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I'm all ready to break ground All conditions met Materials agreed I rang two weeks ago and spoke to the planner in charge He told me that all was fine accept for he was waiting for a response from environmental regarding the contaminated land study I had done months ago I rang him this morning only to be told that the environmental report has been back a week and its fine But he can not post a commencement notice just yet As he is very busy with applications that are due to run out and he has till the 17th of November to do it I'm so tempted to just get started Any thoughts would be appreciated Gary

Agree with Nick Very cautious When you do put your unf heating on Keep it at 20% for the first week gradually increasing each day after that If you want to be 100% safe of cracking or lifting Bed Dural matting down before laying your tiles Bit more expense But well worth it

ou would be surprised how tuff it is to pass an air tightness test on commercial buildings We build internal and external partitions out of MF studding and make up baffles to house all socket and switches Party walls between flats are often built this way rather than block As it is much easier to sound proof with this system and achieve perfect air tightness As most are fire breaks and need to be totally air tight Achieving air tightness on a house is quite easy

I regularly use both methods Albeit we normally use gypsum acoustic tube adhesive with knock in fixings The problem with this method is the surface needs to be flat Not ideal if you are going over electrical capping's pipes etc. If your contractor dabs the walls and runs a continuous line of dry wall adhesive along the ceiling skirting line and each angle Head reveals and not forgetting to encase all switches and sockets You should achieve perfect air tightness

The house I'm about to construct is two layers of block 125 cavity full fill Block and beam floor I didn't expect to be anywhere near a timber frame build with the sap count But was quite surprised to find out that I am 29% over the sap count pass

\Hope this helps Gary

Ive installed a great number of shadow margins over the last 30 years Back in the day it was galvanised metal or nothing Ive used both plastic and metal The metal are far more durable and less prone to crack

We are about to break ground in ten days time So our thoughts have turned to site insurance Couple of questions At what stage do you guys get site insurance and what level of cover Thanks in advance Gary

I'm surrounded by trees. With likely heave from the roots, piles were suggested. But the engineer that I use prefers a deep trench with a low density polystyrene internal perimeter and a block and beam floor. This should cut the cost by about 50%. But I'm on firm ground. Just the trees that have taken us down this path

Thanks for that Vijay Ive seen a very similar sash windows on there site It wouldn't hurt to get another quote

I recently posted a topic OOPS I forgot the www. Same title Regarding this award winning window manufacturer based in York and Concert I had no takers so I guess no one has any experience of them Ive since had a detailed quote back for sash windows bifolds French doors and two composite doors Around 8k less than I expected The brocher looks great as you would expect We are going to make a trip up to there showroom to make sure that the quality is also good May be worth checking out there website quikslide.co.uk Gary

I recently posted a topic Same title Regarding this award winning window manufacturer based in York and Concert I had no takers so I guess no one has any experience of them Ive since had a detailed quote back for sash windows bifolds French doors and two composite doors Around 8k less than I expected The brocher looks great as you would expect We are going to make a trip up to there showroom to make sure that the quality is also good May be worth checking out there website quikslide.co.uk Gary

Thank you both for taking the time to look into this The vast majority of the spoil will be removed from the deep footings So little way round it The good news is that I called into the Quarry which is across the road and about half a mile down the lane They will remove the spoil supply the mot But due to the large amount of C20 concrete 150 to 200 cube and the close proximity of the plot They have priced the concrete at £71 and mot at £11 Which should help towards costs

Id worked it out around 50 But I suspect nearer to 60

Thank you both for your replies I did suspect it would come under services I may just have to stand the 2k or so vat

Is the removal of spoil Vat rated If so can it be reclaimed

Iv bought a porta loo for £200 Its in pretty good nick I stopped a guy at traffic lights who was driving one of the suction vehicles He gave me his mobile number and said he would empty it and fill it back up with chemicals for £40 a time Its not that expensive to do every couple of months I should be able to sell the loo for what I paid at the end of the job eing

I contacted a local structural engineer He wanted 2k plus 75 for bore holes I called a chap that had done steel calcs for me in the past He was happy to come down Told me that with a sand quarry across the road there would be no need for bore holes as the land is sand and clay He gave me the option of mini piles but said he preferred deep strip in this kind of ground A week later foundation drawings for the house and both garages were done £200 The first guy made a big thing about coming down and liaising with building control The second just said submit them with your building regs Make sure the ground workers stick to them Big difference in price for the same end result Gary

Bad news is that they don't do 70 low density polystyrene Good new is there quote for 150sq mtrs of 50 mil is £909 including vat and delivered 700 better that what ive found online Great tip Keep em coming Gary

Thanks That's a great help I will give them a try

We need around 200 mtrs of cavity insulation Also a pile of low density polystyrene Ive looked online but there doesn't seem much between the ones that ive seen Any saving would be a bonus

Just a question Why such a delay with your frames Ten weeks seems a long time

Howdens kitchens are good even the basic quality The problem is getting a bottom line price Ive replaced five kitchens over the last ten years One at home and four rentals (Basic range) Each time we ask for there best price Only to be called a month or six weeks later with a sale offer of around 30% less

We are looking at upvc sash windows Has anyone had any dealings with Quick Slide Product looks good and price

Fingers crossed time Very little you can don once it is plastered If it has been dot and dabbed It should have solid dabs along ceiling and skirting Also around the window reveals and all electrical boxes Should sail through if it has all been done