I'm about to buy some broken slate for our front yard.

It's just occurred to me that about 18 months ago when we had the
kitchen roof sorted the roofer replaced 50 slates.
I never thought to keep them, but now.....

:Facepalm:

In message , R D S writes
I'm about to buy some broken slate for our front yard.

It's just occurred to me that about 18 months ago when we had the
kitchen roof sorted the roofer replaced 50 slates.
I never thought to keep them, but now.....

Conversely, I have several piles of second hand slate from my last
roofing job not touched in 15 years. Along with the soft red brick and
stable pavers.

One of us is a Squirrel!
:Facepalm:

--
Tim Lamb

On 09/12/2020 09:54, R D S wrote:
I'm about to buy some broken slate for our front yard.

It's just occurred to me that about 18 months ago when we had the
kitchen roof sorted the roofer replaced 50 slates.
I never thought to keep them, but now.....

:Facepalm:

If they were old victorian slates then he sold them on for a
nice price.

In Last Sundays "Escape to the Chateaux" Dick and Angel
had a lorry load of recovered welsh slate trucked over
to France all the way from Wales. Expensive.

On 09/12/2020 12:16, Andrew wrote:

If they were old victorian slates then he sold them on for a
nice price.



I had a relatively new window replaced with a door recently. It still
had the tape on.

The guy that fit the door kindly disposed of it for us! I need to make
more effort to be knocking around when a job finishes.

I'm glad in a way, it would have just gone in the basement forever.

On 09/12/2020 12:05, T i m wrote:
On Wed, 9 Dec 2020 11:00:22 +0000, Tim Lamb
wrote:

In message , R D S writes
I'm about to buy some broken slate for our front yard.

It's just occurred to me that about 18 months ago when we had the
kitchen roof sorted the roofer replaced 50 slates.
I never thought to keep them, but now.....

Conversely, I have several piles of second hand slate from my last
roofing job not touched in 15 years. Along with the soft red brick and
stable pavers.

One of us is a Squirrel!

I think 'squirreling' is a function of (potentially) several things.

1) Space. Or at least that typically the thing that stops most
*practical* people storing more than they do.

2) Interest / ability. The chances of being able to do something with
said stuff, be it re-use (eg. turning some surplus bricks into a BBQ)
or finding it an appropriate home (eBay / Freegle / Neighbourhood
Facebook etc).

3) Money. Although there are people out there with plenty of
disposable income who still don't like throwing stuff away, if you
know you have the cash to be able to not worry if something still has
'value', you can throw / give more stuff away and buy what you want,
even the same stuff you previously threw away, again.

4) Ecology. Realising that there is no such place as 'Away' when you
throw something 'away' and so wanting to insure (wherever possible)
surplus stuff is re-processed and disposed of in the best way
possible.

Like, if I have an old inkjet printer that is really dead (no drivers
available, dried up head, broken electronics etc) then I might take it
to bits, salvage any bits I am likely to find handy (some cables,
ground steel rods etc) and dispose of the remains in a more refined
state (plastics / metals / electronics etc).

I don't buy into that 'if you haven't used X for 6 months, throw it
away bs' because there are plenty of things that I go back to many
years later, and maybe only for a short time (as situations arise).[1]

5) Lack of space - flats rarely have much - and/or the inconvenience of
transporting it when moving house.

I generally throw away things that I haven't used for ten years - though
I sometimes regret this.

ICBA to try to sell things - I used to use second hand shops but the
prices were minimal. I might give things to charity shops, but, when
moving house, I don't really have the time or inclination, and this is
usually the time I might want to get rid of things.

--
Max Demian

I bought recycled welsh slates for my many year roof repair project,
I then discovered it could have been a lot cheaper to buy new Spanish or Chinese slates

[g]

On Wednesday, December 9, 2020 at 12:16:48 PM UTC, Andrew wrote:
On 09/12/2020 09:54, R D S wrote:
I'm about to buy some broken slate for our front yard.

It's just occurred to me that about 18 months ago when we had the
kitchen roof sorted the roofer replaced 50 slates.
I never thought to keep them, but now.....

:Facepalm:
If they were old victorian slates then he sold them on for a
nice price.

In Last Sundays "Escape to the Chateaux" Dick and Angel
had a lorry load of recovered welsh slate trucked over
to France all the way from Wales. Expensive.

On 09/12/2020 11:00, Tim Lamb wrote:

Conversely, I have several piles of second hand slate from my last
roofing job not touched in 15 years. Along with the soft red brick and
stable pavers.

One day in the 1960s my dad was in charge of the demolition of a public
lavatory. The end result is that in my back yard I have 41 glass bricks,
in a pile.

Bill

On 09/12/2020 14:08, George Miles wrote:
I bought recycled welsh slates for my many year roof repair project,
I then discovered it could have been a lot cheaper to buy new Spanish or Chinese slates

I don't know whether it's true but a guy doing a slate roof told me that
Spanish slate didn't last long.

Bill

On Wed, 9 Dec 2020 13:58:52 +0000, Max Demian
wrote:

snip

I think 'squirreling' is a function of (potentially) several things.

1) Space. Or at least that typically the thing that stops most
*practical* people storing more than they do.

snip

5) Lack of space -

Yeah, I think that's inversely included under 'space' though isn't
it. ;-)

flats rarely have much - and/or the inconvenience of
transporting it when moving house.

Agreed, daughter left here and was then living in her half sisters
flat after she (step daughter) was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She
carried it on after she died (for her niece) and has only started
moving out of here of late. We have discovered two things:

1) Whist its a reasonably sized two bed flat, there is very little
storage space. This is compounded because there is no auxiliary space
in say a loft or shed.

2) The box room here she took over when her bigger (half) sister moved
out when living on-site, that I had designed / fitted out (full sized
single bed set in the wall over a large workbench) had *loads* of
storage. The box that was at the bed-head held enough books to fill 4
of those large reusable h/d shopping bags for example. She has been
taking 4 or 5 large bags of mixed stuff every so often as she has the
time / space to go though it and her room still looks full!

I generally throw away things that I haven't used for ten years - though
I sometimes regret this.

That's the thing. Several of the times I've 'had a binge' and thrown
stuff away I ready didn't want to I've then / later found I needed it.
Not only does that often mean having to buy a replacement, it's often
the case that you can't or you can't easily / affordably. You throw
away that offcut of worktop then have to buy a whole length to get the
bit you threw away. ;-(

ICBA to try to sell things

I generally can't either, preferring to give them to anyone who can
make good use of them. The problem with that is that a lot of stuff I
have is fairly technical and so wouldn't be of use / recognised by the
vast majority in a charity shop (so may well be dumped by the staff in
any case).

- I used to use second hand shops but the
prices were minimal.

I have taken a small (new, unwanted gift) kitchen electrical appliance
to Cash Converters and what little they gave us was better than
nothing and at least it might get bought by someone who actually
wanted it.

I might give things to charity shops, but, when
moving house, I don't really have the time or inclination, and this is
usually the time I might want to get rid of things.

Yeah, I think the house clearance companies can be handy for that as I
believe they often try to sell any sellable stuff as part of their
earnings.

I have given a large canvas (garden reycling) bag full of kids toys
and games to a family friend who works with the scouts for them to
sell at their fundraisers etc.

I need to go back to work as I seemed to get more stuff done at home
then ... ?

Cheers, T i m

On Wed, 9 Dec 2020 12:16:42 +0000, Andrew
wrote:

On 09/12/2020 09:54, R D S wrote:
I'm about to buy some broken slate for our front yard.

It's just occurred to me that about 18 months ago when we had the
kitchen roof sorted the roofer replaced 50 slates.
I never thought to keep them, but now.....

:Facepalm:

If they were old victorian slates then he sold them on for a
nice price.

A neighbour recently had her (Victorian) slate roof replaced (I
mentioned it here at the time) the vast majority must have been
salvaged and taken away as there weren't that many broken in the front
garden and they didn't have a skip.

In Last Sundays "Escape to the Chateaux" Dick and Angel
had a lorry load of recovered welsh slate trucked over
to France all the way from Wales. Expensive.

I was interested to see if neighbour was given any discount on the
original slates (she wasn't) and what the new ones were and
'luckily'(?) they were real slate, albeit Spanish .. so at least not
synthetic?

Unless the old slates were somehow factored into the deal, I would
have offered to buy some off her as most of mine were re-used when we
did this roof around 30 years ago and my immediate neighbour still
needs his doing and loses one now and again.

Cheers, T i m

In article ,
T i m wrote:
I was interested to see if neighbour was given any discount on the
original slates (she wasn't) and what the new ones were and
'luckily'(?) they were real slate, albeit Spanish .. so at least not
synthetic?

I've got synthetic here. Replaced those nasty ceramic tiles which I'd
guess were original and sort of fitted where they touched. Got a council
grant to help with the work - and they specified artificial slate.
Although I'd guess they'd have been happy with real.

They are lasting very well.

--
*If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Wed, 09 Dec 2020 16:35:54 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
T i m wrote:
I was interested to see if neighbour was given any discount on the
original slates (she wasn't) and what the new ones were and
'luckily'(?) they were real slate, albeit Spanish .. so at least not
synthetic?

I've got synthetic here.

Did you get the chance to feel any, what are they like?

Replaced those nasty ceramic tiles which I'd
guess were original and sort of fitted where they touched.

Oh, the (typically) red clay jobbies? I thought they were supposed to
be one of the best (certainly VFM) roofing solutions?

Got a council
grant to help with the work - and they specified artificial slate.

Oh?

Although I'd guess they'd have been happy with real.

Yeah, you can often 'upgrade' the spec but at your own cost etc.

They are lasting very well.

How long so far?

Any council houses left round here are having their concrete tile
roofs replaced and I saw one of the contractors carefully palleting up
all the good ones up, potentially to be sold as salvage? Less stuff to
go in the skip as well of course. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

On 09/12/2020 15:23, T i m wrote:
On Wed, 9 Dec 2020 13:58:52 +0000, Max Demian
wrote:

snip

I think 'squirreling' is a function of (potentially) several things.

1) Space. Or at least that typically the thing that stops most
*practical* people storing more than they do.

flats rarely have much - and/or the inconvenience of
transporting it when moving house.

Agreed, daughter left here and was then living in her half sisters
flat after she (step daughter) was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She
carried it on after she died (for her niece) and has only started
moving out of here of late. We have discovered two things:

1) Whist its a reasonably sized two bed flat, there is very little
storage space. This is compounded because there is no auxiliary space
in say a loft or shed.

My previous flat had a large walk in cupboard below the stairs of the
upstairs flat which was very useful.

Why can't they have lockable storage units in the basement (or wherever)
that you could rent? I know they do in some places. A basement
launderette would also be useful so you would not need a (most time
unused) machine in the kitchen taking up space.

--
Max Demian

On Wed, 9 Dec 2020 17:38:20 +0000, Max Demian
wrote:

On 09/12/2020 15:23, T i m wrote:
On Wed, 9 Dec 2020 13:58:52 +0000, Max Demian
wrote:

snip

I think 'squirreling' is a function of (potentially) several things.

1) Space. Or at least that typically the thing that stops most
*practical* people storing more than they do.

flats rarely have much - and/or the inconvenience of
transporting it when moving house.

Agreed, daughter left here and was then living in her half sisters
flat after she (step daughter) was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She
carried it on after she died (for her niece) and has only started
moving out of here of late. We have discovered two things:

1) Whist its a reasonably sized two bed flat, there is very little
storage space. This is compounded because there is no auxiliary space
in say a loft or shed.

My previous flat had a large walk in cupboard below the stairs of the
upstairs flat which was very useful.

Yes, it sounds like it might be. This is a block of 8 (2 x4) flats
with a central doorway and stairs that go back and forth to open
landings on each level (leading to an enclosed one feeding two
opposing flats), so only the ground floor one side could make use of
the under stairs space (I can't remember if it's open or not).

Why can't they have lockable storage units in the basement (or wherever)
that you could rent?

I know some places have access to something like that (a row / block
of small sheds or even single garages). I don't think there is much
room for 8 of anything worth having and they would need to be fairly
secure to risk keeping anything of worth in there.

A basement
launderette would also be useful so you would not need a (most time
unused) machine in the kitchen taking up space.

That would be lovely but I assume you don't live in the UK?

Here I think a basement is quite rare, except for some of the bigger
houses both in the town and country.

There are a few rotary clothes airers out the back of the flats but
I've never seen them used for much.

There is reserved parking though and a fair number of visitor spaces
so that's quite a treat (and by no means 'standard').

To provide some more storage space for her I made up a simple frame
using 63x48mm CLS timber. Two vertical frames, 600 deep by 2m high and
with two 'shelves' made of 'beams' of the same material on edge. She
now has 8 fairly large plastic storage boxes on the frame that is free
standing in an alcove on something that can be easily taken to pieces
(two uprights, 6 beams) and carried in most hatchback cars (we took it
up there in the Meriva mini MPV), as / when she moves ... and no holes
to fill in the flat. ;-)

In what was her room here, apart from the storage behind the (fold
down) headboard there were two shelves the width of the bed over the
headboard, storage in the (free standing) stairs that lead up to the
bed, two levels under the 1m deep, wall to wall workbench and two
corner cupboards for hanging clothes. In front of the window she had a
long 3 draw unit and there was still room for two office chairs to sit
and use the bench. ;-)

The bench now has my 3D printer on it and I'm gradually converting it
to my PC / electronics / 3D printing study, keeping the bed clear for
emergency use.

There is a nice balanced flue gas heater in there that keeps it very
warm, even when set to below position 1.

All good till you want to move someone out who is into all sorts of
things and had lived there all her life. ;-)

That reminds me, there are also 3 guitars hanging on the wall over the
stairs and for a while she was sharing the room with her 6' 3"
boyfriend!

Cheers, T i m

On 09/12/2020 16:35, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
T i m wrote:
I was interested to see if neighbour was given any discount on the
original slates (she wasn't) and what the new ones were and
'luckily'(?) they were real slate, albeit Spanish .. so at least not
synthetic?

I've got synthetic here. Replaced those nasty ceramic tiles which I'd
guess were original and sort of fitted where they touched. Got a council
grant to help with the work - and they specified artificial slate.
Although I'd guess they'd have been happy with real.

They are lasting very well.

If you did them with a council grant they are lasting very,
very well. Just don't allow aerial fitters or whatever to
step on them because they do break

In article ,
T i m wrote:
On Wed, 09 Dec 2020 16:35:54 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
T i m wrote:
I was interested to see if neighbour was given any discount on the
original slates (she wasn't) and what the new ones were and
'luckily'(?) they were real slate, albeit Spanish .. so at least not
synthetic?

I've got synthetic here.

Did you get the chance to feel any, what are they like?

They're not as cold as real slate. very nice to work with, though - you
can cut them with tinsnips. I got the roofers to leave me a kit of parts
to do the outside loo - nice and low roof.

Replaced those nasty ceramic tiles which I'd
guess were original and sort of fitted where they touched.

Oh, the (typically) red clay jobbies? I thought they were supposed to
be one of the best (certainly VFM) roofing solutions?

Well, on mine you could see daylight between lots of them. Could just have
been poor workmanship - or war damage, of course. but the slates way a
fraction of them.

Got a council
grant to help with the work - and they specified artificial slate.

Oh?

Although I'd guess they'd have been happy with real.

Yeah, you can often 'upgrade' the spec but at your own cost etc.

They are lasting very well.

How long so far?

Any council houses left round here are having their concrete tile
roofs replaced and I saw one of the contractors carefully palleting up
all the good ones up, potentially to be sold as salvage? Less stuff to
go in the skip as well of course. ;-)

These were I think clay. Same colour all the way through.

--
*A person who smiles in the face of adversity probably has a scapegoat *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Wed, 09 Dec 2020 19:13:27 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
T i m wrote:
On Wed, 09 Dec 2020 16:35:54 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
T i m wrote:
I was interested to see if neighbour was given any discount on the
original slates (she wasn't) and what the new ones were and
'luckily'(?) they were real slate, albeit Spanish .. so at least not
synthetic?

I've got synthetic here.

Did you get the chance to feel any, what are they like?

They're not as cold as real slate. very nice to work with, though - you
can cut them with tinsnips.

Oh, how thick are they?

I got the roofers to leave me a kit of parts
to do the outside loo - nice and low roof.

If they aren't brittle like a real slate that would make them nice to
work with. Can you walk on them (on a roof)?

Replaced those nasty ceramic tiles which I'd
guess were original and sort of fitted where they touched.

Oh, the (typically) red clay jobbies? I thought they were supposed to
be one of the best (certainly VFM) roofing solutions?

Well, on mine you could see daylight between lots of them. Could just have
been poor workmanship - or war damage, of course.

I think if they are fired clay then (at industrial quantities) then I
guess it might be likely they might not all be perfect.

but the slates way a
fraction of them.

I wouldn't have thought it much an issue if you needed a new roof and
already had tiles (retaining tiles) but I guess might be if the house
was built for slate and then you go to concrete tiles? I know some of
the (Victorian) houses in our blocks have gone to cement tile
(probably for cost reasons) ... if they had to have the roofs
reinforced to do so? That said the timbers are pretty large, compared
with the newer houses I've looked in anyway.

snip

They are lasting very well.

How long so far?

?

And what is their 'expected lifespan' (realistically, not the warranty
etc).

Cheers, T i m

On 9 Dec 2020 at 18:48:24 GMT, "T i m" wrote:

On Wed, 9 Dec 2020 17:38:20 +0000, Max Demian
wrote:



A basement
launderette would also be useful so you would not need a (most time
unused) machine in the kitchen taking up space.

That would be lovely but I assume you don't live in the UK?

Here I think a basement is quite rare, except for some of the bigger
houses both in the town and country.

Quite a few houses have cellars. I've got the washing machine (with a suitable
drain pump), dryer and freezer down there. Bit miserable to use as a work area
though - too cold for me.

And while humidity is quite high (it's far from bone dry, like most cellars)
nothing's rusted or been affected by damp. So far as I can see ;-)

--
Cheers, Rob

On 09/12/2020 09:54, R D S wrote:
I'm about to buy some broken slate for our front yard.

It's just occurred to me that about 18 months ago when we had the
kitchen roof sorted the roofer replaced 50 slates.
I never thought to keep them, but now.....

:Facepalm:

Sods law says if you keep something because it may come in useful one
day it will never be used BUT years afterwards when you have taken it to
the tip (or given it away) the day after you will find the use for it.

However, 15 to 20 years of collecting screwdriver bits, now of unknown
quality, I recently took a substantial weight of them to the tip and put
them in the metal recycle skip. I now have a cordless impact driver and
the few "impact" quality bits purchased recently will possibly last for
the rest of my DIY career

Having recently cleared out my DIY "stock" room to overboard a cracked
ceiling and to completely redecorate I found so much I haven't used in
10+ years and am unlikely to use again - plus a few items I thought
would be a good idea at the time, used once before changing my mind I
will do my usual by putting much of it by my front gate with a note
saying free to anyone who can use it and if left for a few days it will
take a trip to the tip.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On Wed, 9 Dec 2020 20:27:40 +0000 (UTC), RJH
wrote:
snip


Here I think a basement is quite rare, except for some of the bigger
houses both in the town and country.

Quite a few houses have cellars.

Ah, are you being specific re a cellar rather than a basement as I was
referring to them as being the same sort of thing (some level of space
under a house). You see them in offices quite a lot in the city (I
worked in one for 5 years) with the glass panes in the pavement for
light.

"Basements in small buildings such as single-family detached houses
are rare in wet climates such as Great Britain and Ireland where
flooding can be a problem, .."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basement

I've got the washing machine (with a suitable
drain pump), dryer and freezer down there.
Bit miserable to use as a work area
though - too cold for me.

But handy for the fridge and freezer. ;-)

And while humidity is quite high (it's far from bone dry, like most cellars)
nothing's rusted or been affected by damp. So far as I can see ;-)

Do you need a brighter torch to see better down there?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt8aAy_8Ub4

Cheers, T i m

On 09/12/2020 12:16, Andrew wrote:
On 09/12/2020 09:54, R D S wrote:
I'm about to buy some broken slate for our front yard.

It's just occurred to me that about 18 months ago when we had the
kitchen roof sorted the roofer replaced 50 slates.
I never thought to keep them, but now.....

:Facepalm:

If they were old victorian slates then he sold them on for a
nice price.

When the slates on my 1905 were replaced the slates that came off were
not in the best of condition. I didn't want them and the roofer didn't
want them. I believe the going rate paid at the local recycle yards was
10p per slate, but only for those in good condition. Sometimes it's
really not worth the bother



In Last Sundays "Escape to the Chateaux" Dick and Angel
had a lorry load of recovered welsh slate trucked over
to France all the way from Wales. Expensive.

Whatever happened to his green lifestyle change where he was running his
vehicles on used chip shop oil and running a 40w lightbulb from a home
built waterwheel? Or did that TV income steam die the death?
--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 09/12/2020 15:12, williamwright wrote:
On 09/12/2020 14:08, George Miles wrote:
I bought recycled welsh slates for my many year roof repair project,
I then discovered it could have been a lot cheaper to buy new Spanish
or Chinese slates

I don't know whether it's true but a guy doing a slate roof told me that
Spanish slate didn't last long.

Bill

But how long is long? Sometimes you may want to save money if they are
going to last longer than your lifetime and/or the ownership of that
particular house.

A commercial property close to me had artificial slate installed which
looked good, A decade or two later and they had slates slipping,
probably due to poor workmanship using the wrong type of nails which may
now be rotting.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 09/12/2020 20:09, T i m wrote:

(probably for cost reasons) ... if they had to have the roofs
reinforced to do so? That said the timbers are pretty large, compared
with the newer houses I've looked in anyway.

I went from slate to concrete tile and had this conversation with the
roofer. There is little difference in roof weight - slates can be a lot
heavier than you think and he demonstrated by making a makeshift balance
from a plank on a brick as the fulcrum . first balancing it with tiles
on both sides and then replacing the equivalent area of tiles with slates.

In my area BC always seem to want additional support for the purlins
irrespective of the replacement roof material.


--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On Wed, 9 Dec 2020 09:54:39 +0000, R D S wrote:

I'm about to buy some broken slate for our front yard.

It's just occurred to me that about 18 months ago when we had the
kitchen roof sorted the roofer replaced 50 slates.
I never thought to keep them, but now.....

:Facepalm:

I have just made a "busy board" for my 2 year old grandaughter's
Christmas. I have incorporated a Friedland circular electric bell. It
was last used in 1976. It has been through 7 house moves, but I knew I
would need it eventually.

On Wed, 9 Dec 2020 23:12:51 +0000, alan_m
wrote:

On 09/12/2020 20:09, T i m wrote:

(probably for cost reasons) ... if they had to have the roofs
reinforced to do so? That said the timbers are pretty large, compared
with the newer houses I've looked in anyway.

I went from slate to concrete tile and had this conversation with the
roofer. There is little difference in roof weight - slates can be a lot
heavier than you think and he demonstrated by making a makeshift balance
from a plank on a brick as the fulcrum . first balancing it with tiles
on both sides and then replacing the equivalent area of tiles with slates.

Interesting, ta. ;-)

In my area BC always seem to want additional support for the purlins
irrespective of the replacement roof material.

This can often be down to a 'pet thing' of a particular BC person, a
bit like MOT inspectors.

I had my campervan fail on lower ball joints, brought it home and
changed them and took it back for a re-test. Different guy who
questioned what I'd done and why and said that 'there was little point
as they would be loose again in no time, that's how they are on those
....'. ;-(

Cheers, T i m

In article ,
T i m wrote:
On Wed, 09 Dec 2020 19:13:27 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
T i m wrote:
On Wed, 09 Dec 2020 16:35:54 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
T i m wrote:
I was interested to see if neighbour was given any discount on the
original slates (she wasn't) and what the new ones were and
'luckily'(?) they were real slate, albeit Spanish .. so at least not
synthetic?

I've got synthetic here.

Did you get the chance to feel any, what are they like?

They're not as cold as real slate. very nice to work with, though - you
can cut them with tinsnips.

Oh, how thick are they?

I'd say similar to modern slates.

I got the roofers to leave me a kit of parts
to do the outside loo - nice and low roof.

If they aren't brittle like a real slate that would make them nice to
work with. Can you walk on them (on a roof)?

Never tried.

Replaced those nasty ceramic tiles which I'd
guess were original and sort of fitted where they touched.

Oh, the (typically) red clay jobbies? I thought they were supposed to
be one of the best (certainly VFM) roofing solutions?

Well, on mine you could see daylight between lots of them. Could just have
been poor workmanship - or war damage, of course.

I think if they are fired clay then (at industrial quantities) then I
guess it might be likely they might not all be perfect.

but the slates way a
fraction of them.

I wouldn't have thought it much an issue if you needed a new roof and
already had tiles (retaining tiles) but I guess might be if the house
was built for slate and then you go to concrete tiles? I know some of
the (Victorian) houses in our blocks have gone to cement tile
(probably for cost reasons) ... if they had to have the roofs
reinforced to do so? That said the timbers are pretty large, compared
with the newer houses I've looked in anyway.

snip

They are lasting very well.

How long so far?

?

And what is their 'expected lifespan' (realistically, not the warranty
etc).

Dunno, Tim. Very common in this part of London since the 70s and not seen
any replaced. So saying some makes seem to discolour. Mine haven't and
still look good.

--
*I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
RJH wrote:
On 9 Dec 2020 at 18:48:24 GMT, "T i m" wrote:

On Wed, 9 Dec 2020 17:38:20 +0000, Max Demian
wrote:



A basement launderette would also be useful so you would not need a
(most time unused) machine in the kitchen taking up space.

That would be lovely but I assume you don't live in the UK?

Here I think a basement is quite rare, except for some of the bigger
houses both in the town and country.

Quite a few houses have cellars. I've got the washing machine (with a
suitable drain pump), dryer and freezer down there. Bit miserable to use
as a work area though - too cold for me.

And while humidity is quite high (it's far from bone dry, like most
cellars) nothing's rusted or been affected by damp. So far as I can see
;-)

Cellars are very common round here. Victorian housing, and originally to
keep coal in, as gardens are typically small, and often no access except
through the house.

--
*It doesn't take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
alan_m wrote:
On 09/12/2020 20:09, T i m wrote:

(probably for cost reasons) ... if they had to have the roofs
reinforced to do so? That said the timbers are pretty large, compared
with the newer houses I've looked in anyway.

I went from slate to concrete tile and had this conversation with the
roofer. There is little difference in roof weight - slates can be a lot
heavier than you think and he demonstrated by making a makeshift balance
from a plank on a brick as the fulcrum . first balancing it with tiles
on both sides and then replacing the equivalent area of tiles with slates.

In my area BC always seem to want additional support for the purlins
irrespective of the replacement roof material.

I changed from what were ceramic double pan tiles to artificial slate.
They are lighter - much lighter.

Load of houses round here which have had concrete tiles fitted - and
sagging in the middle. So my guess is they are a lot heavier than the
original - most likely slate.

--
*IS THERE ANOTHER WORD FOR SYNONYM?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Thu, 10 Dec 2020 08:27:03 +0000, John Armstrong
wrote:

On Wed, 9 Dec 2020 09:54:39 +0000, R D S wrote:

I'm about to buy some broken slate for our front yard.

It's just occurred to me that about 18 months ago when we had the
kitchen roof sorted the roofer replaced 50 slates.
I never thought to keep them, but now.....

:Facepalm:

I have just made a "busy board" for my 2 year old grandaughter's
Christmas. I have incorporated a Friedland circular electric bell.

Oh, I bet they will love you!

It
was last used in 1976. It has been through 7 house moves, but I knew I
would need it eventually.

'Sorry darling, I think the battery is flat and only grandad can
replace it, we will have to wait till we see him next ...'. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

p.s. Get her a drum kit next Xmyth ... weg

T i m wrote:

On Wed, 9 Dec 2020 20:27:40 +0000 (UTC), RJH
wrote:
snip


Here I think a basement is quite rare, except for some of the bigger
houses both in the town and country.

Quite a few houses have cellars.

Ah, are you being specific re a cellar rather than a basement as I was
referring to them as being the same sort of thing (some level of space
under a house).

I was confused. Is the distinction being made that a basement is
habitable? (FSVO "habitable")

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK
@ChrisJDixon1

Plant amazing Acers.

In article ,
Chris J Dixon wrote:
T i m wrote:

On Wed, 9 Dec 2020 20:27:40 +0000 (UTC), RJH
wrote:
snip


Here I think a basement is quite rare, except for some of the bigger
houses both in the town and country.

Quite a few houses have cellars.

Ah, are you being specific re a cellar rather than a basement as I was
referring to them as being the same sort of thing (some level of space
under a house).

I was confused. Is the distinction being made that a basement is
habitable? (FSVO "habitable")

Chris]

I had an uncle whose house had a basement & sub-basement. The house was
built on steep ground.

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England
"I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of boredom" Thomas Carlyle

On Thu, 10 Dec 2020 10:57:52 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

snip

They're not as cold as real slate. very nice to work with, though - you
can cut them with tinsnips.

Oh, how thick are they?

I'd say similar to modern slates.

Oh, and still cut with tin snips, or are you talking of more of
shears?

I got the roofers to leave me a kit of parts
to do the outside loo - nice and low roof.

If they aren't brittle like a real slate that would make them nice to
work with. Can you walk on them (on a roof)?

Never tried.

Sure, but from the feel, do you think they would. I was trying to work
out of the were at all flexible or not?

snip

And what is their 'expected lifespan' (realistically, not the warranty
etc).

Dunno, Tim. Very common in this part of London since the 70s and not seen
any replaced.

Ok, so a good 50 years for them then.

So saying some makes seem to discolour. Mine haven't and
still look good.

Cool.

Cheers, T i m

In article ,
T i m wrote:
If they aren't brittle like a real slate that would make them nice to
work with. Can you walk on them (on a roof)?

Never tried.

Sure, but from the feel, do you think they would. I was trying to work
out of the were at all flexible or not?

Yes, they are flexible to a degree. I'd guess you could walk on them with
care - same as most roofing materials. But best to use something to spread
the load - same as with slates.

--
*Isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do "practice?"

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Thu, 10 Dec 2020 11:20:53 +0000, T i m wrote:

On Thu, 10 Dec 2020 08:27:03 +0000, John Armstrong
wrote:

On Wed, 9 Dec 2020 09:54:39 +0000, R D S wrote:

I'm about to buy some broken slate for our front yard.

It's just occurred to me that about 18 months ago when we had the
kitchen roof sorted the roofer replaced 50 slates.
I never thought to keep them, but now.....

:Facepalm:

I have just made a "busy board" for my 2 year old grandaughter's
Christmas. I have incorporated a Friedland circular electric bell.

Oh, I bet they will love you!

They will! Also the miniature electronic bleeper, advertised as
requiring 3v - 24v, but makes an ear-splitting noise on 4.5v.

It
was last used in 1976. It has been through 7 house moves, but I knew I
would need it eventually.

'Sorry darling, I think the battery is flat and only grandad can
replace it, we will have to wait till we see him next ...'. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

p.s. Get her a drum kit next Xmyth ... weg

Someone else attended to that for her last birthday!

On Fri, 11 Dec 2020 09:12:32 +0000, John J Armstrong wrote:

'Sorry darling, I think the battery is flat and only grandad can replace
it, we will have to wait till we see him next ...'. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

p.s. Get her a drum kit next Xmyth ... weg

I remember my SIL (who didn't have a clue) buying some very noisy toys
for our two when they were young.

We waited ten years until she had a sprog, and boy did we retaliate...



--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On 11/12/2020 09:50, Bob Eager wrote:
On Fri, 11 Dec 2020 09:12:32 +0000, John J Armstrong wrote:

'Sorry darling, I think the battery is flat and only grandad can replace
it, we will have to wait till we see him next ...'. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

p.s. Get her a drum kit next Xmyth ... weg

I remember my SIL (who didn't have a clue) buying some very noisy toys
for our two when they were young.

We waited ten years until she had a sprog, and boy did we retaliate...

My mother bought my son a very loud drum. He loved it - she smiled
serenely. I was a difficult child...

On Fri, 11 Dec 2020 09:12:32 +0000, John J Armstrong
wrote:

snip

p.s. Get her a drum kit next Xmyth ... weg

Someone else attended to that for her last birthday!

We got ours a little xylophone and that was bad enough but later a
portable Yamaha keyboard and whilst she took that everywhere, when in
the car she could wear headphones (and it had a volume control and
even she didn't like loud things).

Possibly from that and when maybe 8 or so she would love to come with
me to PC World as they had keyboards in there and she would play some
of her favourite tunes. We never got moved on by the staff and often
got a smile or praise from both staff and other customers. I think it
made a change to have 'a kid' actually playing real music rather than
just bashing the keys. ;-)

It was a similar situation in the hospice where step granddaughter
(then 15) 'entertained' us all (inc her dying Mum, other reles and
the staff) in the common room on their nice electronic piano. All the
girls are good singers (Mrs was in a band in her day) so it was quiet
powerful / moving.

Maybe you could fix a basic glockenspiel / xylophone to the busy board
to give her something with tone / scale, after all, it couldn't make
matters worse! ;-)

Cheers, T i m

On 11 Dec 2020 09:50:39 GMT, Bob Eager wrote:

On Fri, 11 Dec 2020 09:12:32 +0000, John J Armstrong wrote:

'Sorry darling, I think the battery is flat and only grandad can replace
it, we will have to wait till we see him next ...'. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

p.s. Get her a drum kit next Xmyth ... weg

I remember my SIL (who didn't have a clue) buying some very noisy toys
for our two when they were young.

We waited ten years until she had a sprog, and boy did we retaliate...

Revenge is a dish best served ... with a bank of airhorns!

Cheers, T i m

freinds who were staying bought their kid a thomas the tank engine trike with noisy annoying tune buttons - i took the batteries out before he even knew they were there.


On Friday, December 11, 2020 at 10:35:30 AM UTC, S Viemeister wrote:
On 11/12/2020 09:50, Bob Eager wrote:
On Fri, 11 Dec 2020 09:12:32 +0000, John J Armstrong wrote:

'Sorry darling, I think the battery is flat and only grandad can replace
it, we will have to wait till we see him next ...'. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

p.s. Get her a drum kit next Xmyth ... weg

I remember my SIL (who didn't have a clue) buying some very noisy toys
for our two when they were young.

We waited ten years until she had a sprog, and boy did we retaliate...

My mother bought my son a very loud drum. He loved it - she smiled
serenely. I was a difficult child...

T i m wrote:
On Wed, 9 Dec 2020 17:38:20 +0000, Max Demian
wrote:
A basement
launderette would also be useful so you would not need a (most time
unused) machine in the kitchen taking up space.

That would be lovely but I assume you don't live in the UK?

I know a set of retirement flats that have a communal washing machine room,
but most of the flats still have their own machine.

Having lived in accommodation with shared machines before, I think one
reason is that lugging baskets of washing up and down stairs isn't exactly
fun, even if you aren't elderly. Another is that sharing is a pain - people
leave washing in the machines when they're done, so the next person has to
unload and leave it in a pile - if they don't steal it. Lots of
opportunities for friction between users. Laundrettes can afford staff to
manage things, where a per-building room probably wouldn't.

About the only useful purpose I can see is when you need a commercial-size
machine for washing bedding or similar that won't fit in a domestic machine.
That and avoiding the noise, which can be troublesome in a 40m2 flat.

There is reserved parking though and a fair number of visitor spaces
so that's quite a treat (and by no means 'standard').

Elsewhere, I think some people fit a storage container in their allocated
underground parking space - like having a private basement store if you
don't have a car.

Theo