Gone West

You are knowledgeable about Durisol, one of very few builders in the country who are. You'll soon be an expert and advising people about Durisol. Don't underestimate what you know.

Any forum member is welcome to visit our build if it would help them. Anything to help stop some of the stories told on here.

I've used the Floplast double branch soil pipe you suggested for back to back connection of two toilets without any problem. I was told it wouldn't work but the BCO was happy because it was manufactured for that purpose.

You use the word haulage. Do you know if any of these words can be used instead of 'delivery' when reclaiming VAT? transport haulage carriage freight We have receipts with these words in place of delivery.

I've always wondered why inflammable and flammable mean the same thing. Non-flammable makes sense. We don't need inflammable.

Depends what business you're in. Their Creoseal smells the same as Creosote. https://www.creosotesales.co.uk/product-category/traditional-creosote/

Does much grow more that 3' up there?

I planted a cherry laurel hedge at our last house. It's fast growing but unlike Lleylandii runs out of steam at about 4 or 5m. We kept ours at around 2.5 to 3m.

From the Sterling/Norboard literature, these are the sizes manufactured:- OSB2 SE 2440 x 1220 OSB3 SE 2400 x 1200 OSB3 SE 2440 x 1220 OSB3 SE 2700 x 1200 OSB3 T&G 2440 x 1200 Doesn't mean they're all available though and in the past I've bought a mixture of imperial and metric at different times, very annoying.

I thought the VAT refund form allows the names of more than one claimant.

I quite like chatting to people who are curious about the house. Over the years we've had:- Around 20 AECB members visiting a PH Eight middle aged people from Sweden (EU) looking at over 50s rural living in UK Dozen or so lady ramblers stop by twice a year to monitor progress Locals always curious about a house without heating and the dustmen once a fortnight for an update and giving me tips such as when turf laying 'it's green side up'.

I have a low level, around 500mm high, vent two metres from my sewage treatment plant and around seven metres from my house located in the flower bed. I have AAVs in the house and all of this was accepted by the BCO without question.

Perhaps for the best of both worlds a self builder could design the house that they want themselves and then ask an architect to look at it and suggest improvements. We did this and incorporated some of his suggestions.

What about plumbing and wiring. In order to be safe does it have to have a Part P certificate and a G3 certificate if needed?

Ours was granite fines maximum size 4 to 5mm and was not compacted but just raked level. It was held in place by the geotextile.

We have a Self Build Zone warranty and the only problem has been that they are getting twitchy because the build has taken a long time. A two year build wouldn't be a problem.

@Alex Tidy looking build, well done. How about starting a blog.

Our I-beam frame has an I-beam as the sole plate. The web is strengthened with OSB3 both sides where it is bolted to the concrete slab. Holes were drilled in the web between the mounting points and the area underneath was filled with foam.

I'm afraid the word 'character' relating to domestic properties annoys me. I watch a TV programme called Escape to the Country and you can bet nearly everyone looking for a house is looking for one with character. The trouble is they are also only looking for old country cottages. It would seem modern properties can't have 'character'. I'm afraid old beamed houses leave me cold in more ways than one, fine as NT museums, but not to live in. I can see 'character' if that is the word to use, in the positioning and layout etc of lots of modern properties.

Yeah I tried it with the water running but it didn't make any difference. It doesn't matter if the switch is up or down, the water runs, so no failsafe. I don't know how they work but it's probably scaled up as it's before the water softener.

I fitted a Surestop in the bungalow before I let it. It was never used and when I moved back in I found it didn't work. Are they the sort of thing that has to be used regularly or they seize up? I think they're a good idea but only if reliable.

@JSHarris it looks like a good bit of kit. It's interesting when translated it's called a firecracker and not an explosive charge. I wonder if it's legal in this country. It seems to be getting more like the Jasper Carrott sketch.

I laid a couple of traps but didn't have any luck. I got the local mole man in and he laid five traps and caught it in less than a day. So I am £40 and a mole lighter and very pleased.

The tarmac is permeable in my case. Permeable tarmac has been around for quite a while and is used on parts of some racing circuits where water lies.

We had a resin bound bell mouth entrance, which has a drop of 270mm over 4m, to our drive installed a couple of years ago. It was constructed with 200mm compacted type1, then 70mm porous asphalt and 20mm resin bound surface. It is classed as porous because that is what the planners wanted. In reality we discharge all our rainwater directly onto the road.