saveasteading

There is and the first job is to read it. The local plan. Keep within the parameters and most problems go away. Planning officers work to the policy in front of them and personal opinions don't normally affect the outcome. Any objections are also liable to the published plan. Then present your proposal neatly and making it easy to deal with. I like to think of the first sight of our proposals eliciting a smile from the planner....' this is going to be an easy one'. Tidy, well presented and compliant. Vary from that and it may cause delay.

How about a date on your calendar to check it annually (and maybe clean off moss and leaves, but forget the rest of the year?

Not really. It's right to question stuff, and it's good to get it either sorted or discounted. That was worth sorting.

similar logic to that of mid timber. the top and bottom flanges are doing the work in tension and compression, and should not normally be cut, but the web is mostly just holding the flanges apart and together.

All the above are correct. The mid height of a timber has very little effect on strength. Hole sizes are covered in the building regs, so it is official.

I've only fitted rolls of this sort of stuff and it was glued down. I reckon the interlocking tiles need gluing too, to avoid trips. What do the manufacturers say?

Each January, I pack away the decorations, tape the tops shut and store in the attic. Each December I find all tapes are unstuck. It must be the February chill or the summer heat. I regard tapes as temporary fixings.

There must be thousands of these every year, used once, thrown in the van, then replaced next time.

Agreed. And the tubes are more flexible. But you'll be using it only twice.

No, I was hasty. Got a 4 way in our house, but I just hadn't thought it through. I have no idea how that can work, but as long as I believe in it, it will be ok.

I saw this in action yesterday. A petrol station had tubes supporting the gantry, and the rainwater pipes disappeared inside them. I hope they were plastic all the way to the drainage system or the steel will rust. btw the pipes were made of spiralled steel plate, like a toilet roll inner is made, but 500dia, painted red and rather splendid.

I only ever specify local stock bricks. That way we can get more if necessary. It also permits repair and modification in the long term with minimal colour change. Mass production bricks are usually of regular dimensions and shapes. Much as it is nice to use rustic bricks they can be awful to lay.

I can't think I have ever come across this. I didnt know if existed. Sounds complicated or it will short. Perhaps it had always been simplified to 2 lights with 2 way switching.

Presumably 110mm? That is standard. The kit costs about £50 plus plugs and it's easy.

I was an Estimator, doing nothing else, for about 7 years. It's not easy. Getting the price 'about right' is all very well. We'd expect a priced bill of quantities to be +/- 2% between tenderers. Win or lose a job after a month if hard graft and research. Who does the design znd b o q? With drawings but no b of q, then becomes 5% With a Client brief but to be designed, that becomes 20% ( even 50%) because design skills come into play. I'm saying, your idea is OK for a rough idea of cost but not for real business. But maybe I'm wrong. Good luck.

I don't know what that means. Is it explainable another way please?

Impressive yes. Add 2 columns and bring them forward and save £80k. It would also be more 'honest' as they say. Harnessing the forces of nature instead of challenging them. On the other hand it's handy for storing left over timber, and for wildlife. I know I'm a bit boring on the subject but, where does the rain go?

One sheet, however thick, has a flexibility at the junctions. Thus 2 staggered sheets of 9mm provide a more complete and even and stiff surface than 1 of 18mm.

The bulbs that do this with me are very old indeed and I think primitive. At the time i was testing led on myself rather than on clients. When they fail, the replacements aren't doing this

Interesting. So I withdraw my comment. But do check price and availability first. Sometimes they won't make a particular brick until they have enough orders, which could be indefinite

No. They don't wan't the hassle or risk. A lorry of bricks is a lot. Any BM would like that business.

Firstly. All slabs crack but we can control it to be microscopic. Using fibres helps a lot and just about prevents any big cracks if the slab is less than 3.5m. Not expansion joints. Contraction joints. As @IanRsays. 25% cut depth will make the slab crack where you tell it to. The crack will go right to the bottom in a very jagged fashion (which keeps it very strong) but you only see the straight joint. In a normal sized room you will only need a contraction joint at doors, (and a release surface at the perimeter.) You can cut this next day with a grinder or more simply, position a shutter across the openings. I believe there are cradles for ufh pipes to lift them more centrally in slabs, for a faster heating effect. Are you pouring this yourself?

Cutting out the slab probably won't be too tricky, and removes the worry of previous bodges.

I can't comment on that product without seeing it working. Generally foreign stuff doesn't work for UK rain, especially in the old days when we had drizzle. Absolutely right, that leaves should not reach a soakaway, or it will become a compost heap, and block. Neither should they go into storm drains, simply as good practice. I've experimented and my opinion is this: Don't fit gutter guards whether hedgehog fillers or wire mesh over. They do keep leaves out of the gutter but then they break down and become a stinking mass and thd gutters don't work. Don't fit gutter outlet guards for much the same reason, unless it is very easy and safe to access and clear regularly. Do fit a gully with grating at ground level, with the dp stopping a hands width above to allow easy clearing. An oversized grating helps. OR take the dp down to the grating bug cut out a mouse hole for getting leaves out. A silt trap works well too. But it needs a stilling chamber. I use a biggish chamber and put a bulkhead across the middle. I asked our worst bricklayer to build a brick wall and then the poor joints let water through with no leaves. More formally, make the bulkhead from expanded metal. Sticks and leaves float to the top, silt and so on sinks. Inlet and outlet at half depth.

Maybe. I have a parquet (in tiles) floor which was fine for a few weeks then pinged up as a whole, to about 100mm. This despite a 10mm cork surround. Then I relaid it with 20mm surround and it shrunk. It is non-engineered, and glued down. Engineered flooring has behaved better, being plywood effectively, but I'd still be wary of the forces that might rip at nails. I think it depends on room dimensions, more than the manufacturers say. Still worth following the instructions I think.