Roundtuit

Haven't taken many yet, but this is the top side of the deck photographed for reference before I started taking too many bits off it. It's had some sort of poor tarting-up paint job on areas previously, but seems solid enough.

Thanks. That's a bit beyond my current skill set, but good info as I suspect this is going to become a new hobby...

Just had a look at this and it turns out they're local; might be able to save postage! (travel restrictions permitting of course).

Haven't finished cleaning off the rusty crap yet, but hoping the deck's solid enough to get a few seasons out of with a bit of preventative maintenance. If not, a new deck shell would be interesting as all the bearings etc look good.

@OnoffYes, read the thread (with admiration!,) but could only find reference to 'zinc rich' paint I think; us amateurs need a bit more of a steer! It's a John Deere, 22hp B&S engine, 48inch deck. 2009 model, but only 220 hours on the clock, if the clock works... Steering is a bit sloppy, and paintwork is $h!te (must have lived outside for an extended period), but looks like it will cut grass! ?

In anticipation of getting chance to grow some grass to cut this year, I've taken a bit of an off-season punt on a ride-on mower on ebay. Mechanically, its looking pretty good and seems fairly solid, but the paintwork is poor and going need some work. So, starting with the deck, top and bottom - with a good wire-brushing prep only - any recommendations for a bullet proof paint please?

That probably accounts for about 20 pages ??

Should work ok; it's a standard feature on our Vent axia system to switch to a 'low' setting between 23:00 and 06:00.

I'll throw English Brothers into the mix for consideration. We used them as they were local and competitive, and although I've nothing to compare it to, I'd say the quality of the frame and installation was first class. I'd suggest you speak to a few of your prospective suppliers to get a feel for how they work and understand your needs, to whittle down your quote list to maybe a top 3. There are loads of variables, and you risk chasing quotes and amended quotes for the next year...

I'm in a similar position, with about half an acre to seed. Ground was prepped late Sept, then it rained... I want to get it done ASAP, but it's too risky to sow before temperatures are consistently around 10C, and its way too wet anyway. Applying glyphosate 3 or 4 weeks before sowing would be best (to get a good kill - it shouldn't affect germination), then a light rotavate, but that might delay sowing. Still, a few weeks left to procrastinate!

Worth checking with your BCO perhaps. Our BCO wouldn't let me draw air from the ventilated under-floor space; I had to duct it from outside (with 110mm soil pipe) and up in to the bottom of the stove. We insulated all the way around the pipe and below the stove with pir, then 50mm of liquid screed, and tiles on top. The stove just sits on the tiles with a glass hearth in front.

Me too. The insurers even overlapped the contents insurance for us from the house we were renting to the new place so we could move over the period of a couple of weeks and keep everything covered.

I'd recommend a proper (local) solicitor rather than a conveyancer for a land purchase (been there, made that mistake...).

+1. Invest in a decent strimmer with a brush cutter blade for the first trim, then you should be able to keep on top of new growth with a line head. I bought a Tanaka (for less than £250 iirc) to clear our site of head-height brambles and thistles; great bit of kit that has easily paid for itself many times over. Not easy work but quite rewarding, and it gives wildlife more of a chance to vacate than a tractor or digger.

I'm sure someone will have said already (sorry, don't have time to backtrack through what I've missed), but to keep a building dry, particularly an old building, you need to HEAT and VENTILATE. It won't cure condensation due to cold spots in the fabric, but should make it tolerable.

Psst... wanna buy my username? @Onoff has already offered 2 bottles of Old Speckled Hen and a pork pie, so you need to pitch high if you're interested ?

Don't want to pour cold water on your plans, but have you considered demolishing and building new? It looks like there is a massive amount of work to do, you may have to make a lot of compromises on building performance and you won't get the VAT breaks a new build gets. Don't get me wrong - I spent 10 years renovating Grade II Georgian townhouse back from semi-derelict to a great family home and don't regret it - but I know what it costs and how it compares to decent modern build, and unless the building has some conservation value, I'd seriously look at the sums versus new build (and before anyone says it, yes, you can build 'character' into a new build ).

Noticed Snowdrops opening about a week ago around here, but daffodils look to be best part of 2 weeks off I think. It's been a bit warmer today (actually 8.5C at the moment), but due to cool down again at the weekend ☹

Local Planning Authority ?

No, I don't notice the noise. It's not silent, but not intrusive; just part of the background noise, like a whisper from the MVHR and the hum of the fridge! Anyway, back to the 'one radiator' test now! ?

OK, just watched the video, and there might be some variation of what 'setback' refers to. I would expect that under normal circumstances you should be running in Auto mode, with the scheduler set to deliver the required temperature for each time period.

My system has a nighttime set back too, with ufh downstairs and rads upstairs. The setback period finishes about 0600 I think, and everything is up to temperature within an hour or so, but it then it only has a few degrees to lift.

Yes. Because the system is never actually off, its just 'set back' to a lower temperature at certain times of the day. For example, its set for 22c early morning so its pleasant to get out of bed, set back to 18c during the day, and back up to 22c for the evening. As it 'on' all the time, it never has to work its bo!!ocks off making up a big heat deficit.

Fixed.

Page 21. You're welcome.