Hey friends,

This week has brought about the first chill of Autumn so we made the decision to flick the heating on. It's a bit wussy I admit, especially as the boy didn't seem to mind, but there we are. Yet the radiators remained stone cold so I troubleshot the issue by identifying low boiler pressure, topped it up and bled all the radiators of air as I went. Now we're all toasty again, huzzah.

It did get me thinking about long term energy solutions since gas boilers may get phased out in future. The ideal scenario would be to install solar panels on our future first-floor extension, as the new roof would point south. These then could power the house, an electric car and a heat pump.

This set up appeals on the grounds of self-sufficiency and not having to rely on Putin deciding whether or not to turn on a gas pipeline. Ideally I wouldn't have to think about it until we got to that stage but with heat pumps being so bulky, they need a space to be fitted inside and out which then needs to be factored into earlier decision such as the rear extension. If we go with a ground-source HP then that probably needs to be thought out before laying a patio. Then there's a requirement for underfloor heating and/or larger radiators to get them to work which again requires forethought and as things stand a great deal of uncertainty given that I don't know what I don't know 🤔.

Anyway this all leads me to my first topic...

⛔ How To Instigate Change

I do my best to ignore the news, I really do. Sure, I like to stay reasonably informed, but I try to avoid getting sucked in. The news has for a long time now descended into sensationalised clickbait titles not dissimilar to a well-optimised YT thumbnail but instead of eliciting an intrigued response they intentionally provoke a feeling of anger or anxiety in the reader to get us clicking and engaging so they can sell more ads.

However, going against this better judgement I've found myself getting a little worked up this week by the self-righteous clowns that are Insulate Britain who have nothing better to do than block roads and prevent even ambulances from passing.

Will they succeed? Let's look at a few positive changes made in recent history.

• Whale hunting declined well before it was outlawed internationally (save for a few countries) because there was a better and cheaper alternative to train oil: petroleum and vegetable oil.

• CFCs that were causing a hole in our ozone were prohibited thanks to other options such HCFCs and later HFCs which don't damage the ozone (though these are still potent greenhouse gases and ironically are found in spray foam insulation. Now HFCs are being replaced by HFOs which have a much lower greenhouse effect 👍).

• People have for the most part stopped illegally downloading music and tv shows because there are easier solutions like Spotify and Netflix.

As I said in a previous newsletter, I think there will be an uptick in home insulation projects this winter, which will no doubt lead these people to believe they have succeeded. But it won't be because they have forced the government's hand nor won over the people (quite the opposite) but because the cost of energy has increased. That is, for better or worse, what instigates change at the scale they demand: a desire to decrease costs and/or increase convenience, not stopping normal people going about their day.

As soon as insulation prices can be reduced and heat pumps and solar panels become easier to install, everyone will jump on board, why wouldn't they?

Ahhh, it's good to vent ;)

🔨 Roofing

On a more positive note my roof sheets for the garage have arrived which will bring an end to my daily routine of pushing rain water off the tarp with a broom. Joe is coming over this weekend to help me install them and the weather is set fair 😎.

Of the two coloured finish options you can pick, PVC plastisol is the longer lasting but more pricey and polyester paint being the cheaper and for longevity is probably better suited to more sheltered wall cladding. As for appearance here's how they differ:

PVC plastisol:

Polyester paint:

Not a lot in it.

✔️ Other things

• Off the back of mentioning the cedar cladding my old neighbour gave to me in last week's newsletter, Chris offered to buy it and came to collect. It was a real pleasure chatting with him and he's the second I've met through this newsletter which got me thinking that if there are enough of us around the High Wycombe area who would fancy a pub meet-up, let me know and I'll make a list!

• Once the garage roof is done this week that'll wrap up my summer projects. As long as it goes smoothly, I will have got everything done that I wanted so I'm pleased. I figure that if I tell you what I want to get done this winter then I'm more likely to do it so here's my list:

-baby's room (nearly finished clearing it)

-at least 1 bathroom

-organise garage

-plan out workshop build & start gathering materials

• The trip to Gran Canaria that I talked about under 'digital nomadism' is booked for next month which is enormously exciting. We had changed our minds and planned to go to southern Europe in September but postponed in a vain hope that Arlo might return (for new readers, that's our missing kitty). I think both Abi and I have had some mild depression over it. The telltale signs were there: waking up later, a lack of motivation etc, especially after I'd conducted my frantic nights-in-the-woods searches. Eventually I just threw myself into DIY and Abi's had her hands full with the baby so that's helped in a way. Anyway, we're very much looking forward to getting away to the land of eternal spring. (Was this a touch too glum for a newsletter? I'm not keen on the 'look at my life, isn't it great' side of social media so maybe a little balance is a good thing 🤷‍♂️)

• Oh and I got this video out. It's one of my more high-effort vids and I tried to touch on different points from those in my last laminate video. If you want to see my Dewalt second-fix nailer in action, this one's for you.

👋

Hit "reply" if you've got any comments on this week's newsletter – otherwise I'll see you next time. Have an epic week :)

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P.p.s. You can find all previous newsletters here.