zoothorn

Well I'm confused as to why I have had to have this done then. Or if I had to do it. Does it imply that if mine was ruined by fire ( something I am worried about tbh, arson by nasty locals) that I could have mine rebuilt under insurance, whereby you couldn't? A rhetorical Q/ god only knows.

I assume that sort of thing is what I have. Admiral but no idea of 'up to £?' figure.. But mine's £280 p.a. And 2 beds, albeit detached. It just gets paid by dd. I haven't a clue if it's very good or very bad. Less I interact with anything financial.. the better, in my naiive world (IE, dd is heaven-sent to me). I seem to recall I did 'shop about' online settling on one, in a kind of "Ive no fkn idea, but seems ok" sort of mindset. It could be very bad. Why I have to do this additional survey thing, I can't possibly know. Zoot

Hi there Ferdinand. To be honest, I haven't got a clue about any of this. All I had was this: a very intelligent retired accountant family friend whose been like a financial advisor who knows a myriad about everything to do with money, advised me very specifically, to go to a Chartered Surveyor & ask for a "rebuild survey, fire related, insurance purposes" (something along those lines, even if the 6 words are round the wrong way). I called my surveyor, gave these 6 words. He understood. Quoted me £100. The survey done, & as a result, I have a document, to give to my insurance company. I think maybe my friend was advising me to have this survey done, after adding an extention 2 years ago now, which I hadn't yet even mentioned to my insurance Co. 50% Laziness & 50% actually I wasn't even aware I needed to have my insurance thing changed, so I've been blissfully unaware. Or naiively unnaware. Or stupidly. Tbh I don't even know what to do with this document. Just email it to them? Explain I need something extra? Or ammended? Anything financial to me, I just do not understand 95% of it ( eg a credit card I cannot understand even have it explained by family or even a bank person. but I don't get it. So I just don't have one!). Insurance as a basic thing, yes I can understand. But if it splits into different guises.. I'm lost. Thanks for reading my spiel, zoot.

Thanks y'all. That clarifies things alot. One concern I had, with the 530k figure being so high, was that some fresher came to do it (albeit for a RICS approved, & experienced Ch. Surveyor Co, whom I got to survey house at time of purchase). Looked about 30. Then the fact that the invoice I got today from him, was 3x the quote (rectified thankfully.. but a " fresher" mistake it seemed).. & then led me to question this high 530k figure. But if it doesn't seem of concern to you guys, then I can put my concerns to bed. And fwd the survey to my insurance Co; you see the bottomline being, surely, that the higher this 530 figure, the higher my insurance will be. Unless there are 'bands' like tax bands. Anyway thanks, Zoot.

Hi chaps, after getting a 'rebuild cost' survey done, I was amazed at the figure. I'd roughly estimate it to be -twice- the value of the property ( in turn a figure -twice- the purchase cost, 6years ago, an extention & work done etc). I can't wrap my head around the rebuild cost, @ £530,000. I would -guesstimate- my property to be worth £250k. It could be more, unlikely less I'd think. So how does this figure come to be? The bottomline, perhaps being my thinking, that the higher this figure.. the higher my insurance premium will be. I don't know. Any help appreciated, zoot.

@Onoff really fantastic that! Thanks Onoff. Sorry to add to swmbo's headache. I'm sure the slightly non 90* ends will be fine. M12 stud to get.. noted. Let me know postage/ any costs at all. Huge help- Zoot.

Hi Onoff. Yes 45mm for definite. Much appreciated. Zh

I'm not sure if the 'non-invasive' info on the label, is relevant to my roots question. I think perhaps it is.. " Fargesia bamboo is characterized as pachymorph meaning that they have clump roots. " It goes on to say " unlike runner varieties, it tends to stay in one place ". So this perhaps answers that it's not one of these horrrorshow types.. a relief. But as to re-positioning it? I've still planted it too far RHS, needs to go 7 ft away leftwards.

Hehe yes, or maybe a widswept coastal NZ Rimu.. (gaggia classic for any coffee nerds).

Hi Peter, had an idea you might know a thing or two. Here's the label..

@Onoff do let me know what post cost is for the tube bits, & if you need my address & I'll fire over some £'s. Paypal? Thanks chaps, hope y'all enjoying the sun. My old part of cottage cool as a cucumber. Not balcony job weather tho. Thanks, Zoot.

Hi chaps over on this corner of BH. I read only recently bamboo roots can be very damaging to buildings. Eek.. never known of this. Now I've dipped into gardening forums, but a strange breed I found sniffy & unhelpful; so maybe a few folks here have green fingers-? I planted one in spring, before I knew, 1 ft away from my septic tank: a block 'bunker' I repaired over winter. Bed next to it. Anyone know if I can "re plant" it? Not ideal as it's just 'taking off' very well (planted 2 ft high, now 4 ft).. but it has to be moved, sometime. I still need it same area, just further away from tank to be root-safer. I am hopeless at gardening tho, most stuff dies, grows into huge things I had no idea of, or never grows at all! Thanks Zoot.

Thanks alot Onoff. The BCO came few days ago & seemed happy, even impressed dare I say, with workshop/ lower room. And the contour rendering said looks good. Pencilled him in for final checks once balcony done. ( General question, perhaps @PeterW ).. I do have considerable black mould around my french doors reveals/ step area. I scrubbed off most in a panic in case he saw, but didn't go upstairs in fact. Is this a Build Control " issue " at all? I also get it @ my same room window sill, reveals.. not as bad tho. Really bad black mould @ lower half of doors tho. Thanks, zoot.

Hi Onoff, as said I'll go spacer onto block, without washer, after Peter's thoughts. But if you had a few anyway for -shim- duties, on the timber side of things.. that would be great. So 5x 45mm long tubes, perhaps the metal width as thick as poss, & overall tube width- up to your opinion. Os that ok? I can shim, or grind a bit of render off my biggest 'mump' if needed. Or chisel the bleedin stuff off! Thx Zh

Hi Peter. Thanks for thoughts. If the consensus is 'sheer' ( roughly understood) then Im happy to go with tubes as is, onto the block. I guess once the 2 pillars are joined on.. the load's then "spread" elieviating my concerns at these 5x points. @Onoff once ledger board fixed up these 5 points are still weak in terms of water ingress, to the block aren't they? Thanks for input so far. Zoot.

@Onoff Just going over thread again. Gets clearer. I think joist hangers rather than routed rebates, just for ease. One question: I get Peter's idea of 3x studs twds the top of ledger board ( 50mm down), & 2x twds bottom, midway 'between'. This seems to stabilise proceedings. But don't the spacer's also need a flat say steel surface to press against, at the block? might they cut in without? I realise tho getting a big square washer for eg, here... is a tricky prospect: clearing & prep a big smooth area of render. I'm sure you'd have considered this "pressure point" though. Thanks, zoot

Hi chaps. (More oldies' wknd duties. But Im free again!) Great help Onoff with this sketch, really clear. Stringline good. Ok back on board. I've (best I can) determined my highest bump, to the start of the block @ 45mm. Call it 50mm including "A Little More" safety. Now is this figure excessively high for the spacers I wonder? Thanks, zoot.

Hi there Onoff. Understood. Those options sound a nightmare. Ok so Im back to finding this block point. I've thought of getting the pro guy in.. but he'd be surely in the same boat. What I have found, as a clue?, is this photo. If these vents all put in to a similar proud mark (presumably all were) on all 3 walls prior to rendering.. & their extent out must be some "render guide" then I think my best bet is aiming for "20mm" below the vents.. as my block start point. 30mm sounds wrong/ too thick, to me. Does 20mm ring a bell to anyone, as a standard dim to set these vents proud of the block I wonder? Better than a 30mm mark, if I'm aiming the studs into the block a good 50mm minimum surely. Thanks, zoot.

Hi BJ, yes this is what I'm thinking too. Dammit. This is holding me up. If only I'd thought of asking this area under my doors to be smooth render. So another option surely on paper anyway, is whether these mumps dips areas, can be added to.. to flatten it all. But then Im fixing into who knows 2" of render, & still unsure where the block starts, to guage how far in to go with the studs. Would anyone know if there's any way of -removing- this render? Zoot

Prolly 3/4" in here..

Render question. Anyone know about the vertical white plastic vents between blocks? They're possibly set proud of the block? If so maybe there's a standard extent renderers aim to set them proud of the block. Thanks, zoot

Hi chaps. Sorry been resting with one of those embarrassing body issues. Im ok to crack on. But I am hopelessly stuck, & feel idiot-panic creeping in. Im trying to establish where the block surface starts, but I can't. Unless I find this it seems, I can't start the job. I flat-bit drill into the render. Im starting at a dip. I drill in 2 cm. It seems I'm still in render. Or am I in block? i cannot tell. As the two are " grey" I cannot distinguish a boundary. When I drill I push the ground render fwd, hampering seeng a sudden change/ boundary. I scrape & brush. I cannot see a boundary. I try onto an offcut block, hoping I might " feel" a clear difference to the render. But it feel similarly soft/ hard. Ive no idea how thick the render was applied at the 'dips' so have no clue of an approximate idea of where the block starts. Is there anything else I can do? Thanks, Zoot.

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Hi chaps, apologies for absence- currently ill, got 3 oldies needs to deal with, & a deluge of (paid) work. Will hop back on board midweek. Then to get the ball rolling. Fab help so far, zooter.

@Onoff hi there, great thanks I was going to go back over your cross section sketch, but tbh Id not have spotted the standoff! Ok I'm on board pretty much with that then. Alot more complicated than I thought. But I should be able to follow. Once this sodding ledger board up.. the frame is plain sailing. Apart from my 2 legs. Anyway. Drilled into me render. And this is how inept I am: I can't tell if I've gone down into block, or Im still in render. I've chosen a dip area to drill in from (my brain worked that out itself) & gone in 3/8" with a 20mm flat bit: surely I should be into block by now? I can't seem to tell tho. Sheesh.. I am special alright. Zh