Ferdinand

Is that a potential bat roost if arranged as on the Grand Designs boathouse?

I considered doing that over a "peep wnidow" so you could see who was coming to the door discreetly. Like the look. Ferdinand

Ain't its simplest we could just use something fire retardant or resistant that we use in most self-builds. Cement board?

Build an upside down house :-), though that may be approaching the issue from the wrong end.

If you are tempted by the sleeper option then also consider sections of reclaimed telegraph pole, which will last as long and may be more inexpensive. Ferdinand

Two Three possible options are: 1 - Get your local fence man to make you some shorter ones. If he has a 1.2m mould all he has to do is put a brick or a block of wood in the end to make it shorter, and perhaps cut the reinforcing rods. The first time I used these my slab man got a mould in to make them, and has now added post repair spurs to his regular range. If I wanted them shorter, I would just ask. 2 - Cut the bottom off it with a grinder. If it is concreted or postcreted in then it should protect from water. (Any opinions to the contrary?) 3 - Make your own, then you can decide the length. That may sound drastic, but most of us have made things far more difficult. This is a video of someone making a post, and the only awkward elements of the process seems to be a) The finer aggregate and b) The vibration. The moulds are only around £60 from here, so just your dozen posts could pretty much cover the cost: Just thoughts. Ferdinand

Unfortunately as far as I know 1.2m is standard for these. You *could* just dig a deeper hole .

I will not be backpedalling, Mr @recoveringacademic. Me and my cocktails and my weekend BBQ will not, will not be moved. And I just ordered one of these from the excellent Lancaster Smokehouse up your way as my meat treats for most of the rest of the year, together with a large box of kippers. While it looks expensive, for a dozen gourmet items I think that is OK. Fairly good value imo. I was invited to fill the hole in the freezer, and I have done so. F

Can I throw one more suggestion in for now @daiking - Concrete Post Repair spurs are incredibly useful / flexible in this kind of thing. They give you a tough concrete thing in the ground and you can bolt whatever you want to the top in the ready made hole - whether a ranch style fence, posts to make something a little larger, or even a couple of brackets for a seat. I think they would be up to retaining 0.7m depending on the what is being retained, and how it is structured/built. At its simplest gravelboards could be wedged behind and help in by the mass. Near here we have a pub backing on to countryside (Carpenters Arms Darley Dale - recommended and pleasant) which has fenced their entire car park with a wooden field fence where posts are all bolted to repair spurs, which is excellent for a long lived but attractive looking fence or retaining structure. Ferdinand

]I can't comment on the amount of concrete, though I am just using a similar setup on the Little Brown Bungalow renovation for landscaping the front garden at a very modest height. Will ask the gent what he did.

Back on. So I'll try and dig up what I had ready last time in order to post it :-). It depends (of course) on what you are retaining - especially the height. I can confirm @daiking's paver battered slightly back arrangement from Paving Expert works well for 1-2ft. These pictured below are retaining a garden level which is about 12-18" higher than the pavement, and are standard 3x2 (I think) dimpled concrete pavers - 1970s version (as opposed to knobbly style 1950s Pressed Council Slabs). They were put in in about 1970 at the house I grew up in and still seem fine. I think one thing that might help clarify your options is to decide whether you want to do it in one step or two. I would guess that they are simply haunched in concrete. Interesting that they have not been disturbed significantly by the contemporaneous evergreen hedge (is not Lleylandii - something more civilised). Ferdinand

I would say to have a look at astroturf for an area - very good in a small garden or play area. I inherited some and I have been surprised. I was reacting slightly to the relatively open piccie posted by @Stones - which to be fair will look very different in a few years. Round here we still have various old hedges on our lane from when it was fields, and it is interesting how 6ft hedges are fairly denuded of small birds in the evenings, but the occasional 10ft bush may have a score of sparrows roosting in it. Then the Council trims its hedges and takes the bush down to 6-7ft and the sparrows all move down the road to the next one. For muckaway have you got to pile all your muck at the front, or can they reverse onto where your drive/garage are, and use their telescopic grab to save you all that barrowing? On your landscaping, I wonder whether using either some of your hardcore, rubble or subsoil to be a firm base for your garden buildup (and keep it out of the skip) would let you use a less extensive retaining structure. One other possibility is to use landscaping / soil retaining fabric - eg Geocell - on the surface or deeper down than usual to provide a matrix. Around here they sometimes used that type of layering to construct those pregnant-looking hills over old coalmines). I think a very early Grand Designs did that - the one built just off the traffic island with the water tower. They used it to retain a grass bank. (In case the Youtube time index does not work below, Kevin Mcloud being introduced to Terram and things in 1999 is at 37:28. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6zRMY0Lmqc&t=37:28 ) Ferdinand

I had a set of instructions for a plastic shed build to read today. It s a mahoosive Mechano kit and seems incredibly strong. Will report back. So I did it over an extended pub lunch.

I am a great believer in thickets for birds, especially occasional bushes which are 8-12 ft for roosting. We had a good clear out of our garden at home a couple of ears ago, and this year they are just coming back in decent numbers.

If you have PP you are already a long way down the road. Question: Does fitting a supply constitute Start of Development? And if so are there things in Scotland you need to have in place first? In England you need the self-build Community Infrastructure Levy Exemption in place first. Ferdinand

Welcome. It is good to have pros and trades on board. Not sure about land in London.

Another one lined up for later after watering the garden. It is actually quite mild after a Fog Cutter. It would be nice doing a Culprit Fey with full units of Cointreau, Creme de Menthe, Gin, Pournot and Cream rather than half-units, mind. Paint situation now resolved, though. Dulux Diamond Eggshell for the kitchen, and a selection of Dulux Easycares for the rooms which will suffer from children. F

Seriously. I log in on a Sunday morning, and it is all suddenly in Chinese. I have a rubber mallet, and it is very good for ice.

What is Dulux Endurance like? B&Q appear to have them reduced by about 60-80% to clear. http://www.diy.com/search?Ntt=dulux+endurance Add: Suspect this may be a website zombie that does not exist. Had this with B&Q before. Add2: And what about Dulux Easycasre, which is claimed to be 20 times tougher than normal. Currently 3 for 2 at Wickes: http://www.wickes.co.uk/Products/Decorating+Interiors/Paint/Dulux/c/1001114?q=%3AtopSellers%3Abrand%3ADulux%3AType%3ADurable+Emulsion&text=# F (mutter, mutter ... too complicated)

Adding a relevant question. I need a scrubbable paint to use in a kitchen over an emulsion which is coming off when marks are removed. Will the B&Q Valspar be OK for that? F

Is that a gap in the far gable at the top where you have not finished that brick yet? Or am I being too deprecating, and Norfolk has a strange breed of pidgeon with a triangular a**e? (Good video)

If it is between surfaces which are separated by corners, then your lighting may cause bigger differences than paint shades of the same colour. There are also useful games that can be played with bringing ceilings visually lower etc, increasing reflected light etc. For your newly plastered ceilings It may be a good idea to let it dry out for a bit with a contract paint, then redo it with something like eh Wickes flexible ceiling paint or similar which will help cover any hairline cracks as the skim settles. Ferdinand

They put a big watermain through the fields where we used to live. Did something wrong and drained a poor bloke's fishing lake from below. It took the best part of a decade to resolve.

PS DOes this mean you can do that wonderful side garden where the pipeline isn't anymore?

Hope he had an 'if the earth moves' clawback in his plot purchase agreement ! Or hopefully it was the original developer who had that plot and picked up the liability. In that situation I might try and turn the primary frontage through ninety degrees and argue it faced the side road, or put my gravelled parking where the pipeline is - topography allowing.