saveasteading

Wildfires are unlikely on Islay I'd think. So it seems that the straw is only for wall insulation. What thickness will that be? It will either reduce floor space or require additional footprint. Either might be considered in analysing the cost in money and carbon. Might it be feasible to build a proven structure, and fill the voids with compressed straw instead of commerical insulation. It wouldn't be enough but it would tick that box. Internal walls will be in conventional material presumably. Some thoughts on straw: There used to be a concrete block containing straw. I think it was a cheap bulker rather than for its properties. Straw is about half the height it used to be, through breeding, I once used straw bales under a deeply buried sewer. It was a recognised means of carrying load over soft ground. It works nicely as thatch although reeds seem to be better. But the slope makes that work. From a quick search it seems that straw has a value, ie is not always waste. This needs a farmer to advise.

Either of them would do but 1 is over the top and expensive for lots. 2 is ok but i rather liked the ones i was describing. For this process, i would be buying about 180m of lintel and fixing them down at 1m cc and then timber to them at 1m cc. Hence 20p fixings is the plan. And 8mm dia will ease the drilling. Threaded rod and squeezy epoxy is an unnecessary fiddle. I thought the ones I saw were Timco, but I can't find them.

I bought Lindab products for decades because of the quality. So I'm a good referee but also biased. Cladding, gutters, modular buildings. I was shown round their ducting factory. Stunningly hitech. I didn't know catnic made cladding so no comment. See my previous comments on why I never specified standing seam.

I'll explain later. They are sole plate snot structural.

Maybe it will be neat. It's an option. They could be stepping stones in the flower bed.

How long would it take? X £500/ day How many skips? X £200 for clean concrete. L X w X depth in m3. X 1.5 for bulking. Add £500 sundries. That's just a guide.

You should. You'll find you always use it in preference and it allows for future proofing. It doesn't need to be a compliant wheelchair ramp, but that's up to you. A handrail too.

Is this on a solid floor or over joists?

Don't worry, I know you should never do this as it compromises the strength. No, I'll explain. I'm considering lintels as sole plates. I've specified it before and it was a success. BUT I didn't watch the fixing of the timber stud to it. The joiners didn't complain so it must have been OK. One fixing centrally so won't touch the steel. I'm assuming use of sds, and top quality bits (de Walt?) Has anyone done this? 1. How easily does the bit sail into the top of the very hard concrete lintel? 2.What's a good and easy fixing for a 47mm batten into it? I once saw a joiner using hit-fixings for sole plate to blockwork, that involved a metal cone as the expanding part, and was impressed with it. But I lost the details and can't find it in searches. I'll explain the purpose and benefits if we go ahead this way. It should be the industry norm I believe.

For future reference, and the OP, where do you look for a second hand kiosk?

Now you tell me!

Not you obv @Nickfromwales Never assume that an electrician or plumber knows how to drill through a joist. The hole has to be at mid depth approximately. Holes or notches near the top or bottom reduce the strength dramatically. Plus being more vulnerable to fixings. See photo as another example of what not to do.

I wouldn't think it's that far. Ayrshire will have lots, and there's probably plenty at half that distance. And Islay's incredible whiskies started as barley...from where? But I'm distracted.

If this is a proper house then I'd advise against straw on Islay. I recall a grand designs, I think it was. It was in or near less exposed London yet the outer face was dishevelled, brown and yeuch. The architect/ owner loved that it was reacting with nature....or rotting and a home for creatures as most would describe it. Around that time I knew a few academics who wanted to use straw. 20 years on and it has rightly not become a mainstream process. When most buildings are designed for a 50 year life, we expect 100. With straw, 30? It's fashionable for the rich or a necessity for the poor.

Yes, but can still be claimed back.

Mine was made in Glasgow by Kingspan it says on the label. Searching comes up with hand crafted and very expensive options so just search for kiosk S3. Mine was advertised cheapest but had a £100 delivery added. They (waterwise) agreed to reduce that to £12 and I ordered it. £584.40 total. I looked again and the price had gone much higher. Seems to be that plus VAT now. The local electric merchant wanted much more than that. There are mentions from competitors of inferior qualities and it needing a double door. But I'm happy.

I was taught that standing seam and penetration don't go together. The point of them is to have no screwholes through the surface. For function, not appearance. Maybe reliable details have been found since then.

Fortunately after advice here and from the sparky, I got the bigger kiosk. It is called an S3. Very glad I did, and even without the constraints we had, I now know how awkward that big cable is to handle. We will put a polite note on the backboard asking for ukpn to use the left half. They will draw their new supply through the duct with the drawcord. It is a 15m duct by the site vendor's builder so I hope it's OK. @Post and beam if you still have the choice, get the bigger kiosk option. More buying advice available if you want.

Yes. The concern is that it is buried there and and not adjustable. But I've seen cables stuck in ducts where there are curves or being too long a pull. I'm nervous about 1. Ukpn saying it's not right 2. Sparky ditto tho he's seen the pic 3. Ukpn putting their stuff on the right and sparky hasn't room or enough cable 4. Not enough free cable. That was supervision....I had to leave site and hadn't explained 1m above finished slab. There is loads of cable at the other end. Everyone else says it looks fine. The hockeystick shows that the cable isn't deep at that point. There was an obstruction. We should have cut the red end off and only shown the white.

Just done ours after some advice on here. Our electrician asked for 4 core and a separate earth. 35mm cable, even 4 core, is very heavy and stiff. Even a 65mm duct provides a lot of resistance. Ours is in the ground with sand bed and surround and only ducting for 1m into the kiosk and a hockeystick for the earth: it's what they expect to see. In the photo the other duct is for UKPN. ours are too far to the side because of constraints by others, and it should have been longer out of the duct but hey-ho it should be OK.

Resilient is the right term, yes.

Ok thats easy. It is all tried and tested. Just remember that the contructions are tested in laboratories... a lump of wall inside a controlled testing box. You will have junctions and corners, and services and doors. I think i recall building a music room next to a maths classroom, and it worked out fine. I haven't got details any more but the requirements will be published. Once you find the construction, which will be as dcsibed by others above, you should choose the next level up, to overcome the difference between laboratories and real life. And avoid service holes and doors. Now it's coming back to me. Stud walls with flexible (acoustic) bars and many layers of board, plus dense mineral wool. I think we sliced the floor slab under the wall to break continuity. Floor above similar with plasterboard under a cushioned floor boards for density.

Success! How do they expect us to know the weight of mixed waste? Appeal. Our electician md bought into this, and he collected all his carboard boxes, bundled them and took them home. In another time they would have fillled a skip. One our our site managers got a digger to squash the ckntents down. It saved the cost but missed the reduced waste point. Back 10 years ago we were saying that the real cost of a skip was £2,500, including the materials that had been bought and wasted. Probably £3,500 now. Self builders think differently to commercial builders.

Just thought...curtains...everywhere. then you can play around with the resonance.

Up in the attic I found the remains of a plastic tub of poison blocks. Mice (and/or rats) had chewed their way in, eaten the remaining poison, then eaten the lid of the tub, which was like lace. We don't appear to have mice or rats at present.