saveasteading

.....also keeps us interested and the OP (and others) can learn other stuff, eg planning and structure came up here. As long as we don't get whimsical when there is a serious problem...ahhh but I digress from the current discussion Out.

Nitrogen is lost. This is good on the subject https://www.rhs.org.uk/soil-composts-mulches/woody-waste-using-as-mulch

Sorry, wandered a bit, as is happening in the car discussion.

I can't remember the science, but the act of it rotting takes one of N, P or K out of the soil around it. But if it is in the compost, that happens benignly and it is all useable and useful compost next year.

Hope is good! But joists will be warped in length and vertically, so every cut will be different and approximate. The thicker the pir the more difficult to fit accurately. Also, many talk of pir shrinking in time. You will get a better theoretical rating with pir, but perhaps better insulation with more pliable materials.

Lay it on the surface to kill weed seedlings, and to keep the ground moist. Any thickness helps but 50mm is often recommended. If you dug it in , it would rot in the ground and reduce nutrients. Or mix it in with compost for next year

Just Google mortar calculator.

The BM will know the ratio to order. I would have to find my wee black book. 'sand and cement for 226m2 of brick' / 100mm block or whatever. you will have waste through spillage and spreading on the ground.

trudgen noun a swimming stroke like the crawl with a scissors movement of the legs.

You will save a lot if you can take bulk sand rather than bags: even big bags where you are paying for the bag. Cement also if by the pallet, although wastage is worse when they see a 'limitless' supply. If brickwork is the finished face, then getting bulk is very important. You then have one source of sand (it varies in colour through a sand pit and tomorrows could be different). Cement varies dramatically in colour between brands, so never change it.

Beware their trudgens.

Yes that's what I meant. Looking forward to your model. The journey of unit of energy through a longish linkage of materials, to earth. Variables: indoor and outdoor temperatures, general temperature of the earth by season. Time lag day and night? Does that heat woozle end up not quite getting outdoors and start moving back in on a warm day? Do you need to know the composition of the ground and the location of the property? I did once calculate heat loss through cladding screws into steel purlins, thinking it might be quite a lot (10 screws/m2 extending from outside hex, to an exposed point into and through purlins. It was tiny though as the actual c/s of the screw is inside the thread.

Back to using containers. I'm not against this, and adapted a couple for storing sports equiment, just by putting a slab down, and cladding with battens. but it is horribly hot/cold depending on the weather. It is that these are designed for slinging about on lorries and ships, and any cutting of holes requires stiffening and framing. Where I have seen them used as 'sustainable' (often a glowing article in the Architectural Press) it has been just a gimmick and ends up costing a lot more than a proper building. It is a different matter if you can buy one cheap at 'end of life' and use it as a store......but they get so hot and cold.

Just a little then. The building was to have contents that the police were keen stayed locked up. Loss adjusters have standard tests for security, such that skilled criminals bringing with them a tool kit of hammers, heavy cutters and various persuaders, couldn't get in in 30 minutes. Plus all doors immune to ram-raiding and tools. After we were gone, there were other systems installed, and I was informed that anyone who got in would be disabled by various noise, smoke, strobes etc, and be pleading with the police to arrest them. The building looked like a slightly superior industrial building, and had simple metal cladding that could be cut or unscrewed. We didn't even remove the plastic hex heads. Had GRP skylights too, which would have been my suggested means of entry....but apparently your criminal doesn't know that, plus they would have been trapped inside. The police progress inspections involved a man with leather jacket and shades, and an impressive 'have you heard of us' identity card.

Me too. It can be compressed to sit snugly between joists with no gaps. Pir is a pain to cut, and to fit and will inevitably have some gaps. Then some insulating board, however thin, over the top before boarding.

Simple and pragmatic. Nobody sits or stands at the perimeter. Some insulation can be contrived too.

Not really, although i guess it deter those who can't think how to get in. I had the poorly paying interest of repairing a few metal clad walls. 1mm steel usually. They had come with snips and nail bars....now there would be battery tools. In all cases they removed a section of steel, but then encountered either block or timber or plasterboard inner facing and insulation. Something must click in the criminal brain that this wasn't planned for, and they abandoned, just leaving expensive damage to secret fix cladding. Even when there were visible fixings, they cut the steel. Storage shipping sheds on site, we fitted cheap padlocks rather than get the expensive damage of them cutting through the walls, which are perhaps 2mm thick? Also designed and built a warehouse designed to deter or catch any criminal. Getting in would have been a mistake. The flying squad were occasional clerks of works. Fascinating and challenging....but I can't say much more.

Ok. Unfollowing the topic.

For my interest, if you don't mind. In hindsight would you do the same again? It seems a lot of work to create the box which remains uninsulated, and with unstable fronts that need infilling.

Which was about the neighbour's house not yours. Is this query also about the neighbour's?

Our supplier started including plastic caps with all foundation bolts. Easy to use and protected against splashes and dents. Prior to that we used plastic bags and tape, or just tape. Vaseline bandages were good protection but messy to use and remove. The other option is to fit the nut and leave it at the end.

Howdens. They seem to be identical from BM's. Annoyingly there were none in stock to examine, having been impressed with them in a b&b and wondering if all were that good. But yes, they are nice.

Bookmatched. A new term for me. The backs of violins are done like this, I think mostly to get acoustic symmetry. Also wall panelling or marble tiling in very expensive fit-outs. I was surprised to see a £90 door with it. The veneer seems to be about 4 to 5mm thick...again a surprise. When the rest of the doors go in, we will see if the bookmatching is standard or by chance.

You are I think. I have nothing to add. If you need a quiet room you have the wrong room. Prob my last comment on this. "I'm out".

Your way works of course, but usually needs some clamping kit. It is still worth checking all the ends accept a nut before starting the work. Once you have had to fettle a bolt end in an icy hole, with a crane idly holding a column above it, you get more organised next time, and also protect the ends.