Small wins - make a coffee break worth having

[MikeSharp01]

Today we got an email from the council saying that they, and the valuation officer, had accepted that we not longer need to pay council tax on the property we are building in Seasalter as there is no longer a habitable dwelling on the site. The roof has been long gone and I am just salvaging the main timbers, those that are not rotted, for general purposes around the site. The small win is that although they only checked on the site in October, after we requested the council tax to stop, they have back dated the non payment to the date of the demolition order (August), some here might remember that asking for a demolition order triggered an automatic commencement of the build. So we are due for a small windfall in council tax repayment which I am looking forward to putting towards on one of these if anybody has experience of the beast please let me know good / bad!

[jack]

Nice one.  We were surprised to get something similar when we convinced the council not to charge us council tax on a non-existent property.  In our case, my wife got a reduced rate initially, but then while looking for something else several months later I noticed that we were actually eligible for zero rating.  A couple of phone calls and a letter, and we got a refund (might have been a credit, actually) for several months of half-rate council tax.  A rare result!

 

Better than we managed with our broadband.  Shortly before moving back in, we realised that my wife accidentally didn't manage to terminate our broadband.  Since there hadn't been a physical line in place for over a year, I requested a refund or credit now that we were about to reconnect.  "Nope", they said.  "We can see there's no line and that you haven't actually connected to the service for over a year, but we were providing the service ready for you to do so at your convenience".  I pointed out that we were moving in shortly and whether I would continue with them would depend on their answer.  The guy checked with his manager, the answer was no, so we cancelled it immediately and will never, ever use them as an internet provider again.  Superb long-term thinking on their part.

 

Still in negotiations with our water supplier about paying for surface water drainage.  We've pointed out that we no longer discharge into the drains, so should no longer be paying them to take surface water.  They're now asking for proof, so the next thing is to show them our drainage plans and proof that the house was demolished last year.  We'll see how it goes!

[ToughButterCup]

47 minutes ago, MikeSharp01 said:

[...]. So we are due for a small windfall in council tax repayment which I am looking forward to putting towards on one of these if anybody has experience of the beast please let me know good / bad!

 

Yep, got one (I know, I know -  @SteamyTea, @VIPMan go easy on me please)

 

Key thing: portability. That model is a 'stick-it-here-and-leave-it' beast. Got a bad back? Avoid.

The next one down the range (GTX10 C) can be mated to a Saw Table that doubles as a sack-truck and makes the whole thing much more flexible. And the pull-out extension can, with a bit of jiggery pokery, be made to double as a router table. Needs careful setting up... and there are loads of Germans on YooChube fussing about half a millimeter here and a few microns there as far as set up goes. 

 

I bought both because I think this is probably the last time I'll buy any really expensive tools, and I'm sure I can't have a lovely workshop (because I demolished it the other day) AND a nice new house. So portability and flexibility are as important to me as a reasonably specified saw. It does not have a laser guide.

Ship, tar, ha'porth, spoil

 

[Barney12]

Just to echo what @recoveringacademic said:

 

I've seen one in the flesh and they are HUGE! but very lovely, much envy!

[Construction Channel]

I have never used the Bosch model but we have a similar sized Dewalt one for work. It very rarely comes out of the workshop. If the timber is big enough to warrant such a big saw we take a skill saw to it. Mountains/ Mohammed's 

 

+1 to a smaller version. 

[MikeSharp01]

I have a smaller one, plus a few 'skill' saws (Dewalt, Bosch and Festool plunger) but it (they) won't do the 300 x 90 I-joists which are the main components of the build. I watched a video of it and appreciate its big but my plan is to ensconce it in the site 'shop' and leave it there when I am on site. I want repeatability and accuracy which no matter how I try with the one I have I cannot get to the level I want it.

[Construction Channel]

fair enough, I can see the issue you would have with I beams and skill saws (never tried but i can see it wouldn't be as straight forward) 

there is nothing quite like having a good setup where you can just lay the wood on there to a stop and know they will all be the same length,

I'm also a fine one to talk about the weight of cross cut saws, the one i cut my house with needs a forklift to move 

[ProDave]

This thread is interesting.

 

If you are building an entire house frame from scratch yourself then I agree a good shop saw is what you want. But £500 or more?

 

If however like most of us you paid a builder to do the big and heavy stuff and now just have a few stud walls to build and other bits and pieces, then I think I will stick with my £40 chop saw (CPC special offer about a year ago)  It will cut a 6 by 2, and will do an 8 by 2 if you turn it over for a second cut.  The main thing over any other type of saw is a nice clean and SQUARE cut.