ToughButterCup

Welcome. You are at the planning phase: full of hope, and more questions than Bamber Gascoin and Jezza Paxman put together. The question you ask is similar to BMW, or Skoda, VW or Citroen? I think the answer is '... each to their own...' The key issue is: how good are the fitters? Do they pay attention to detail? Are they tidy? Do they smell rank? (Yes, its happened to us) Do they stick to one job, or do they job-hop? Do they finish the job? Have they got everything in their van or does it take three hours to fetch some lost-head screws from Screweez. Network to find out. And if it takes 6 months to get an excellent fitter , wait. The DEVIL is in the detail.

Well, I never................ I dropped the stylus that goes with my phone (on which I took the photos above). Retracing my steps to find the stylus (the phone warns you that the stylus isn't in its holder), I go back to the meter box where I'd used the phone last. There on the floor was the stylus. And the hinges .... They'd been yanked out of their sockets by the force of the wind I feel some Araldite mixing coming on . Maybe even some wire securing the hinge to the unit by threading it through hole in both - they appear to me to line up. Sometimes you just get lucky eh? Thanks for your suggestions. Ian

Its been a bit windy recently. And the door to my water me ter (see what I did there?) has bust. I think it was ajar, and the wind just slammed it against the wall breaking the hinges. Or rather breaking the hinge holders. Look at this; the hooks which used to hold the stainless steel hinge have broken off. This is how I'm bodging it ... The meter 'box' - the unit that held the hinge hooks - is embedded in the wall. The box is designed to expand or contract to suit the depth of the wall. The door is a separate unit that simply slots into the hooks which were on the box. Replacing the meter box is too much of a job to contemplate. I've looked and looked on YT to try and find others who have this problem .... but .... Anyone able to help?

I had your problem @Moonshine, in spades. maximum error, in places, somewhat over 20mm laterally, and a few mm vertically. I talked to the joist manufacturers , Cheshire Roof Trusses, Cullens and our SE: sent them all the gory photographic detail. BH advice was also a great help. Cullens sent me back detailed drawings of what I could do, talked to me on the phone : very reassuring indeed. No charge. Have a laugh about our joists on me (FOC)

I could speculate, but that won't help. Now's the time for evidence gathering. Take loads of photos and post them here, and ask us concise questions. We will do our best to help. We're not experts . Just hard-bitten , (mostly) kind people. Good luck Ian

From the video evidence, I think the following is happening the whole top layer at least is being lifted by the wind I think the wind is bouncing over the top of the flat surface and causing a low pressure area which sucks the whole membrane upwards (Bernoulli Effect) That shows the top layer (whatever it is) has not been bonded to the layer below - and (whatever it is) it should have been The question is (since normally it isn't this windy so the membrane lies down under its own weight) how much water ingress has there been below the top layer ? how much damage has there been to the layers below that layer? That means some investigative work, and possibly a temporary repair to make good the investigative work. Then you need to do some legwork to find at least three good roofers. You must do the normal Due Diligence on each company, and then choose one to do the job. The key issue is - what is the job? Getting someone to specify that job accurately - and then someone else to put it right is the only way to avoid the inevitable conflict of interest. There's a huge temptation to 'get someone in to sort it' sharpish. Doing that immediately puts you on the back foot: once committed, how do you control costs. Finding someone suitable to do the work is a job all on its own. BH is full of people telling us how hard it is to find tradesfolk. I'm going to have to wait six months for a decent sparky locally. And SWMBO is not happy. Thats the pressure. And it never stops.

Welcome. We are a nosey lot: uploading some photos would be good: they might help us help you. Ian

I'm really sorry: the answer is take it (the top membrane) off and replace it. Pray the underlying (wooden / osb ) surface is worth saving

We're not always as well organised as you Gary. Sometimes self-building reminds me of groping in the dark, and our VAT reclaims are so vital to the rest of the build that we decide to ask for help.

No such thing.... It would have helped had I read your OP with more care. In effect, I was adding to @Omnibuswoman's response. Apologies

Thanks for that. A very interesting read over coffee this morning. It bears some 'resemblance' to the Bernoulli effect doesn't it....

You wot? How the f..... ? Ahhh, right you married the Inspector. Godddddit! You Old Dog you.....

Read my response above. This section of this site ( especially the pinned thread) holds all the answers to every question asked so far.

Ask Nudura to put you in touch with their SE

No. Every single one of my receipts or invoices were printed out at home from the online accounts I held with merchants. The HMRC Inspector did not question any of the invoices, though for fun it appears, he decided to have a brain-fart and confuse the Date of Entry In The Valuation List with the Date of the document telling us our property had been added to the Valuation List. It appears he needs 6 months (and counting) at least to finish organising his paper clips and sharpening his pencils before giving us a decision. For the sake of completeness, here's the link to our on-going saga. Fore-warned is fore-armed. Good luck; we'll be re-using teabags soon too. You're in good company here. Ian P.S. I very rarely disagree with Gary, above ( @nod ), but our Inspector thinks that '...catching [us] out ...' is his job. I really would not have minded if the Inspector had been correct.

I came to value delays in the building process. Because it gives time to plan. What? Everything. Changes in the design because we hadn't thought about [...] are the one thing that has caused increased stress and cost.

Videography, the one essential service for every single self build. A time lapse camera will do: costs £100 and a bit of effort. 2 cameras are even better. Just one saved us £8000. Unless the owner is onsite every day, knows and understands whats going on, it's madness not to record what's happening day to day.

I doubt it ... but I can see @Onoff designing the automatic turnbuckle to jack it up and down, and the app that helps the owner decide when to raise or lower it Then when he's done that, the tracking for orientating the whole array will be a breeze ..... what could go wrong?

In Germany , Atomkraft Nein Danke! Nuclear Power No Thanks has been running for at least 50 years. Its campaign has a much higher profile than its equivalent in the UK. Some might call the campaign relentless - I certainly do.

No. However, what's the point of not having a Part P qualified person installing? If your area is anything like ours, finding a sparky to sign off somebody else's work is like looking for the proverbial. As round by us, there will likely be informal networks of people who - while unqualified - have arrangements with Part P lads who routinely sign off their mates work. They'll be drinking in the same pubs if you understand me.....

Exactly. The fewer moving parts the better. Your question is quite common on BH. Have a quick read of relevant threads. I am sure many are perfectly happy with their bio-disc machines. I wouldn't use one.

Mind me asking what you are burning on the stove? Our next door neighbour burns any old thing (not saying you do) and in a gentle southerly, it honks.

Our local (Morecambe) lads at TS (well, one or two of them) bend over backwards to get you signed up . I didn't signed up - can't remember why now ....

I second @Russell griffiths comment above. Brick colour varies, bricks weather. Every build, large or small is an almost endless series of small compromises between plans and actual build. You have bricks and you have brick layers. Friday night - pub - relax, move on. Good luck Ian

This set of threads will help you. Our car-crash in the making is still being made , as it were. Here's the start of it. More Adventure of TinTin to follow, I suspect. Read every word - every one of them - written by @newhome about VAT Oh, and a direct answer to the question: there is no limit on how early you can 'move in' . I suspect that your partner will be the best indicator - or even better a 14 or 15 year old daughter. They're good at that sort of stuff .....