zoothorn

edit.. can you edit without the quote then?!!

No, the stream's on my land, I'm happy with it being done.

I'd imagine it would if you don't trust your builder. The only thing I need to discuss with him with regard to any additional costs, is this drainage situation, which I hadn't put on the plan (not asked to) or known of needing. Apparantly its a case of adding two 100mm ribbed black pipes: 1st from the top of the concrete pour > out to 4m away to my stream apparantly to drain off the 1"-2" water sitting on the concrete in a moat: why it can't be pumped out I don't know, but, if it has to be done (& the idea was the BCO's I think) then I'd hope either no cost , or only cost of pipe, or reasonable if not. The 2nd drainage pipe apparantly needs to go around the whole 3 sides of extention.. so I'd imagine although not a 1 hr job, not a big job so I'd hope again nothing £unreasonable to be added. Apart from these, as the build is very streamlined for simplicity/ I am doing all internal work/ & all stages itemised albeit in estimate form.. I do not envisage any nastiy surprises, none at all. I know this builder, he's done work for me before & bill was exactly as per estimate to the penny (in fact he let me off £700 for a new back door & frame he/ they did, as it got jammed so often [howden's poor door + huge moisture in air here = swell] I kicked up a bit, & I forced Howden's to refund him £300 he was rather impressed with! .. now that's a good builder).

Yup will do tmrw/ old cam needs a day to charge! @Redoctober appreciate your post. Its bullying.. but in the best way actually: the guy -does- know best over me (of course) & according to my builder (main guy) probably knows best over the BCO too with regard to some things. They are pretty thick with each other these 3/ colleagues really (very good this "so we're all p*ssing with the same c*ck see!" said my 2nd-in-command! very welsh humour, very amusing). @Bitpipe & also appreciate your advice too. 1) The plans are mine, simple & clear, & both builders perfectly happy with them. 2) Yes I have a written, itemised estimate.. exactly as I asked. 3) I'm paying on completion. Ok I spoke to my builder (main) asking about: the water/ concrete etc, & the 11" discrepency. Concrete.. fine, he reassured me. The 11".. he just reassured me "no you've got that wrong.. we work from the top down [innitial measuring by 2nd -in-command from the eaves etc] & I can guarantee it'll be correct". Well, my 2nd-in-C said maybe 2" gained.. so there's still a 9" discrepency that I'm still fairly sure of. I said to him ok if there were to be let's just say, 10" gained, can I in theory add 5" to both rooms' height? yes he said. Now that.. would be terrific. So alot better, from my pov. He said just wait till the slab/ scree is done & you'll see then. Good call, friendly, all ok. Relieved, zoot.

Yes point taken. He doesn't do email, its smoke signals with him 2nd-in-C said. I'll get onto him tmrw tho. There's gonna be a 100mm dia drainage tube inserted too, so the BCO said, I think as one consequence of this extra depth: this means digging right across my front lawn to a D of 4ft or so.. which I'm both not happy about, & do not understand (I mean from where?) although Ive tried to comprehend by asking 2nd-inC & got verbals for daring to quizz it "I fkn know, the BCO knows fk all!" etc, so I'm none the wiser. I will take a pic tmrw to explain where/ get folks thoughts on it here as to WTF it could be all about. The main thing that worries me is how this extra ft down will affect BRegs, if it'll mean 2 extra steps down = rain now can enter = X has to be put in place to account for this, & Y, & Z too.. meaning an extra £750 I'm lumped with at the end, unless I fight back (but I'll be exhausted/ no will to).

Who are you tarting to? me most likely. I am becoming all of 1/2 a man from being on this site! I have a vague notion my builder (main) might have told 2ndIC to go a step extra down for me.. as I was so often faffing with an inch here n there in height, I think it might have driven him to distraction, & he's kindly given me 10" extra by just telling 2ndIC to go down more. I can't see any other reason, my plan was as clear as day/ meticuously done.

Thing is my builder.. hasn't done anything bar oversee a drop-off of block, & come for 1/2 hr with red mist on, get his chainsaw out & attack my beech hedge! I allowed him, reluctantly tho. You see he subs out the various stages to the best (this is likely true) chap at it.. groundwork & bricks/ block to 2nd in command here, plastering duties to a VG father-son team, elecs to another guy very skilled etc etc. So its a bit tricky for me you see.

@Onoff but what do you think of the 3/4m of exposed clay -below- the footings? if a week of heavy rain directly on it, as is exactly the likely case, is there any concern of erosion? & what happens to this exposed area of clay which will be, in my new room, from floor to knee level now.. just get rendered?

Whodafk is Mark Harmon, & why is he on my concrete thread? Another thing of concern, especially digging a ft lower than specified.. is the exposed foundation area below existing wall. I'm alarmed at the shallow D of the original footings, & now its all exposed/ nothing pushing against it, & open to the elements (it gets hammered being west facing & also facing down our wee valley/ village). Its going to be a week before the ground block 18" is done, & weather forcast poor.

Yup. 2nd in command seen my drawings (scanned so look pretty damn pro tbh) & looked as confident as can be skipping about measuring xyz. He has this pretty dominant good natured welsh "I fkn know best he don't know fkn sh*t!" (he says of the BCO no less, in good humour.. but, he is taking the reins you can tell, not the nice calm BCO) fairly strong character. A tricky one. As soon as I question something, he's often squaring up at me "look, I'm..." usually ending in grins.. I hope to heck this continues & he doesn't see red with me tho. Firey welsh. In a good way. So far.

Thanks nod. Actually I don't 90% of the time, I win time after time ad nauseum.. but upping the anti to dogmuck, its very hard not to get you down: especially 'vulnerable' as I am being just me/ an easy target for this behaviour IE very visible when I'm out, or done overnight, & from more than one 'source' I can tell too means 2-4 couples responsible as 3 or 4 dogs' leavings Ive witnessed having cleared up yet again, for 2 years now).

Very sensible idea Onoff. Thing is, I actually innitially thought of having such a BIG call it 2-step down, but, considered it a bit 'risky' to do. Now its done I'm between this mindset (& the possible/ probable extra expense of steps, retaining wall too (?) and sticking to my guns & piping up as you suggest. Maybe it gives me some thinking time how to proceed/ a barganing chip as it were: I mean I don't think its right I should pay out an extra £750 on xyz because the floor level's not what I specified, but, if I gain 5" height in -each- room...

Cos I'm just stressed I guess Joe. Thing is as much as I say I trust my builder(s).. with my experience here (nash xyz & bullying) its left me totally devoid of trust for anyone welsh its sad to say, but, only natural. So when my 2nd in command (one of the nicest people Ive met -tho f's & blinds like the wind- so there are exceptions thank goodness of course) says 'all fine/ will be rock hard/ see you monday' I just don't trust its true.

Oh, no never. Look there's nationism here, I don't feel welcome by many entrenched locals... but christ go into town & watch the parade of tattood brummies everywhere (sorry if your a brum!).. christ man, I hate the english more!! {edit: I am english}. I want to be declared nationless I've decided, like those independent MP's & occasional athlete who runs under the olympic flag: I mean its just unquestionbly kudos/ respect/ total sense/ progressive fwd mentality/ etc there isn't it. anyway a debate for another time. Concrete here.

Ok this gives me a bit of stress relief. But loo, you see the two batons sticking up, in the 1st pic, twds the top RHS of photo in the trench. The left baton's top has a grey stone & wee white dot above it. Ok.. the white spot is exactly 350mm from internal existing floor (sitroom adjacent). This is where the new floor should be. Its not a dot/ mark I put on for him, its just coincidentally/ usefully there. But I'm told its 2x blocks, to be built on the concrete = scree/ floor height. So I measured it: I can see where the water's clearing on the concrete the top (2" of water about right). From here + 18" up, so Im told, is the scree/ floor level. It is not 9" below of the white dot.. its in fact 11.5" below.

Some truth to that (yes some is indeed mental frailty, Ive seen it) but, most is sheer rage-jealousy for the audacity of turning my back on her/ their ridiculous, desperate attempts to befriend me.. full of countless snidy remarks & childishness no less (wow! great way to make me wanna be friends). Near all of the trouble I've had is this 1 very dominant & extremely manipulative woman's bullying me (& simple nationalism at me) leading to call after call to xyz depts > visits, aggressive driving at me walking on lanes, aggressive dog set onto my property/ at me, nasty aggressive hand gestures right in my face, 1 clamp tool stolen (minor- but I know she's responsible), & the worst.. the dogmuck incidents.

Finished but I had to go off- so stressed. The ammount of rain was huge/ relentless, & now.. total calm/ light skies. I mean WhyTF couldn't it have been shifted!! its absurd & left me feeling very anxious not only today but for the whole job, & onward. There seems to have been only 12" poured, with 2" of water alrerady in the trench.. & what looks like 3" or more maybe now just sitting ontop. I am very upset with this. I can't understand: Why so little? why not piped in (in the digger 2' bucket swung round > emptied??) why is the floor gonna be 9" too low? how on earth can this what only looks like a moat full of brown water be right?

The fill (about 1/3rd now) looks like weak rainy soup.. this is really worrying. The trench is being filled approx 2" of rain every hour. Seriously the worst rainy morning in 3 years Ive been here.

Yes I did a very careful plan, & head honcho builder was very happy with it. The builder whose doing the groundwork is his 2nd in command (a v. nice chap, I trust, & very good/ poss the best around) who might have either gone 'safe', or taken the critical '350mm step down' measurement from the ground level, instead of from existing internal floor level it seems to me. I mentioned this precise point 1st off day 1, even put a mark on wall for him. It works 2 ways. Beneficial as gives me more H. But will be more costly to me, esp if it involves retaining walls/ drainage eco pipes, extra steps.. & complicates a previously very carefully thought out streamlined-simple plan.

Yes relentless. The fill is about 1/10th (slowly digger bucket by bucket, swung round from the bigFO cement wagon- why not a big PIPE out from it, I don't know). Ive got one eye on the radar forcast 15m by 15m updates, & one on the job

I know I should Peter. But after concrete they're putting in a 'drainage pipe' (100mm black) planA was dig up front garden/ all way along to the stream.. awful ruining my front lawn.. but now only 1/2 as bad going direct 4m to hedge I mentioned to them (Highways drainage channel).. so I have to hang on & oversee planA isn't reverted back to. Also Ive got my floor level idea now.. which is 9" below what I asked for. In one way good as it gives me more height (hopefully in both rooms), but a huge pain as it now involves steps down/ levelling off land around, &/ or retaining wall or xyz, BCO problems to solve basically: I spent literally 6 months getting this height precisley correct too as its critical, every height of ab&c follows it.

Terrible conditions here now.. this is extremely concerning. There seem to be 2 schools of thought here on whether the rain is a problem or not. I can't say it makes me half as concerned tho.

Now its hammering it down & for another hour min lookslike too, & concrete wagon's just arrived- dammit. Stressful. Trenches are 2" full of water too (was pumped out 8AM but now refilled it seems).

I can't/ just wouldn't dare mention it CC or builder will pop. Thought rain was gonna blow over but set in now, but, not too heavy thank god. Wagon @ 10AM. Thanks for replies chaps- learnt alot about how concrete works.

@andyscotland grateful for that post Andy, that makes more sense & calms me a bit.. I suppose the assumption might be then that excess water is more a problem than maybe it is, still difficult to understand thios chemical process thing. Actually the forcast has got a wee bit more positive/ huge lump was to be sat over wales all day but possibly now moving thru quicker/ poss even by lunchtime.. so if the wagon comes PM, I might get lucky. But sods law it'll come 8AM & be done by 11AM. 3 hours maybe? that's a vague guess. Big day in zoot's life tmrw you see in fact.. an everyday thing for most of you guys I'm sure.