Canski

To finish it properly you are correct in saying that the EPDM goes over the fascia board. To keep it dry it is ok to glue the rubber down and tack it to the sub fascia until you have the proper fascia installed. Remember to use contact adhesive to the perimeter. If you get stuck look at the tutorials on rubber4roofs website.

Power floated concrete is only as good as it is laid. The poweefloat simply polishes the surface and if done correctly the poweefloat doesn't touch the floor until you can walk on it leaving only minor footprints. As many here know who have poured concrete floors it is quite difficult to get it to finished floor standards of accuracy.

Over the last couple of weeks I learned 2 things from my (non regular) bricklayers. 1. No point in explaining anything to them they won’t listen anyway. The Tony tray was like explaining nuclear physics to them. I had to give up and do it myself just like any soldier course anywhere on the site. 2. A cordless circular saw with an old blade is perfect for cutting Ytong and I presume thermalite blocks. So quick and good cuts which in turn reduces waste and improves blockwork quality. From building 2 houses to joist I have less than a third of a pack of off cuts that WILL be used.

I am also interested to know how the discs that show through your GRP can be avoided. I have 18 mm ply on firings then 200 mm PIR then 18 mm OSB3 on the top. I am toying with the idea of GRP over EPDM due to having a roof lantern. The finish on yours is what I'm after rather than pigs ears on the EPDM.

if it was mine i would use slurry primer on the copings. As for fixings we have done dozens of these as per spec drilled through the DPC and never had a problem. A small squirt of silicone may help.

that's a poor excuse. These guys have 2 nail guns for shooting twist nails and both had broken down. The old school hammer was used. Missing bolts is poor.

This is true. It's like so many things it is easier and quicker to do it correctly. I knew it was wrong but when you are standing there arguing with a tradesman who does this day in day out it infuriates me. It cost them about 3 hrs to rectify this one and the other house hadn't got the joists fitted but still cost them a couple of hours to alter. It would have taken them 10 minutes to get the ply cut and drilled before placing it behind the timbers. Thanks everyone for your input. My floors are complete and we power on with the next lift of brickwork.

That's what they are doing now. Thanks all for your comments. Sometimes its good to get a bit of confirmation to your thoughts.

My biggest asset to date was a small telehandler that just about fitted between my 2 houses until the scaffold went up. I didn't want it at first but it came with a big bucket for the front. I have moved over 100 tonnes of MOT and probably the same in soil and it was far quicker than a dumper and digger.

have the blocks been grouted and any double beams infilled with concrete ?

Yep it seems like that but .... I had sent hime the joist drawings 2 weeks ago and also the sizes of the web of the steels. This is where he noted that the timbers would need packing out and suggested 12.5 mm ply to do this. He said he was going to place the ply behind the timber which seemed fine to me providing it was the full height of the timber. Then I turned my back !

Yep I think I'm now going elsewhere for the roof. Both for supply and labour.

I agree. Seems like a poor design that I overlooked. Yep this is where the main problem lies Its not really possible when the steel is tight in the web

I agree. If it had been me I would have put the steels in position and measured the pozi joist then packed the timbers to suit. Then again I am just a bricky and not qualified to think for the chippies.🤔

No the steels are within 5 mm of where they should be.

The next solution offered is to prop the joists and remove the hangers then loosen all of the bolts and then slide another 2 Nr 12.5 mm ply strips behind the plate (one above the steel bolts and one below) then retighten the bolts. This would put the plate back in the position it should have been. Not according to the joist plans. FF Joists- Posi-Joist Floor Layout - REV. E.pdf

Thanks Nod. I thought so. I was getting the bullshit excuses from the chippy which really gets to me. The joists should be solid at the ends Where is their hanger fixing detail ? The plate can't be bought forward because the hangers will be in front of the steel 🙄 ( yeah and) I have always done it like this and never had a problem.😡 Which warranty provider are you using ? (As if it makes a difference) In the end I said 'look we both know it's not right' either take them off or come up with a solution. You turn your back for a few minutes. I have got them to pack out the other timbers to sit flush. 10 minutes work ! I asked him to try to nail the verticals and of course the timber splits. At this stage I think I will have to cut the top end off and force a timber into the gap prior to nailing. An unnecessary compromise. Bad Sunday at the office.

Morning all. My joists are going on this weekend but I noticed an issue with the hanger connection to the steel. The Chippy suggested getting some 12 mm ply to pack out the plate to the edge of the flange so I supplied some. Then I turn my back and he has fixed it to the front. Even so the face of the ply is still short of the flange. Then the hangers go on and there is no chance of fixing through the vertical nail holes. We have had a conversation about this and I am insisting that the other house is changed to pack out the plate to suit the joist length but I am left with the first house like this. The Chippy is insisting that Posi joists don’t need to be nailed vertically. What are others thoughts on this ?

I’ll have a look tomorrow. All of my calcs were done by the SAP company. If it helps the Ytong blocks are 100 mm standard I think. Deffo 3.6Kn and supplied by Zella through MKM ( not many others stock them) they are a great block to work with. True / square and solid. I used the 100 mm 610 mm long x 215 high version and they are far more stable than thermalites or Celcon. Also NO WASTE ! After building 2 houses to joist I have less than a quarter of a pallet of offcuts that WILL be used. We cut them in seconds with a circular saw. A true clean cut which equals no waste if you can drum that in to the minds of brickies. Or ask them to contribute to a) £ 1.75 for each block wasted and a contribution to the costs of skip and acceptance of the disruption to them due to lack of turning space for the telehandler. I don’t know what others have experienced down the line though. I’d like to hear of anything to watch out for.

I feel your pain. OK sorry guys but it’s rant time. I need to get this off my chest after a few Madris. Tomorrow is my first ‘day off’ for 3 months due to my Chippy being delayed for a day. and I’m heading to grand designs at the NEC. My thoughts on your post ….You can never take your eye off the ball. I’m a brickwork contractor and running out of bricks with the amount of work I’ve had to have taken down on my own project. Nobody gives a fu#@ any more. You can lead a horse to water but you can not make it drink. I show them how to do it set everything up for them then turn my back for half an hour and it’s screwed up. My best guys who have been with me for 25 years + are stuck on another project that pays my bills so I end up with the B team. Plot 2 is my house and plot 1 is my friends. I tested the guys out on mine then got fed up with poor workmanship and lack of listening so sent them elsewhere. To be fair I have employed a lot worse than them but we soon part company. My plot took 312 man hours to get to joist then I did most of plot 1 and completed it in a total of 230 hrs. I’m not blowing my own trumpet (much) but the quality is far better. Hard graft, long days 6 days a week on site and one in the office but I have loved every minute. Aside from my A team I am completely fed up with employing people. Next time I am doing one house and I don’t care how long it takes I am doing the brickwork myself or with the A team. How can people do this job for 20 years plus and still be shite ? It’s easier and quicker to do it right the first time.

Nobody has suggested a sledge hammer yet 🙄🙄

You would have to increase your cavity by 25 mm but I am using Dritherm 32 with a 125 mm cavity and Ytong internal blocks and faced brickwork. That passed BC and my SAP calculations. Thermalise Shield passed as well but I dislike them.

I am using Buildzone for their warranty and LABC for BC. LABC were far cheaper and (as I predicted) have been very responsive and helpful up to now. The Buildzone warranty inspector ( from Meridian Consult) was very much on the ball at foundation stage and had a brief glance at DPM / DPC. I won't see him now until the roof is on.

I’m in the wrong game.