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Self building and house renovation is a challenging process. Its disruptive, messy, expensive, upsetting, uplifting, funny, infuriating - but not necessarily in that order. This website is a fantastic resource - full of information, images, reassurance, leg-pulling, constructive criticism , technical advice --- and words. Yes - words: millions of them. Millions of words some relevant, others not. Some elegantly put, others tumble from upset lips into type and onto the screen. The Submit Topic button pressed in haste. Simply put, a bit like Handle's criticism of one of Mozart's work, there are too many words here. Thats why it takes a good deal of time and effort to 'get-in-to-Buildhub'. There's a new information handling tool on the block. AI. Artificial Intelligence. Duno about you, but I need no excuse to try out a new tool, so here's a quick introduction to one (of many). The end in mind is to help new members 'get-in-to-Buildhub' by using a publicly available information handling tool called NotebookLM . I have deliberately not linked to it because I am sure there are other competing AIs that do the same job. I just haven't found them yet. And if you want to use it, you can search for it in the normal way. You may not like the company that makes it - to me that doesn't matter: what does matter though is for New Members (and others) to use a tool to make their visit to Buildhub as productive as possible. The key thing is to promote the idea that AI can help New Members feel less overwhelmed by the Information Handling task posed by self-building. Problem Statement Your new to BH and you want to find out about Natural England's guidance about nutrient pollution (other threads are available 😑) And you bump into @Bob the builder's thread on the subject . It's six pages long - and you haven't got time to read it. Using NotebookLM Copy and paste the url (weblink , hyperlink) into NotebookLM Press Go> and this happens The text of the entire thread is summarised One button allows you to create a briefing document that summarise the thread AND LINKED DOCUMENTS The tool will create an audio version of the same discussion played in the format of a Podcast - it takes a minute or two, but you can put your earbuds in and listen to the article if you want There's so much more to say about AI and Buildhub. This post is already too long. I'm merely introducing it as a POTENTIAL tool for members to use - or not as they see fit. Yes, it'll make mistakes. Yes, we all need to be cautious about the output. I would love people who use AI in their normal workflow to contribute to this thread if they have time. Please. Anything that makes Buildhub easier to use. Ian

Hi there, Hi, my name is Francesca I am currently studying my Masters Degree in Architecture at Northumbria University in Newcastle and over the summer I have been reading and collecting research on the current housing crisis with a focus on self-build / custom-build housing as a means of providing good quality, affordable homes tailored to individual needs for my dissertation, but what I would really like to know from yourselves, are people’s genuine experiences of taking on their own self-build or custom build project, whether you're currently in the process or have completed the project. Hearing first hand your experiences is much more valuable than the articles that can be accessed online. I would be ever so grateful if you could follow the link below and fill out a short survey, any question can be passed but the more information you can give me the stronger case I can build for my thesis. All information given is kept completely confidential and in line with the university’s ethical guidelines alongside the Data Protection Act (2018). No names or addresses are required. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ZNK8R7H Thank you in advance, and if you have any questions please feel free to contact me via PM. Frankie Paul

CIC online offers a really well collated set of information But, I get the feeling that, since it's a project funded by several Higher Education Institutes, the project is likely to be pruned. The site isn't as useful as it might be because there's no site-based search facility. For example, I'd like to have researched 'Thermal Mass'. Purely for reference and research purposes you understand. However this page was the most useful starting point for me : it lists a set of relevant categories It's best to register (they'll ask you to do that for some resources -not all)

This article is interesting enough to read in full, but we’ve not got the time….so here’s a copy of it’s own summary (unedited and in its original format) How do workers, their material, equipment and workplace relate to construction accidents? · Problems arising from workers or the work team, especially worker actions or behaviour and worker capabilities, were judged to have contributed to over two thirds (70%) of the accidents. This points to inadequate supervision, education and training. · Poor communication within work teams contributed to some accidents, due to the physical distance between work colleagues or high levels of background noise. · In many cases, the accident occurred when those involved were not actually performing a construction task, but moving around site, for example. · Workplace factors, most notably poor housekeeping and problems with the site layout and space availability, were considered to have contributed in half (49%) of the accident studies. Standards of housekeeping and workplace layout with respect to safety are low in construction when compared with other industrial sectors. Despite poor weather often being cited as one of the reasons for construction having a poor safety record, this research found little evidence in support of this. · Shortcomings with equipment, including PPE, were identified in over half (56%) of the incidents. Poor equipment design and inappropriate use of equipment for the task were prominent aspects of this. Designers, suppliers and purchasers of equipment appear to give insufficient attention to the safety of users. · Deficiencies with the suitability and condition of materials, including packaging, featured in more than a quarter (27%) of incidents. The operation of the supply/purchase chain at present appears to act as a barrier to innovation as far as safety is concerned. · Originating influences, especially inadequacies with risk management, were considered to have been present in almost all (94%) of the accidents. · Frequently, no risk assessment had been undertaken covering the circumstances involved in the accident. Where a risk assessment had been carried out, it was often found to be superficial and unlikely to have prevented the accident. · It appears that PPE is relied upon habitually as a substitute for risk elimination or reduction at source. · It was judged that up to half of the 100 accidents could have been mitigated through a design change and it was found that, despite CDM, many designers are still failing to address the safety implications of their designs and specifications. Reference Loughborough University and UMIST (2003) Research Report 156 : Causal factors in construction accidents cited in Recent Construction Specific Research (2015) http://www.hse.gov.u…es/research.htm(downloaded February 2015)