KidKruger

Foxy what's the address / what sweets have you got (I like liquorice) ?

What irks me more is the comments people make like 'worked extremely long hours, day after day' (I had him slave for me with no breaks in the pissing rain, he got trench foot but hey - he chose that line of work), or 'he was happy to attend to any extra task I gave him' (he wore his fingers down to the 2nd knuckle because I didn't really have a clue what I wanted, but laid it on him, completely oblivious to the inconvenience I was putting him through and the impact it had on his prior alternative arrangements).

OK, OK, imperious levels of knowledge - none of which helped with a definitive answer !

I was approaching this with almost no previous knowledge, so after checking www and finding conflicting info I escalated to EDF, sorter of all things unclear !

I'd assume it's because of the effort saved by the LA in engaging with so many workers, checking credentials/availability etc.

"A carer commissioned by a local authority will often be paid about ?6.50ph (shocking). The LA will pay the agency ?11.50ph for that service" Shocking. Absolutely shocking.

Trick is, always wear boots then it don't matter what if your socks don't match - you can even wear only one sock and no-one will notice.

Just spoke to builder working on next door and I asked how he'd insulate under a floor like mine, he said use solid insulation / celotex and no need for a sheet of anything for a 'barrier '.

"I had Michael Portillo in the underpass at South Kensington" Ooooooh-Eeeeeerrrrrr !!

I used to rub my cat's face in it each time, same if he shat or pissed. Guess what ? He stopped. They aren't stupid.

Can't they just automate the place - it'd save a lot of grief.

"As a dog owner, I'm also disgusted by the amount of poo on the streets. But I'm equally disturbed when overly suspicious neighbours and passersby stop and watch me to make sure I'm picking up after my dog - which I do, 100% of the time." Ha ha. I pick up for my beast too. A few weeks ago a woman approached me and told me to pick up 'my' dog's poo. It was somebody else's dog, a big, rough looking geezah who was strolling ahead of his dog. I pointed-out she should go approach the guy and tell him before he gets too far away. She suddenly lost all interest.

dumpertruck what time was this ?

"Muggings outside banks even in broad daylight aren't massively uncommon and its a chunk to lose..." Agreed, it can be a worry. I carry a tool JIC... I find a hunting waistcoat with loads of pockets useful, worn under a coat - you can stash a good wedge that way and not be 'carrying' anything obvious, as you stagger out of the branch like a drunkard, your knees barely coping with the weight of all that stinking cash.

I have MrBen, a few times. It actually doesn't take-up that much space, even in ?20's. I have a new roof plus internal plastering 5 years ago. cash. renovated a house in Wiltshire this summer. cash renovating house in ED now. cash. No cash left now obviously.

Zonderlings - ahead of the gig tonight.

RD this is the bit that I didn't get, either. A non-porous barrier being used as a breathable layer ! Clearly his underfllor is well-ventilated (as is mine), so you'd need to assume the room above the floor is also well ventilated. As long as underneath is ventilated my thinking is he won't actually get condensation underneath (even if he's not used an appropriate barrier material).

Tradesman - "The only places on a traditional suspended timber floor there should be a dpm is between the wall plate and the dwarf wall (sleeper wall). If timber sits on an outer wall ledge there should also be DPM there. Take a look at the link I posted below. Look at the floors from the 1920's. If your house was built beforehand it may not have any DPM. If you have the floorboards up now all this should be visible. [fet.uwe.ac.uk]" I just checked that link and I have a sleeper wall as per the diagram, although it's 3 or 4 brick pillars on footings which I built myself years ago, with a sleeper timber laid on top. It seems to (hurrah !) have held up solidly and being separate pillars, the main diference being that with only a small area (top of each brick pillar) holing up the timber I used slate as the DPM.

In the building trade, as in many other sectors, a satisfactory outcome is dependent on many factors other than whether the tradesman is good at his job. For instance, a customer who cannot describe exactly what they want, does not fully understand the implications of what is being described by the tradesman, does not really know what they want, does not appreciate the 'unknowns' in building work could (in their mind) feel perfectly justified in being aggrieved by what they feel is a dissapointing outcome. I'm not saying this is the case for the OP at all, but can be a factor in general, so personally I tend towards not posting negative about a specific tradesman unless it's blatant piss-taking with no scope for their having been any misinterpretation. I've recently had a negative experience with a builder but I'm trying to resolve it rather than take revenge via the EDF. I think loss of work for a tradesman is a serious problem and all too easily done with an anonymous throwaway comment on the internet. This may please the poster in the sort-term, but have significant (and perhaps comparatively unfair) consequences for the tradesman. I worked several years ago as a self-employed handyman in ED and in Wiltshire and when working on repairs to houses you're often uncovering really bad previous work and some people are just not prepared to debate changes to approach to the job, overrun, extra cost and having to do a repair before you can do the job you were taken-on for. It can be a bit of a minefield for both sides.

Thanks GrahamP, very kind, may take you up on that (if boards still up), I'm round corner on CP Rd. The reason (one reason) I mentioned damp proof membrane is this: Does this guy have it wrong ?

Dulwich DIY. Fly paper, hung from light fitting or ceiling. Fly holocaust. Sorted.

If he's that old he may be running after his initial sleep. Streets are quiet, no traffic, no hassle.

If you mean Pi, a clever bloke figured out that 3.142(etc...) is useful when doing calculations involving circles and stuff.

I hate it when that happens. Disgusting.

This is exactly why I posted originally - there seems to be lots of views on it and I want to divine the best for my needs, before winter hopefully ! Thanks.