saveasteading

On top of what? Can you recall the price level?

I was tempted by a pruning chainsaw at the local market. Incl 2 batteries £30. But my sensible self decided it would be poor, maybe dangerous.

With experience now of the steading stove. Externally fed air makes for extremely efficient combustion with even a single log glowing brightly. The tiny amount of ash confirms the efficiency too. So it doesn't have to be a huge blaze with multiple logs as in old draughty burning boxes. Is it justifiable? The steading is rentable and gorgeous, so it's a big plus. Although it is highly insulated the heat isn't excessive and is controllable Plus it's a backup in case of power outage.

Client didn't want or need it, or want the cost.... I'm guessing it's about £40/m2 extra. And like, presumably. Try spilling some red wine on that. I've nerdily done that on tiles we are currently looking at.

I've posted a real floor after 15 + years as a separate post. Dryshake I've used once. It makes the surface harder and can add colour, but it still crazes. If a domestic client wanted a concrete look I'd recommend large porcelain with that effect ( very realistic, as concrete tiles really could be made crack free). £50/m2. Resin does not, of course, look like concrete. If budget is of interest, you don't need concrete over concrete at all.

This was a project of mine about 15 years ago, maybe more. It is used by a company you all know. I was there recently as a customer and asked if I could look at the warehouse for interest. I'm really pleased how this is performing after the years of forklift use. No cracks other than the controlled joint which has barely widened. But look closely at the micro cracking of the surface. This is normal and is always there unless covered by paint... and then it isn't exposed concrete. This is why I don't recommend concrete in a house unless desperate to impress on Grand Designs ( who won't return to see it with stains and cracks years later.) And this is a very good floor by utter experts. Bte the few tiny indents are caused by lignite which we get in aggregate.

So a very heavy warehouse for forklifts and racking? You can do almost anything over that. Your internal walls and even steel columns could go straight on your floor with SE input. Above that I would have minimum 150 pir then a screed with ufh. As prev discussed I don't see the attraction of a polished slab in a house, perhaps because I've built hundreds and see them as functional. I'll find a photo to emphasise this.

What are you finishing the floor with? Are the levels generally OK apart from ridges and raindrop marks? How soft is the top? Can you scratch it?

if you dont have them I think Wickes would too, or a small builders' merchant maybe.

absolutely. I was going to say to use treated timber, but spraying the existing joists is wise. Woodworm and rot.

Or two. My drill will work for hours (days) on the 2Ah battery. Hedge cutter 20 minutes. My new leaf blower uses a 6Ah battery in 10 minutes. The weight of battery matters a lot if working with the tool raised.

Some houses are built like that because the builder couldn't use a spirit level. Others move quite a lot more than we would like to think. So in your case, there is no sign of rot at joist ends? That's OK then.

I was lucky enough to win a set of Einhell stuff. Including a drill including hammer, and a small sds. I previously didn't appreciate the vast improvement an sds provides, cutting a hole easily in seconds instead of minutes. So I recommend you add this to your set. I'm very happy with Einhell, and having a bank of different size batteries is a must. But if I was using any of these tools professionally I'd probably go upmarket. I see deWalt stuff doing the most amazing functions. Nail gun firing 90mm nails for example, with so much lighter a tool than a gas one.

Do you know why? We should overcome the reason for this at the same time.

Acoustic rail / resilient bar is useful in stopping vibrations carrying through I once had a roll of a bitumen sort of sheet with lead trapped within. It was made for medical aprons to stop x-rays. Very heavy but also flexible, and I used it on a party wall , hung loose behind the plasterboard, to great effect. It isn't available and would be crazily expensive, but some other heavyish loose material could be used. thick polyethene etc.

maybe sell credits? It could be deposited in empty coal mines which would be a bit like full circle. It is remarkable how little substance is in the branches and foliage. When I cut the hedge or prune the shrubs I put sticks through a grinder and smaller stuff piled on the ground and put the mower over it. What would have been 5 or 6 brown bins become half of one, even though it is still uncompressed, goes on the compost heap and is compost in 6 months...which rots and we are full circle ..again.

What is the work or spec change suggested? Does it make sense that this is an improvement, or is it a quirk of the program? I'm out of touch now, but we used to have the epc assessment program and we played with it, finding all sots of inconsistencies. Also, having met the people who put it together it was clear that they followed fashions rather than reality, and didn't know much about construction. The cheapest way to get a better result is quality control throughout, and a very thorough sealing of vents before the air test. The tester may say that they do smoke tests and then pressurise gain, but more likely they want in and out asap. The best way to get genuine results as performance is quality control and common sense over theory.

At least you know and have seen how it works, Parish councils can be very dull if nothing is happening, or can be vital in a livelier place, You would have noticed how easy it might be for someone to control things to their own advantage or prejudice. My point is though that complainers would benefit from attending. So much junk on local forums alleging corruption and incompetene,,,, so "do something" i feel.

You must stop it from getting wet again and do need the draught over it. If the weather ever improves then there is a chance of lower humidity helping you. Don't count on the 4 weeks!

The good news is that concrete cures much better underwater. When test cubes are made from samples , they are submerged until crushing to test the mix is successful. The cement has now completed its process and so now you should get rid of the water. brush or squeegee it out regularly. It is worth trying to keep rain out using tarpaulins but allowing the wind to whip through. Once you have managed to control (stop) the wetting and ventilate it, it is likely to be ready in 4 weeks or so.

Council meetings are open to the public. Parish, town, district, county, national. The meetings themselves may be tedious, and for the councillors too, but you learn and see that some councillors are there for party or their own purposes, and others are trying to make things fairer.... and up against the party machines. Also some get constant grief from the voters, whatever they do. I recommend going along to a committee that is of interest.. budget, planning, whatever.

All I can add is that I checked the pipes on a Friday, with the screed coming in Monday. There were 2 x severe kinks in one room. Supposedly expert plumber declined to spoil his weekend to sort it. Fortunately. I managed to straighten them. Works nicely. So I don't assume that other people care. Certainly not the £150 guy who poss has no experience. How many homes still have the kinks? Presumably it works well enough normally. So I agree on some redundancy.

That's all good advice. If anything a planning consultant might even make your application more difficult flagging your proposal as potentially contentious. There will be plenty more architects around if none so far make you comfortable. Its an important first stage. You can do the homework as to precedent.. saves you paying time rates, then your architect can summarise... 'this fits with and is consistent with the nearby previous replacement projects' common sense will tell you if it looks contentious.

Add a humidity sensor for the fan and a humility sensor for the fan, door and window blind.

I'd have to ask the professionally active SEs on here if they allow for this. I don't recall ever allowing wall tile loading, except as adding to the weight of the wall if it bears onto any lower support, eg joists. OSB I'd prefer as it will take all sorts of heavy fixings with ease.