saveasteading

I hadn't thought until now, but you are paying £150/m3 for water as well as weakening the concrete and losing the warranty.

And keeping up with the latest regulations and interpretations, and new products, in our own time.

In Spain you can buy this in Leroy Merlin, so like walking out of B and Q with a system. And this is an upmarket one for pretty houses. Below this an obv very simple one showing a panel and a plug. Plug and Play it says. 450W

Valid theory. It certainly reduces their risk for any future problem. In reality, a lot of builders ask for extra water because it suits them and they don't know/ care that too much water is wrong.

And yet... there is a premium for empty m3 in a big truck and the waste (and mess) or shortage can be costly. Let's play. 1 barrowload. Shovel mix 2 barrows to 1m3 site mixer. 1 to 3m3. Volumetric 3+ ready mix. A separate column for people unsure of quantities. Site conditions and pour method also change this. @markcwith 3 wagons of volumetric.. what was the reason?

Leave it. If it happened to be 20°C plus then you might put some polythene or hessian over it, or hose some water on it. But it will be OK.

I agree that I isn't so consistent. It hasn't gone round and round the barrell. I doubt it is ever used for structural concrete eg bridges and high rise

A pump mix is designed according to the local materials. Eg river gravel flows more readily than crushed rock. Then the stone and sand are mixed to a recipe provided by their lab. There is an additive too, basically a detergent. The water content is prescribed too and they even allow for how wet the sand is. That's naughty re theadded water. I've known operatives to sign thinking it was a delivery ticket, not about water. Maybe the driver thought he was being helpful, not understanding the issue. But they should be trained to know. It's a mass footing so should be ok. Adding water for any complex structure or for a slab is not acceptable, so instruct all your people and each delivery driver on arrival next time. Re the quantity. I've never known an issue so the likeliest reason is your estimate... sorry.

Water is only added if requested. A pump mix does not need extra water either. Unless it is a mix on site (volumetric) wagon, then you will only have what you ordered. If it is mixed on site then they will provide more until you say to stop.

I wouldn't worry about that. They want efficient use of their trucks too, so just talk to people. Their truck might have been held up by an earlier client. Did it all work out ok? Any concerns or all sorted? If this was to happen with the slab then it might need some skill so make sure to have a plan. we are here for you. Tell them clearly that you want truck one at one time and truck 2 at another. If that doesn't work for them then discuss. I'm a bit surprised they didn't ask you. otoh the 3 trucks siting waiting is almost bullying. Their choice and if they have nothing else to do, then fair enough.

We've got professionals in today. 2 guys expect to do 300m2 of dpm and eps today, then tomorrow pir 2nd layer and dpm. Day 3 pipes. They started cutting the eps with a hand saw. I guess this suffices for a smaller house. But one has popped out and come back with one of these and a 150mm blade. Watching him use it he can do curves and angles that a hand saw can't, plus very much quicker. I was surprised he didn't have one already. There is no sign of a table saw, or circular saw, for long straight cuts. That's what I had expected. The cutting dust is hand- brushed into the gaps. More to follow.

I'm out of touch with the test costs. But another option would be an Epc assessor, who could simply feel the draught and write ' from my experience I expect a rating of...x of worse.

Is always going to be inefficient because of ground drag even without obstructions.

Ai says this. Best Use Cases: Bedec Barn Paint: Specifically for exterior barns, sheds, fences, cladding, and silos. It is designed to resist extreme weather, rot, and UV damage. Bedec MSP: Best for a versatile "paint-anything" approach. Ideal for PVC windows, doors, cladding, metal railings, and radiators, both inside and out.

A lot of conversions are done without planning or building regs on this assumption. That doesn't make it right or safe. If neighbours don't alert the planners then that won't be enforced. If it's still a garage spec but with people living in it then that is a safety risk as well as enforcement. The vendor could apply for retrospective approvals but hasn't. They want you to take the risks.

Depends where you start. The ferry from Mallaig is quick, or included in a very pleasant day out and round trip. I've been there by motor boat too, and landed, long before this story though. We didn't see any people. I perhaps should have been clearer. There are interesting articles on the BBC news pages. 2 x videos and an article. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0b3dmdl https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20170329-the-extraordinary-electricity-of-the-scottish-island-of-eigg https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04ch10y I particularly like that the community has to, and does, collaborate.

Nicely summarised.

Yes it is pine weatherboard. Some will be very old. I can see one advantage in gloss paint, in that it seals the laps and reduces draughts plus keeps insects out. The water blast had removed a lot of the loose stuff, even getting behind blisters and yanking them off. Is bedec msp a barn paint to a higher spec? I'll try this then I'll have to fill any 2mm gaps to keep the wasps out... they love the cavity.

It's a very long time since I looked into them. At that time they were quite noisy and the power produced was very poor. They were a gimmick to tick a planning box. I haven't seen them at a construction exhibition, or been targeted by publicity for 15 years.. so my hunch is they are only worthwhile for remote locations and need a big battery. There is an interesting article about them on the Isle of Eigg.

Understood. I'd rather get the builder to sort it, but I'm stroppy and determined like that. From my experience they sometimes sort it as long as you agree not to tell anyone, because bad publicity can be ruinous, esp on an ongoing development.

As @Andeh and @JohnMo. The fundamentals are soft surfaces, clutter and especially avoiding large hard surfaces facing each other and parallel. There are also distances between surfaces as related to the wave lengths of sounds but that is going too far! After furnishing, do you have any such large bare surfaces? I think you just have to see how it turns out, then maybe add hangings etc. I was privileged to visit the acoustics dept at Delft Uni. They had an anechoic and echoic chamber. The former had no hard surfaces, being entirely lined with foam in egg box form. They fired a starting pistol and qe had no ear defenders, and it was just a pop sound. In the echoic they had deliberately hard and parallel surfaces. It was impossible to speak, even alone. Another awful space is a round room such as an oast house roundel. It acts as a dish and your voice is bounced straight back. These are the principles. If you are minimalist it is a challenge.

I know that the last 3 treatments are dulux wearhershield, undercoat then top. No idea re the ancient history. I'm hoping to be lazy/ efficient/ economical and paing stripping it all won't be that. Maybe locally.

I don't know how you would find who they are. Ask the BCO at the LA I suppose as they should have been informed.

Your advice please. The photo is the worst bit, randomly in the middle of my spiel. I've painted this once personally, plus once by trusted workers and twice by professionals. It's a big area, perhaps 200m2, so I'm keen to avoid high cost. Some area are absolutely fine, being areas of replacement boards to a higher spec. It needs doing again. Last year's heat caused more flaking than normal and I chose to scrape those bits off and let the heat carry on getting at it. Then the winter has released more layers and areas. It has exposed some bare wood which will be either 10 or 90 years since first painted. Also sometimes a yellowish layer and sometimes a clearly dirty, unprepared surface. In other areas it all stays put. My hunch is that letting blisters come off has released tensions that had allowed the surface to cling on to the dirty layers for many decades. So today I have scraped more off and pressure washed it. I don't mind the indents where up to 10? Coats have been removed ("character"). Obv the manufacturers would like me to buy lots of expensive paint. But I'm wondering if the sheer thickness is an issue. So do you think I can spray paint it for speed and economy. 1 or 2 coats? Perhaps the raw wood needs a brush of primer. Where the timber is clearly cracked or eroded I guess it needs filling. First or after a coat of paint?

Tiled? Can we see a picture? It can probably be fixed in the same spot with the right fixings.