saveasteading

I think they remain decent value for their standard models, which are designed for maximum efficiency, don't need redesigning and have negligible risk. Then add transport, hoisting and then overhead and profit for a business in a factory. Stick built has timber straight to site at best price, and the joiner working for you (or the main contractor) not for the factory. But there may be design costs, more can go wrong, and it takes longer on site.

Got one 3 weeks ago when it was £299. NB they charge for delivery, non-optional, no collection from a shop.... NB2 not available in Highlands postcodes , regardless if this is Inverness, where there is an Aldi, or Rockall. there is more to this story: perhaps later. It has had a hard 2 weeks. If anything it is a bit narrow, but the same machine seems to be at TS for twice the price.

No. That is a very good thing and gets you a lot more heat as well as reducing ash. I meant a specific air feed from outside to the back of, or even connected to, the stove. Search for 'wood burner external air feed'

No. And contractors who make up stories like this are perhaps not very good at what they do. Anybody can buy and fit a window. Not everyone can do it well. Keep on at them because once they are gone, these are your windows to live with.

Makes sense. You mean disconnect your temporary supply back to the way it was once finished with? I have been tempted in the past to save money by simply connecting cables through, but it is worth putting in a kiosk for safety and control. It also means you can turn off your power without access to the source. BUT if you are going to need a new electric supply then I recommend getting that in ASAP, again to a kiosk. This is normal and acceptable to the electric company. All designed and connected by a certificated electrician.

Which includes that allowing more houses brings in immediate cash from central government ( a lot of cash), as well as the later rates. And that the senior councillors can expect to be patted on the head and given gongs by their masters.

I wouldn't touch it until you see what happens over the winter. The ground is exceptionally dry and so there may be shrinkage and this sort of thing happens. In the winter the ground may recover, and it would be a shame if the crack was filled and it could not move back to shape. Anyway nothing to worry about. How wide would you say the crack is, in mm or the traditional measure, coin thickness?

Excellent . One of them poss slightly bigger than optimum. Do they have a 'runner' fibre along the length that has to be removed. or do they snap clean in two? Better picked and discarded than allowed to grow mature, as the plant will make seeds instead of feeding you. Until the last few anyway, when you leave them and collect next years seeds.

Stores are very vulnerable to theft. At least a container on site is in sight ( if you are staying on site), and will be covered by the project insurance. But it is pretty obvious to thieves, what will be in there. They get very hot or cold seasonally. Don't hire. Buy a clapped out one from a hire company, that is just too bad too rent out again, but you could live with. Then you have to get rid at the end, but poss to someone with a similar need. For storing kitchens and windows etc, I think it must be very short term....most outlets will work to your agenda. Absolutely.

We have chosen Russwood, or rather the family have. From what I gather, they are selective of the timber quality, so I am hoping to see far fewer knots, twists and wide grain than might come with a pile of every plank out of a tree trunk. Also, this is for only 50m2, so the cash cost is not horrendous.

Welcome. What is the construction? Cracks may be less significant than you think, if it is stone. What part of the country? A commercial builder will almost always want to demolish and build new. A very hands-on self-builder may be able to save the structure and money....but there are risks. Let us help. Pictures will endear you to the forum.

with a plot being £60,000 in the remoter parts of the Highlands or £300k in SE England, the formula doesn't work everywhere. You can easily spend that if you don't think the project through, and leave the decisions, and especially resolving problems, to others. In business I never allowed more than 5% for contingencies, and then designed my way out of changes and problems, rather than spending money on it. Careful thought like your current discussion is a good example of avoiding overspend. If anybody knew what the 5m 'rule' applied to. Is it the excavation, wall of the tank, or where the water is? Or even the centre? Depending on circumstances* you might even get formal approval of 4m. * ground permeability, amount of flow, options to change shape of chamber, slope of ground.

I don't do layouts, so no comment on the above. What is the purpose of the glazing over the entrance? If only to light the stairwell then it is large and requires the complex dormer housing. I resist valley gutters but appreciate the reason here. Just be aware of the risk of blockages, and need for cleaning regularly. I would make the gutter oversized, and feed a hopper outside the house. Unfortunately the dp would be above a door. Avoid internal drains as they gurgle and block. Also I can't read the dimensions. What are the heights?

If you don't have them already, it is worth getting a set of small, precise, hard screwdriver heads. I find I use them a lot on watch straps, electronics etc...and grub screws. They provide a better fit to very small screws, are harder steel and so can tighten better. I think mine was a set of heads with handle from TS.

That is not normal. I would cut the mesh into flats and link them with bent bars, which you can bend on site if necessary. Actually no...I would extend both top layers of mesh to the full width, and build a cage to form the edge beam, made of stirrups which link top and bottom.

Stone is certainly more interesting than block. This is not the work of a master mason! There doesn't seem to be any coursing, more of an undulating pattern. Do you know what kind of stone is used locally? Because we have granite, we use the kind of lime that goes quite hard, and has to be used before it sets, which was a surprise after reading so much about lime staying soft for days. Most people wont be interested it is 'just a building'. But there may be an estates manager, or a retired clerk of works who could be interested to help. Also try to find what other conversions have been carried out recently, as there may be information to be had.

Interesting. I still mean what I mean, but perhaps need another fancy term for it. Groundworker (digger driver) thinking he knows about concrete..... what would an Architect know about it? of course you add water, everybody does it no need to compact it when it is wet enough no need to cover it as it has plenty of water and needs longer to dry. any more?

As if these huge chemical companies had not worked out the optimum mix. Dunning- Kruger applies in many (all?) trades.

And so you should. I don't think they are disagreeing with that, and you would be entitled to send it back if it is wrong. The batching plant will even monitor the dampness of the sand so that this is already included in the mix allowance. I don't agree. This has been studied at length and is a fairly precise science when you consider that it is made of of broken up ground from various sources. I have worked in the lab on a big project (all of 3 days as CPD) and sampled/tested using slump and cube tests. It is remarkably predictable and adding water is a bad thing. Yes this was for bridges, but quality is quality, and the same control was applied to mass bases, kerb bases and everything else. No it is quality. All concrete companies have the exclusion clauses re added water, but they are hard to find. I admire this up-front statement. I don't envy the worker with the shovel, but that is not my job, and it is theirs. For £4/m3 extra you can add a plasticiser and everyone is happy, except the buyer. Have I ever authorised additional water? Yes, but only a small amount and for mass footings. How often have I stopped the addition? Many times. They had to sweat a bit but managed fine.

Excellent. Gus's points are very good. What were they building with in those days? I don't think concrete blocks were around yet, so stone seems likely. And yet it has that coloured render. More pictures would be good. When I started researching stone steadings, I knew there was a lot to learn. It has been fascinating and also very important. If you can find local information that would be a good start, from talking to people / asking at the library or whatever.

Found this attachment today. I hope this is useful for beginners, experienced builders and professionals alike. The former to learn, and the latter to show it to people who don't believe you (including 90% of groundworkers). Water content in concrete is a precise science. Concrete hardens by chemical reaction, not 'drying'. Many groundworkers add extra water to concrete to make spreading easier, not knowing that it is bad for the concrete. They seem to think that Engineers, other professionals and the concrete companies know less than they do. All concrete suppliers have small print about not adding water without permission. Here is something much clearer. So see the attached very plainly stated leaflet from Hansen Concrete. I think it needs to go on the wall of every site hut.

It isn't for you to dabble with what the SE has shown. If it isn't clear then you mast ask the SE, not us who don't know the details or context. These columns look a bit flimsy but the planks might retain them sufficiently if very precisely and properly connected to form an integrated structure. We are not here to do that design, cannot, and would not. And adding a steel is not necessarily going to make it stronger: structures can be complex. Oh, and btw what makes you think this is 'gents' only?

Not by a very long way. Scottish standards for a conversion ask for 'reasonable efforts'. So perhaps you can convince them that the floor area is crucial, and that a U value of 0.6 in the walls is ok because you will have stunning insulation to floor and roof, etc Also for a floor area of under 50m2 some rules are less strict but I have not read in detail. Conversions - in the case of conversions, as specified in regulation 4, the building as converted shall meet the requirements of this standard in so far as is reasonably practicable, and in no case be worse than before the conversion (regulation 12, schedule 6).

As well as the open aspect being retained, might they be wanting line of sight for the bend in the road.

Accelerated weathering is surprisingly expensive. I think we are going with Russwood, but untreated, on the basis that the timber is selected, ie higher quality, and so won't twist or have knots falling out. I don't like the weathered grey look (and would stain it) but am outnumbered, and presumably plain wrong.