Onoff

That's it, rub it in.

Never knew it existed! Apparently it goes nicely green with age too. https://www.burtonroofing.co.uk/geco-copper-faced-felt-4kg-10m-x-1m.html

You live near a beach...no chance (with permission) of putting it there? Mitigating coastal erosion etc. No doubt though if you approached whoever, they would want to sent a whole raft of departments & experts out, each with their own exorbitant consultancy fees. Seriously, is coastal erosion an issue locally? Get the press on your side if the council or whoever refused it. Cite youur being good enough to dig it out, the least the council could do was contribute to transport costs! ?

I've an oil pipe to the house from a remote tank, both fitted before we bought the place. No idea whatsoever where the pipe is. All I know is it's somewhere where I want to bury a future cable!

Not all digger drivers carry cable tracers! ? Lay tape, it's pence.

Just got a pair of Securistyle hinges from here for £11 Inc postage. Seem really efficient and nice to deal with: https://upvcspares4repairs.co.uk/

I resemble that remark!

Think I asked elsewhere but can anyone recommend a dry ridge / hip system? Only for my garage but I don't know which make to avoid!

Being a pauper I did of course use cheap ceramic tiles. Never having used a wet cutter before I was bricking it. Once I got the hang it was a breeze. One thing did notice that the cut can be better one side than the other and that you can influence which side according to how you apply pressure on the handle. It's to do with once cut, the blade coming round and catching the cut edge. Probably not doable on your one, to pressure it either way, guessing there is zero play in the slide?

Chipped edges like that are always going to a problem with cheap ceramic tiles.

is that the tile saw you used the 15% discount on?

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/aug/15/uk-firms-solar-power-breakthrough-could-make-worlds-most-efficient-panels-by-2021?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB

22 mins in:

You could whack some pv panels in pronto and cite this case as was widely reported in the press: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2019/1738.html I'm joking but it's a bit of a travesty that Mr McLennan was able to argue over his panels right to light but you can't for your daughter. Half a thought, is she because of her disability, confined to the house more so than a fully sighted person would be. I wonder if there is some argument there.

To see this progress I'd like to step in and offer with help on the materials if you want to have a crack at that vertical conveyor idea. Just shout when your're ready and you can have this half can of blue paint and and an old brush I've got sitting here.

Is it that the product has improved but the window fitters haven't? Guys used to fitting 2G windows in the boom days with inch gaps all round for speed, get onto the next job like something out of White Gold. No Compriband and or expanding foam just some pvcu trim to make it look pretty. Certainly the experience I've had given what I'm coming across. Along comes 3G with the client hoping for it all to be airtight and it's the same bodgers as ever just working with a better product, charging more and not caring.

This there's gone a bit quiet. Any progress?

I just watched this bloke. DIY or die! (It's why Gyproc make Easifill).

Ta. But you know me...tight. Mulling how to go about "dropping" ST evacuated tube panels into a tiled and battened roof (not counter battened). Half thinking to leave the tiles and battens off of the area under the ST panels but put cloaking type, waterproof cement boards atop the felt. This for both waterproofing and heat protection. Not sure if I'd gain much depth wise... YES, I know this SW facing, unshaded roof screams out for PV but it ain't happening! Anyway, @scottishjohn is going to answer all my ST questions! ?

Makes a change from nodding off reading my posts... Many years ago in my game, the Europeans were streets ahead of the game in terms of technology, especially the Germans (tbh only the Germans, their kit pi$$ed all even the Swiss stuff). One of our English competitors, we'll call them "A" was an agent for German kit but on the back of years of dealing with them came up with their own product, borrowing somewhat from the German design. Ties were then cut with their German supplier. Now we often used to get asked in tenders to supply "all manufacture drawings". It never happened, not one single time. Nobody in the game even entertained it. One day 3 tenderers were asked to quote and as usual a clause asked for all the manufacture drawings. By complete accident a CAD technician at firm A burnt all the manufacture drawings for their flagship machine onto CD and it got sent in with the quote. Now the client favoured firm B and simply gave firm A's CD to them. Firm B, overnight, made a technological leap.

A couple of things jumped out reading that... "paid up front & "I failed to get in both cases". Did you get 3 like for like quotes for the "£55k" job? If you've taken umbrage with one supplier and not gotten others for comparison etc. What does getting separate trades tot up to? Then if there's an issue where does responsibility lie? I'm aware of a number of M&E consultants who provide a draft specification then firm up if and when they get the job. It stops the prospective client touting the detailed spec around in the hope of getting a cheaper price sometimes when they want a brandy job but have only got Babycham money.

Apologies if slightly off topic but is there an option to fit solar thermal tubes as an "in roof system"? maybe sat on sarking boards or similar?

Like a sliding gate with no stops, it went off track. Stops are important.