I think this is the relevant cross section diagram for the floor going under the hearth by not more than 25mm:

The stove would be <5kW so as I understand it this sort of permanent ventilation would not be required (if that is incorrect it could be changed later though whereas the hearth is a now decision)

I agree I am unlikely to burn down the house but it would also be a pain to spend a lot of money only for the same shop I have taken advice from to later tell me that the hearth does not meet regulations.

Ah, great.. Likely trail conditions on Sunday?

Either a Protimeter or Hygrometer

Ah yes, a protimeter is what i was thinking of:

Thanks all, really useful stuff and loads of points to consider especially the thoughts of someone who has had both fitted at some point. Having read all this I am minded to go for the micro-bevelled one. Opinion seems to be that it will look good and is a better bet should there be any small movement in the floor.

To confirm the floor is unfinished and the floorer will be sanding then oiling.

The point on damp and humidity is a good one. I will make sure to mention this. Just for my information how do you measure it? is it using one of those dampometer things using two prongs?

Thanks several useful points so far. Keep ’em coming.

@geetee1972 – not that I know much about this bike but surely we have to give someone the chance to ride v2 of the Spitfire it before we assume it suffers the same ills as v1?

Don’t know much about either to be honest but the Spitfire grabbed my attention in the STW front page story. Are there any reviews out for the v2 yet?

I like the Spitfires geometry and wheel size flexibility.

I’m looking for something pretty strong to put tools, paint and the like on, I’m not sure Billy is up to that, other Ikea options seem quite limited.

Putting up shelves is not such a great option in this case as the cupboard only has plasterboard walls.

Any options?

It isn’t great but it beats the frame folding in half which seems to be quite a common design flaw given some of the posts on here.

I called Orange at lunchtime who seemed to sugges I only need the NDS as it is the brake that causes the loosening and the third bolt requires you to drill through the rack mount hole and then the bolt goes through it rather than screwing into it.

I will order one and take a look.

Sum sir that is a fine idea. The water ingress is not really that heavy (bubbling paintwork rather than a drip with a bucket underneath) as there is not a ceiling cavity as such at this point (internal ceiling directly backs roof structure) but the spread of the water marks on the internal ceiling have not grown since I put a sack weighed down with wood over it even though this (unlike your solution) can’t be stopping all the water only that directly falling on the tile.

I am now off to the office stationary cuboard to ‘borrow’ a report cover which I think will be just the ticket for what you suggest!

As for roofers, yes I have put a note through a neighbour who recently had a new roof; hopefully this will generate a lead.

Yes there is a lot of water on the move in that area and I agree I’m not sure the run of the gutter is ideal but pretty sure it is not overflowing the gutter.

The external wall has not been painted for 12+ years so those run marks are not that significant I don’t think and the external render is in good condition.

What does the modification involve? Tapping for a larger thread?

Bruneep – It was me who pushed the tile back up recently, I figured the smaller the gap the less leaking until a fix is done.

Having been up on a ladder today I can confirm that the grey pipe at the edge of the picture comes off a gutter from the main elevation. There is lead flashing from the back of the house and the evidence of the leak is not at that corner. The felt does indeed seem very brittle so I am guessing it has holed under the tiles as suggested by the roofers.

Thanks for this, sounds like number 2 got closer to the issues but might be overcooking it. I have one other avenue to explore but otherwise number 2 will get the job, and yes I think they were offering a guarantee but the value of these is always a bit questionable to me.

Yes the tiles are man made ones and seem to break quite often so yes brittle sounds about right! The pipe that bruneep spots is a drain pipe off the main roof elevation I think but I will double check tomorrow. I have been in the roof space in the last 12 months and all looked to be in good order.

I don’t think this back section of the house is an extension as all the adjacent houses have exactly the same configuration, so that is victorian but the roof is newer than that and does appear to have felt in it.

And yes the rivets are holding the tiles down in the wind, which often gets pretty gusty round these parts.

Yikes! You have at least made me realise the scale of my issues, good luck with that.

I can’t help but I am in similar position, I bought a frame with what would appear to be an older version of that shock on it.

Would appreciate hearing from anyone who knows about them, or knows a shop/supplier that is good at refurbishing them.

It has a whole lot of dials and controls in comparison to something like an RP23 but are they actually any good when working properly?

druidh – That is what I am known for on my visits here :P my PVR installation was a particuarly costly period for them after it didn’t quite work as intended at first (though to be fair I had to ask them for instructions on how to use it last night so they have obviously taken to it)

Rio – My Dad is 70+, his mountain biking learning curve is still good but on IT I think familiarity is good so the options are W7 or sticking with Vista.

Cougar – Hmm, that is a good deal but none of us are eligible. Is there a software4pensioners :D

Its a Dell desktop with a Intel Core 2 Duo 1.86 GHz processor and 3Gb RAM.

Sounds like there might be a perfomance boost and I quite like the idea of doing it on a new HDD as a clean install then plugging that in.

What are my best options for buying either as an upgrade download or a new DVD/CD?

MS are (not surprisingly) pushing W8 on their website so I am guessing I will have to go elsewhere to buy it, any good reliable options and which of the many sub-options (pro/standard etc) is the best to go for?

Thanks.

Great, thanks very much.

Thanks for the advice, a couple of points druidh made hit a chord and so I have ordered a Dakota 20. The blurb says it doesn’t come with a handlebar mount so is this the right one?

GMS014 Handlebar mount

It says Oregon but also is referenced in the Dakota description. If not can someone post a link for the correct one.

Thanks.

Are there reasons why I should go for the Dakota 20 from Snow and Rock at £280 with 1:50k mapping:

Snow and Rock Dakota 20

Rather than the Garmin 800 with OS 1:50k mapping from Evans at £300 (apart from the £20 saving :wink: )

Evans Garmin 800

An are there any other ways of getting mapping onto these units? Nice as OS is I think Open Cyclemap is pretty good, is that an option or are you fixed to a Garmin method?

Edit – Ah this video seems to answer that question, yes it can be done:

But in this case I suppose how much of a saving buying without the OS maps is, if it costs more to add them afterwards then it would make sense to get them initially.

JohnClimber – Where can I get a Canon S100 for under £200 please?

I wondered if that might be the solution! does anyone know a Nexus friendly shop in London that know what they are doing?

Great ideas, coming back to this and looking gives me a few leads.

Yes the Ikea Pax ones are good, a friend has them but I am wanting the fitted wardrobe to go around a chimney breast so it won’t work here. There will be a clothes wardrobe in the deeper section to the side of the chimney breast and a shallower section for the storage of books and the like in the chimney breast section. Then at the other end of the chimney breast a short section of false wall (presumably a timber frame and plasterboard skin will do that).

Off to look at some of the suggestions now but others welcome.

EDIT have you ever been away from home for work when it snows and you need to get home?

Not work but an important journey yes. I made sure to leave the car at home and get on the train then walk the remainder.

The journey took me 4 hours.

The people who drove turned around as the roads were paralysed by people crashing, sliding and generally going about 2mph. RWD cars were performing particuarly impressive ice dance in Cheltenham town centre.

The journey home (a car) took 6 hours.

They were very pleasant but told me to phone Panasonic. Apparently this would also have been the way it went regardless of administration.

Jamie, yes it is from Comet! Surely whilst the doors are open they still have a responsibility?

Where can I get a fiver for an early/mid nineties magazine ?

d45yth – thanks, I thought there would be a way!

That MTBR trip report is great, looks like I should be able to get at the routes too but don’t have a Garmin, does any one know how I could downloads as gpx.

I was beginning to think Mammouth was a bit of a weak link so that is interesting. Downieville and Tahoe seem to attract a thumbs up so will keep them in the itinerary.

We are staying at ‘Curry Village’ in Yosemite. In a tent cabin. It looks a great location but not as cheap as a tent cabin sounds it should be! There are hotels at the same price that may better suit a honeymoon. I recommend booking well in advance, I think we have been very lucky to get a spot.

Nothing booked in Tahoe yet.

Any further recommendations welcome.

Any ideas??

Wow, just popped back to this and pleased with the number of suggestions, I will get on to checking them out.

If there are any more or confirmation of what others have said that would be great.

Clearly the price is a factor and a significant drop would be likely to generate more interest. But having looked at the competition a few times over the last year on Rightmove the pricing is in the right place in comparison to other properties and this can’t change, as geoffj suggests it will be rented out if it doesn’t shift at the minimum price that can be afforded as there is no immediate need to sell as the next place will be rented.

The area is just 10 minutes walk from the city centre, admittedly on the fringe of an area that is not that great.

I think mike’s point is a good one, I suspect volume of sales is very low. Another friend had a flat on the market for three years but has just sold a price they were happy with and without significantly dropping it.

The point about little jobs is a good one, though it is very clean and clutter free there are perhaps a few bits like sealant in the bathroom and window frames that would benefit from some attention. It is a 1980’s flat and in comparison to new flats the service charge is very reasonable.

to be very brutal,It is a flat, almost no one actually wants to buy a flat.

Perhaps you live in the country? A flat may not be the ultimate aspiration for housing but people do buy and live in flats, lots of people – flats are the first home many people buy due to affordability. And there are benefits that come with living in a flat in a central location. There is a bus stop outside the flat with a bus to the city every 2 minutes or you can walk in 10, nearby jobs, shopping etc.

Internet selling is an option, I was just wondering if anyone had some thinking outside the box ideas.

Thanks for this advice. A good point about the ongoing fees on the Aviva pension. I had not thought of that. It adds to the benefits of combining as I would then only pay one set and possibly at a lower rate.

Also a good point about any fees in connection to moving the monies around.

Think I will find out the answers to both of these before I consider whether I need an IFA.

What are considered the best MTB bib shorts? Or is that just the same answers as the best road bib short?

These sounds like good tyres, everyone seems to rate them in the 2.2 Black Chilli folding version. Does anywhere beat £45 on nextdaytyres? That would be more than I have ever paid for a tyre!

double post