joe90

No, I don't own council tax because I pay council tax in Bristol ( where the wife still works and I reside when not working on site) and I informed the council the caravan was a site office for the builders ( but I may camp in it overnight occasionally) .

Yes, we have laid no council tax for ages but I still put a bag of rubbish out when I stay in the caravan. No one told the dustman.

Yes onoff, this is a first for me, a new build so all virgin territory, bliss. As an aside I am going to put a rodding eye at the end of the pipe run ( after the 50mm vent off shoot) so that if there are any blockages the length of horizontal pipe can be rodded yes the carpet has to come up but well worth the little expense I recon. we have guests at the mo but will post a diagram tomorrow with full details for you guys to pull apart ?.

Getting down to the design of our plumbing and I was going to connect several 40mm bosses onto a horizontal soil pipe with toilets connected. If possible ( if the fall will allow me) I will connect them at 10 or 2oclock ( in the top half of the soil pipe) . Is this a no no or is it acceptable.

When our timber and asbestos place caught fire the environment agency got involved and simply stated the site should be cleared and the asbestos taken away in a registered skip and disposed of properly and all paperwork kept for upteen years, they were not interested in the type of the asbestos. Not sure how demolition is differs but o am sure building control will tell you.

Thanks Declan, I thought sealant, can anyone recommend a good sealant that won't shrink, stay elastic etc etc.

Sorry I am late to this thread but I am dealing with this issue myself on our build and we are doing it this way. We are using Finn joists and using built in hangers on block work ( the builder is already aware of air leakage through timber shrinkage if joists are inserted in a wall) I am getting the builder to parge an area equivalent (plus a bit) to the joists, so that when the house is plastered this airtight layer is continuos behind the first floor. I would like to seal the hangers where they penetrate this parged layer but not sure if air leakage would be much of a problem as steel does not shrink and warp like timber.

Yes we like all these programmes for entertainment, the problem I have is we are downsizing and err indoors keeps repeating " well ours is modest" which means small, yes comes my reply, that's what downsizing is, also we struggled enough getting planning for our cottage, if it was bigger we may not have got planning. After all there is only the two of us and two spare bedrooms for friends and family to visit. What's not to like?

Nick, a word of caution it took me three years to get planning to replace a bungalow with a cottage but that was with a council that are about to be taken into special measures by the gov. I won hands down at appeal in fact they said the council were not working to their own guidelines, so just a word of caution, check the buildings near your site ( we had bungalows that were taller than our cottage but they were still bungalows !!!!!!! Also bungalow gobbling gives you a lot of free hardcore ?Best of luck.being on this forum is the best place to be regarding knowledge and free information, the good news is no one here is trying to sell you anything just giving you the benefit of their own experience and research.

"Bungalow gobbling" is a good way to go ( seriously it's not illegal, well, not what I mean anyway?). You get services already on site ( can be prohibitively expensive) and as long as you can demolish the whole thing ( the best way to get insulated foundations/ground floor) you can still claim the VAT back on the whole build. ( shame you don't do wood, my loss)

I think it's all about learning, I know, I love it. I love to solve a problem myself but the wonderful thing about this forum is we are all still in the same boat, or were. We all have strengths and we all gain from sharing that knowledge pool. By the time I finish my build I will be an expert ?.

Hi Nick, you may have joined us in the "Nick" of time as I need a quote for wooden widows for my self build ?Are you able to do this?, you can PM me your details if you are, however I don't think there is anything wrong about telling us about your company as long as it meets the forum rules about being fair. John p.s. Welcome

i thought that planners were not allowed to dictate where slate came from and someone on here cleverely wrote on the back of a Spanish sample the name of his local quarry and it was accepted.?

That's cheaper than I paid for mine direct from carrier.

Frankly I think making sure it's cleaned (serviced) regularly is the key, vacuumed at terminals and manifold ( if accessible like mine will be). I am sure it's achievable to get a "service" light to come on in the controller a bit like most cars do.

A smoke gun/generator springs to mind but our friend Jeremy has done a lot on this subject.

That's good to know.

Thanks mate, just ordered one and various tapes. ?

Yes, I am looking for a label maker, any suggestions, as for organising I found this and about to order loads of foam, https://www.creativesafetysupply.com/content/education-research/101-tool-foam-organizer-hacks/index.html#1

Funnily enough I have just bought myself a similar ( though smaller) red tool chest for my mechanics tools, as you say porn of the storage type, wonderful stuff eh!

This makes me glad I accepted a fixed price for my build, it's my builders problem to source/price slates. I have enough to worry about with all the little things ( note, fixed price for all but plumbing, heating, electrics, timber work labour,)

?

I would have thought a flexible drain cleaner cable with a fluffy ball on the end would do it especially if the vacuum is left running in the manifold, can't seam to find a fluffy ball on the tinternet.

Nah dogman, not fluffy enough ?

I can see it now, don't hide the ducts in floor voids, use clear pipe and get the kids pets rotastack connected to it, fun for everyone watching them scurry along the ceiling ( cleaning the ducts) seriously though I plan to have access to the Manifold in the loft so I can vacuum there and if necessary use fluff balls ( non animal cleaners) from the plenum sucked through the duct.