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Thanks for all the feedback it really helped. I spoke to the builder about the foundations etc and could tell he was chatting rubbish, he kept changing his story. Telling me one thing & my wife another. Structural engineer came and said the same as what you're all saying. It's basically a dangerous structure and has to come down.

Hello kiwibloke. "How does building construction type ( brick, block work, timber frame etc) affect the foundation cost?" Not that much on standard strip foundations. To provide some context. A typical two storey house with well propotioned load bearing internal wall loads a strip found by about 40 - 50 kN/m, a bit less if TF. That is about 4 -5 tonnes per metre run of found. A common allowable soil bearing capacity, say a consolidated clay (not soft clays) is 100kN/m^2 .. 10 tonnes per square metre. Thus a 600mm wide strip found can carry 100 kN * 0.6 = 60 kN per metre run = 6 tonnes per meter run so gas in the tank there.. Practically you often need a 600mm wide found to fit the wall on anyway and to give the brickie / ground worker a bit of tolerance. "My second question is what dominates the foundation cost, is it the ground geology or the building construction type?" For most domestic stuff it's the "geology" that tends to govern. Type of generic soil type ; sands / clays/ rock, chalks filled ground. Next you drive down; water levels, proximity of trees, ground gas potential and so on. "For the sake of argument If I am free to choose the geology and construction type what would be the best geology and construction type to minimise foundation cost?" Kiwi.. is this the Xmas wish list? Worked on a job a few years back. Top soil about 250/ 350mm thick from memory, great top soil all saved for the garden. A sub soil, clay / sand firm but easily dug and this was used to regrade the landscape. Then about three feet down (900mm) fractured weathered rock. This rock had not seem the light of day since the last mini ice age. Although fractured was great to support a house found. The site was slightly sloping and the rock was sufficiently fractured that we got good soakaway results for the septic tank and rain water run off. We excavated out the big hole for the septic tank with a JCB 3CX. We just carried on digging out the fractured rock here an there and used this as sub base for all the drive / hard standings.. saved a fortune. That was nearly perfect! Aye Conor you were lucky there! For all. If you are new to building a house think twice before you do your investigation with a mini digger. Also, if you have say one house under your belt.. well pride comes before a fall if you think you are suddenly a ground expert. It's often false economy. For a standard house set of trial pitting budget on something like a JCB 3CX for a day with a good driver. Get the SE to attend on the same day. Let the SE and the driver work together, stand back and just watch! you'll be amazed at what they can find and deduce! Make them tea and provide some buns and they will often include you in the process. It can be a day well spent and you can look back knowing that you have a good understanding of why your house "stays up". Take a standard strip found at say 900mm deep. To do a proper job you want to dig down some 2.7m or until refusal to be sure. If you hit something solid with a mini digger at say 1.5 m how do you know it is not a boulder! a mini digger is like taking a knife to a gun fight! A mini digger just does not have the "poke" and you end up disturbing the soil so much that the SE is left up with mince. What can often happen here is that you end up with an over designed found which will cost you a lot more than the extra expense of getting the right machine. "grabbing a handful of soil" Yes at times it may appear so. But there is a little more to it than that. I wonder.. you often pay your lawyer / solicitor a good fee without quibble, but balk when you need to pay say an Architect / Professional Contractor, Heating Engineer / Electrician for advice that will save you loads of money! Even though they are still all insured to the same if not a higher level!

We were going to use hand made bricks but planners rejected them as having too much texture. Ended up using a mix of Audley Antique and another similar brick which I forget the name of.. https://www.travisperkins.co.uk/facing-bricks/traditional-brick-and-stone-facing-brick-audley-antique-pack-of-600/p/621571 Pretty happy with the result and was able to spend more on the roof tiles.

Or something built in West Cornwall.

So that must be comforting, in a way, that your fears are professionally confirmed. To be sacked Monday morning, preferably confirmed in writing, explaining why. It is tempting to hope that everything turns out ok, and worry where will you get another builder. But just imagine living in here with any doubts about the strength and stability. I have sacked builders on day 1, with little idea where I will find replacements, and the risk of penalties from the client. Without fail the builders say you can't do this and you will be stuck without us. But quality and safety must come first, and it always turned out ok. Make sure you keep evidence, photos, all this forum discussion and your Engineer's comments (if it is not in writing, transcribe your recollection now before it becomes vague). Why? I don't want to worry you, but some builders will claim for money they aren't entitled to, and some can be unpleasant and vindictive. Be ready to counter with strength that you would sue for damages/ demolition/fee or get police or whatever as appropriate. I believe they see it in your eyes if you have this logic prepared, and they walk away. Just for interest, and don't answer if you don't want to, have you paid them much?

I made my own sills but my doors open inward, the hardwood I had was to small so I joined it together. I have a weather strip inserted in the groove that the door closes up against and went with a large overlap at the bottom of the door to act as drip. I also cut in another drip detail below the sill to stop water tracking back under the door. I like it and it works well but not something that would look right on a new build….

It depends on the site, and if the building is simple or complex. If it a standard area with buildings already around, then it is likely that a local SE will be 90% sure of what to expect in the ground. They may only want to witness a hole being dug to a metre or so, to confirm their expectations. For no cost you can chat to a local Engineer and see if they agree, and what the cost would be. For an unknown or known problematic location, then deeper boreholes might be required. this is usually a primitive process with a tripod and dropping weight. once there, they can do several for the same sum. These can go quite deep if necessary and again the Engineer will advise what is wanted. Tests on the samples can be carried out in a lab, but that is often unnecessary.

Hi @WWilts currently going through the process of obtaining quotes of this part of our build , based on what i have been quoted, the local firms are way more competitive price wise than the national firms

Yes indeed, if I was @LakesDylan or one of his neighbours I would want the details added as an amendment to the deeds of all parties. The important legal principal is that these rights (easements) are attached to the land.

Its common for such things to be in the deeds of all the houses. Not sure if it's possible but it might be worth adding a dispute resolution process. It's not uncommon for one party to want to replace something while another only wants to repair it again and again. Majority voting? Minority pays for surveyors report?

Agreed. as the floor is constantly warmed with UFH, it is important not to heat the earth, hence take this once only chance to insulate well, and it will repay over time. If the floor is large then the earth in the centre will provide decent insulation in itself (to the extent that a very large building does not need flor insulation at all). but for a small building, most of the floor is near the outdoors and there is heat loss. Because of this it is probably best to use the most expensive insulation (PIR) to whatever thickness you can. I see the first floor insulation as being control rather than economy. you will be keeping the heat in the relevant room, especially keeping the ground floor heat where intended.

If there is a hip, then the sheet is cut on the diagonal to fit, and the triangle is thrown away. Also is a tricky cut, (with a nibbler or shears) to avoid mistakes. So say there is a hip-end, then every sheet is cut and has wastage, unless you can flip it over and use the cut angle on the opposite hip...in my experience the cladder has to be told exactly how to cut every sheet, otherwise the old habit of a new sheet every time comes in. With slates and tiles the same angled cuts exist but the wastage is a small fraction. also metal sheets have to be quite precisely ordered, to fit just over the gutter and under the ridge. For a big roof it may be that 2 sheets are used, and then they overlap. Tiles take away that risk and precision. summary...for a big roof i think metal is much cheaper in material and labour. For a small roof tiles/slates, and you would struggle to find a metal cladder anyway.

Seems to be, probably because when the regs were written, UFH was not that common. But that should be of little concern to you, add as much insulation (smallest U-Value) as you can below the UFH pipework. It is not compulsory to work to the minimum standard.

Assuming you'll be using traditional sarking boards at 22mm thickness these are fine for a standing seam roof. Just make sure that if you do go for the standing seam you use a marginally thinner sarking board at the eaves for the eaves flashing. With traditional standing seam it's often the labour that's expensive and this will depend on the number of penetrations in the roof and its shape. If it's a simple rectangular shape, it's a really straight forward and quick process. You can even buy ready fabricated trays that clip together saving even more on labour. I've installed both and love both materials, but I think my personal preference does now lean towards the metal.

Is this planning term specific to the Republic or Ireland?

Nothing wrong with wall plate on top of lintel …. Depending on overhand you may have to be careful of door catching rafters/eaves if applicable

Hi chaps. Ok progressing.. but made a bit of a blunder/ gone too safe re.height.. meaning my post setting in on t'other side is now 2" less depth. Just to remind you, I have a full 12" of slope from L to R. Perfect level ( in this position that is.. its a bit off level opened into drive pic 2: but i guess this is n/ a). Near perfect plumb. So my post 2 can only go in about 18" into ground at most. But it does only have a a 4 ft gate hanging from it. What do you think? What side would be the recommendation for the joining loop go, this bigger 8 ft gate?

One for your structural engineer

Drop the builder now . Can’t be trusted and evidently can’t build ! . Will delay everything but better to get it done properly ?

On the subject of Matter/Thread and interoperability... Home assistant have launched a crowd funding campaign for a new smart hub that will run Home Assistant, has built in support for Zigbee (so no more Hue hub or Ikea hub as well) and it will also support Matter in the future. More info here: https://www.crowdsupply.com/nabu-casa/home-assistant-amber

Quick update: All four parcels dispatched. I've paid two import duties so far and they attempted delivery yesterday but we were out. Ordered on Monday! I've just had the other 2 import duty emails so should have delivery of everything mid next week. Really impressed so far. Latzel / Thomas has been incredibly quick with everything and DPD make it very easy to pay fees etc. Full breakdown of cost comparison to follow...

No, I've a metal staircase kit so thought I might make a temporary one from the. 4x4s whilst I dick about selecting fixings... ?

Many of the above are made at the same factories When it comes to Italian tiles Big is best Marrizzi are the tiles I use the most Design and quality are second to none Lead times are the shortest and an absolute no quibble guarantee One of my personal favorites is Ricchetti Superb tiles at Spanish tile prices You can usually tell an Italian tile without looking at the back The glaze runs to the bottom edge Preventing chipping and the designs are more vivid and varied Also from a fixing point of view They are flat and cut better We are normally around 30 for the Italian and under 20 for Spanish floor tiles Some companies specify Tiles adhesive supply under £70m2 and A1 job You work with what you have

This is a cheat sheet of mainstream italian manufacturers I put together some time ago. A lot of U.K. resellers rebrand tiles though, so it may not be easy to shop brand-first, good for inspiration though. Fiandre (https://www.granitifiandre.com/) Marazzi (https://www.marazzigroup.it/) Paraneria Group - Cotte D'Este (https://www.cottodeste.it/) - BlueStyle (https://www.blustyle.it/) - Lea (https://www.leaceramiche.it/) Florim (https://www.florim.com/) Imola (https://imola.it/) Fap (https://www.fapceramiche.com/en/) Mutina (https://www.mutina.it/) Gigacer (https://www.gigacer.it/) Atlas (https://www.atlasconcorde.com/)

I routed my UFH deliberately to miss where the pan was going to screw down to. Then decided to go for a wall hung WC which made it a bit of a moot point.

+1 to mounted vertically. What I meant was you might be able to run a pipe horizontally then vertically up in the same boxing as the 110m soil pipe and put this small AAV in the loft as well.

I can confirm the batteries are the real deal - after a quick charge I can't notice any performance difference between it and my original 3ah battery in my circular saw. The drill tho.... not so impressive. guess i'm too used to brushless motors. I't'll be going on ebay soon.

It's often as simple as a mini digger digging a couple small holes to about 2m deep and your structural engineer sticking their head in and grabbing a handful of soil. We did ours when we were laying our temporary electric supply, digger was already there so only had to pay the engineer her £250 site visit fee. We are fortunate to be on a high modulus sandstone based red clay. As we were digging down the basement, we came across a layer of river gravel... Fortunately it was quite thin and our target depth was just below. If it had been thicker, would have cost us thousands.

I'll add a mention for an Insulated Raft foundation. Most "manufacturer's" of these will claim they are cost effective compared to traditional foundations due to the shallower dig, less concrete used and no need for a separate screed. I can't vouch for those claims as I never costed a traditional foundation, but went this route for my build due to the higher thermal performance. They are suitable for most ground conditions, down to quite low bearing capacity. An insulated raft for a timber structure is the simplest (cheapest) of the options, and gives the best opportunity for removing all floor to ground cold bridges. Having a masonry outer skin, or ICF build adds a little complication and cost to an insulated raft due to the likely need for a second, separated ring beam around the periphery of the raft to take the extra weight.

See https://www.buildwithrise.com/stories/texas-passive-house-weathered-the-2021-storm - in full on ice-storm conditions @-13°C outside with no electricity for days it never got below 10°C internally and as far as I can work out they only moved out because cooking outside on a barbecue in those conditions was rather unpleasant. Having a stove/fireplace is a source of significant thermal losses, so essentially commits you to running it full time during an extended power cut in extreme conditions. If you're frail enough that internal conditions of 10°C for extended periods of time are life-threatening (which certainly happens), you're going to find it difficult to keep a fire going for an extended period of time without assistance as well.

Chalk is easy too. Rock for foundations but cheese for digging. But it is horrible across the site in winter as it turns to toothpaste. Sink holes is a big issue as you say. Using swales rather than soakaways, and any soakaways spread over large areas can help.

Tell it like it is Faz. "Total Bollocks" Spot on fella.

I would stop the work now.

The Building Regulations are here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/697629/L1B_secure-1.pdf The L1B is for existing buildings. Seems to be 0.22W.m-2.K-1 unless it is an upgrade and then it is 0.25 While you may not have to improve the losses though the floor, you may want to. Part of thermal calculations is temperature difference, and as the ground does not change temperature much, and UFH heats the floor more than an unheated floor, it makes sense to insulate it more.

Start by looking up some data. https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/river-and-sea-levels

There are some interesting systems here, as mentioned I just went for this simple DAB systems, DAB E.Sybox Mini 3. It works really well to improve water pressure for the whole house. It's very simple to install, just put in your main water supply. I had low flow around 10 ltr /s and low pressure 1.1 bar. It seems to help flow a little (although in theory it shouldn't ) but pressure is fantastic, I have at 2.5 bar and it instant as soon as you turn the tab. I use a combination boiler and now have great showers. I've been using it for three years and highly recommend it.

Then our front door would have been nearly a metre above ground level, and our basement wouldn't have been very basementy.

Completely agree. We threatened you from afar to get rid of the piss-coloured grout, and nothing. But then when we came around mob-handed to show you we were serious….bingo! Glad this shambles got stopped now before it got any further. Time to say “Adios” to Roy and Woody. God help their next victims……

I did it thank you all and @Nickfromwales who is probably rolling his eyes with my stupidity earlier on in the thread!

No expert of course . But , if I can do better then it must be real shit . As others have said stop all work getting BC to look . You sure I didn’t do it ? - can’t remember….

Where do they tether their horses while working?