saveasteading

......is keep water in place in water retaining structures, to close off a joint which might be a weakness. If you are building above ground, have a well-detailed damp-proof construction, and it is not a water tank then you should not need one. Or it is a simple bar across a flat door threshold to keep the rain out.

But still be cheaper than the branded stuff, so just pointing out to others.

In late response to a comment a few days ago, perhaps in another discussion: I once found that permanent metal shuttering (eg Holorib) was 30% cheaper in France than UK. Exactly the same product. Arranged for it to be obtained in France and delivered with another order by an intermediary continental supplier. Suddenly it was cancelled by the French company without comment other than it was not possible. I don't know how they found it was being exported, a loose comment probably, but they were certainly not allowing us to cut their massive on-cost. It was about £30,000 of material, so we didn't make the £10k saving, and they lost a sale as we changed the design to concrete planks. This was 10 years ago, so nothing to do with politics, but perhaps to do with 'agreements'. Tiles appear to double in price en route from Spain and Italy. I think it works the other way too. timber is silly expensive in Spain.

Unbranded framing from CCF etc is perfectly good. It comes from a known UK manufacturer but doesn't attract the premium for the inked name on it. Consultants like to say ;all by BG or Knauff' because it keeps them in the clear, and is your money. All are good.

As long as your dirty video shows things are ok, then leave alone.

I have access to a supplier's online costing guide, and so entered a 254 x 146 x 35 I beam for a price, for a full length of 8m £430 each. So coming out at £1,700/ton from that stockholder. That is for full lengths, and excludes delivery, so add for waste, cutting, priming ( but you can diy), and delivery. Of course there is no fabrication in there either. So your 3.6t is costing £6k at the gate. Add £15,000 for transport, some welding and a small new car!!! The supplier is nowhere near you , but someone else is.

Stop digging. It is either not there or so deep that it is better left alone. more likely is off at some other angle and you have missed it. Ask the bco to dig for it next time, to show you what pipe he means. If there is an old pipe across your new trench then there should be visible signs where the soil changes. That was a trench in clay, dug and backfilled, and it will not look the same as the virgin clay.

I am finding it tricky to read the logic of this design. I would expect to see the sloping truss sitting on the wall you are discussing, but it seems to be hanging, or there need to be cut-outs in the wall for the truss and beam right through the width. Your idea seems better, but perhaps I am misreading.

Who thinks that? Only people who don't understand engineering. The Latin is probably handy at aiding the best use of language, which is important and valued in Engineering too, but that is marginal. People who can't do maths assume it is all a trick. People who don't understand Engineering think it is stuff learnt, not the underlying understanding of physics and the world that is behind it. You upgraded Sir.

Living in the SE of England I am constantly reminded that most people here think Scotland is a tenth the size of England and everywhere is cold and wet all the time Tunbridge Wells has the same rainfall as Inverness. The worst winters I ever endured were here too. Coldest snowiest, windiest...in 3 successive years. There is a different sort of cold too. Not to be compared with the weather on top of Cairngorm etc, but that is not where people live.

Only in Spain at Leroy Merlin stores I think, but might be worth asking them is there any other way. Find this solar wall sconce for sale exclusively at LEROY MERLIN https://arteconfort.com/en/producto/solar-en/iluminacion-solar-de-pared-en/nizar-l-smart/

Ideal really , as you can use your neighbour's while setting up and building, until you get your own. As well as the borehole and the pump it comes with, you need a housing, and then I think you have still to treat the water.

The first time I used it as sub-base in a big building, the building inspector said it couldn't be used as it is organic. I suppose technically he is right but the reg's mean plant material , not oil-based product.. fortunately it came with a Type 1 certificate and he went away happy. It is great in a building because it goes flat and stays put.

Then don't use standard lengths. If you schedule and have them rolled to order then there is no waste in the length, only in the site cutting of the triangles ., and that applies to coil rolled on site too. Rather different if you had bought lots of oversized or 'standard' lengths from the local merchant. Perhaps the coil people take away all the bits, and then it is not apparent. Not everyone, including cladders, is necessarily skilled at measuring for scheduling, so I can see the attraction of rolling on site I also appreciate that the specialists with a coil on the lorry will have the benefit of revising the lengths as they go along,, if some adjustment is needed, I only know about commercial details, and they always span between purlins. I can't see the benefit of sitting on boards, unless the cladding is very weak and cannot self-support, but perhaps coil cladding for housing is weak...let's find out. This could be what happens when a traditional house build takes on new materials and a new detail is not perfected. Perhaps there is a published detail by one of the big cladding manufacturers. Maybe it does for housing, I need to find out. Standing seam is used on commercial roofs spanning between purlins, and the area used successfully is probably hundreds of times that used for housing. Perhaps it is much stronger, using thicker metal, higher grade metal and deeper profile. I need to find out as am currently considering not putting the slates back on, and using metal. Not necessarily standing seam which has benefits and also challenges (including cost) It seems that throughout this discussion 'standing seam' is being applied only to the specialists who roll coil on site and then fix. I can see that might be expensive and so traditional methods can compete. It is available to buy and fix yourself. I am more likely to price the project on bought sheets, screw-fixed to rails, and so missing out a few margins along the way. In the Highlands I have seen a lot of Ondulit, and traditional corrugated , plastisol steel profiles on conversions and some new-builds. This is quite cheap, but looks rather agricultural....which may be appropriate to location. I will be considering a flatter profile, 900 or 1000 cover, with crowns at 300 or 333. I don't mind seeing a few screws....what you can see you can fix, and they can be replaced if damaged.

At some stage you would need an specialist borehole company, as it is a rather technical thing to do. Therefore I suggest speak to them now. From what I hear, they can silt up in a few years, so it is not a one-off cost. I know of a specialist (too far from you) who uses a stream/well for his own supply rather than do his own borehole (which would be feasible). why? cost of installation and maintenance. To be certain of the neighbour's supply you would need to have a written contract, for which you would pay both party's costs, and which the neighbour might not want. The cost structure and a meter could be included.

Metal cladding should not sit on a surface that could be wet. I'm not going to stress my brain today into thinking if that could be wet on the underside, but gut feeling says yes, condensation. so battens of timber or galv needed. To answer another matter above, every single steel shed you see has purlins (Z rails) on the roof, with cladding spanning somewhere between 1 and 2 m according to the sheet strength. It does not need to sit on a board.

Do you mean that a shifty supplier might have mixed nasty stuff in? Otherwise, in what way have times changed? I like road planings as it is about 95% (? have to check) well graded stone stuck together with bitumen. Have even used it under floor slabs, with BCO approval. Only from a merchant though, as the other is encouraging dodgy cash deals. What I don't like is footpath material as it is very loose and weak.

These do what you say, with a background light all night and then very bright when operated by PIR.130 lumens and 1350 lumens. There are other settings too, with the background optional or to come on full until switched off. The ones I have require climbing a ladder and pressing a button to scroll the options but there is now a remote control option. There is a very big solar panel on the top. 40 Euros. very impressive. That was the good news. But, It says it charges in 8-12 hours and runs for 15 hours , which is fine in Spain (where they come from) even in winter. Wondering how it will work in winter, in the Highlands. Maybe will buy another one and try.

But doesn't get past the plastic lining on the inside of a modern house...effectively living inside a plastic tent with a building around it. Good list Epsilon. You forgot the Outside toilet?

I am not aware of this zig-zag product. reference please? I like these for the precision but concrete contractors like these as they are much faster.

Basement construction is very serious Engineering. as comments above, it needs a lot of attention to prevent flooding, and thermal insulation is the least concern. Can you advise the current situation? Is it just a void under the building or a proper, accessible usable cellar?

Interesting, but I am wondering why was the gravel not a good place to stop, as is likely to be dense? If it was a thick layer it would have been a very good place to stop digging.

My only 2 experiences of lime are; 1. lime plaster on existing lath inside a listed building, insisted on by the planner. It cost £1,000 for 6m2, because very few people did it. 2. converting a masonry farm building. the masons use lime as standard. as well as being the right solution technically , I think it is easier to work with. For bricklaying I would fear that 1) is more relevant and you might find resistance/reluctance among the brickies....best make some enquiries as suggested. There is less need for lime mortar in brick walls in modern times. The buildings don't move so much as the foundations are deeper, so don't need to self-repair. The walls are cavity construction and moisture does not get in past the outer skin.

Agreed. as the floor is constantly warmed with UFH, it is important not to heat the earth, hence take this once only chance to insulate well, and it will repay over time. If the floor is large then the earth in the centre will provide decent insulation in itself (to the extent that a very large building does not need flor insulation at all). but for a small building, most of the floor is near the outdoors and there is heat loss. Because of this it is probably best to use the most expensive insulation (PIR) to whatever thickness you can. I see the first floor insulation as being control rather than economy. you will be keeping the heat in the relevant room, especially keeping the ground floor heat where intended.

If there is a hip, then the sheet is cut on the diagonal to fit, and the triangle is thrown away. Also is a tricky cut, (with a nibbler or shears) to avoid mistakes. So say there is a hip-end, then every sheet is cut and has wastage, unless you can flip it over and use the cut angle on the opposite hip...in my experience the cladder has to be told exactly how to cut every sheet, otherwise the old habit of a new sheet every time comes in. With slates and tiles the same angled cuts exist but the wastage is a small fraction. also metal sheets have to be quite precisely ordered, to fit just over the gutter and under the ridge. For a big roof it may be that 2 sheets are used, and then they overlap. Tiles take away that risk and precision. summary...for a big roof i think metal is much cheaper in material and labour. For a small roof tiles/slates, and you would struggle to find a metal cladder anyway.