Ferdinand

Remember your broker is working for *you*, so will know that different lenders will want different amounts of information. There should be no worries about being completely candid with the broker.

Welcom @nr projects I think there is, but it is very diverse and fragmented. You will need to specialise in some way (eg in TF), and comms to the market is difficult until you get say 6-7 years under your belt. The services you sell and the services that deliver the lion's share of value to the customer may be different, because almost by definition you will be selling to inexperienced builders and will sell only one package to each customer. One answer to this will be networking and being on the preferred recommendation list for architects and others, and so your customer becomes the architect.Suspect that is how many find their PM, though mine was a Planning-Consultant PM who's recommendation was success in a controversial application on the front page of the local paper and a personal interview. Perhaps you need to investigate whether TF companies are asked to recommend PMs by people buying kits - does your employer have such a list? The only self-build PM that comes to mind was the Grand Designs chappie who made a career after rebuilding his burnt down thatched cottage; many of the others combine it with other roles. There are people who want a PM to do everything and just make it happen, and others who will be more hands-on. You could specialise or be flexible, I think benefits to the customer you can offer may include taking out the cost of other professionals, or offering services dealing with difficult bits. Another is to help the customer be more the equal of the experienced architect to get what the customer actually wants. eg benefits you can sell Get a TotalStation and include the survey in your package - immediate saving £500-1000. Ditto an ability to handle the EPC modelling. Worth £500 or so. Ability to draw and optimise plans, or do planning applications well. Ability to get project done more quickly. eg huge benefits you could not sell up front Come with established subscription to SPONS. eg Specialisms Offer a plotchecking due-diligence service. You are the bloke who tells them it was a tannery in 1926, or how to deal with problem x. If you come with a bundle of Trade Accounts and knowledge as to who is the best / most reliable / most flexible supplier of "x" (eg staircases), then you may well pay for yourself twice over - whcih the customer would see as "under budget" (hopefully). Best of luck. Ferdinand

Correct .. it is what the bank will simulate.

Media misreporting? Not possible!

110mm soil pipes can be very useful things if applied first. If we had 80mm ducts and a really good detector in my dreams we could core between the rebar squares.

>comments regarding architects images only including white people, and all the unnecessary stuff about social problems in adjacent areas, have no place in an analysis of the cause of this fire, or the reason for its rapid spread. I am inclined to have some sympathy with this point though not as the mainspring of a political argument. Though personally I would go for outline figures and sidestep the whole thing. When in Sydney I had a little go at one of the big national museums because their soopah dooopah development proposal rendering in large size in the entrance hall only showed 2 or 3 men out of 15-20 members of the public. Ferdinand

I think it depends on you and your workers both treating each other fairly. Either side can poleaxe the arrangement. F

The BMW i3 is a hoot, and secondhand prices are becoming more acceptable. Ferdinand

USA people often bed their posts in packed gravel. There was a conversation on GBF some time ago about this including this about rammed stone and gateposts from a Mr DeClock: http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=12885 (!) THat looks truly excellent but does rather remind me of how they probably built Macchu Picchu.

I wonder how that will change when you switch from 'voluntary day job' to 'properly retired', should that ever happen, and start 'living at home'? Not that I expect that to happen in the JSH case ;-). Ferdinand

100x100 posts. 600 deep holes. Using a 150mm auger and then enlarging the holes either with the auger or manually. I put in 4x4 concrete post spurs, and the 4x4 posts are being bolted to these. They are staying put. It was done by my handyman, and the posts are plumb - but there was some space to adjust the posts as required. That doesn't quite answer your question. Will check with the handyman if I can. F

I think it us likely to spray through a opening if it is facing it. So reconsider which direction your shower head is mounted facing. Consider putting it on the long side or in a corner. Or swap the screen if they will allow and leave your gap in the long side. Delighted to see that the Ferdinand Fixed Screens campaign (FFS) is winning .

I have today hired a Stihl BT131 one man auger, with 100mm and 150mm auger bits. Power is 1.2kw. It happily did posts in difficult ground, but we did not have tree roots, and it did not have much effect on the iron pan. Would consider one secondhand, but not at the £800 or so a new one and the auger would cost. Good for normal fence posts in normal to somewhat difficult ground. Ferdinand

Tends not to work that well with concrete posts?

I wonder if he has evidence that reversing out there is a problem.

I haven't found stays very effective given ours are often open and it can be a touch gusty, so I retrofit a bungie cord from Poundland once every year. Having some bounce in the restrictor probably helps.

IMO you really want a screen with a cross-brace to the wall. It looks as good, and adds a hell of a lot of robustness. Not sure whether the glass in our student houses are 8mm or 10mm, but the shower style is exactly like that with a fixed screen and a brace. No problems 4 years later across 4 bathrooms. https://www.flickr.com/photos/66008860@N08/ Try eBay. https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/sis.html?_itemId=330747771143&_nkw=1800+x+760+Walk+in+Recess+Shower+40mm+Stone+Tray&_trksid=p2047675.m4099.l9146 Mine came from a UK company manufacturer called MX Group, and were under 300 delivered for a tray and screen. Bought via their shop on eBay. Not sure about delivery charges to Remote places :-), but my screens weighed 73kg. Took lots of carrying yo the 2nd floor. F

Do try it and let us know when you find out . I have had so many expected Tradepoint discounts turn out not to exist that I tend only to buy at B&Q if I see a sale or if no one else has an item, and the Tradepoint is a bonus rather than a substantive reason for going there.

Stand up straight, you 'orrible little man ! (Sorry .. spending too much time with Cadet Core type Sergeant people.) Welcome. That looks like my garden.

Looks OK. Wickes 3 for 2 at present takes it from 24 to 16, so trade etc would be similar to Costco. F

@Grosey Do not forget to order/pay on a Wednesday and take granny along ! Could save 10% if an over-60 joins the Diamond Club. But B&Q are more enthusiastic with exclusion clauses about combining offers than many so you may be poleaxed if eg in a sale. Should combine well with a cash-card though since they are a "back end" saving not visible to the shop.

Did that change of responsibility extend to projects that were more mid-stream? I would doubt that unless the project itself was rebooted.

B&Q Quickstep Uniclic Laminate £9-£15 per sqm. I know we are generally not *that* impressed with laminate. However B&Q have quite a number of Quickstep Uniclic laminate products reduced to about £9-14 per square metre, if anyone needs something OK but inexpensive, including light wood, dark wood, and stone patterns. http://www.diy.com/search?Ntt=quickstep&Ns=p_price|0 The Quickstep Livyn Vinyl Tiles having gone back up to £30 per sqm, so I am having 20sqm of one of these on Wednesday. Ferdinand

Making some progress on other membership organisations running discount schemes. UNITE the Union run something called Unite Rewards, which is similar offering cashback, voucher and prepaid cash cards. However, UNITE's also offer separately a single cashcard which works across 50 retailers. Ferdinand

That is interesting. Chance would be a fine thing if i could keep a balance on a Wickes card - in and out 2 or 3 times a week at present. Just tested a small payment and my Wickes card topped up in seconds, so I could top it up with exactly the right amount before leaving home. But that would guarantee I would find something else I wanted once I arrived at the shop, even though I tend to plan for larger purchases. But I am sure I have something somewhere - probably something else - that only guarantees Next Working Day.