saveasteading

The integrated ones I have bought are guaranteed 3 years and say they last 40,000 hours. And as they aren't as expensive as they used to be , and easier to fit, I'm happy. Meanwhile the replaceable ones on some other lights seem to need changing quite often and it is a pain to get the holes to line up.

That's done. Thanks all. Very impressed with TLC. I ordered yesterday pm and it arrived* mid morning via their own van. The nearest depot is about 12 miles away. It was all ok to fit.... for ease I used the cable off the old light so just had to prepare and insert these into the snap-in fixing. The only issues 1. I took family opinions and all said the existing light was yellow. But compared to this new one they look blueish. hey-ho. 2. On tidying up I found I'd forgotten to fit the snap-on orange cover. I cant see that it matters but will accept advice. I'm not being lazy, much, but fear for retaining springs falling off or damaging the plasterboard edge any more.... it's a bit rough and oversized. Of course when rummaging for a bit of cable that I didn't even use, I came across 2 spare LAP downlighters from a batch for elsewhere in the house. But I think these are nicer and quite a few years newer is probably good too. * "Arrived" . A term that doesn't always apply to Evri , who last week delivered something to the wrong address (the postcode epicentre) and have had the replacement for several days too. I wonder who TLC use for deliveries outwith their SE branches region. " Outwith" a proper term that spellcheck doesn't recognise.

That's not bad insulation. the first floor insulation is irrelevant too the rating. 600mm earthwool to roof? really? and 150mm PIR to the rest of the roof. I dont have figures to hand but that might pass.

But have yph changed from 100 dritgerm to 50 pir? Much the same performance?

There is a brief and clear explanation of Venezuelan 'oil' reserves and value on 'More or Less' BBC Radio 4 . If I recall : there is lots. it is tar not liquid. Has to be mined not drilled and is expensive to extract and to process. reserves means viable commercially, so that varies with the price of oil.

i dont know, but doubt it. all the plys in structural grades are high quality but can be ugly. Other ply tends to have pretty faces and cheaper inner cores. The marine ply should be strong enough but is surely better kept for an exposed purpose.

They always say that. There is no logic to it so I've no idea where the nonsense originates. Is this indoors and under cover (not getting rained on?) How long has it been down? Unless the contactor added water, which is against the rules and the supplier would have made them sign on the ticket, there is very little free water in the slab after the chemistry. 30mm is a lot. Was it by a specialist? get them to fill it in. What is the finish at present and was it intended to be the end result? We have 30mm in the barn, as it was agricultural quality. The sole plates are packed to level. The remaining variations become less severe once the walls are in, and we are putting an extra 25mm insulation in just one area to reduce the screed depth there. Are you intending the concrete as the finish or affixing finishes to that? Any dampness on the bottom doesn't matter. the top may i suppose, if the screed is not compatible with damp surfaces. it's likely you can screed any time now but please supply the info as above.

I've ordered that i the warm version, Very impressed with the TLC website, especially at the end when it lets you move the location pin on Google maps, away from the postcode node to the actual location. Evri need that. I will see what they look like but am thinking I might as well use a cable from the light to the terminal block for ease of fixing.

Don't be too stingy on this, however much I approve of using spare stuff. It needs to be strong plywood and I'm thinking 12mm structural ply. About £30 a big sheet or less if you shop around. . and the ring shanked nails for some reason were deemed better than screws . https://www.wickes.co.uk/Structural-CE2%2B-Plywood-Sheet---12-x-1220-x-2440mm/p/252241

That's us lot. Pragmatic, reasonable, logical. We wouldn't get elected because our campaigns would say .....it's not that simple and we need a middle way. That's not what wins elections.

Well, I suspect that the need for several km of timber aids discussion. So I suggest the strategy is thus. Meet the rep. Insist on a walk round the premises. Ask how they keep the timber dry. Then either buy lots, straight from the docks, still wrapped, but you need your own cover. OR the BM has to keep it under cover for you. This means you need to supply a programme of timber requirements including lengths. If it is standard spec in 4.8m lengths this is a fast mover at the BM so they have no risk. Our 10 x 2 in 6m lengths, had been hanging around.

I'd really like a make and model if anybody has one to hand. Aurora do indeed look good but there are so many options, some with sub- boxes, some integrated Base unit + bezel + lamp also looks sensible.

No trust problem. This was a proper firm i used a lot on big contracts. We remodelled a big area of this house and they went right back to the meter box. No problems just a light flickering and failing. The same electrician: I once did the gutty work of feeding cables and cutting holes, and had him come to check and connect it. He removed all my wagos and fitted old fashioned boxes as above. So perhaps was cautious with new tech. The lights on SF and amazon seem to be integrated, i.e. can't change the bulb. Suggestions would be very welcome and there's no rush. But there are also 3 gone an ensuite ( poss a different type) so I've a few to do.

Oops, forgot the picture. I've fitted some and changed the bulbs fairly regularly but this was by an electrician we trusted and we let him get on with it. That's why I'm surprised how huge it all is.

I thought this would be simple until I removed the failed one. This looks so complex and bulky, esp considering there are 10 like this. 10 years old or so, fitted by electrician so I'm not familiar with it. I guess I just buy another, see how it is connected and either connect via the junction box or omit it. Any advice? SF looked like the easy option for a replacement but the website is poor at narrowing the choice. Bright white bezel, yellow light, wide angle. B and Q would let me read the boxes, even see the things.. but it's not handy.

I believe that is what I have explained. If it isn't clear please say. That's not how it works. A mass will put a permanent bend on the joists. underlay will reduce impact but not deflection. It is physics / engineering and as Scotty said: ye cannae change the laws of physics. Ply for deflection reduction. Accept that old buildings move. But if it is deflecting close to the support walls that is something else, movement of the bearing ends.

Which is why we are buying 2 weeks work of wood at a time, at most. Costing a bit more but saving this costly chore. @Gus Potterhas been our SE on this as he bought into the fairly radical concept with enthusiasm rather than horror. I'll post a pic of how the timber will prop the steel, when we get that high. Another of the pragmatic decisions was that the purlins were also undersize. We planned to add steel to strengthen them, ( id done this before) but the steel erector wasn't buying into it so we bought new Z rails. To his credit the guy stripped and fitted new (just shy of 50) in 2 days. @Gus Potterthat is a requirement. The shed must be proven to be redundant yet also still viable for its original use. This prevents farmers building new barns to use just to sell old ones at a premium. Seems fair to me. In our case it clearly hadn't been used for grain for years. But that use meant it had more strength than most, and no slurry. It's much easier, probably much the same cost and much quicker to build new, but not permitted. I suspect that most buyers are not aware it needs strengthening, perhaps even of foundations, and get a nasty shock.

I'm the opposite as I can do more for longer if I vary the tasks. However the result is far less satisfying to me or impressive to others. And the scoring off of a list is very satisying....so do what Nestor says if you can and otherwise maybe add a column of 90% finished. Or more task lines including Start to..... @Nestor that is the only BH message I have ever seen that has made my mouth water.... the Malt is calling me. Speyside of course.

More info please on the dimensions and materials of the joists, and of the floorboards. Also the centres of the joists. Approximate will do. Is it deflecting worryingly or simply uncomfortably? As a guess do you think it is perhaps a few mm or more than that? Presumably the bounce is greatest at mid span of the joists. Can you test that please, as it should be much less nearer to the ends. I had this in an old house, and it would have been bouncing for centuries, but is no longer what we expect and we had to get building regs on it for some reason I can't recall. So the answer was to replace the floorboards with structural ply fixed with lots of nails (but it could be screws, which would make it removable.) This turns the composite result into a series of T beams, where the plywood acts as a flange on top of the joists, and is massively stiffer. Floor boards do not do this. It is a calculatable thing. and needs lots of fixings. From memory we had ring-shank nails at 100mm centres. We should cherish old structures, but replacing the boards is usually acceptable. This is not difficult to do, but I'd advise getting professional (Structural Engineer) input as it isn't reversible without damage, and there may be other issues. This may also aid selling-on as a good Surveyor may notice it and want proof of the integrity.

The map is interesting. So the other pylons we see are for relatively low current? Unfortunately there are proposals to take huge pylons (Blue line presumably) from north of Inverness , and right across the Grampians to feed the South. There appears to be a survey to let the locals decide which route they prefer, without 'none of the above' being an option. Those that know the area will also know that pylons would be a huge disfigurement. Hence my proposal for a very big electric meter at Inverness, and the monies* going to Highland DC and the other affected regions, and another at the border. Ditto any region being exploited. It is a natural resource, as are the fields, oceans, whisky, oil, gas and beauty. * High enough to be proper recompense and significant in evaluating the feasibility.

And trees don't fall on them. And more resistant to sabotage. Somebody else might know about any operational effects from being in the air or ground. Not so easy over mountains obviously. BUT. I had fibre fitted in an hour by pole to house catenary. Through the ground would have been a 30m trench. That was obv much cheaper... so my hunch is that pylons can be cheapest.

Yes. Why do you ask? I originally planned that for economy, not wrapping. Because I once got a massive discount for doing this ( much more than the BM anticipated because it was one thing with one margin and no goubke handling) . But the prices I got this time were only about 20p/m better. So went for the convenience of not storing this massive amount, and the option to modify the design. And whole packs of 4 timber sections would have been excessive. In simple terms, a steel barn structure conversion with a timber build inside. Radical perhaps and something to do to ourselves and prob wouldn't to a paying client. The slab is very substantial so sole plates go straight on it. Barns are designed to just stand up, with no factors of safety. So it needed strengthening even without adding floor beams. The geometry is all over the place too. The advantage over steel is that timber is easy to adapt and the skills are available. My career has been steel based, but always looking at options. Ground floor stud complete. Joists going in then a single floor deck.. and repeat.

Try a cold chisel or an old screwdriver. I reckon they will bash in a few mm... so it is soft as far as grinding is concerned.

You can grind it but the fibres will show.

Let's go back a step. Are we looking at the surface of a concrete slab (lots of big stones in it) or a screed? Are you simply looking to get it smooth enough for covering with resin, as prev response? 1. I'm guessing that the surface is a few mm of surface "fat" in jargon. That is probably quite soft. Have you tried scratching or abrading it? If so, it will grind off very readily. You do not want a heavy duty grinder that can smooth the concrete with stones in it. 2. The fibres will look ugly but won't affect the surface you put over it. 3. Unless the resin is very hard and inflexible it should flex if necessary, but the crazing is almost certainly static now. Ask the resin supplier. How thick will the resin be?