saveasteading

Well found. As usual, the same number of pounds as euros. Someone takes that 15%, and I think it is the manufacturer/distributor, because they can. Not brexit for once, it was always thus.

These look good. I like how there is the 4 screw fixing to the roof, then the top connection. It will need some consideration of the screws as there is a big variation in pullout resistance and also there is the board....9mm osb or 20mm ply or into a timber. But good screws are not expensive compared to the panels. I heard reports of many installations ripping off steel roofs. Easy to get right by considering the structure and giving method, but the installers were not educated in the subject, and clients were choosing the cheapest contractor. I don't know of disasters with domestic roofs but I expect there are many. @Nickfromwales rough cost of these?

Knowing we pay more for everything in the uk, I searched abroad. This is a French diy store with branches in Spain. So what margin would b &q have? 50%? Take off vat, deduct 50% ish margin, -15% conversion and we get £60 ish.

I think , without fail, the government's green deals have spent all the money on consultants and the excessive margins of approved 'specialists'. For a while you could get grants for wind turbines and hydro, regardless of them being unfit for purpose.

75 theoretically Due to undulations in the lower screed it varied 60 to 75. No problems with either.

A good point about building a very expensive basement then using up floorspace. That will work especially if you like plain walled brutalism.

If anything it is likely to be over-insulated. Earth 2m down is generally a constant temperature (is it 16°C?) and most earth is a poor conductor, but I haven't seen an insulation brochure that mentions that. Someone here will know if Passivhaus mention it. Passivhaus should be advising against basements because of the extra material and earth removal required. Perhaps this is a more holistic sustainability issue than their energy model, but I would be interested to know. Design a basement structurally, in parallel design how to keep it dry, then insulate the inside. And start saving.

Thankyou. Was this extract therefore a typing error?

I have always found that installation by such firms costs so much that the grant is less than worthless. They pay their reps a lot to chase the jobs and the reps I have encountered knew nothing. Similar with getting lottery money....you have to engage their approved architects....and the money is gone, and the build cost spirals too.

Hmm. There follows a short essay which I hope is helpful. I'm avoiding being angry, and taking this as an opportunity to correct a misunderstanding. It is a common one too, supported by excellent self promotion by Architects and less so by Engineers ( who tend to be immersed in the job). Journalists encourage this because they generally recognise "pretty" but don't understand science, especially physics. So, who designed the wobbly Thames bridge? The Architect was all over the press until it wobbled, then disappeared while the Engineer sorted it. Arup gained a lot from that. Who do you think designs, then manages motorways, bridges, dams? No Architect involved in any way. It's not Surveyors either, it is entirely an Engineering project, with various other professions involved. What profession do you think organised the Channel Tunnel? Then the main man also organised the London Olympics. Other names to the fore of course. I would say they involved management. Look at suspension bridges. Occasionally an architect tweaks details, then pushes themselves, but good engineering results in elegant design.....then the small matter of building the thing. Teamwork in construction is essential of course. Is the gherkin architecture of engineering? Which matters more.. the appearance or it not falling down? Now of course it takes all types. The Engineer designing a beam in an hour from information supplied to them is probably not the same character as the head of an international contractor. Also there is a career change after degree when you have to decide to stick with Civil or specialise in Structural Engineering. The latter suits academics more, and the former suits hands-on and management types more. I've nothing against Architects by the way. I hope that clarifies somewhat. Discuss.

They are primitive and sensitive. Brass ones come apart for cleaning but there can be spare ball bearings. Reasons mine have failed. 1 wrong way round. 2. Incompatibility m/f 3.worn out. The most common failure is the junction uncoupling and not shutting off.

I had a holiday job in a cemetery. Saw the man in the hat up close, and noticed he had lots of white powder on his face, for effect....oops wandering off subject. Pressing submit anyway.

We had that and what a sensible requirement. For us and the world it is a document of the previous use and layout of a farm building. It is available to all on the Internet along with other such buildings. I'm sure the powers would have rejected the record if not good enough. We removed stable stalls, and flooring, rotten doors, filled in drains and equipment paraphernalia. Interesting but there was no way of saving it. We also found writing on doors, 'we were here' by some local lads 50 years before, and notes of sheep numbers off to market....and are trying to preserve these.

Is this a windup? Consider it successful. The majority of Civil Engineers end up in general management, many outside of construction. SE is a subset of CE. Perhaps you have only met the ones who are proposed by architects. The likelihood in this case is that the SE had a very limited brief and low fee....as set by client or their agent.

It will depend on your exposure, and the panel construction. I have never had solar on a property ( always designed them dotted, for planning). But most seem to be on brackets that need a lot of thought before fixing, to provide enough pull-out resistance without leaks. So the wind gets underneath. I have spoken to loads of suppliers though and was shocked by their ignorance. Perhaps things are better now. Others on here will know more about the reality.

That makes sense as wind forces are much greater at the perimeter. In a sheltered area it might not matter so much. I have been told that lots of roofs are damaged by poorly fixed panels.

Yes I agree that 2.4m is prob very conservative. But don't accept what a groundworker says. Even for bco make sure they understand clay and heave. I think nhbc says 900 min and that seems sensible. I hope the new foundation for 2nd skin is at the same level as the original.

We are going with stick build. I went to examine the t and g kits, only to find that the show field had closed. So I looked at how I would build a t and g, and wasn't comfortable for anything other than a small building. Then looked at stick built ....easy and stronger. We are going with t and g boarding. I know that BigJimbo is correct, from expensive experience. But having used t and g with success 6 times and a problem once, I know it was a bad batch. So let the boards sit for a week or 2 before fixing. Avoid any long lengths, and either stain before fitting, or wait a month for gaps to settle down We have decided to build the roof the old fashioned way, with a joist at eaves level, then mid verticals and a tie, then the rafters. This uses more wood but is much easier to build diy, ie no ridge beam and no unsupported rafters to juggle with. It loses a bit of clear height. It will be much slower, but stronger and won't warp. The joists also provide a working platform and an attic. Costs.?..don't know yet but I'd think similar with skilful buying and waste avoidance. It will be under 30m2 GIA, so no building regs, but timbers, fixings etc as if it was.

Sounds ideal. I was getting you to describe it while fresh in your mind. Just in case someone wants you to dig it again.

I wonder what the mortar strength is. It is so variable that 0.5 variation in blocks should not matter...but you could ask.

When we first changed machine, we found that the new one hit against the batten at the back, holding up the worktop. The old machine had a cutout for this, the new one not. What a pain to replace. Yet another thing to bear in mind.

Engineer geek enquiry. In advance of your next stage queries. Was it the same all the way, or layered? Clay/sand/stone? Did it fall apart when deposited or stay in lumps? Did the trench sides stay upright? When walked on at the bottom it seems to have turned to mud. The ground report will say something like silty sandy clay with root fragments and occasional gravel. Clay would be the most important word. It's lucky you had an experienced observer prepared to say just a chicken and an old tree stump....not possible evidence of an ancient encampment.

But you took photos first? How would you describe the ground?

600 is fine though I once struggled to get a 598mm machine out as the units had spread. Most seem to be 595 which makes all the difference.

It it going to settle. Near enough will do for now, with the main target beong a nice tilth for the seed, and then the grass will germinate and is gusranteed to grow the right way up. It is easy to fill any hollows later, using soil or sharp sand and the grass finds its way through.