OldieNewbie

Similar question with this one guys, What does GFL mean? Am I correct in saying ground floor level? Is ground floor level the garden or patio level where FFL is inside the building? What does the +37.82 mean? Does it mean the area highlighted in the drawing attached is the measurement down to the ground outside? Is the area in the drawing nearly 38mm above the external ground?

Thanks Martin. I’ll do that and get back to you.

Morning all, Thinking about adding on to my house. I have this manhole on the path to the right of my back door. New house add on would go over the manhole eliminating access. How would I reroute this? Go further down the back garden, dig a new manhole, route this line into it and then start digging for foundations? Thanking you.

Hi all, In a residential renovation, why is the original flooring often taken up and a new sub floor put in? Is it because the original flooring is often taken poor quality or is it to allow for new internal walls and services like UFH to be installed? Thanks.

What’s an agent?

Thanks ETC. Curious to know what the other routes of procurement may be?

Thank you.

With extensions and renovations, who specifies the drainage routes etc? It would hardly be an architect would it? Or would it be down to the contractor to know. So for example if the architect specified a toilet here and a sink there, it is expected the builder knows what he is doing? Or would there be drawings for such things? I seen a ground worker on Tik Tok on a large scale site having a drawing.

Thanks. So a contractor gets the drawings for a job. He has two options; A) He gets somebody to draw up a bill of quantities B) He measures the drawings him / her self and adds 10%. Would I be correct with that? Who would build use to produce a bill of quantities?

How does a builder / contractor now how much material to order? Do they use the drawings supplied by design team? Or would that be all on the bill of quantities? A side question- what is a bill of qualities. Where does it originate? Design Team?

So there’s no actual rules or regulations on bridging over windows or doors and steel? its at the discretion of the designer/engineer?

Is a finished floor not in after all of the heights detailed in drawing are set out? do you not have a sub floor in first, and then your finished floor. If so, how could you be taking sizes from something that isn’t there?

Are concrete heads no longer used over doors and windows? it seems that every opening has steel in place where the head would usually be. why is that?

After much searching via several search engines I came across this.

Thank you. When you say if it’s an external wall with no DPC do you mean the DPC that is laid to stop rising damp? Is that the no DPC?

No. This is only a question from a curious construction fan. It is not a project specific query.

I’ll try to a picture of one on the Google and post it.

Thanks for the response. Who would set / specify the datum? Excuse my ignorance, but what are MAO co-ordinates? Or is that a typo for Map? 😂

Why is it used? if not used would you be concerned? is there ever a reason it does not need to be used

Thanks for the response. The drawing I seen included a measurement to floor level finish so it wouldn’t be that. From my novice research since posting question, would it be the measurements off a pre determined datum that an engineer provides??

Hello all, You know on the drawings that get given to the contractor for construction, well on those drawings theres “icons” that might indicate FFL +2.72 & Eaves Level 7.90. I take it that means that’s the height that the builder has to work to is it? But where is this measurement taken from? Like where do you measure up 2.72 from? The foundation?

Hello all, I asked this question in another forum earlier but I thought I would put here as well for more opinions. Apologies to mods for double post if it is an issue. In anyway, If your batting out a wall with 2’ x 2’ should you also have a strip of DPC behind them? Or if the wall is sealed first with a coat of sand and cement would that do rather than the DPC? Or is it totally decided by designers?

Thanks Nod. Is there ever a reason why DPC would not be used? I pass by two different house renovation jobs on my way to work and they’re surprisingly at similar stages. One project has DPC behind timber battens the other doesn’t.

If your batting out a wall with 2’ x 2’ should you also have a strip of DPC behind them? Or if the wall is sealed first with a coat of sand and cement would that do rather than the DPC? Or is it totally decided by designers?

Thanks Markuz. Would the builder and designer not be the ones looking after building control or assigned certifier?