ProDave

I don't think the green is mould, isn't that moss growing? Something must be very damp for some reason?

I do have a spare WC so that will get plumbed in, inside the house soon.

Yes it's been a long time coming, but finally I can use the toilet in the static caravan. That's because today was the day I finally connected the last bit of drain piope to connect the house and caravan to the treatment plant. More on the blog at www.willowburn.net look for the entry "last bit of drainage"

I think the point here is that if I went to a builders merchant and asked for a quote for Frametherm, and they instead gave me a quote for Actis, which is a totally different product, then I would not be happy. I think it would be okay for them to quote for an alternative earthwool type product if they clarified the quote with "this is a similar product but cheaper" but something totally different I would find outragous. If you wonder why some of us are a bit suspicious of some of these multi foil types of insulation, it's because some of them have a track record of over rating their performance. Search other forums and you will find others saying the same. None of us have an axe to grind, we all try and give good and honest advice, snd sometimes that advice may not be what you want to hear.

In that case you will have to cut out the sole plate, and your screed will be thinner through the doorway.

I need a drawing, I'm not understanding it. All I can see is your two 38mm timbers will be "within" the 100mm celotex layer? So I must be missing something?

It's only legally binding when you have "concluded the missives" which means the offer contract is acceptable to both parties. That can still be a while. In the case of buying my plot my offer was conditional on getting planning permission, so we had an 8 week wait for that befoer it became a binding contract. the Scottish system is not perfect, but it's far better than the English system.

Two comments: In the first two pictures, it looks as though one section of wall is thicker than the rest. Is that an illusion or is it thicker for a reason? Looking at your roof details, it appears the eaves vernt strips went on berfore the "kick up" strip of OSB. Surely this will ventilate the inside of the roof space (cold roof) but you are having attic trusses so it must be a warm roof, in which case I would expect the eaves vent strips to be on top of the kick up strip to ventilate the gap between the sarking board and the tiles (as on my own roof)

What's wrong with cutting the pipe about 50mm above ground and a standard double socket straight coupler, or in the case of the toilet a branch fitting? That fitting you show has a completelty different seal arangement, a bit more like that of a pan connector.

Parked in a garden near here is a dumper, with a back hoe digger on the back. At first I thought what a brilliant bit of lateral thinking, until I realised where the back hoe was mounted, it was impossible to self load it. Good idea, bad implementation.

At least you have people looking at your house. In 18 months on the market we have had a total of 4 viewings. I have already resolved that this will be the very last house I ever sell. When eventually we are in the new one, I never want to go through this demoralising experience ever again. The frustration that our life plans are almost in tatters because of something I have no control over. The worst part is not knowing it it ever will sell or for how much, we just do not know.

Yes I wanted to buy a dumper but never found one close enough for sale. I was offered the loan of one, but when I went to see if the offer was still available I found it had broken it's gearbox. Lucky escape there as if it had broken the box while on loan I am sure I would have had to foot the bill. I found you can move stuff around surprisingly well by putting a pile in front of the digger and pushing it with the dozer blade.

I usually look at a bonfire and think "most of that could have been cut up and burned usefully on my stove" Trust me the stuff I burn on a bonfire is no good for the stove

And the newts.

Speak for yourself. Having funds to do it is another pre requisite.

Exactly. I am using compriband to seal the outer edge of the frame to my wood fibre cladding, applied as I fit the cladding. And like Jeremy, the small gap between the frame and the window is filled with foam.

I have a little 6" wide "ladies" spade that's handy for clearing it out. (SWMBO bought it originally for gardening)

What size bucket? I have found when using my small 12" bucket, that can happen, I get in there with the small spade and "unstick" it. Never happes with the 2 foot bucket.

It used to be acceptable on LPG to use compression fittings, something that seems to be frowned on for mains gas. Is that still allowed?

You can't have flexible pipe indoors, that is just for the connection to the bottles outside. Our 5 burner hob runs fine from a 15 metre long run of 10mm copper pipe. The normal arrangement is a 2 bottle automatic changeover regulator. So HIGH pressure hoses from each cylinder to the regulator and copper from the regulator to the hob. Don't forget presure test points etc. Inside there is a bayonet fitting for the the cooker hose to plug into, that's the only bit of flexi pipe you would normally have indoors. In the case iof a fixed hob you probably wouldn't have that and a direct connection of the copper pipe to the hob.

I'll probably end up changing it twice then. Once very soon after I have finished the present bit of drainage andf before I start on Landscaping, and again just before I sell it so it's fresh and clean. I know one of my track tensioners leaks and the track goes slack, that needs pumping up now, but the other side remains rock solid. Mine loses ramarkably little hydraulic fluid. I bought 5 litres to top it up when I got it and only used a fraction of that.

My frame went up in the summer and was finished in the Autumn. Because from then on it has only been me working on it, a lot of it was exposed over the winter. I spend December and January tiling the roof when the weather allowed, and it was only in the spring that I got started on the external cladding and render. The most exposed, west facing elevation I covered with some left over damp proof membrane to keep the worst of the weather off. I have known peiople take 2 years doing all the work themselves to get a frame winf and watertight and still have no problems.

Thanks. On that basis I will probably be finished with it and sold it before it needs an oil change then.

Mine doesn't have a gearbox. Direct drive from the engine to the hydraulic pump. I am sure the hydraulic fluid is okay, it certainly loks clear. It was just the engine I was wondering about and what the typical oil and filter change interval is measured in working hours.

My digger is probably the oldest one in use on here. Also unusual for having a Peugeot diesel car engine powering it. It of course came with no serrvice history or service information. I serviced the engine when I got it, and on checking the engine before using it today, noted It has done 140 hours since the service (I also fitted a new hour meter) Now most of the time the engine is barely above idle, so if that was in a car pottering about town at 30mph it would have done just over 4000 miles and be some way off it's next service. If it had spent that 140 hours belting down the motorway at the speed limit, it would be overdue a service. For those with "posh" diggers that come with a manual and service schedule, what's the typical service interval? (I'm talking mainly oil and filter change interval)