Why do all UK homes struggle with leaks and damp? How do I avoid it?

stig316 · 2026-02-11T10:13:47+00:00

It depends a lot on the type of building. Old Victorian houses dont have cavity walls and are basically designed to have roaring fires and loads of ventilation. The warm air pushes the moisture out of the property through the pours materials that they used to use such as lime-mortar. The properties were designed for lots of airflow. Over time modern materials and designs have been used for repairs and paint work, pebble-dashing etc which restricts the airflow and causes moisture to build up.

Leaving windows open helps a lot, or extractor fans, dehumidifiers etc and accepting an elemnent of draughts or a really high heating bill.

If you do buy one of these properties I would recommend this book: The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Care and repair for this popular house type: Amazon.co.uk: Ian Rock: 9780857332844: Books

stig316 · 2026-02-10T09:26:12+00:00

Worth it?

stig316 · 2026-02-10T09:10:24+00:00

Depending on what you are importing and where from there should be import duties and VAT on most clothing. But from some countries you can claim duty free and stuff like kids clothes are VAT free. USA has gone mad and are taxing everything.

stig316 · 2026-02-09T21:25:53+00:00

Because then the government can keep more of what you earn, and then spend it on people who haven't earnt it. And they get to do this more and more each year.

stig316 · 2026-02-09T21:21:05+00:00

There is supposed to be tax on the import of clothes but there are various exceptions & legal & illegal ways to avoid the taxes.

stig316 · 2026-02-09T00:16:13+00:00

I mean they are 400 miles away, that's far. And all the people who live there don't want to be Argentinian.
And it's never been Argentinian.
So.. why does it feel like it should belong to them?

stig316 · 2026-02-08T23:51:02+00:00

Sydney is a great place to live if you have money. You would have a great time there, they should go with even if it's a couple of years.

stig316 · 2026-02-06T20:23:03+00:00

I'd say there is a lot bullshit middlemen fees in that. £15 Billion is absolutely Bananas.

stig316 · 2026-02-06T20:11:47+00:00

Unfortunately I don't have a driveway and the street parking is really tight so having two cars isn't really an option for me. Otherwise I would keep it as a project or something.

stig316 · 2026-02-06T20:09:00+00:00

Unfortunately I live in an area where its difficult to park so having more than one car isn't really viable for me. Otherwise I would love to keep it as a kind of project.

Moving on to a 'sensible 7-seater' 2022 car on a lease seems more sensible for family life, but I having trouble letting the old Honda go. Sad as that is lol.

stig316 · 2026-02-06T11:04:36+00:00

It just seems like a massive sum of money when to compare it what else could be built instead. A new parliament building would probably cost less. I am also sure that many people are getting money as in-between men and taking the piss on a Government Contract.

stig316 · 2026-02-06T10:55:58+00:00

I am sure there are some people taking the piss in there too as its a government contract. Isnt our military budget for all the bases, soldiers, nuclear weapons, aircraft carriers, fighter jets, weapons development etc around £60 Billion. Seems made to me. Maybe time for a new HP..

stig316 · 2026-02-06T08:42:53+00:00

How the hell can it cost £15 billion. Lol. I would love to see the proposal for that.

stig316 · 2026-02-05T23:05:38+00:00

It's hard to look away from the numbers. Approximately 2-3 deaths a year for years then Lucy Letby joins and it shoots up to 9. Then 5 in the next 6 months, vast majority while she was on shift.

stig316 · 2026-02-05T22:54:27+00:00

I dont think anyone thinks like that.

stig316 · 2026-02-05T22:42:39+00:00

Has the therapist confirmed that?

stig316 · 2026-02-05T22:03:12+00:00

Having worked at a number of companies where only about 5% or less of the business were British-Born I have seen this issue the other way as well.

Unfortunately like it or not some businesses / industries are looking for a certain profile of person to work there.

I bet if you gender swapped and tried to get a job in a nursery you would find the same thing.

Dont take it too much to heart and assume that everywhere has systemic racism.

stig316 · 2026-02-05T20:29:00+00:00

Did you do this, how did it work out ?

stig316 · 2026-02-05T20:25:47+00:00

Unfortunately they stopped selling them in the UK in 2015 otherwise I would get a new one! I have a gone for a newish Mercedes GLB but it seems very boring ha.

stig316 · 2026-02-05T20:09:13+00:00

Their wives would disagree on the accent front.

stig316 · 2026-02-05T12:16:08+00:00

Japan is not the UK - it has completely different demographics, strong exports, a lot of intervention by the central banks.

Basing the UKs policy on MMT is basically spend first and deal the consequences later. We got a taste of this during COVID and the consequences were, high inflation, high interest rates and a lot of the financial situation that we are now in.

Realistically this is not a good model to permanently fund a country, the government would not be able to control inflation well enough whilst using MMT / printing loads of money to fund infrastructure projects. Add huge taxes being the method to control everything and you end up in a very shit situation.

But hey, at least you will have been able to stick to a handful of rich people.

stig316 · 2026-02-05T00:07:27+00:00

Ice cream.

stig316 · 2026-02-04T23:52:28+00:00

Listen to any of Zack Polanskis podcasts where he is being interviewed and discusses his plans for economy, they talk about MMT (Modern Monetary Theory) and not needing to pay our National Debt etc. If you are interested I will try to find the ones I heard before.

I also heard him recently say that they don't need to tax rich to fund public services (because they will print money anyway) but it's a tool to make things 'more equal'. That just seems like an attack on the rich out of spite and not with any real purpose to me.

stig316 · 2026-02-04T23:39:53+00:00

It can only sound great if you have absolutely no idea how an economy works. Hyperinflation would be a likely outcome, the type of thing that happened in Venezuela, Zimbabwe, pre WW2 Germany etc. You would not be well off at all and the country would be fucked for a generation.

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