Ferdinand

Sounds a good idea. Patio feet are excellent - the ones I have can support a couple of hundred kg each - but a touch niche. F

What gave you got? Certain things eg slow worms you can handle yourself, which is in the detail of the law or regulations. Detail is everything and needs to be sweated. Ferdinand

I would second that from previous reading, and will be using those myself. Ferdinand

Buying Gin is like buying kitchen sinks or power tools. (imnsho) Cheap ones give a quick thrill but annoy rather than satisfy over the medium term. Look for Tanqueray or Bombay Sapphire (or something posher if you feel flush) reduced to the price of a "recognised" brand. And watch out for gimmicks (eg "with macadamia nuts rolled on the thighs of a threatened subspecies of koala bear") - the hipsters have been getting into gin making. I think I tried Hendricks off the gin menu of my current favourite restaurant - working through it one variety per visit - requires regular lunches out. Then enjoy. Gin and tonic is fantastic with a few blackberries or blackcurrants or blueberries dropped in. F

Was the previous bathroom complete by the time you dug it up?

Edited. Flapping in the dark.

Most unsatisfactory - cannot get below about £68.

Can you post a link, please, @Alphonsox?

I am not sure whether a Burn on SIte question appears on the English form.

The stuff that I have trouble with is very resilient twiggy twigs. 1 inch or so branches can be mulched; firewood sized stuff can be piled by the gate with a "free to a good home" sign; but many branched twigs cannot be mulched or burnt in a stove. Was having a mini fire of dry twigs for half an hour this am as the neighours are on holida, and the local nimby mafia appeared out of a hole in the ground from the opposite direction to where the smoke was actually going with dire threats of calling the Council "if you don't f*cking put that f*cking fire out" because "fires are illegal before 7pm" (which is nonsense on stilts, and explained as such on the Council website). But most the of twigs had gone by then. The grey area is what is a "commercial bonfire" in the context of a renovation, and whether such would be a problem if no statutory nuisance actually exists. Our Council relies on an alleged "duty of care" to declare commercial bonfires "illegal" as they cause a "Statutory Nuisance". It all sounds a bit of a presumptive stretch, but they love handing out tickets. F

Would be interested to hear about the results.

One of those silcone based lubricants from Halfords which I used to instantly repair my sticky seat belts when the garage wanted to charge me £250 for a new one to get me through the MOT? Or moving it up and down 100 times might help a little. Probably need to take care to keep off the steps themselves :-).

# Define pedestals? Do you mean "patio feet" or something else? I previously posted here and mentioned it when we were talking about ramps. I have my patio on these, and I love 'em. There is a cost vs tile size tradeoff, and if you are using porcelain tiles you will need to know about the centre bearing weight or have a substrate. Will it crack when your large friend trips over and lands bottom-first? Or if a table falls over or someone drops a breezeblock? They are 2-5 ukp each, depending if you want something like a pad or something that goes up and down 200mm. It needs a firm base - I already had a slab that was too low. My patio is just loose supported Council slabs which now have moss in all the gaps, and should Roland or Reynard take up residence I can just lift them with a bar and clean house with a jetwasher. Ferdinand

Quite like the idea of banisters as a giant glockenspiel or tubular bells. Will now leave this alone until And unless I decide to build one. Like the idea of a tunable one playing God Save the Queen:-), then the Marseillese the next week.

Practically, I would be thinking about a B-list movie: Vermin in the Void (and how to get them out again if the worst happens). I think I would look at pavers on edge to cover the gap ... they could be decorative, and perhaps a path of the same pavers round it. If it were me the paver path or edging would be laid loose on a French drain or gravel filled trench, where I could stick services running round the house or garden in future if needed, or dig out in a restorable fashion for future work. If I had some left I might even stick a duct and drawstring in it, rather than skip it. Path for future watering system or lecky? Or the path could be laid as an edging at or just below turf level. Could also be done with a narrower path. F

I need a reasonable basic loft ladder for a small space - it lands inside a 3'x4' closet from an 8' ceiling with the hatch at one side.. The plan is to create a built in storage box at one side strong enough to stand on where the ladder will land between a pair of battens to keep it steady. Does anyone have any knowledge of problems with either of these? They are not my favourites as one has to be careful with fingers but I can think of no easy alternatives. B&Q: http://www.diy.com/departments/3-section-12-tread-sliding-triple-extension-loft-ladder/1495363_BQ.prd or Screwfix: http://www.screwfix.com/p/37090-loft-ladder-aluminium-3-section-12-tread/7431p Both are 3 section sliding aluminium for use in a tight space, probably with the existing "push up and sideways" hatch. I do not have space for a wooden folding ladder. Cheers Ferdinand

Interestingly different to me. The killer application for mine is for plates. It looks as though the Neff B44S32N5GB (think that is the one I bought) Hide 'n' Slides which have been highly reduced for a couple of months have now gone back up in price. http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/household-appliances/cooking/ovens/neff-b44s32n5gb-slide-hide-electric-oven-stainless-steel-10143345-pdt.html When I have had waist level ovens I have used the drop down door for serving. Ferdinand

You can get closer to lift heavy things like kangaroos, and it doesn't stick out in more compact kitchens to impede circulation of people. And people seem to think they are posh. Ferdinand

There are Neff slide and hide ones around for around £360 but they are quite small. It sounds as if you need to cook a kangaroo fillet while it is still on the kangaroo, so such may not meet the spec ! How big is a full size fan oven? The ovens in our Rangemaster Kitchener 90 are 69 and 66 litres.

Quarter tones could work in an Indian Restaurant. Hmm. Tune by altering the depth of the tread? Or making them as a metal box? Or tune by using metal stair rods which can be tensioned or adjusted? Or banisters made out of pipes, which would need to be varied by diameter not length. F

Are your cameras wireless? Can you reposition? Could you use a non-surface damaging mount? I think the legal principle is that looking or recording outside your property can not be more than incidental, which would put the onus firmly on you. Can you turn it off in a timer for the couple of evening hours, or put a temporary curtain over the door if you only want the internal view? One tactful way to mention that t might be to spend an evening in the garden working then comment to the neighbour that you saw the display on that occasion, and that therefore the public in the road can too. Still perhaps jarring but less worrying than a recording device. F

Given my 7k-10k range then, that's within about 5-7%. That'll do for a guess .

The glass and rails seem to be careful use of a standard system. Shall I take a Ferdi Flyer :-) and pin a tail on the donkey? 1-1.5k for the 13 treads which will be a standard element or process. 1-1.5k for the metalwork which may be a standard process. 1.5k for approx 10m of glass and balustrade at 150 per metre. .5k to get it here. .75k for 2 men one day to install and travel etc. .5k for the project for bits and pieces. 1k profit element for different people. 1.5k give or take for VAT. = 7-10k plus or minus a tolerance, and ignoring currency fluctuations. To front up, 8.5k. Suspect NSS has sweated the costs. IT would be tempting to find out if they had a standard model, and size my hall and landing to match. Or I could be talking out of my bottom, having not bought any similar staircase. The only element I may know are glass balustrades.

My next one will either be another Keter, or an ex-demo from a Shed Manufacturer.

That is cheating.