ProDave

I remember this one from ebuild now. If the static pressure is good but it is the inability to supply any decent flow rate, then the accumulator is the solution I would try. It will slowly charge up when you are not drawing water, and will supply your demand (as long as it is big enough)

The normal procedure is to apply for temporary permission for a static caravan while the house is being built. that usually comes with a planning condition that the static van must be removed once the house is complete. In our case we wanted the 'van to remain as a work space / studio so we managed to get the condition instead that habitational use of the static 'van must cease when the house is complete.

That sounds like the way forward. Get them to design it with a 2 metre long panel in each main wall, that can be left out if it has to revert to the smaller size. And best of luck with it

Thanks for the picture. so you cut one of the verge angles like that I take it? Next question: I assume you can buy a filler piece (foam or something better) to fill in the box sections at the eaves to stop vermin, birds nesting up there etc? (ventilation is already taken care of as it will sit on a vent strip)

Can someone list the planning history for this site. I am guessing: applied for permission for house - refused. Applied for permission for stable - refused. started building stable before application was determined, while living in a static caravan. I don't believe enforcement action is taken until an appeal has been heard, but that begs the question, appeal for house, or appeal for stable, or both?

Okay, so you hide some touch sensitive electronics behind a wall tile. What happens when it goes wrong? break out a tile and replace it? Sorry, I am far too practical to build in something unrepairable like that. (I could bore you with the story of the ready made shower unit I installed once, and how we had to remove the entire thing to get to the box of electronics at the back to replace a blown fuse)

I fear the "wanting a bigger garage" bit may be too easy for the planners to spot. Would it fit in or become over developed? One way round the timber frame thing would be to talk to the frame manufacturer. Could they design it as the larger sized garage, but if your amendment is rejected then just miss out a 2 metre long wall section on each side and a few less roof trusses? that might enable them to accept the order and shcedule it's production, knowing there is an easy way to alter the design at the last minute.

I agree it looks like that in the photo, but they are not. It's a trick of the light, photo taken late on a dull winters day and the camera decided it needed to turn the flash on which might explain it.

Electric towel rails usually only have low power elements, so as a PV dump load are not that good.

Blockwork below the belcast is just being painted with light grey masonry paint. Not much of it will be seen, at the front the ground level is high and it's down in a trench, and at the back, most of the house will be covered with decking anyway. The window cills are aluminium, painted the same colour as the aluminium cladding of the windows. Stones used the same windows but had his own aluminium cills made as he wanted them deeper.

I can't see a water tank in the loft solving a low water pressure problem. The pressure has to be enough to reach the tank, otherwise it won't fill. If your problem is low pressure at times but high pressure some of the time, a big pressurised accumulator may be your solution?

It's a low pitch, I haven't measured it, but more like about 20 degrees.

The last wall of my house, the back wall of the garage was finally given it's top coat of render today. This wall had been held up for the garage window which was delayed a bit, then it was a while before I could get help to fit it, then the weather turned. But out of the blue the renderer turned up today saying he "thinks" it will be okay. It looks good and has skinned over nicely. Then I saw the weather forecast which said -6 tonight. So I have covered the back wall with OSB sheets leaning from the scaffold platform and resting on the gutter, and covered around the ends with a dust sheet to try and keep the worst of the frost off it and hope it is still okay in the morning. This is the last bit of wall to be rendered so that is the main part of the house finally properly wind and watertight. well except for the fact there are no doors in the garage yet. More on my blog at http://ardross.altervista.org/Wilowburn/rendering-and-garage-finally-finished/

A bit more done on "the shed" I have dismantled the rest of my pallet collection. These are mostly the pallets that the roof tiles came on. These have yielded much thinner and narrower planks. these have been used to cover the joints in the original shed wall planks, to stop driven rain entering. What this has shown is just how many pallets you need to get any useful amount of wood from. What started looking like a very large pile of pallets in the end was barely enough to complete the shed. Watch out for the next installment. The bearers from the roof tile pallets are set to become the frame for a bench inside the shed.....

My shiny new Rationel triple glazed window are externally glazed.

I think i will agree that it's carp, and I would not have that on the outside of my house.

I think I will put a lead on and power it up. then turn it upside down and see if it makes any funny noises.

If they are fitted properly, you won't get the window out from the outside without breaking it. We had the same at the previous house, Initially I was somewhat disappointed when I saw how the glass was going in, but they assured me the double sided foam tape sticks so well the window would break if your tried to remove it from the outside. That was put to the test. we returned from a holiday once to find the patio door, all the bead was removed and sitting on the deck, but the glass was still stuck firmly in. The Police logged it as "criminal damage" rather than attempted break in.

This needs a picture of a complete box profile roof showing the gable end. To my mind, the barge covers will meet and overlap partly at the roof pitch, and will look unfinished. Some sort of cover is needed to cover the joint, just as with a tiled rood the end ridge tile has an end on it to hang down and cover the joint.

Another question. What happens at the top of a gable end to join the two bargeboard flashings together? I would expect an "end" ridge piece but don't see anything?

When I was in the south, the normal way was lead flashing set into the chimney that was dressed over the top of the tiles. Then under the tiles were soakers, one per tile, to catch anything that the wind blew under the lead. So when the soakers corrode, on a windy day, wind blown rain that got pushed under the gap between the lead and the tile didn't get caught by the soakers, and so ran down the inside of the chimney. Up here the normal way is a lead "sercret gutter" under the tiles. An altogether far superior method.

She's definitely a keeper .

Joining them is not the issue. Waste is. My roof is 3.6 metres long, so a 3M length and a 1M length would do nicely. Having to buy two 3M lengths is just "wrong" I can see me designing my wood shed to be a pitched roof 2M long JUST to use up the offcut.

That's what we have and it works very well. contrary to what everyone says, in a moderately well insulated house, it does not cause condensation and mould.

My pet hate with sinks is those "universal" ones that are neither left nor right handed. You end up with a blank plug at the front of the sink where the tap would go if it were the other way around. I did the wiring for a £14K kitchen a few weeks ago and that is what they fitted. If I had paid £14K for a kitchen (not that I would) I would not accept one of those.