markc

a very warm welcome

Looking at the photos i would say that was thrown in to satisfy the planning application but little more. If anything it will cost more to use the existing than start from scratch. As Russell said, the value is in the plot.

Only minimum depth and thickness (design) as the rest would often be blocks or brick etc. then its a matter of aesthetics should the foundation be visible above ground level.

Got to agree, the nut is probably a bung - could be leaking if its loose. Either way, the installation does look shabby.

oscillating multi tool or hacksaw blade works well

Definitely a tile saw - and not one of the cheapie ones. the Scheppach machine is very good at the price, or save all your cuts and hire a good machine

Really Hacks me off! and yes Screwfix are doing it much more lately

My company imports construction machinery (cherry pickers) from several European countries and i would still vote to leave EU. Importing from Aus, Russia, USA, Canada etc is only a bit of paperwork and customs clearance. Suppliers and importers will always find a way to trade regardless of Political Puppetry. My Business partner is a staunch remain supporter so its a pretty balanced operation.

I am a leave supporter and definitely not a xenophobe, racist, sexist, uneducated, stupid or any other name many remain supporters call me. I based my decision on my personal beliefs and working with Europe every single day for the last 20 years and my company will continue to do so. I love Europe, but i realize the EU and Europe are totally different things. I would also never call a remain supporter a remoaner as that is derogatory just like brexiteer.

Couldnt agree more ... as someone who relies on working closely with Europe every day

haha, honestly, they will support your weight and much much more.

Those metal mesh things are amazingly strong - much stronger than the timber itself.

As a supporter of UK Independence (I hate the word Brexit) and co-owning a company that deals exclusively with Europe, my business partner is a remainer and so is my girlfriend so we all have debates regarding this subject and the following always come up. 1) There is no right and wrong, its personal belief and situations. 2) In a binary vote someone must win and another lose regardless of the percentages. 3) Had we voted to remain, would there have been a big effort and fuss to ensure everything was done to satisfy leavers? - probably not.

The problem with Polls is that the outcome is based on those that have nothing better to do than stop what they are doing to participate. An experiment was carried out regarding polls - the rather bemusing outcome was that over 50% said they would never participate in a Poll .... hmmmm?

A lot of variables here, is the site exposed? subject to high winds?, Type of block and weight? how thick are the blocks etc etc. No definitive answer im affraid.

Welcome

Congratulations and well done, looking great

The Chinese Cater machines arent too bad, but i have doubts on how long the cabs will last. The Rhinosarous (excuse the spelling) 08 has the loudest small engine you could imagine. Used Kubota etc are good value and will last but look out for worn drive sprockets and tracks - no tread is fine but badly worn or twisted tracks will come off easily. The small JCB machines are not what they used to be ... . Decent machines are making stupidly high prices at the moment and many fake sellers on ebay offering too-good-to-be-true machines as long as you pay first and they will arrange delivery .... err, NO!

tongue/groove position depends on the machine used to do it and whether the person setting the machine bothers to adjust it. often different thickness boards are run through at the same setting. as to which side - check whether one has a chamfer? then decide if you prefer the close butted look or v groove

its a router

I was always told external doors in houses open inwards in case of snow or debris etc preventing opening from the inside.

That screams wet cavity insulation to me, is this on all walls or just outer?

cleaning the bitumen off is the hardest part, the pieces usually lift up with bits of stone or concrete attached that all need cleaning off. Sadly bitumen does not go well through woodwork machines so planing is out of the question.

It looks untidy as others have already mentioned. My concern is with the holes and voids. if water can get in, it will! Pointing is meant to prevent water getting into the brick/stonework.

I wouldnt give it 5 years. water will get into the voids and holes and blow out when it freezes. Badly done pointing is worse than non at all. Done well it should be raked out to a depth at least 3x the width and then forced back in to fully fill the recess without any holes or voids.