saveasteading

The solar energy has entered the room. Some gets reflected back from white blinds. Some conducts back out from the glass. The rest is in the room. We know that curtains and blinds work, so is the rest of the benefit from keeping the window reveal hot and not spreading through the room? Or is it mostly a time effect, keeping direct sun off the room and contents?

I've looked at spanish units as they seem so cheap. They are made for cooling and not efficient for heating. Noisy generally too. Electricity was cheap until recently too, but no longer.

The tiles are very flexible. Putting two base to base there is a 4mm gap which easily pinches together. I was wondering if it would be easier, faster and cheaper to press down hard, then lay a weight on the middle. It could be removed and reused in half an hour or so. Looking to speed things up as there is a long way to go.

Are these fitted tight so that the heat from the light that has come through stays between the glass and the blinds?

Skylights provide a huge amount of light compared to windows. Perhaps one or 2 small ones will provide enough light and be very much easier and much cheaper to build. You can get opening ones too, which would let the heat out quickly but you have to remember to shut it. With smaller area it wouldn't be a problem though. Watching 'Your Home Made Perfect' is fun. Without fail: 1. the architects show huge or entire roof glazing, with no structure. 2 on screen script says check the regulations for overheating and consult SE. 3. Finished product has a sensible compromise. They don't comment, on whether this was bco, SE, builder , budget, or all of these....or at all. 4. Closing credits say the Architects are only providing inspiration, and to check reality.

I've got an electric Bosch worm drive one that handles the mid sized sticks you are describing, and usefully drags the rest of a branch through behind it. No good on wet stuff. I converted a pile of shrub of about 3m3 (mostly air obv) into firewood and bean poles plus about 0.5m3 of mulch and 1 brown bin of messy ends. Slow though with one stick at a time. Allow 2 hours for your pile. I have had it at least 10 years, and it still seems to be top in Gardeners World report. Also have a borrowed one that is a spinning blade. Only good for big sticks and very noisy. Havent used it and giving it back.

Lal, im wondering where your dpc is, perhaps too close to the ground. Looking at the pic with tarmac, there is one course of bricks that looks very dark and damp. The next 2 courses have varying wetness too, perhaps splashing up from the tarmac.

Reasons why not to.. I've employed and observed, sometimes assisted, some stunningly skilful tilers. They wouldn't dream of using artificial aids. They didn't use spacers. Adhesive was always rapid set, to the extent that one of them held a wall tile in place for about 10 seconds while picking up the next tile. Only worked on a job price which turned out to be £300+/ day when worked back. And at Topps they said most tilers don't use them. So that's why perhaps not. The team were laying more today, and used the system. It provides a little more smoothness, but they find that the pushing of the wedges shifts the tile and the joint is inconsistent. But they also say it is going much faster with the levelling system, and perhaps they will find a solution to the joints. More news as it comes.

Not only that but it is a damp little corner with reduced air flow. Not a problem. Worth clearing the moss and any soil with it too, as that holds water. The salts might just fall off come the summer, or wash them off then.

Any advice on whether a tile levelling system would work for us? I can foresee difficulty in furniture not sitting properly. I have poked at the levelling wedges in a shop but thought it was more for rough floors, or for amateurs. Will the tiles bend or break? Will the adhesive stay in place where lifted? Im thinking that test 1 is to put a weight on and see if it bends flatter.

They were from topps, inverness. The staff were very good altogether in talking prices, openess about the repeats issue and delivery. I was just surprised that the displays didn't do justice to the mix of the tiles. At first visit they gave a good offer based on a large quantity. Anything they describe as a pallett gets a good price. It turned out that didn't mean a whole pallett of one type, just ' a lot' (more than a boot full?)

In principle we don't like materials pretending to be something else. Wood would have been appropriate but over budget and dog damageable. UFH will work better too. Still, most tiles have only 6 patterns and strong features and 'knots' that would be in line...no real knots look the same. These tiles look so real. Topps contrived to have repeats even in their 1m2 display. But in real life we can lose the strong patterns in cuts and are happy. Good discount too.

They seem to be managing fine just with adhesive and a level/straight edge.

For information....we were advised and can confirm, that our 900 long porcelain tiles all have a curve in the length. Adds to the challenge. Fortunately laying them to 300 staggers reduces this 3mm difference. I hadn't heard of this characteristic. The team are taking to tiling. Superb for the first time. We are also impressed to find 19 different patterns, reversed makes 38, so it won't have visible repeats.

I like there always to be ventilation in a floor void. If dampness can get in somewhere, anywhere, then it should be allowed out again. In your case on a slope there is also a strong chance of water getting in, so I suggest holes at ground level on the downhill side...covered against insects.

Yes. It isn't "an idea", it is normal professional practice. There are sprays as an option for big slabs. Or keep wetting it.

Have not thought this through for EPS, but on water tanks etc the use of lots of skinny bars is the norm to spread the effect as much as possible, esp avoiding cracks.

I'd be surprised if the £30 merchants have any insurance (or morals). It would rather concentrate their minds, and those of the estate agents. I wonder what the tolerance is for 'inaccurate'?

OK happy to expand: I'd like you to have the perfect slab. The procedure in changeable weather is to 1. hope that the surface hardens before any rain comes or it will pock mark with the rain. 2. at whatever stage you decide, balancing rain marks and not scuffing the surface while laying polythene or hessian, lay the cover. This initial 'Set' can be 2 hours or 8 hours. depends on temperature mostly. 3. It should not need additional water. 4. Have a check, next day. Polythene will likely have a coating underneath of condensation. If so, leave it alone. 5. it is wet enough , so leave it covered for a few days, a week if you can. If you want to wet it further it can do no harm. BUT. if you are using hessian that keeps the wind off but allows it to evaporate so give it a spray with hose or buckets. It can't be too wet, and it won't absorb water unless it is a good thing. After a week, most of the chemical reaction has completed. A large proportion of the water has combined chemically with the cement and is now dry as well as hard. The remaining water can be allowed to evaporate. The chemical reaction creates heat, which you are also keeping in. Cold is very bad for concrete until set. I think the rule is min 3degC, but even then it will be slow to cure. In hot or windy weather the above changes a little , but not your problem at the moment. If extra water is added to the mix at pouring, this eventually evaporates and leaves air gaps in its place, too small to see, but weakening the concrete. Add 50 litres to 6m3 and that is 50/6000 and that doesn't sound a lot. But the majority of the concrete is stone, and so this is adding a high proportion of air to the vital cement paste. 95% of groundworkers want to add water for their convenience, and will try to avoid taking instruction not to add any. Refer to the concrete supplier if necessary. Nobody dies, as it isn't a bridge or a dam, but you will get lots of cracking and that may come through surface finishes. Concrete does not harden through drying but by chemical reaction. Only you and I and a few others know this. Most groundworkers think they know better than us. Concrete always shrinks when hardening. If done skilfully there are millions of invisible cracks. If done badly there are ugly wide cracks. If you have to remove areas of polythene for other works, then do so, but try to put them back asap. If I've missed or confused anything do ask again.

There are white pens, intended for re-whitening grout. a bit like tippex correction pens. I think that would stick to terracota.

My current favourites. The head holds the screw whatever angle, including downwards, and they cut in and grip well too. Saves a lot of time finding and picking up, esp if working at arms length.

In commercial and public buildings. In houses they sensibly allow that they would be blocked open anyway. More importantly, we know the escape routes from our own houses. And now Scotland requires interlinked fire alarms so there is early warning. If you wanted self closers then the pocket doors could perhaps be hung on a slope.

What blocks are these? I did a deep basement using special concrete blocks that joggled about for interlock. But we still had to use a very expensive waterproofing layer outside it and under the floor. I'm nervous about yours. Is it fully designed, and can you tell us more? Re insulation, I would be happy with the floor, as the earth will come to some steady temperature, being a long way from cold weather. I think this is undervalued in theoretical calculations. So on the walls I would want PIR for maximum effect. 100mm again perhaps, (still getting some benefit from being away from the weather) then vcl/ stud/ 25mm service void then 1 layer plasterboard. All assuming it stays dry.

doesnt effect plastic. OK. The bottle of drain cleaner I bought wasn't supposed to melt plastic either. Maybe it was organic plastic. I was very lucky that it just distorted rather than dissolved. I suspect it was an untested cheap product from a diy outlet, so I only buy branded fittings now.

And obviously uncontrolled and in the hands of opportunists. When / if people eventually understand the value of good insulation, then perhaps this will become regulated.