Ferdinand

Can anyone comment whether those generators were good?

Highly intelligent question from a journalist demonstrating full knowledge of how planning and building standards work: "Do you know who wrote the Building Regulations Part B?"

Onto the roof?

MAke sure you take your waterproofing a significant way up the roof so you are protected when there is standing snow on it. I would suggest 3ft up the slope if you can. That was the distance we did for difficult to access valleys. Ferdinand

Are you sure one of you isn't talking about the face of the wall angle and the other the light direction? Add. Reading your last post I make the light beam perp to the window as about 7:00 on a clock, which is ... umm ... umm ... 210 degrees. F

For a SIPS floor you will also need to take some care with sound management, since a SIP may resonate. Ferdinand

@Fallingditch It probably turns on your definition of Developer and Modernist Houses ! Not something I know a huge aamount about, but there are eg small cul-de-sacs of half a dozen being done who I call developers (have those near here), or serial one-at-a-time developers who like modern - places like the South Coast and London. We have a coalition of 4 locals here who have PP for about 22 houses in a wooded area around an old manor house, who are selling it as acre-plots with houses custom built to customer designs. Could go modernist, but stonkingly expensive, http://www.chad.co.uk/news/new-homes-to-be-built-for-affluent-area-of-mansfield-1-7985048 Here is one done as part of a 3 house garden development a few years ago near here: http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/43689787#eI6Pff4giHSQbvGt.97 Not really sure I call that "modern", and the HS2-East Coast Mainline link is going through 200m away. I recall that someone did a couple of Solar Hemicycle houses (in the Home Counties?) inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's work in the last couple of years. Being simplistic, I am not actually sure that it was different last time round in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s - Council Estates and eg SPAN aside. Innovative construction techniques, yes ... the trad looking Boots Estate near Nottingham University are steel-frame and quite modular iirc. The well-known innovative stuff I remember is architects and well-off developers, then innocative Councils, then rather downhill as the accountants asserted control. I would be interested to hear your further comments. Ferdinand

Somewhat political para - some may wish to skip. I would not call McDonnell a moron. When he was on Ken Livingstone's team he was competent at his job. I think he knows exactly what he is doing .. which is to exploit this to promote his political ends. And if that involves making untrue claims to whip up partisan audiences and fomenting whatever he wants to foment, that would be just fine by him. McDonnell has a record for that as long as Pinocchio's Nose. Now non-political Here is the research report commissioned by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, ad published in Nov 2016, showing that the "cuts" of 10 Fire Stations did not degrade the performance of the London Fire Brigade to below acceptable standards https://www.london.gov.uk/about-us/mayor-london/our-publications/review-resourcing-london-fire-brigade and the press release https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/overall-the-service-has-coped-well-with-cuts The proof of the pudding is that Mayor Sadiq has not instantly decided to restore those Firestations, Fire Appliances and Firemen. The reason it is not necessary is because incidents have been on a downward trend for 2 decades, and there has been excellent general work around fire alarms etc. The last 5 years: To be fair to Mayor Sadiq, the report does suggest that the Phase 2 suggested by Boris Johnson should not be pursued. That however, is not what they are blaming. Personally I think that £50m of capital raised by selling 10 fire stations, and sites for a couple of hundred flats with their concomitant S106s and reuse of redundant buildings, was probably an excellent decision. I thought so at the time when I read the various reports, and I have not changed my view on that. Ferdinand

Have now done these, cutting 300mm down into a relatively new (bought late last year) 90mm x 1.6m round pole in 75mm slices, and into one which has been in stock for a couple of years. Interesting results ... blog article coming. F

Did they use Private or Council BCO? C4 News gave a platform to a Planning Officer this evening to talk about the perils of Privatised BCO !

I will slice up one of my posts into 50mm slices to see, and post results here. In the meantime I may do a blog or thread about building a Ferdipatio.

I was hearing reports on R4 earlier that the reasons for 100% failure so far (60 out of 60) were because the "flammability" tests were being applied to the foam core element of the cladding panel, not to the full sandwich as applied to the building. If that is the case, and the previous testing regime is deemed to be faulty (rather than faultily applied), they will have a difficult job prosecuting anyone.

Ouch. Gorse bushes are nearly as good as Pyracantha. Not quite the same, but...

@Cpd Mine come from an agricultural supplier and I believe their supplier is Richard Burbidge. Been using the supplier for decades. I can probably justify cutting down a 90mm tree stake to have a look in a couple of days. @recoveringacademic this particular need is for a post and rail fence round a patio. Ferdinand

Simple question - if I put up a post and rail fence, how far does pressure treated preservative go into the end grain? eg If I want to saw the top of some posts to make them level, or at 30 degrees to help with rain runoff, how much typically can I take off without having substantially to re-treat the end grain? I use a post-rammer so it is easy to knock some in a bit more, though one can end up with a Paddington-Kitchen-Table effect (*). How much tolerance do I have? I know there are those itty-bitty post caps or I can make little lead rain-bonnets, or make my own, but for a normal post-and-rail fence I do not really like the suburbiton look. (And they cost more than the posts <:-) ! ). F * "Mr Curry's table seemed to have shrunk".

Ceramic chamber pots have a value, but not for numbe 2s. Extended windowsill and a longdrop is better for that. But then the neighbours will get a crossbow and flechettes.

Last time in 2013 to lighten up our garden walls which were partly breezeblock I used Sandtex from B&Q, based on OK brand plus price. It s still there looking OK behind the Himalayan Giant. Fence needs attention :-). F

Just for further info, here is what seems to be the final PA relating to the cladding in 2015. Relating to discharge of a Planning Condition. References Al panels, not Zi. PA https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/planning/searches/details.aspx?adv=0&simple=Grenfell+Tower&simpleBatch=20&simSubmit=Search&id=CON/15/01274&cn=188293+IBI+Group+Chadsworth+House+Wilmslow+Road+&type=decision&tab=tabs-planning-2#tabs-planning-1 Schedule of Materials https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/idoxWAM/doc/Other-1421792.pdf?extension=.pdf&id=1421792&location=VOLUME2&contentType=application/pdf&pageCount=1 Pics of Materials https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/idoxWAM/doc/Revised Drawing-1451739.pdf?extension=.pdf&id=1451739&location=VOLUME2&contentType=application/pdf&pageCount=1 Covering Letter https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/idoxWAM/doc/Other-1421793.pdf?extension=.pdf&id=1421793&location=VOLUME2&contentType=application/pdf&pageCount=1 Approval Notice https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/idoxWAM/doc/Decision-1454972.pdf?extension=.pdf&id=1454972&location=VOLUME2&contentType=application/pdf&pageCount=1 They will not imo get the insulation company unless yhey go for the KCTMO and perhaps the Officers as well. F

Aluminium burns in small particles I believe. I read somewhere about such being in some insulation. Here?

I am interested why Camden felt it necessary to wake up and evacuate 700 families overnight. Given that the cladding had been on these blocks for a decade I do not think that waiting until Saturday AM after a take care warning would be a significant extra risk. Virtue Signalling or getting in first? Ferdinand, being a little cynical.

Can you put the loo on a pedestal to gain the necessary fall? 'Odium on the Podium'.

Think this thread should have positives as well as negatives. I have a huge amount of lessons from my trades. Now to remember some.

Now, where is that bluddy acronym dictionary? Seems to work and give a list of directions for backgammon or something.

Access and maintainibility need to be *major* priorities with these buggers. I only have one and that was installed by a tenant in our shop basement without our knowledge sometime within the last but one decade. We have always successfully maintained that it is a T responsibility so far ! F

Hard items? Do you have an insufficient curry budget?