Faz

I think you are being very kind coining the term 'contours'! Makes it sound like an architectural feature and I suppose it is - just not in a good way.

I did see (probably on here) some poor soul had installed downlights in her soffit on a Persimmon home. Oh dear....

Certainly home field advantage for anyone playing marbles upstairs there then! It shows you how bad things can get but the irony is that anyone buying these things won't give it a second look. Not right tbh.

This is the handywork of the lad next door (Persimmon eat your heart out!) - walls & floors.

2 sites next to each other mate - orange transit is the tosser next door and he rocked up 30 mins after I did - I was in the RS3 on the adjoining site - got there at 7.15. Crane rocked up at 9.30 to allow the chippies time to set out.

Well - we got it done. Bit breezy....

True - but I used to live quite close to that place and no-one used to go there. It will re-open and go bust in fairly short order I imagine following the lockdown. Shame. The kids these days don't do pubs so they all face an uphill struggle.

I used Jamie Nunn (JN Crane Hire) - good lad. I have a 14m forks but did not consider for a second using that to sling the trusses on. Used it to set in place a massive lintel at the back and also the stone head over the front door. Don't need a crane to drop anything on the loading bays - that would just be a pain in the arse...

You need a full lintel to support the stone - it stops short of where you will point in the gunk mix the stone people send you. If you are going to do surrounds and bay posts you really need to take care in setting the top of the posts - the lintel is going to sit 10mm (mortar bed) over the top of the bay stone - most brickies screw this up (including mine on the gf).

There is a massive stone arch window to come in the gable end of the garage which should set the whole thing off hopefully - the (yet another) specially made lintel rocks up on Monday.

In 2 minds about the quoins... The surrounds are nice - the door head (that you can't see here) and the window ones in particular - the bay is a bit plain tbh. The whole lot was £6k which for wet cast stone is pretty good!

Been on site this morning (after having the jab) and snapped a pic of my trusses. These came off in 2 hits - no need to extend much of the boom to get them off.

Trusses actually are not that heavy in the scheme of things. I took them off for my plot (3,000 sq. ft) in 2 batches - I have a JCB 535-140. They are just awkward - had to stand down all of my heras fencing in preparation.

Moved up to the Fen 18 months ago - a lucky escape! We are just outside Ramsey - 20 mins for you.

If I were you I would bin it and come and have a look mate - just toss the 'it's COVID inn'it' grenade into the mix. If you are in any doubts about how these things will go on I have the whole spectrum on display next week! Hopefully it will go well!

They still do it the Old School way up here (long since banished in London) - the crane drops down the T - Bar that sits in the head of the truss and off you go. Safe and a piece of p*ss to do. If you are stressing on your truss lift then get down here on Thursday for the circus!

If you want to see a major truss lift come down on the 25th - we are doing my Plot then - standard and attic trusses, dormers the whole show. Booked the crane for the day but he will be off by early pm I suspect. I will give you the crane chaps details - he is good and cheapish (bargain basement to my London eyes!).

I am just outside Ramsey mate - your mountain rescue skills maybe required if someone gets stranded on the muck pile! Drop by - I may have some surplus gear to help you out - you are 20 mins up the road. I can certainly give you a tip on the various trades!

Well spotted - nothing as flat as the Fen mate other than a bowling green! Just north of Huntingdon. Here is the whole sh*tshow from the back! Are you local?

Spot on mate - the stuff you have to sort out on the ground (no matter how detailed your design) is what it is all about. Says the bloke who spent an hour bodging the splay bay posts to shape with an angle grinder today!

Get the gear to the site mate and then the crane after - you want the crane there for the shortest possible period tbh - at least I paid £400 for crane hire here - in London it was never less than £1500.

You should be fine for 1 day - I did the trusses on Plot 1 last week - the crane was gone in 2 hours. Half day hire and job done for £400. The issue you may have is relying on the crane to offload the delivery which could be delayed - far better if you offload prior to the day with the forks.

We are being held to a 1 in a 100 year event plus 40% allowance for climate change! 150+ cu m of crates at that rate. This is becoming one of those things you just have to agree to get all of your paperwork lined up and then just go and build what is realistic and rapidly backfill. To be fair - I am happy to live with a puddle in the garden once in 100 years instead of burying £10k of plastic in the garden. The whole thing is madness.

UKPN have 'contestable' and 'non-contestable' charges with the non-contestable charges being for works you are unable to undertake yourself and are therefore regulated.

I was fitting a load of these yesterday - cut to correct cavity size (they are scored to various widths) clean any snots off the brick and block and they fit nicely. I am using epoxy to install followed by a few clout nails. Finish with EPDM on top for airtightness.