saveasteading

You both have the right attitude I think. Eventually. Wild flowers and meadows require "not mowing". And it hadn't occurred to me that I could do my " no digging" at any time or place. I may "not dig" tomorrow while watching tv.

It shouldn't be, if the house was weather- tight. The outdoor temperature shouldn't make much difference. Anything else you can tell us? Do the windows steam up? How long did you have the house before laying the flooring? What is the flooring material? Laminated can be several options. Any chance it is simply a smell coming off the flooring material itself?

When you could have been digging. I'm also a convert to companion planting and mixed planting: the very opposite of industrial monoculture. Garlic, marigolds, calendula, herbs in among the carrots , beans etc and the pests just can't find them or they get eaten. This is a handy chart I will be referring to

Thanks Gus. For others note that the summary wanders into other posts and discussions than the original. May I endorse the ' no dig' principle. It really works. Let the worms, cardboard and your vegetable waste do the work and save on fertiliser. They don't get the bricks out though. Youwon't hear much about no-dig on Gardeners' World as they 1. Have staff. 2. like digging for mental health reasons. 3. Are old school. On trees: I've had an apple tree die, I think drowned over the winter. Decorative: l like Rowan and silver birch anyway and so will be planting some in wet areas.

I agree that local facilities should be the priority. Perhaps @ProDavecan confirm that they already have good access to doctors etc, village hall, regular buses and so on due to these funds. Also that reducing use of electricity has to be encouraged, but it isn't so important if the wind farm is local. Just as it doesn't matters so nuch if you have your own solar. Wind is a national/ regional asset. I suppose so was coal , and that was whipped away commercially and to the prosperous, and locals employed but only until the coal ran out or they died young. If the terrain allows farming, that is a harvest for selling. Likewise if the asset is wind. We would sell power internationally, so why not regionally? Round @ProDave 's way there are estates of thousands of acres, owned of course by a few with a castle or 2 and a house in "town". At least the locals seem to be getting something.

I've never understood this. The gardening programmes often say to add sand or gravel to help drainage, and presumably they are right. But how gravel helps in porosity I don't know. Perhaps it just forms breaks in the bonds between clay particles.

Distributing to the locals seems appropriate. Are you suggesting it isn't ?

This came to me on Facebook and shows we have been discussing planting and they are listening. It is Scotland focussed but a lot of it will apply anywhere with heavy, esp compacted, clay and waterlogging. From what I know already, this is good advice, and along our intended lines for drainage, so I'm inclined to believe the rest too, esp what plants will thrive and help. Obv enter at your own risk. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DrEZd8UYc/

We have a large order to place and are favouring Roca for a lot of it. We are currently awaiting a quote from a smallish specialist supplier. Any guidance on what discount off list to aim for?

I've looked in detail at the standalone sircon units that are very common in Spain. In the diy stores they will have about 20 models. I box outside, pipes through the wall and a raduator/ fan inside. They are optimised for cooling but will also act as heaters, but not very efficiently....better than an electric heater but not much. It seems that the heat pumps are designed that way ie for heating or cooling most efficiently. I suppose the big difference is that in UK we are heating up to 20 when it might be zero outdoors all day, whereas in southern Spain in summer it will be cooling down to 25 when it is 35-40 at mid afternoon, dropping to 20 at night. ISH.... my new SI term to indicate very wild approximations. I wonder what the Spanish and French do in areas where they get very hot summers and also cold winters. Perhaps their units are optimised to heat and to cool.

I would have assumed there would be proper case studies by manufacturers or academics but I've not come across any. For me that's enough to suggest that it isn't an efficient process.... and many installers are just that, installers, and don't understand the heating principles let alone cooling.

I may tile the garage toilet/utility in a mix of old tiles for fun and mean-ness, I mean economy.

In real life though, are they still in store in case of damage? I can't recall ever having to use one. It would be relevant if changing fittings I suppose. We strive to get another 5% off the supply price then happily put 10% of the cost in the garden shed for ever. Would any suppliers set a box aside just in case? Of course they don't want to, but just might fof a very short period.

I seem to have usually 5% left over. If I've done it myself there will be actual waste due to mistakes, but the thinking out will have allowed offcuts to be used. If it's a professional then I don't expect many errors, and a polite discussion should avoid lots of big bits left over. Big tiles in small rooms won't be happening. Also I have prevailed in there not being bold patterns.... I hate seeing repeats in something pretending to be natural.

But cold isn't a thing, it's a lack of heat, so can't radiate. Heat is a thing. In your explanation is heat radiating from the air into the floor? What temperature are the floor and the liquid circulating?