Barney12

Interesting thanks. Automation is the subject of debate between SWMBO and I at the moment. In our last three renovations we fitted Clipsal Cbus Automated lighting and I admit I am a BIG fan of it. Easy to install, easy to commission and with the PAC controller plenty of basic automation available. By the third install I had learned to "dumb down" the switches. SWMBO just didn't like fancy switches, scene controllers, touch screens (and I tired them all). Instead we ended up with simple E2000 switches which look like this. Simple design, simple press on press off but also supports long press. Scenes can still be set but you need to use the Pascal Automation Controller (PAC) rather than any logic in the switch. BUT......SWMBO has now declared "I demand normal switches. I just want to switch it "on and off" (she means a standard switch). I think I'm a bit stuffed!

I keep looking at Loxone and it does look well developed. Out of interest what route did you go for light switches?

Alas it might not be that simple. There is every chance that the rails are mortice and tennon into the newel posts. If you remove some paint from the sides you might be able to find the peg/dowel and drill it out but if it was glued as well you'll be swearing a lot. Spindles should have fillets holding them in place. Often just pinned in place but years of paint could see them set fast. Have be a look here for an idea of construction: http://www.wonkeedonkeerichardburbidge.co.uk/hallmark-stairs-instructions-traditional-method/

I've just filled a 6 yard skip full of loft insulation. I don't even want to think what the actual disposal cost per tonne is :(.

LOL +1 Dont forget the "fix a fuse with a peice of old wire" trick !

+1 on the Belle Electric. Bought mine what must be 10 years ago and it's never missed a beat. Still going strong. Just keep it clean, a few stones in after you've finished and a bucket of water and a liberal scrub with a stiff brush arround the outside. Simples looking at eBay prices I think they've got stronger residuals than a well cared for Rolex

As someone with a reasonable level of experience in the domestic buildings insurance market I can assure you this is a non point. If you wanted to be 'belt and braces' about it (and I can see absolutely no need to) you could simply disclose it at the point of taking out the insurance. It's a separate subject but 'disclosure' of issues that you believe may affect your cover is rather useful, just ensure you retain proof that you did indeed disclose them.

I don't see a problem with having your knobs a little lower. Hold on for the controversial bit....... As as for the need for a 'vacant/engaged' notification on your bathrooms/wc's well to be honest it's rather. 'Public Toilet' and I don't get it. I'll get me coat......

It's not well compacted at all. There are various holes where I can reach in and grab handfuls.

Our local recycling centres are a joke in Devon. They class ALL household building type waste (even from normal DIY activities) as non household and thus state that they have no obligation to take. Costs are eye watering. A single bag of soil or rubble is £2.10 and a bag of plasterboard is £4.00. And now they are complaining that cost of clearing up fly tipping is soaring!! I wonder why!!

Our plan is to demolish on a semi-DIY basis with our friendly groundworker swinging is 20t digger about after we've removed windows etc. We still havn't quite decided on what to do with plasterboard. I assume it won't muck away as its now considered a contaminate and I don't really want to bury it in the garden. Thankfully we've only got a few rooms with plaster board so I'm wondering if the answer is simply to kick it down and order a plasterboard skip. I recon I'll get away with a 5t skip.

Two questions that are currently in my head re the demo and I'll post separately to aid future searching. Firstly cavity wall insulation. Our 1950's eyesore is rammed full of cotton cavity insulation. My worry is that when we demolish it's going to go EVERYWHERE which I just know will provoke outrage with our nearest neighbour and possibly the national park too. So I've got a few options: 1. Hope for a still day. 2. Try and remove it. 3. Try and absolutely saturate it with water to stop it blowing everywhere. It's incredibly absorbent (the reason the house is so damp!). Any other ideas? Or which ones best?

The grey old style fittings worked perfectly well, are fully compatible with the new system and can easily be dismantled by hand so I don't really see the point of going to the trouble of adding a short length of copper and then a coupler. Just my 2p's worth.

By any chance were the walls painted Orange as that's the best colour to disguise nicotine/tar stains from heavy smoking? What you're describing sounds like the nicotine/tar seeping through. The only real fix is to paint with a stain block, the Zinsser products are excellent.

The only option I know of off the top of my head is the Comfort alarm system: http://www.cytech.biz It is capable of achieving all of what you want and a lot, lot more. We had the system installed in our first barn conversion, it worked incredibly well but is far from cheap. We we had ours set to do a number of clever functions and it was fully integrated with our cbus lighting system. It was also linked to smoke/heat detectors so as just one example; if a smoke alarm was triggered it would turn on all the lights, audibly tell you which one he been triggered and phone my mobile with a pre-determined message. Probably the the most useful function was that if someone pressed the door intercom and no one was home it paged the person through to my mobile. Very useful for when the ParcelFarce man came calling! Anyway I digress from your question. Interesting reading but probably massive overkill for what you need!

Welcome. Looking at the third picture it looks like someone once started before?

I'll be in the minority with you To answer the OP we've budgeted £5k for demolition and clearance of our existing house. I'm hoping to come under that.

A bit of Googling seems to suggest that some electricity suppliers charge for the install of a meter, others don't. Has anyone changed suppliers just to get a free install? Worth the hassle? My existing supplier doesn't offer an Economy 7 tariff so wont install a meter full stop.

OMFG! I've only just got back from the US I could have bought one back !

As long as it justifies the purchase of a super deluxe extra long all fandangled new one on an auto feed reel. Yes

You forgot the WD40, in case the bit gets stuck?

Absolutely. I have assumed in the arrow head bit scenario that the sandstone is fairly soft. But, if not you absolutely must go and buy some diamond core drills.

If you keep drilling them in half then eventually you wont have boulders. Just small stones. Simples!

In short; smaller holes. You don't need 14mm. The rod(s) are just to provide bonding strength and (in this situation) are not doing anything structural. You'll easily get away with 5mm, probably perfectly fine with 3mm rods. Drill your holes slowly with a simple arrow head tile bit. Or get fancy and use a diamond core drill. EDIT: No hammer action! EDIT (2): Rods must be stainless. Threaded is good as extra surface area for bonding.

I think I'd just be ramming the space with rock wool/ glass fibre as you not really got much to play with. Or you might get away with a rock wool tube wrap: https://www.pipelagging.com/product/588/Rockwool-Rocklap-Foil-Faced-Pipe-Insulation-Lagging-1-metre-Lengths