PeterW

If it's new then under UK Bregs the answer is no ...

New stack into a drain on your property is fairly simple, and just needs a new manhole. Anglian won't own the sewer on your property of you are the first in the line - it's at your boundary to the next house. We use mini diggers with narrow tracks - they go through a standard 762mm doorway and can be widened for stability after moving. If it's just a quick trench you may be better off by by hand tbh as it's surprising how quick you can dig enough for access to a drain if it's not too far down can you sketch a plan ..?

I've found that the people who are paid once (BC, planning etc) are the hardest to get out of the office, whilst those who are paid per visit seem to be happy to get out to come and pick holes in the plans...!! The most bizarre one so far is planning want physical bricks to agree the match on an extension but they are going to compare it to a photo they took ..!!!! I suggested I took a photo of the new and old side by side but apparently that's not acceptable .... So suggested a site visit and was told no ..! Go figure that one ..!

Bit of paint and that will be fine ...!! very nice project ...!

Is that a helicopter landing pad ..??!! whats going over the top of it for it to be a beam and block roof ..??

Concrete thermal expansion is a myth.... From 8-35c it's about 0.0004m/m - it's contraction as it dries is a different matter and this is where the "expansion foam" comes into its own as it compresses slightly when poured due to the pressure of the concrete and then contracts as it dries.

Thats a lot of screws !! What are your batten spacings..?? If its 600mm then you will get 24 at most. For 78m2 of flooring, my supplier has quoted for 13x 500ml D4 glue - thats to do the board to joist and all T&G

Similar to mine but its 250mm EPS with 100mm fibre reinforced concrete with a power float finish. Comes in about 0.12 uValue IIRC

Depends if you are referring to type 1 and type 2 meters..? There are differences but a lot of it was to do with HAN protocols and other lovely stuff....

So humour me here .... I didn't think natural felt would pass building control these days ..?? So how does Building Regs play off against bat rules ..??

Depends on size, where and in what condition - eBay £30-40 if in ok condition, scrap is about £10-15 at most

So could you not build a passive house that has an internal "flat roof" which is then capped with a simple rafter and tile "structure" ..? It would mean you lose your attic space but would simplify your design substantially (unless you are room in roof ..?) and probably make it more cost effective ..? If you need headroom then building up into the roof and doing the same using a collar tie giving say 3-4ft for the flying rats to roost in may work too - if you add in a sacrificial floor so if they do find their way in (after said ecologist has signed off and you've foamed up the entrances ... ) then at least it would be easily maintained.

So I'm seeing pricing coming down if anything - there are some benefits to the big house builders putting the brakes on developments ..!! I was talking to a supplier who was mentioning the "lack" of aircrete blocks. It's driven by a couple of issues, the key one being fly ash not being available however he said if you ordered 30 pallets on 6 weeks delivery he reckoned they would be delivered on the day. Ask for them tomorrow, and there is a shortage ...! Most building plastics are driven by oil prices which are at a global low - let's see how long it takes to filter through but I don't expect to be looking far for decent uPVC underground prices. Most of the high volume / low cost products are reasonably immune to industry downturn - imported sanitary ware and the higher cost / lower volume stuff will show a difference I think sooner rather than later. Domestic food production will be one to watch as global grain prices for example are all over the place. These have a direct knock on to the poultry / meat producers and the supermarkets tend not to smooth out these prices as much as for other perishables. One other impact on food cost is oil - flying in your fresh Kenya beans from Kenya sometimes is cheaper than fueling boilers in glass houses to produce them in the UK - the actual product cost is incidental in a lot of the fresh market as can be seen from supermarket pricing on the staple veg. Interestingly we now spend around 15% of income on food - down considerably since the 30% of the 1960's - and it's set to drop lower by all expectations.

Stixall and duct tape .....

What about tower scaffold castor ..?? £45 for 4 on the 'bay... I've got 4 square post ones knocking about somewhere you can have for postage if you want to lash something together instead..?

Do you not have a local Freecycle list..? I put a lot of stuff through there as I know people will take anything .. Although it can be a bit hit and miss as to the comments you get ..! I put a fridge on saying it had no shelves, and when they came to get it they complained that it had no shelves ... and then there was the bloke with the double mattress and the Fiesta...

That's correct, although a screed isn't structural and the slab is. You could easily drop the screed on that and go for another 50mm of insulation. That would give you around 0.12 with EPS, and if you use a self compacting concrete or a power float the floor is tile ready. The other missed benefit is time to dry. Screed is around 1mm per day so you have 50 days drying time. With the concrete going down before the shell is built you will effectively have a "dry" floor within the average build time. Lots to consider I know ..!!

It depends what your floor build up is ..? In slab tends to be for heavily insulated (i.e. 250mm plus) of insulation under a reinforced slab that becomes the floor. For in screed heating, you've normally got insulation between the concrete slab and the screed, so you need to be careful to make sure you have enough space to get the insulation and screed build up right to keep the losses down. what is the current build up ..?

Didn't they used to use those to cap off old sewer runs........

What's wrong with SBR and pavior sand mixed together ..??!

These ones - get Black Pearl as they are nitrile not latex Tattoo Gloves

Now that is very nice ..!! But looks quite expensive ..??

See if you have a tattoo suppliers near you. We use the black nitrile disposable gloves and they last far longer than any others and they also have a fingertip grip. Not cheap at about £8 for a box of 100 but they are far better

I still say a No.4 plane, then a rasp and sandpaper ..!

Whitstable Bay Pale Ale....