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Showing content with the highest reputation on 07/17/20 in all areas

  1. I live on the west coast of Argyll and over the last 7 years have sunk all my savings into my project and now the project grinds on very slowly as and when funds are available, any sort of end game is years and years away...... the only positive thing about squandering a small fortune on the place is it’s my forever home and hopefully my children will take it on one day..... If I was to sell tommorow I would loose so very much ...... your position sounds pretty precarious and your going to need to do some serious costings before putting any more money into the project so that you have a clear understanding of how much it’s going to cost to get it into a liveable condition or sellable condition if that’s the end game. Once you have these costs you may decide to cut your losses and sell it at a huge loss or get it livable and then put money into it as and when you can or borrow some seious cash. My experience is with old buildings and renovation and its all costsed me so very much more than expected.... and will continue to absorb all my spare cash for years to come..... but I love it and the life I have chosen and treat the whole thing as a hobby..... an expensive one.
    3 points
  2. You need to look at every option and rule nothing out. Get some more quotes for the dry rot. Bear in mind that costs for this sort of work can spiral as more stuff becomes apparent. Can you sell the building as is? What price? Can you borrow from friends / family? If you do get to do the place up, could you rent out rooms to help pay back the loan? Bear in mind that your house is still probably in better nick than @scottishjohn's and I reckon you are a fair bit younger than him! Good luck!
    2 points
  3. Its an ill wind that blows nobody any good: Covid-19 has brought a flurry of building activity and trades folk to our door looking for work. Everyone is welcome. On site the other day: plumber, tiler, chippy, BCO, plasterer - all working in their own safe areas. And everyone (except the BCO) either whistling or singing loudly. The chippy was first to notice it ............... The plasterer's singing. It was worse than Billy Connelly p i s s e d out of his skull. Its was so bad that, like moths to a flame, one by one, we all gathered indoors to listen. Shhhh, shhh, shhhaaaa dup.....: we tried to stop ourselves laughing Phones out, recorders ON , we listened and recorded in communal horror. The volume of his singing was deafening. Maybe he's partly deaf? Chippy: Eh Dave (plasterer) That plaster comes from Finland dunnit.... Plasterer face to the wall bobbing and weaving like a goodun: Aye, 'appen - good stuff Carlite Finish - didn' know it was Finnish though - Four of us clutching our withers in suppressed laughter - plasterer facing the wall has no idea he has an audience. Plasterer ..........la la la, whatcha goin to do abart it whatcha gonna do --- lal la la da da.. whatcha gonna do - do bbeee dobe dooo boop bee doop? Chippy : You can tell trades who work on their own can'tcha Dave? Singin's fekkin awful Plasterer turns round, sees his audience : shocked look on his face - four of us phones held high recording the caterwalling. Do Carling Finish Plaster reeely cum from Finland then? Yeah mate we all reply. YOU BAR STEWARDS.........
    2 points
  4. A lot of people ask me about the detail of how my house is built so I thought it worth a thread to explain things. First off, I didn't want an "ordinary" timber framed house with a cavity then a brick or block outer skin. That outer skin just costs a lot of money and adds nothing to the insulation of the house, it's just an expensive rain shield. I still wanted the traditional Scottish look of a white rendered finish but I want all elements of the wall make up to add to the insulation and air tightness of the property. The solution is a timber frame, clad with 100mm thick wood fibre external wall insulation boards (I used Pavatex, but other makes are available), and the render goes straight onto the wood fibre board. Here's a picture to make it clear: In that picture I only have a few of the fixing screws in place. A lot more were added and then driven fully home. The board is fixed to the frame with long screws with big plastic spreaders to stop the screws pulling through the board. There are a few twists to the frame however. First thing you will notice is that it is not an "ordinary" timber frame. For a start it's built with much thicker timbers than normal to allow more insulation in the walls. But secondly people keep telling me i have put the frame up "inside out" The OSB racking layer is on the inside of the frame. That's done for vapour permeability reasons with the least vapour permeable layer on the inside. With this build method you can either fill the frame with blown in insulation from the inside once the wood fibre cladding is fitted, or in my case I have chosen to use Frametherm 35 as it's less than half the cost of blown in insulation but gives the same U value. So I am fitting the insulation from the outside as I fit the wood fibre cladding. Insulating only that bit of frame I expect to get clad in that day as I don't want the insulation left exposed to get wet if it rains. The render is a lime based system from baumit.com. It has 3 layers, a base coat that is mixed from dry powder, then a primer that is painted on, then the top coat comes pre mixed in tubs. A fibreglass mesh gets pressed in to the base coat before it is dry. Overall benefits of this approach Vs an ordinary timber frame with blockwork outer skin: Simpler foundations (no need for provision to support the outer brick or block wall) More insulation for a given wall thickness More of the job can be DIY done, perfect for self builders. And an unexpected one, because there is no cavity, there is no need to pepper the wall with weep ventilators, so you get a clean render finish with no "warts" And here is what the finished and rendered front of the house looks like.
    1 point
  5. Hi all, aspiring self-builder in the beginnings of research and just scoping things out. Just starting out with my wife and our young growing family and want to build a 3 bed house for ourselves because of the better value we would get for our money. Our current situation is no land, no building design but lots of energy and a decent grasp of the construction world and a fairly good deposit (a bit under 100g's). Looking at designs and plots that would build us about 150sqm house with a decent size garden for the kids. I've worked in construction for about 8 years as a qualified sparky, partly qualified chippy and have done a fair bit of ground work as well. Anyways, thought I'd say hi and I'm looking forward to learning more about other members' self builds and getting some ideas in my head. Cheers Jo
    1 point
  6. OK so first off, that is a cover over the edge of the rubber roof - you need to take the deck board up, check the board hasn't damaged the rubber too, and take the trim off. Once you have done that, make sure the rubber roof is firmly bonded to the bricks. There are various products you can use for this, Sikaflex EBT+ is as good as the rest and you need a decent bead of it behind the top edge of the membrane so any water that gets behind the flashing cannot get through. Then refit the plastic cover. Rake out the joint and brush it clean, then a good thick bead of lead sealant or EBT+ into the gap and push the trim in. Wedge it downward and then point the gap between the wedges with more sealant and finish it flush. Leave it to dry, pull out the wedges and point the gaps. Leave it 24 hours before you try a water test !
    1 point
  7. Cold, all pipes are getting buried under 300mm of insulation. Very much doubt it will be a cold attic tomorrow though!
    1 point
  8. Also consider jumping up to a 92mm duct for any one adverse run for a get out of jail card as it's the resistance that dictates the max length of the run at x dia.
    1 point
  9. I routinely double-up on anything that looks remotely adverse, particularly to bedrooms, and the doubled run also makes for a slightly quieter solution also. Another thing to consider is two runs, but single runs to two ceiling valves instead of two runs to a single valve. I often do that in kitchens where the extract 'area' was large and it was better to cover more area. Again, a quieter solution especially when on boost. Good to remember when the kitchen / bathrooms boost the whole house boosts with it, as there is only one fan group servicing the whole system at a unified speed eg boost rate or trickle rate.
    1 point
  10. Thanks Nick, I've just checked, it does have a bypass, so I guess that's good. Item 2 and seems to be adjustable. Not sure the difference the setting would make, there are 5 settings
    1 point
  11. Thank you DevilDamo - this was a really helpful response and we follow all you say. Will look into the window opening point/SAP calculation you make as we've now plotted out our preferred window positions and sizes. Also, we'll make further checks on what we could do to the existing bungalow in terms of external cladding (maybe for insulation gain) and whether or not we could possibly avoid PP altogether, to then have the PD built extension fit in with existing. Thanks again!
    1 point
  12. Why not attach it and the Planning No to an email to the generic planning address, and ask if they can clarify. Or try Planning Aid, or email Ordnance Survey. To me it looks to perhaps be 2 culverts in a single frame. Ferdinand
    1 point
  13. Got somewhere finally; cancelled him as he missed his last set deadline and wouldn't give me a date he would actually finish them. Baffled me personally. Now have a new company working to a 4 week turn around time who fully understand what is wanted and needed from the job; £300 more but at least I can retain my sanity.
    1 point
  14. just do two runs and be done with it.
    1 point
  15. I am waitng contact still from the concrete canvas local agent --which still could be an alternative depending on cost make up plywood box --screw the concrete canvas to it fix in 300mm pipe --wrap that with the concrete canvas --then just wet it all and you got a concrete box https://www.concretecanvas.com/concretecanvas they even supply inflatable shelters for miliatary -which you just it over --wet it and you got a semi permanent structure have a look https://www.concretecanvas.com/cc-shelters
    1 point
  16. If we are right those lines across the road are both pipes.
    1 point
  17. The meter size is different from the pipe size. They are a screw in type and the size refers to the aperture of the meter inlet - they are volumetric meters and that's the size of the "piston". A QN15 meter will have more than enough of a flow rate. This is most likely what they'll install: https://www.bes.co.uk/elster-v210-manifold-cold-water-meter-20887/?ref=gs&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9b_4BRCMARIsADMUIyrPhohVX2wW1nmtA8L3ftTB-hIIvB6-AJQoX2eg2uiJ_KpB-Ib0IDIaAreuEALw_wcB It's the only sized meter we'd ever install on a 25mm or 32mm service. The pressure loss is minimal and the more important factor is the diameter and length of the service pipe. You should install 32mm pipe all the way to your internal stopcock.
    1 point
  18. When I do fabrication drawings I'll do the standard top, side and end 3 views but will often provide a 3D view(s) too. Tbh I'll often JUST dimension a 3D view. I generally draw just small, bespoke brackets mind. A picture says a thousand etc. I'll even give the fabricator a flash looking render of the item. I think the best way is to admit to the builder you understand the fault doesn't lie with him (don't admit it's your fault). It'll build bridges. I'd let the architect know you're not happy though. Ask is there some way the elevation could maybe be temporarily clad or sheeted with a view to doing the cladding later. Does the cladding get stuck onto blockwork or mesh etc?
    1 point
  19. I'd be surprised if the rain was penetrating through the bricks. As above; rake out the mortar and replace with a decent sealant. I'd also repeat your hosepipe test on the decked area whilst keeping the wall/roof junction dry to rule out alternative routes in. Water will track along any joints and gradients and can appear on the ceiling some distance from the source.
    1 point
  20. Best way to learn! (Seriously; I find you learn far more from your mistakes than your successes, particularly if the latter are accidental ones!) One suggestion I would make is to shorten the overflow pipe... Not only does it keep it out of your way whilst working but a dip might catch some dirty water going down the plughole and end up causing smells.
    1 point
  21. @Dreadnaught strictly speaking, you'll have to issue a private street works notice to all the residents, I think it's a minimum of 2 weeks before works start. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/66/part/XI/crossheading/the-private-street-works-code
    1 point
  22. There speaks the individual with previous experience of staring at the 5000 pieces of the Christmas Jigsaw until Easter, who bought the print of the picture or the 500 piece version next time around. ? They can do whatever they like, and you can get whatever you negotiate, but you don't always find the A you want to use willing to do as you want in all respects, and individual fees may always be loaded vs a comprehensive package. My personal approach is that having done a number of reno projects I tend to be happy on the design side and much of the rest, but when I need A input it tends to be little enough of the overall project that I would tend to do it on a bit by bit basis charged by time plus disbursements. When I get around to my next significant project I may change that. This is an interview with Allan Corfield Architects explaining their stage fee structures and motivations, which may be useful background. https://www.houseplanninghelp.com/hph168-an-example-of-how-much-it-costs-to-hire-an-architect-with-allan-corfield/ F
    1 point
  23. Have you got them in PDF? If so they can be converted (and dimensioned correctly). I do it all the time. Occasionally, it fails, but that is more to do with a wonky printed PDF.
    1 point
  24. I think RIAS have some sort of fee guidance for domestic work but I'm not 100% sure. I think as long as the scope is clearly defined as fixed price is fine with most architects. To administer the contract, so liaise with the builder, sign off on the interim certificates and general keep us right is £1,400. This includes all the sight visits etc. For a full service contract the range seems to be about 5 - 15 % of the build cost, we're going to be be right at the bottom end of that. I suppose it's a bit like insurance, if everything goes smoothly you may feel that you've wasted some cash. We're up by Edzell/Brechin, our frame is arriving Friday and going up over the next few weeks if you fancy a visit. How far on with the bulid are you?
    1 point
  25. Consider hiring someone to plant it and maintain it for at least one season. May get a better package price, and will get past the difficult stage. Make sure that you learn in that time by asking millions of questions. But as with everything, you get back the work you put in.
    1 point
  26. Dan1983, Have you progressed any further? How did the figures for the ground source heat pump stack up against the boiler and rads? Thanks PDR
    1 point
  27. Bloody Hell Gary. I'm tired just reading that....
    1 point
  28. Hi there, I am building a small house in Caterham, Surrey. I have just started an instagram account for it if people we interested in following my progress, and sharing info about self building: https://www.instagram.com/selfbuildingbrit/ Best, Ivan
    1 point
  29. Brilliant idea Ian - I bought my hard hat today - it’s a lovely pink colour and it was contributing to breast cancer awareness which is a bit close to my heart at the moment with a few friends who have been or are going through it now.
    1 point
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