Ferdinand
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Posts
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Everything posted by Ferdinand
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Aiui single stairs are a standard design in larger buildings being built now, because a single stair in a concrete core is a safe design - convincing fire expert on the news describing where he lives. Design issues are perhaps more likely to be eg smoke exclusion or that the refurbishment had rendered the existing fire strategies inappropriate. F
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Wondering whether a sprinkler system would have stopped this, as an outside-in fire. Observing a politician on the box creating space to talk about cuts tomorrow.
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True. Fairly weak original story. Plus editing the existing page, or replacing it with a "we were not involved" statement, would be 10 times better than just removing it and leaving a hole.
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Knauf have clarified that it was an "industry news" story on their website, and they were *not* the supplier. The perils of using other people's news to pad out your website !
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Quite interesting tweets and retweets on John Band's Twitter Feed, @johnb68 John is a sensible, cynical, Ozzie journalist. He usually does the necessary digging. Seems that the actual cladding company did a pre-pack bankruptcy soon afterwards: http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2015/09/14/cladding-firm-harley-curtain-wall-pre-packed/ F
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Been listening to the breakfast news coverage in the background, and I have yet to hear anything that I think gets above "inane". Piers Morgan declaring "it is extraordinary that in modern Britain .... xyz". No it isn't, Piers - design errors and mistakes get made. Various perambulations around the alleged dodginess of "stay put" fire protection policy (as recommended by the people who know in the official guidance documents after balancing the risks against general panic etc). Just waiting for an expert to tell them to shut up and stop scaring people just to fill space. Probably (and I am sure everyone here will) treat that blog with a degree of caution. It has a Green Ink feel, and they are given to startling jumps. eg Before the para Jeremy quotes, it says: Or this piece where the refusual to temporarily unfence a fenced-off of a tree (presumably for protection etc) causes them to make comparisons to various genocides. One of the possible moments of levity in this business will be when media doesn't check properly and reports the Green Ink stuff as news. (Add: I have seen mention of an alleged "exploding fridge".) Ferdinand
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What are the rules on Kwikstage or CupLok? If A Selfbuilder of Lower-Spiegelei-under-Bratkartoffel puts up some Kwikstage, can third party workers use it under HS regs etc without any certification, and is the self-builder's insurance still valid if eg the Batman or the Roofer falls off the scaffolding due to incorrect assembly and breaks his neck on an inconvenient breezeblock? Is the self-builder required to have a scaffolder qualification or employ someone qualified to build and certify it? (Aside - we had a large amount of real CupLok purchased in around 198x used for renovating a Victorian Mill, and then for other building jobs, of which I sold the last on ebay in about 2012 - still perfectly sound. I did not sell the planks, however.) Ferdinand
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Where do you keep the vegetables
Ferdinand replied to Triassic's topic in General Self Build & DIY Discussion
@Triassic I think @Cpd might have it. Do we need to reinvent the concept of the back porch as a well ventilated shaded low humidity space, perhaps with a dark cupboard or shaded racking for veg? Veg racks in there would combine well with eg bike storage. Even if there are building line issues (eg side door on a corner plot) porches of a couple of square sqm are permitted development. Or the garage? My normal reason for not putting potatoes in the fridge (we keep them in our north corridor, which is the same temp as the garage) has been because we have bought a couple of sacks of tatoes in the late autumn to last to the spring - so they won't fit. Ferdinand -
Is laminate flooring even an option?
Ferdinand replied to Grosey's topic in Wood & Laminate Flooring
Thanks for the further detail @JSHarris F -
Is laminate flooring even an option?
Ferdinand replied to Grosey's topic in Wood & Laminate Flooring
Dogs hmmm. I would want a trial for a couple of years. The issue I see with directly bonded bamboo is that if something doesn't work to get it back up again you will need the tenaciousness of someone demolishing an Eqyptian pyramid with hand tools. I could be wrong - have not tried it, but I have the impression @JSHarris thinks it is there to stay. The other alternative for Plan B is to have something ready to go on top if your bamboo fails, or get one that can be sanded back and refinished. Can strand woven bamboo be sanded? This is very much about 10-12 years time and how easy or not it is to bring back to as-new condition after those years of dog-abuse. People I know with umpteen dogs have tended to go for relatively-inexpensive laminate and replace every few years, by which time it is dog-tired ( !). Personally if I were putting something down to stay likely to get dogs galloping around it would be refinishable multiple times or hard tiles such as porcelain or quarry. That will have thicker dogs such as red setters skating around like toddlers on ice, but should outlast them. Ferdinand -
Copper or Aluminium nails for slate?
Ferdinand replied to Construction Channel's topic in Roofing, Tiling & Slating
Slightly surprised you aren't making your own :-) -
It might be interesting to make one fastigate or semi-fastigate as a contrast.
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Personally I like my larch to look weathered. So I would suggest a beer and a barbecue as the best option. You will only have to do it again in a couple of years !
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Have PM'd you.
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On the Mway yesterday I passed a crew-cab lorry towing a big caravan. It makes sense. I do not think it was a showman - would have had a trailer with an elephant on the back of the caravan.
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My last 2 have been: 10 yard skip for up to 4 weeks. £230 inc VAT. Was tricky negotiating the 4 weeks, then the builder filled it in one day flat. 7 yard skip for up to 2 weeks. IIRC £160 inc VAT (invoice currently filed) Ferdinand
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Go classic. Saab 95 or Citroen CX Familiale - you get swmbo, 5 kids, and a ride-on mechanic just like the Mille Miglia.
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Probably you would need a one man band who turns over less than the VAT limit.
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On the whole garden privacy issue. @JSHarris Have you considered a relatively lightweight nursery fence for a few years while the hedge grows? I am think of something like wattle or bamboo matting, which should be OK given your microclimate. That could be quite inexpensive, and may attach directly to your post and rail depending on its strength or could be done with support from knocker posts and rails like a 6ft horse fence. Aside from the visual block panels that basic fence costs around £6 to £7 per metre run for materials, probably including fixings. You could use a nursery hedge such as lleylandii or laurel while something more interesting grows behind or in front of it. They quite happily support 2m fence panels in reasonably windy areas for a few years, but I think something more diffuse would be better in your valley. My understanding of trellis over panel above 2m is in the "may get away with it" category. It would probably only need 5 years to grow a good hedge from where you are now, and I think may help soften the quite high amount of hard landscaping you have. I think that ultimately a hedge is a better option.
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Apols. Thought you were down South.
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I caught a little of the programme, and it seemed good. I thought the 9 Days claim was a bit bogus, but that did not detract from the programme. It would be a good public education step if these programmes detailed the months of planning buggeration. F
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Basic conveyancing for a house I pay about £495 from a competent local solicitor plus disbursements - Midlands. I would expect a plot to be a little more complicated due to it being more bespoke. F
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Just reading the title, I had a number of £500+ in my head. Given that you are in London, I would think £729 may be OK. If you want a check phone up a couple of others and ask them for the approx cost of a basic boundary agreement. F
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Cheers.
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Probably Bill of Quantities. Or, on its side vertically, a cat demanding dinner.
