Ferdinand

Do you have a link?

Pyramid made using icf. Your Egyptian tomb if this is your literal forever house.

The Specific Heat Capacity of plasterboard is around 0.95 kJ/kg.°C. 79 sheets of 12.5mm plasterboard has a mass of around 23kg * 79 = 1817 kg. So for a 1°C rise 0.95kJ * 1817 kg = 1726 kJ of energy. Divide by 3600 to convert to kWh = 0.48 kWh per °C. Which is not a lot unless I have something wrong :-). Or it is still driving moisture off. I feel better now. Ferdinand

@pocster Still a little difficult to comment because I am surmising what it is from Google Streetview and the published database of all HMOs in the area (bl***y moronic Council publishing a target list for criminals and squatters), however it appears to be a normal medium sized terrace converted into a HMO with loft rooms to give perhaps 5 letting rooms on 3 floors. For that IMO £500 may be about right for a full inspection plus some remedial and including an Electrical Certificate since in any sensible world (and Bristol is in the sensible world) that should be at least 1-1.5 days time for labour for a single 'lecky assuming no major material costs, which would be adequate for an inspection of such a property and some minimal repair. It is not a big house. So I would kick your electrician into touch, and get another sensible one to do the CU and reinspect as part of the job - showing them the original report to prove that the inspection work needed may be minimal. You need to use your skill and judgeent to source one, but there are landlord directories around or perhaps try the RLA/NLA or recommendations. But first talk to the HMO Jonnies at the Council to check their requirements on the points raised and what they think. You may not get very far because using HHSRS is a 2-3 day course, which then lets them understand the system for every issue in the world and everything from trip hazards to asbestos to damp, and interpret the hundreds of pages of supporting documentation. Then they plug it into a huge spreadsheet built on not that much evidence and decide your fate like a Georgian Magistrate with his finger in the air. I am still waiting for someone to challenge it based on lack-of-specialist-expertise of the enforcer, but holding Councils to account is a game for stinking rich mugs. Best of luck. Ferdinand

Nothing, except they are a long established social club. Could you explain?

Farmers' conversation: (*) http://www.fwi.co.uk/community/topic/gypsum-from-re-cycled-plasterboard/ I think it is to do with the types of plasterboard you use, how you pulverise it, and putting it in the top layer as a conditionner rather than down a deep hole. (*) Loving:

Is there any device that would shred plasterboard before it was used for soil neutralisation? I wondered about a timber shredder, but given what it does to Stanley knives I think the shredder would be the thing that was shredded. Cut into strips perhaps and then break like sticks? F

Excellent blowtorch, staple hammer, metal roller. Postsaver do a "Trade Postsaver Application Kit" which gives you these for £59.99 + VAT: Calloni Large Gas Torch Kit - 600mm Stem & 50mm Head. Regulator. 5m butane hose. Chunky Staple Hammer 2500 staples Textured metal roller. At the Postsaver Shop prices these items add up to about £75+VAT individually. Elsewhere the Gas Torch alone is about £55 + VAT, so you are getting the rest nearly free. A good option if you want the torch for roofing etc.

Does anyone have any experience of the capabilities of the Wagner airless sprayguns available from the likes of Toolstation and Screwfix? Screwfix have 4, including both models with a reservoir and direct from the tin. WAGNER POWER PAINTER 60 - 625W, 7.5l reservoir, Max 0.8l/min, £240. WAGNER POWER PAINTER 60 - 750W, No reservoir, 200bar, 10m hose, Max 0,95l/min, £440. WAGNER CONTROL PRO 250M AIRLESS PAINT SPRAYING UNIT 550W, No reservoir, 110 bar, 9m hose, Max 1.25l/min, £480. WAGNER POWER PAINTER 90 AIRLESS PAINT SPRAYER 800W, No reservoir, 15m hose, 200 bar, 1.25l/min, £800. On wheels. I have a small bungalow to do (or have done) next week, then subject to a planning application an 18mx30m industrial unit to a height of 4.5m later in the year. The only one with reviews (which are excellent) is the smallest model, which is also the only one sold by Toolstation, also with excellent (almost messianic in some cases) reviews. I am surprised and impressed at how low these prices start. I reckon that the sweet spot may be the £440 or £480 models, to avoid the reservoir. But is there a big difference between 110 bar and 200 bar pressure in use? Presumably the latter has a bigger nozzle to dispense more paint. Ferdinand

Thanks for clarifying - I have gone out to a couple of technical fora I am on to see if anyone can help. No one could help. F

@Crofter So you want the other half of the function - to *exclude* Collect in Person results in your area? Will have a dig, but I am not hopeful if it is not there. The most promising option appears to be pull Ebay results as an XML / RSS feed and then filter *that*. The last time I played with something like that I used a graphical application called Yahoo Pipes that went defunct in 2015. Alternatives do exist, but it won't be simple if no one already has one. It also requires the relevant information to be included in the Ebay Feeds, or we are into parsing web pages. If it hasn't been done already for a problem as common as this one... Ferdinand

I think that is Halifax being over-conservative (ie a little detached from how it actually happens) and others are probably more flexible.

@Crofter The illustrated version : Choose advanced search. (Click) Scroll down, down, deep, deep down on the Advanced Options page to the "Delivery Options" section, and tick "collection in person". Then back to the top and click the Search button. And hopefully - bingo. Best combined with use of the Location and Sort by Nearest options, as you know. When you get your results page, there is a "Save this Search" option at the top. I guess you have to be logged in for that to appear. (Aside: they appear to have some paid for option that lets a delivered result appear at the top of this search results page. Bah). Then get a cocktail and wait for it to start sending you emails of the results if you set that option in the "save this search" page. "Click and collect" on the LHS filter bar on the search results turns out to be a delivery option via branches of Argos, so is not pertinent. HTH. Ferdinand

...which I see is available for about £85 for 4x5l delivered including VAT.

How good are different brands of multi-purpose wood treatments? I need to soak treat some timber which will be used externally. Last time I used Cuprinol 5* treatment, obtained from Wickes for about £21 per 5 litres (3 for 2 etc). That offer is not now on, so I am will be forking out at least an extra £10 per 5 litre container. So I am looking a little more widely. Does anyone have any recommendation amongst, for example, Screwfix No Nonsense, Sikaguard Universal, Rustins etc? Thanks in advance. Ferdinand

@gravelld What I meant was that if you painted just the big central gable, and left the rest bright, it would give a "horizontal slices" feel to the facade. Roof above white above fence and ground. I didn't think that would look OK. My original post included the phrase "like a liquorice allsort" which I edited for the sake of delicacy :-). I think that, if your aim is to blend into the landscape a little more, then @Lesgrandepotato may have pretty much nailed it ... make the garage one end and the part below the solar panels at the other a colour which has tones of trees and landscape in it, while making the central part less bright than now, which would still make it more prominent that the ends. That will have the effect of making the house seem broken up and smaller - more like a farmhouse plus outbuildings. An example of shades could be yellow ochre or ironstone colour for the ends, and a pale yellow or cream or another pastel for the centre. Yellow or cream with a bit of red or blue in it might be good. If you wanted to be bolder then I can see a slate grey or similar, or even red or green, working for the two ends. Take a colour from local painted barns, perhaps? In the Lake District you would get away with Bright Pink as the vernacular, to contrast with the winter gloom and the mirky colours of a rained on landscape. But pink also blends into the European sky surprisingly well - it was even used (along with duck-egg green) as a camouflage colour for high-flying photo reconnaissance Spitfires in the war. Another place where there are wonderful earthy colours are on some birds' eggs. The one thing I am doubtful about is how similar a colour could be to the roof tiles. I cannot tell if that would work, but a google search for ironstone villages seems to say it is used in that situation. Perhaps an artist friend would be a good adviser who knows the colour ranges used locally in detail? Another option might be to add a boardwalk with roof to the side in the picture for eating outside etc. See what Americans do in the South. Might it be permitted development? Just my thoughts and prejudices. Ferdinand

Welcome to the forum.

@gravelld How much land have you got? Given the openness of the aspect, a traditional or informal "shelter belt" of trees might break it up - even a small number. Perhaps a mix of evergeens and deciduous - say including things like Scots' Pine to go tall, and Whitebeam, Hazel, Birch and so on for a rapid effect in a few years. Also, does it perhaps need something like that for more privacy? You could also use different colours of paint to break up the slab-effect outline.I am reminded of that Grand Designs villa near Malaga which was conceived like a small hilltop village, and used local earthy colours, sky blue, and white. Totally different but shows what colours can do. My feel is that a vertical emphasis could be appropriate. I think that making the gables a rustic colour without softening the 1st floor bright white may give a stacked impression which would not work. But the piccie you have posted is ideal for us to experiment with colours on. (Credit: Livin Spaces: https://www.livinspaces.net/) Ferdinand

@MikeSharp01, @Incipiens Mox: Unfortunately, Halifax only deal with Brokers and Financial profesionals for self-build mortgages according to their website. https://www.halifax.co.uk/mortgages/mortgage-information/property-types/ They use a company called "Halifax Intermediaries". https://www.halifax-intermediaries.co.uk/default.aspx 2 year fix. 5.64% interest rate for all customers. £1500 product fee. 75% LTV limited to 75% of the value of each stage. Ouch. (Note: take care to not to let us confuse your status as a "freelance Contractor" with "Contractor" who around here is often a company who develops or is employed to build houses. A small number of people here have built their houses or another if building two as a Contractor using a company set up for the purpose.) I think the way to expedite it may just be to get a different broker; I can see no reason for such a delay. Or alternatively perhaps a phone call to the Halifax side just to progress chase, tough they may refuse point blank to talk to the customer. On "reasonable", I do not see how Halifax would be persuaded to do something different to their normal procedure and terms. They decide what their market offer will be.I assume you have found the quite detailed information online. It may be worth a direct phone call to some of the other providers. If you are committed to a Passive House try Ecology. Buildstore(?) There are Top Ten lists for self-builders on the internet in newspapers etc.. Nottingham BS have told me that they try to be flexible - and they have seem to work from a quite local level. I think that alternative forms of finance (bridging loans etc) are unlikely to get close to the Halifax 5.64%. Business peer-to-peer type lending or normal peer-to-peer could be an option, but that is unlikely to get near the Halifax rate. This article discusses options, but does not address freelancers directly: https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/financing-renovation-extension/ Ferdinand

You could go the other way and go for carefully coiffeured planting to emphasise the sharpness eg box pyramids and so on, and formal larger trees over time eg monkey puzzle or yew etc. Depending on the climber maintenance might be every few years. F

Freestanding but alongside pergola or walkway or even a carport?

@CrofterI think it does let you do that. When you do a search on the results screen there is a "Click and Collect" filter on the LHS which may be that And there is a "Collection in Person" checkbox on the Advanced Search screen. You can also set up a saved search, which may have the same options (have not checked). The best ones are the ones who say Collect Only when they are in the middle of nowhere, and scare 90% away, but then turn out to be willing to Courier or have a Courier collect . And the misspellings eg "French Widows". F

I looked as well. I need a bigger shed for stock. They are as good value as the conservatories. Or the two sets of nearly new French doors I bought recently for £130 and £150.

There must be a quarry somewhere that has moved down the supply chain, surely? I once saw someone recommended on Lanndlordzone in about 2011, but lost the details :-(. However this place in Matlock look promising "Affordable Granite and Marble". http://www.agandm.co.uk/

Sussex: Heavy Duty Ebac Dehumidifier on Ebay - £100 There is a low end industrial dehumidifier on auction at a price of £100 and no bids, which looks good. This one:. New price is around £300+ I think, and it looks to be in good condition. This is the link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ebac-Heavy-Duty-Dehumidifier-25-litre-per-day-/152689593545?hash=item238d024cc9:g:XZ4AAOSwr6xZosFF Possibly of interest to anyone in Sussex - the thing is Local Collect Only in the back of beyond (Steyning near Worthing). Ends in 2 hours and no bids so far - so may be open to offers afterwards. Ferdinand