Ferdinand

What are the actual lifespans of the products? I see that Roofart (why is that not from Oz) say 50 years, which strikes me as being rather short for a premium gutter product in normal circumstances. My dad's company used to make lengths of glass fire guttering moulded from the cast iron original that used to be on their Victorian mill. I know of pieces of that which have been up since 1980, but unfortunately I had to dispose of the mould along with all the others - a 500sqm yard full - when we left the building house. Ferdinand

if the pic is for comment or review, and acknowledged, you would be OK.

We were in this position two years ago, as the person who renovated had run out of the possibility of recovering his investment, and left the conservatory unbuilt with a ufh pipe termination. For some reason it proved impossible to connect, and I can't remember why. Will try and check later. In practice we deliberately went for higher spec options in the conservatory (eg top grade DG), and the supplier included 100mm of celotex rather than 50mm in the walls and floor at no extra charge, and we went with one side wall having clerestory windows. We installed an underfloor electrical system from Screwfix just in case, but have hardly ever used it, and find that opening the double doors from the kitchen or lounge is more than acceptable. We have only ever used it to heat the downstairs while the boiler was broken. Our conservatory is roughly 4mx4m and North facing. So perhaps planning for a carefully specced conservatory instead may "Occam" your problem, though buyers will probably want a comforter. If you go ufh give some thought to future supply of fittings. Ferdinand

Mine: - Going for the max size solar array possible - 10kw not 4kw. - Spending £900 on a pair of nice wrought iron asymmetric drive gates to cap off the "face" of a renovation. I think my main insights are: 1 - not to skimp on things you won't be able to change later and could regret for a long time. 2 - that having a model incorporating running expenses over at least 10 years - including maintenance etc - is very important for objectivity. 3 - if there are items to be added later in order to "sell" it, consider adding them now so yuo can enjoy them for more than a month. Ferdinand

@jack said on the other thread: Here we are and here we are and here we go-oo-oh. Ferdinand

Semi-serious suggestion, because I would like to know. If the output from a Treatment Plant is actually so squeaky clean, is there anything to stop it being recirculated back into the input water for the dwelling in some form? Suspect things would be an outlier in the data set of properties. Ferdinand

"Deed of Servitude" - what a glorious legal phrase !

If it helps, I always visualise areas in "parking spaces". 75-85sqm is roughly 5 reasonably generous spaces. Unless you are in a Tonka Tank when they are less generous. Ferdinand

Currently I don't think I have any expensive regrets, except perhaps when we insufficiently supervised an architect during a renovation at a time of family stress - and these would then be our fault. These would then be such as: - Unnecessary intercom from gate to house. - Overblown burglar alarms. I think I can identify the converse, which is skimping unnecessarily to save small amounts of money: - Not porcelain tiling throughout because carpet was less expensive and the planned budget was creaking. - I wonder if for some going 2G rather than 3G will fall onto this list. - A couple of plots that I regret not buying as the added price on the value of the house/garden left was too high. And I think I would also add things that seemed expensive/unnecessary that I do not regret: - Going for the max size solar array possible - 10kw not 4kw. - Spending £900 on a pair of nice wrought iron asymmetric drive gates to cap off the "face" of a renovation. I think my main insights are: 1 - not to skimp on things you won't be able to change later and could regret for a long time. 2 - that having a model incorporating running expenses over at least 10 years - including maintenance etc - is very important for objectivity. 3 - if there are items to be added later in order to "sell" it, consider adding them now so yuo can enjoy them for more than a month. Ferdinand

Pink Squirrel Cocktail To be used in commiseration when squirrels have nested in your loft, or in celebration when you see a red squirrel or you (or your cat) catch a grey one and turn it pink. In the latter case it is an excellent funeral toast. 1 oz creme de noyaux 1 tbsp white creme de cacao 1 tbsp light cream (or ice cream) Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve. A summery cocktail with ice-cream. Amaretto might be an interesting alternative to Creme de Noyaux, but then you would probably need something else to turn it pink. Raspberry ripple ice cream or a dash of cranberry juice? Image credit: http://www.zazzle.co.uk/squirrel_drinking_a_cocktail_at_happy_hour_mouse_pad-144411536072030955 (Update: You could blow me down with a bicycle pump this morning. Not only has the 18 year old cat caught *another* squirrel, it also had a confrontation with the local feline thug and ejected it unceremoniously from the garden. It may have to be renamed Mick Jagger for activities beyond the call of duty for a pensioner. Waiting for a 7 year old slinky kitty called Melanie to appear.) Ferdinand

If I need ice in quantity these days it comes from Aldi at £1 for 2kg. I haven't tried to calculate the cost of icemaking bags or the specific latent heat of freezing I am saving. One bag lasts a couple of months and the payback period for a Yankee fridge would be more than my lifetime. My ice hammer for construction cocktails is a rubber mallet. Ferdinand

Let me add one more reference - a system called "Trench Arch", which is exactly what it says and needs zero power or maintenance. There is an excellent paper here discussing the various possibilities for rural churches with an excellent description and photographs. http://www.gloucester.anglican.org/content/pages/documents/1352755360.pdf Ferdinand

Since this conversation has diversified, where does something like an Aquatron fit into this mini-zoo of waste-processing options? Website: http://www.aquatron.se/start/ It is described as a "composting toilet using ordinary water closets". At the old house, my father replaced our previous septic tank with one in the late 1990s (estimate), and just put it on the end of our waste pipe about 30m from the house at an appropriately lower level to allow gravity feed - essentially beyond a ha-ha / retaining wall. It was the kind of obscure but reasonably sensible idea he *would* come up with; such ideas *usually* worked. The Aquatron has a spiral centrifugal separator to separate liquids and solids - solids fall into a composting chamber with worms, and liquids end up in a drainage field. The only maintenance was digging out the compost every year or so. No power consumption, and cheaper than any treatment plant afaik. We had no problems before we sold in 2013, though if I put one in now I would probably insulate it (zero centigrade kills the worms). Perhaps the only limitation is land for the leach-field, or if regulations have significantly changed. The liquids would probably be the limitation. There is an excellent old thread on Aquatrons and other things at the other other place. http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=1414 Ferdinand

The article you quote yoruself above includes the following quote: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/section75-protect-your-purchases The first phrase may sound ambiguous, but even if some argue, it is not much of an imposition to pay a £100 deposit on a CC. Ferdinand

I thnik that Saniflo are OK; Stuart Turner pumps also have a good reputation. As to pumping uphill, I think you need to work out your height gain and ask their technical people. Macerators are not a place to cut too many corners :-). F

Having just chased a small squirrel off the cat's lunch, I am in the mood to use squirrel tail hair. Though the (18 yo) cat caught the squirrel's sister yesterday, so perhaps it is revenge. Ferdinand

That is perhaps an argument for paying for materials direct, even with a main contractor. Ferdinand

I think my fibres came from Wickes. BTW you need very little of it. Mine came in a packet smaller than a bag of salted peanuts, and I seem to remember that it cost £3.50 or so, and were more than enough for a 25sqm 125mm slab. Check your numbers or you may have half a kilogramme kg of fibres to leave to your grandchildren's grandchildren, minus the 4.5g you have used. Ferdinand

I thought it was one wall at one school, then investigations into similar projects? Did I misunderstand? I think we can listen online here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/live/bbcone?area=scotland Ferdinand

People swim in natural pools, and these are often full of ex-rainwater...

Just thinking, and asking people who know more to knock holes in my thoughts. Rather than running 2 pipes to everything, are there ways to make it more cost-effectiive. AFAICS greywater can be reused directly (ie unprocessed) in certain applications such as garden watering. So could the high volume things - bath, sink, washer, shower - be connected directly to the grey water tank, and not connected to the normal outlet, and the water can then be used as needed. Equally could the rainwater be sent to the same place to save expense on the outside. Is there a problem with applying a bit of filtering to the grey water by running it down through a gravelled drive, or a drainage field under the garden, with a collector at the end? The biggest problems I can see are that this is potentially not dot-and-tittle clear enouigh for any British Standard, and consumer resistance from house purchasers. Ferdinand

Perhaps a similar tile to downstairs, but in a lighter, tone might suggest moving into the more intimate areas of the house (see Caliwg's design book or "Pattern Language"). UFH? Or UFH in a corridor from the master bedroom and not the others? Must reinforce the hierarchy ! Ours is carpet, and our former was was wooden, but we didn't build either. Could you use other tile materials? Ferdinand

I would think that the time in the setting process is crucial. If yuo start while it is 6 hours hard, rather than 6 days hard, does that help? I always think that it would be nice with marbles. Ferdinand

Trying to make BuildHub rhyme in a limerick. Failing miserably. Ferdinand [Update: A builder had kept quite aloof From house and container, forsooth He returned to discover Owls, batmen, and lover, Had all built their nests in his roof. ] I am now retiring under fire.

In that case I would go for the cheapest panels from a brand acceptable to you, but ask for a couple of lollipops before placing the order. Ferdinand