ToughButterCup

Who's doing the cleaning? You? Somone else? The simplest rule is - Don't think: clean. Just bloody do it.

@Tom, decent weather forecast for today.... May I suggest a hose pipe and a lawn sprinkler spraying such that small sections of the roof are sprayed - and the others not. And a look-see underneath while its running ...... Looking at your images - how about 'creeping up' on your valley? By that I mean trying to find out if one side of the valley leaks, but the other doesn't?

Spelling mistake there..... should have written '... credibly...'

My sympathy. Loads of us here are wincing with you. There is a positive angle on this ..... It doesn't matter what the issue is,... there will be many more. The process of dealing with them is important. They train you (us, all of us) to supress the emotion - anger often - and become analytical. And to realise that there is an answer to this problem. You will solve the problem. And after you do that a few times, you can start to draw on the confidence engendered by the experience of getting it right. Especially when you've rescued a sh!tty situation. All the panels? Every panel? Everywhere? Doubt it. Focus on the section that is leaking. The drip will be lower than the water entry point. Focus on the upstream area above the drip. Wait until the rain has stopped (important) Up on the roof strip back that section of felt - carefully, slowly Look for drip marks on the top of the composite panels The leak(s) will be above (higher up the slope) than that spot Hold the felt up to the light - your looking for a small tear or set of tears My suspicion is less than careful handling of the felt...... Forget it until tomorrow's sunshine : go down the pub and forget it til then. Good luck

No. We need to know the source - one small tear is enough to let in loads of water. Photos from under the felt will help greatly. The felt itself (if its a common branded felt ) is highly unlikely to leak.

A fit teenager and a bow saw. 'S what they're for innit. When they can do that properly, teach them how to use a splitter wedge and a sledge hammer. When they can mend the sledge hammers they have broken, teach them how to earn enough money to put themselves on a chainsaw course and a first aid course. When she's got that far, you'll never want for firewood again.

Wrong brand of Babycham ,.......

And midge resistant eh @Grian....?

You tryin' to put us down @SteamyTea? Just because we get around? [...] This is our generation baby ...... An' I'm NOT sorry.

Well @BartW, yer tryin' , tryin' 'ard. I'll give ya that. Next stop: the BCO's office with a bottle of Babycham - see if that works .....

So does SWMBO. She now really HATES our BCO because ...... she now knows what the regs are .... How about - get it signed off as as cheaply as possible and as compliant - and then change it to what you want? Who's gonna know? Ceramic tiles outside + rain+ oil spots + dust = broken hips

Long shot ...... Geese?

Yes. "Wir haben das Geld weggeschmissen.... " (tr. We have thrown our money away) was a common phrase chatting to both both East and West Germans . I think they were referring to spending priorities other than those with which they agreed. Germany has had to absorb absolutely massive infrastructure costs making good the GDR's inability to update its sewers, roads, phone network and underinvestment in heavy industry. Attitudes though, are still very strained between the two blocks. Schade.

Just in case some readers aren't sure what 'meshing' is, here's a photo in this case applied to an ICF. The mistake I made initially was to try and apply the mesh when the first coat of render was already too dry, and the other was trying to apply it to a too first thin coat. Oh - and the weather was way too hot, and I didn't pre-wet the wall enough. Anyway .....

Heard lots of moans and groans about it last week - possibly especially so because I was visiting the old East germany. Money has dried right up : some blame the influx of migrants to Germany, others the war, some still blame Angela Merkel. But its patchy. Hamburg, for example, is a forest of cranes.

An interesting thought: We have a partially shaded 'Winter Garden' that has just been rendered. With all this sun and the recent render, we've been looking at the wall more than normal (glad not to see the blocks any more) - and realised that one area of the wall (2m sq?) gets full sun in the afternoon. We have embedded that thin pink plastic grid stuff (forgotten the trade name) in the render to help absorb movement in it. But didn't think at all about temperature variation within the same area of wall...... Probably overthinking it as usual.

Interesting comment. For us, your comment come just in time. What rouses your suspicion, and - let's assume your suspicion is correct - which paint (or type of paint) would you suggest? Is there such a thing as breathable paint ? PS Apologies: I've asked a question I could have answered for myself Here's a list of external, breathable paints https://ggle.io/5uX3 Thank you @larry very much indeed for raising the issue. Helped me avoid a possible error.

Thats an interesting observation of yours. Can we imagine NOT checking: we've all of us been through - or are going through- the School Of Hard Knocks ?

And @saveasteading, of those who never checked, how many were self builders? This job of ours teaches caution at so many levels, and at the same time offers so many examples of the opposite

Hmmm... weighing the job up .... If I understand you correctly, you'll have restricted movement for your digger: that shouldn't be too much of a challenge, especially not for a 6 tonner - its reach will be sufficient. If not : consider popping the gate and fence out and replace behind you? Slinging the digester from the ground to (say) a meter above ground for transit might be an issue (?) Do a quick Risk Assessment. Nothing 'heavy', but walk it through in your mind and prepare accordingly. Ground conditions? Too wet? Hmmm. Too crumbly? Planking and bracing. Job achievable in one day ? If not who's gonna fall in, when, and how do they get out? 2 shackles - one for the digger arm, one for the sling on the lifting points of the digester ( proper - expensive- shackles correct rating) A couple of 5 tonne (five dashed black lines on the fabric) slings - different lengths if you can Check there are lifting eyes on the digger arm (my digger had strict instructions NOT to use the arm as a crane :>( ) or the back of the bucket A steadying rope, and a banksman while moving (Dont move it on your own ) Space for ground anchors in the hole (otherwise the tank might pop out of the ground when the water table rises) Consider using concrete to anchor the ground anchors in the hole How are you going to make absolutely sure the tank is perfectly level ..... perfectly level Inlet invert - outlet Invert and subsequent run to drainage: double double check. ( I lost so much sleep over getting this right ) Windy day? Wait. Planks ready in the hole to microadjust the tank - I used scaffolding jacks and old scaff planks - well oiled jack - smoothe running. Ladder to get in and out of the hole safely All good fun. Love to see photos when the time comes. Bestaluck !

No. One key issue that many overlook is the weight lifting capacity in relation to reach . Excellent. Step one achieved. Next : postitioning it accurately in relation to the hole. You'll have to think about where the digger will be stationed in relation to the hole - in other words , think about reach. My instinct is to suggest a 6 tonner for a day will do it (£300ish )

That was a really interesting post thanks very much indeed for writing it. My only wish is that you had made this post about eight years earlier than today full stop because I would have had another strategy for my 'made ground ' build

@MortarThePoint will know.... My BM was fine about exchanging one bag for another.

I'm glad the post was of use. Maybe you read about our BCO saying it was fine to duct some (half the) rainwater off a small roof (5 by 2) and into our digester ? .... Less than sensible. A whole days rain partially destroyed the bugs in the tank. And we all knew about it for a week or so. Its completely cleared itself up now with no intervention at all. While I now cannot (too much work) redirect the flow from that small roof to the pond, I can insert a diverter into the downpipe from the small roof into a water butt. Debbie wil now have have some rainwater for her delicate plants. Brownie points: just about enough to even things out a bit. When I get myself together (just been in Ze Vaterland) I'll put some pics together. An ill wind that blows nobody any good eh?

I looked at all the online help on swales and rain gardens - here - for example. The images are of more help than the text. Our roof faces North and South. The North face drains to a rain garden (in construction still : old plasterers bath, reeds and a bit of plumbing) and the overflow from that - via a sand filter bed - into an attenuation pond. The overflow from that goes then to the pond - itself built on an existing spring. I discovered the spring by getting our digger stuck on (in) it. The process of digging ourselves out of the area showed that the hole dug continually refilled itself. The attenuation pond has overflowed once in three years The rain from the North face is ducted straight to the pond (via another raingarden) with the 110 pipe hidden artfully with stones. That provides most water for the pond . Every time it rains, all the water goes into the pond. The pond itself overflows into some of our lower garden: an Alder and an unknown tree (beautiful red papery bark) loves it. Cost? 50 meters of 110 pipe, digger for 2 days, two plasterer's 'baths', odds and sods of piping and some cladding to hide the raingarden holder. Shown with pride to the BCO: who could not have been less interested.