Posts by Steve Barnes
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Southerly: Now I Am Permitted, in reply to Bart Janssen,
Moreover, he was objecting to actually experiencing the unqualified folks who were doing the surveys doing an inadequate job.
There is also a point worth baring in mind. If all the damaged houses had to be assessed by qualified structural engineers then the 2 year wait would pale into insignificance, we just don't have enough qualified people for the job.
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Southerly: Now I Am Permitted, in reply to Bart Janssen,
“professional self importance”
Don"t get me wrong here, I am trying to be rational.
I have been in the construction industry for over 40 years but these days my expertise is questioned because I refuse to pay a fee to some self appointed organisation for them to allow me to be "qualified" as a "Master Builder". By the way I have noticed that there are firms with little or no construction experience that tout that title of "Master Builder" when all they do is kitchen and bathroom ventilation.
Pah, Humbug... -
Southerly: Now I Am Permitted, in reply to Moz,
How do you know that –
That;s what I got from the article.
To which Roger replied:
“That is the background. The floor levels they found were in many places worse than that without an earthquake”.
Why compare a freshly poured slab to an earthquake damaged one when the idea is to arrive at a baseline for repair?.
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Southerly: Now I Am Permitted, in reply to David Haywood,
If you’re interested you can read this hair-raising piece by a registered professional surveyor.
I would dispute this man's findings on 2 major points.
1. Sutton's answer was pertaining to existing building slabs, not new ones under construction. All buildings move over time, especially those built on unstable ground.
50mm over 10mtrs may seem like a lot but when you consider 5mm over the length of the average builders level would be within acceptable levels due to variations of the finish of the concrete, even on a new building. However, using a laser level over 10mtrs would show this but laser levels were not generally common, even 20 years ago. At this point I should add that drainage slope required for run-off is twice this amount.
2. It would seem to me that a certain amount of the authors displeasure stems from "professional self importance" and not really in the interests of home owners. People trust people with qualifications and after reading this would feel justified in feeling "cheated" when' in fact, their homes are safe as houses, as it were.My own house, in Auckland, has floor levels far worse than those found acceptable by DBH but then it has been sitting on a sloping site since 1926 , and it ain't going nowhere fast.
So be a little more understanding, it is the roof over your head that is the important bit, you can always slip a book under the table leg to fix a wonky floor, not so with a roof.
Good luck to you all anyway,
Cheers. -
Hard News: Kitchen Hacks, in reply to Amy Gale,
Very good question Amy. In all my years of studying Legumes I have come to the conclusion that Cicer arietinum are chic in the early summer, around lunchtime, and generally considered passé at almost any other time, They can be regarded as bourgeois when eaten anywhere in Ponsonby.
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Why do I bother?
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I got this tip from a Lebanese friend, an Egyptian freind said to me... "أن ليس الفلافل، مصنوعة الفلافل مع الفول. الأبله" so I guess Mr Judd is also right. :-D
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On the Felafel front I have been using tinned chickpeas and Channa flour, the course grind, for years with great success. You can add all sorts of things to them too, try wrapping chunks of feta in the dough before deep frying. You can make a passable hummus too just by whipping up a paste of channa flour and water the night before and let it soak over night, once again you can add herbs and spices to your taste.
While you are soaking your hummus mix you could soak some crushed buckwheat and then chop tomatoes finely with parsley and coriander and make your own Tabbouleh. Serve up with yoghurt and mint or cucumber if you prefer wit warm pita bread..
I haven't made pita for a long time since you can get it from the nearest garage these days.
Eat like a Sheik.
Hummus doul Alla anat… ;-) -
Handy kitchen tips.
Washing up is always a chore, save time and effort by simply putting your dirty dishes straight into a cheap plastic washing up rack and put it outside in the rain for a day or two, works wonders.
If you are in a hurry, or have few dishes, a good alternative is to use a water blaster.Egg storage can sometimes be a risky business, try putting them in a bowl or similar receptacle, this will stop them rolling off the bench.
To save time and effort when cooking bacon try placing the bacon on a plate and microwaving on full for 2 minutes. This will not only save time on cooking but also washing up because the plate usually breaks.
When cooking Lambs it is advisable to ensure they are dead first, this can go some way toward avoiding excessive mental trauma to your children and thus almost eliminate costly therapy sessions later in life.
When scaling fish make sure you save the scales, they make wonderful sequins for that special little outfit for an important night out.
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Catch 22 all over again
What nonsense.