt' (on the LHS of the image) is designed to prevent well, reduce the cold bridge from the side of the slab. By contrast, the area being poured isn't part of the heated envelope, and so doesn't have a skirt. See you in Mayorkshire (as my lad calls it) at the end of April. Ian

Shampoo in yer sausages? And it's not even April 1st..... This just has to have been Photoshopped. Please, someone tell me this isn't true. Please.

I don't know is the straight answer. But here's what you can do Network Read widely Buy expert local advice On BH there is a wealth of experience, read the Planning section. Then review your LPA planning website; you appear to have started that process. Find out who the best local planning adviser is - on the basis of both evidence and recommendation. There is no substitute for legwork and hours of reading. '....heavy justif[cation]...' can be read as a hint as well as a caution. Local expert advice will help most Oh, welcome, by the way! Ian

Thank you. Pouring tomorrow. Ian

The research evidence completely supports your conclusion. Worse, when I trained with Simon Catling, we learned how few teachers taught even the rudiments of making or interpreting a simple plan, never mind issues like the appreciation of third angle projection or isometric drawing. (Apologies for the digression) Ian

What evidence do they have that the build was unlawful? Or more precisely, what did they actually say when they told you that the build is unlawful? I ask because you might be able to claim for the new build stuff in the normal way - might you have accidentally claimed some refunding in error?

Don't just sit. Plan, plan plan. Ian

Can I suggest you do a bit of networking? Have a word with your mates, ask around. Who is dealing with your case (sometimes called a Case Officer)? Read Decision Notices written by that person. Who has any experience of working with that officer? Talk to your local councillors, and in particular the one who has responsibility for Planning. Look at time scales - date submitted (i.e. validated) to Decision notice dates. There will be a range of time scales - yours is likely to be in the middle of that range if your application is unexceptional. Take an interest in refusals. Why were applications refused? If you can, look for those that were refused , and subsequently overturned at Appeal. That can be very instructive. All this research will only hint at the answer you will be given. Not so very far from me, there is a case of an application which bears the hallmarks of grudge; between applicant, officers, Head of Planning and others. Unevidenced claim and counter-claim, almost pointless pre-conditions, official complaints aired at public meeting(s), obvious and uncomfortably documented erroneous procedure. And the application may yet succeed.

From bitter, bitter experience, I echo @PeterStarck's advice. The best you can do is to build up-wind , I think.

@JSHarris, and when you've done the garage, how about the car as well?

+ a million

Oh poo. If only you had told me that when I needed to know... ?

Yes, of course but......£