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First it was Scotland, then it was Italy. Let's just build.

BotusBuild

Entry posted by BotusBuild

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As I wrote the last blog entry, Scotland ???????  were beating England ???????  in the Calcutta Cup and we were all wondering when Lockdown 3.0 would end - we're nearly there apparently. We were also

  • sorting out re-mortgaging to a lower fixed interest rate, - DONE, and we are paying about £200 a month less than before!!
  • choosing insulated raft supplier - DONE, we went with Jackodur Atlas system
  • determining steel re-inforcement requirements for the foundations - DONE and for the most part installed ?

 

So, after more enforced delays, it was back onsite in May with the groundworker to get the stone and blinding sand in place ready for the insulated foundation system to be installed.

20210504_100438.thumb.jpg.45c491aff3e43683e422002d50ca349c.jpg 20210507_154255.thumb.jpg.bd94bcd8adb5dacaa47fd4dd421ae097.jpg

 

This involved about 80 tonnes of stone and 15 tonnes of sand being delivered - we have about 5 tonnes of each left over, fo which I have no doubt we'll find a use ?

(and before anyone asks, yes, it was rolled with an appropriately large machine at the appropriate time).

 

This all added to a sense of well being - we were in the fresh air, doing something beneficial (for us at least) and we were finally coming UP, out of the ground! Break out the party poppers ?

 

Ahhhhh - the insulated raft choice - it started out so simply having read the various comments in the forum, and Kore Systems it was going to be. I did then visit the Swindon self build centre and saw Jackon's stand and what seemed like a good system. Our SE had specified a 250mm thick slab throughout - no thin bits and thick bits - the Jackon Jackodur Atlas system seemed to fit the bill - a few calls, swap some drawings, commitment to delivery timescales, but with the flexibility I needed, a person onsite on day 1 to help. Quite straightforward. I won't go into detail, but let's just says Kore Systems approach was "our way or no way".

 

With a delivery to a local yard by articulated lorry and then our groundworker getting it on his trailer to go the last mile or so, we then proceeded to handball it all off the trailer. From delivery to the yard at 8:30am onto the ground by 1:30pm. The handballing was done by Mrs BB and I in about 4 hours.

 

20210607_090751.thumb.jpg.d652761af2c33e780bf53f7edd45cf02.jpg

 

The insulation comes with a nice waterproof holder for the instructions and the plan to follow - think "a jigsaw puzzle with the special parts all numbered and shown on a drawing". All the other parts are standard, but if you work from pallet 1 through pallet 2 to pallet N, you can't go far wrong. The very nice man from Jackon arrived just after we had stopped for lunch and we began with laying the first two sides and three corners, and then Mrs BB and I carried on the following few days to lay the rest. We did come across one part while the man was onsite which had not been cut properly in the German factory - you should have seen the delight on his face when he realised he was going to be able to send a snottogram ?.   It was easily sorted, but if he had not been onsite I can see that it could have caused a big time day - even with being onsite it took about 45 minutes for him to work out what had gone wrong.

 

Day 1:    IMG_20210607_174759.thumb.jpg.df62a13be74341f36a29fc8c88af490f.jpg              Day 2:    IMG-20210608-WA0000.thumb.jpg.fd528ea7d5ad7680509f1dbc29024b11.jpg

 

Day 3:    20210610_081940.thumb.jpg.2caf659650fd3278ac7e8cd45f3f3924.jpg      Day 4.   :20210610_164511.thumb.jpg.286e02eaffd15e867d0a60732489239b.jpg

 

Next in was the combined Radon barrier/DPM, the first layer of reinforcing mesh, including a double-layer strip (see left hand photo below) around the 3 sides that will be retaining walls. During the laying of the re-inforcing mesh we suffered our first big accident when one of them caught Mrs BB on the shin and we ended up at the local A&E for her to have a few stitches applied - she is still talking to me ? 

Over the last few weeks we have managed to get the time to put in the second layer of mesh, with the help of a good friend and one of our neighbours-to-be.

 

20210620_114457.thumb.jpg.f3749defdb2ca9fe778f4d74b115dfd6.jpg                       20210710_154657.thumb.jpg.3ec997509c6f1627b10503c67c5bf0a6.jpg

 

We're pretty close to pouring concrete, but just have the starter bars for the external walls and one internal wall to put in place, and two sets of bolts that will eventually have two steel columns attached to them.

 

Oh, and well done Italy ??.  (he said grudgingly)

 

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Moonshine

Looking good, and It reminds me of me doing my slab mesh a few weeks ago.

 

I,m currently filling the cavity of the retaining walls and getting the waterproofing done. 

 

I did about 200 starter bars and that was enough for me, you look as though you have triple that.

 

I put a 6m length of rebar on the top mesh where the starter bar needed to be, so it could be tied to that and the bottom mesh. Before the pour I fixed the hope of the starter bars to another 6m length of rebar, to make sure they were vertical and the right spacing. I took this off before I attached the retaining wall mesh

Screenshot_20210712-180650_Gallery.thumb.jpg.be366ab4fd80de4e3663ac1a2eecbd24.jpg

 

What are you tying with, I had the pull / twist tool and it was such a good thing to use.

 

 

 

Edited by Moonshine
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Moonshine
Quote

the first layer of reinforcing mesh, including a double-layer strip (see left hand photo below) 

 

A what now? a double layer of A393?

 

My SE spec'd the bottom layer as B1131 with lacer bars in it, to get the mass up.

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BotusBuild
19 hours ago, Moonshine said:

What are you tying with, I had the pull / twist tool and it was such a good thing to use.

Started with the twist tool, but it broke, so I put a tent peg in my cordless drill and it is so much better (set to slow speed with the variable trigger speed as well)

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BotusBuild
18 hours ago, Moonshine said:

A what now? a double layer of A393?

I know - this thing will hold up a block of flats ? 

 

My SE has also spec'd two rows of starter bars (wait until the next blog entry), one from the bottom layer, one from the top.

 

Appreciate how you kept yours upright ?  Will be plagiarizing ?   (or is that learning?)

Edited by BotusBuild
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Moonshine
6 hours ago, BotusBuild said:

Started with the twist tool, but it broke, so I put a tent peg in my cordless drill and it is so much better (set to slow speed with the variable trigger speed as well)

 

Mine got really stiff but I put a load of grease on it the twist thread and works fine.

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Moonshine
6 hours ago, BotusBuild said:

I know - this thing will hold up a block of flats ? 

 

My SE has also spec'd two rows of starter bars (wait until the next blog entry), one from the bottom layer, one from the top.

 

Appreciate how you kept yours upright ?  Will be plagiarizing ?   (or is that learning?)

 

I have never come across a double layer of starter bars, are they at 200 ctrs?

 

Learning definitely learning, what route have you gone down for the retaining wall, filled cavity masonry wall or cast in situ?

 

I did my second cavity fill today, and happy with how it has gone, up to 8 blocks high 

 

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BotusBuild

1 set is at 200mm ctrs, the other at 400 ctrs. 

Currently looking to use Nudura for the walls

 

Congrats on your progress

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BotusBuild
On 13/07/2021 at 19:11, Moonshine said:

I put a load of grease on it the twist thread and works fine

A very late thank you for this - it worked a treat on ours too

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