Nickfromwales

👌

Mask the wall and get it tanked at the right side of the shower area, where you have paint over plaster.

Just not going to happen with white adhesive tbh, so thank them for that "golden nugget" of 'advice'.... Yup, stops the sweat and panic, just chaos trying to do that in rapid. Crack on son, that's looking a top job. @nod is hiring lol

That should all be dressed in with 2 layers of FR PB. Defo done off the radar!

Consider the stairs, and assume that on the least impactful side of the (pyramid) roof, one side would need to be a dormer or full gable. You’d need to have the head height when stood on the top of the stairs, so look for examples of these small dwellings and get ideas for free from other people’s innovation . Aldo consider just a 1000mm extra footprint each way to beef the m2 up a bit. Or 500mm on the width, 1000mm extra on the depth etc etc.

What is that a pic of? Looks a lot like a wall….?

All hail, king @Pocster, 👑 🤴, bringer of posh doorbells and……stuff.

Yes, add a piece, but would defo be a simpler way to finish the intersecting timbers to a non-staggered surface and it would prevent any rotational movement as that’s creating a pivot. Also odd that the 4m and the 3m weren’t swapped, to further stagger the joints.

Thanks, I just found the "Elite" one, so may swap that out for my rechargeable one as it's an annoyance, but not the end of the world.

Your choice, and yours alone. The property will be valued in the future, less that extra habitable space afaik, so getting this immortalised in proper order may be beneficial for longer term options for higher resale valuations, or may be a can of worms you just can't be arsed to open... If you're happy to continue as-is, then the minimum, as said, would be to change to a fire door and lining. Then you defo should extend the linked (mains powered) heat/smoke detection system out to the garage and put a multi sensor detector in there for early warning (if there's not one there now), and basically treat that arrangement as if it's still just the garage and still a fire risk to the main residence. Back to the original question, we'd need to know what the floor was raised with (assuming they just poured a load of concrete in is a bit too little info to go on of course!), so if you can take up a corner of the room to investigate that would help. You can use a 200mm long drill bit to just drill down slowly until the drill pops out past the slab (if its masonry) and report the findings and the depth that you broke through. Do this at least 300-400mm in from the edge to get an accurate 'reading'.

Not sure how aggressive the pad you used was, but it looks like you may need to up your game a bit Looks like a bit of the laitence is still there, but that's not easy to tell from these pics obvs.

That's where the extra 1/2 pint of water works wonders

I'd also tie the left end into the wall with both timbers, not as shown with one stopping short?! That will prevent the timber from naturally wanting to roll, and this arrangement will need less 'help' from noggins then. Very odd to see that detail tbh.

You can AB&B an annex? Your next port of call, afaic, is to now employ a QS to get at least a rudimentary bill of quantities done, to get a reasonably accurate, and realistic price this project, from A-Z. Timber frame with a rendered external rain screen is prob quickest and simplest approach, possibly a brick or brick slip if planners get shitty, and keep it as simple as possible. A TF company can do the frame and roof (with the room in roof) in one sitting, and you've got the lions share of the work allocated to one contracting company (easier to control). Decent local general builder to then take it to completion. Each of these 2 parties will then project manage themselves....in an ideal world, with the general builder in at the outset for groundworks and foundation etc.

Ouch. My biggest worry would be about the bund between the useable garage and the 'new' residential half of the garage, as that's supposed to prevent fuel spills from interfering with the habitable part of the home (hence the step down from the existing house into the garage).... Also, I'd be worried that fire regs weren't observed and the plasterboard etc creating the dividing wall was (is) insufficient to provide a fire barrier in the unpleasant event of a fire. Sorry to pee on your chips btw, but at the very least I'd be sure to fit a 30 minute fire door where you enter the converted bit from the house. Insurance claims may be a bit interesting too, if none of the conversion is kosher / recognised / has BR approvals... The estate agents / surveyors should have flagged this surely?

That looks a bit like you've removed loose stuff and polished the stubborn residue? Have you tried a scraper on that polished bit vs where it appears 'matt'?

It's not blunt it's the hard reality! The cost of this needs to be calculated vs the payback time from rent (minus all the taxes and deductions / maintenance / repairs / refurbishments). Obvs also include anticipated uplift in value over the next 10-20 years or more, and THEN work out if this is worth doing; or should you just leave the money in the bank and enjoy the rest of your years.....and that's if the tenant isn't a nightmare and you get the rent paid religiously. Or, if it has independent planning and the plot is a title and deed (away from your dwelling) then put it up for sale and bank the moola, adding it to the pension pot for tax benefits. Depends on whether you're happy to suffer the nuisance of a new neighbour. It is, and always will be, disproportionately expensive to build something small (tiny), so you really need to see if this is worth even beginning to think about. And that's if it all goes well. If you're a tradesperson who could do the foundations and stick build this in TF then we would be in a different place, but then there's also your own personal time / worth to be considered there if you're not retired etc (or are fit as a fiddle and have time and energy to input). It may all go deliciously well and be your ticket to freedom, of course, but this needs a pragmatic approach and a reality-check at least, IMO.

Are you constrained with ridge height, as adding a bedroom in the roof space (so 1.5 storey or ‘room in roof) would get you the extra m2 GIA in the same smaller footprint.

Ok, thanks. So what was used to lift the original garage floor up to get it level to the house floor?

Timbers like these always have a ‘cup’ to them and you need to have these noted. Lay the wood down, lift up one end, and look down the length. You’ll note a depression and these need to be marked so all the depressions are ‘down’. Once installed these then need to be turned to be upside down so they deflect upwards, as these will then settle when weight is applied; weight from intersecting joists and flooring, plus stud walls etc. Use crown washers, upon final assembly only, and it’ll be fine. Remember to only tighten these bolts initially just enough to get a firm purchase, then jack and level with vertical batters off the floor at the mid-point of the span (one on each side so it doesn’t cause the timber to rock) to get it all ship-shape. Once happy with the level, tighten these all up snugly. I then go down the timbers each side with 90mm ring shank nails (NOT bright nails) and nail the shit out of them. 3 nails per row and repeated every 450mm from both sides, all down the entire run. Be sure of things being in place, because once you nail this, any thought of further tweaking goes out the window. Getting these in is probably a well educated 2-man job or a 3-man job, if you wish to retain any sanity and avoid getting smashed in the head by a timber. Usually 2 men on muscle, one running for fixings and stuff you drop when you least need it to (tools / nuts / bolts etc) so don’t be brave, be clever, get as much help as you can. My 2 cents is stop being tight and buy the 6m timbers obvs, as they can’t be THAT expensive?? Compared to the grief vs results, plus the cost of fixings and logistics / manpower, that has to be the sensible option surely?

The only caveat with Festool is you have to have the obligatory yuppie trade van, the VW transporter, to accompany all your top shelf tools lol.

Is this gypsum anhydrite?

Is it a drain back system?

Oh, and get some tanking solution on top of that tanking strip!!!!

@LiamJones "if I were to do it again (I’ve got 2 more formers to do), I'd sacrifice a dead level room, to reduce build up at the edge of the former. The former is designed with built in falls, and by building up, I’ve destroyed this. I could have also gone 2-3mm lower with the self leveller and still achieved a level floor, given 3mm adhesive would still be applied over the top of the bare UFH in places. what a nightmare!"..... First off, a bloody commendable effort mate, just dust yourself down and get ready for the next one. Firstly, don't use rapid set adhesive you mad bar steward!! Standard set is your friend for intricate stuff like this. Secondly, my thought as to where this went wrong (imho) after it was all going so right is as follows. When you set the former into place on the woodwork you missed one vital step, and that was to put a 6mm (or x mm) layer of plywood down first to raise the former to meet your (predicted) top of SLC, that simple mate. On the next one, work this out to the mm and fit either ply or insulated backer board / whatever works, and then the world will seem a happy place and the tiling will be a doddle I fit the UTH wire with the suggested tape etc, but it then go around after, painstakingly, and mitre bond the wire flat to the floor everywhere it doesn't want to lay absolutely flat, and then you can put prob half the SLC down. Lesson learned for the next one, third ones a charm 👍