Russell griffiths

Square twist nails, they are specified by the hanger company as the correct diameter for the load rating even though the z clips are not under a lot of load if you get the right nails and stick to them you won’t use the wrong ones when you have to put up a joist hanger.

I’m a bit confused mr Bosch i can see the top of your treatment plant in the picture, and I think I can see the tops of those timbers now I don’t know which treatment plant you have but a lot have an invert of about 600mm, so how come your pipe looks so deep. Wouldnt it be about 600 down by the time you get close to the plant. If i have completly the wrong end of the stick is it possible to dig a new trench to the trench to the side of that one to save having to compact that old one, just fill it in and dig a new one at the right level.

@magnethead can you tell us about those pipes in the picture, I presume hot and cold they look like pre insulated tell me more please.

Mine is built to the same standard as the rest of the house icf walls all around 270mm of insulation in the roof 200mm in the floor, if it ever needs converting to a granny flat or something it’s 90% ready. But it will make a nice place as a workshop.

Unless you put in a massive footing it will move and crack, sleepers would be better as they wouldn’t show up any movement.

wear gloves.

Would the extra width not just get lost in the cavity.

Yep as peter said.

Lots of stainless steel mesh. Dont scrimp on this, used behind your cladding at the top and bottom around any pipe penetrations and ducts. In the ducts and sealed over. With your other topic of your ring beam out of the ground, have you considered using gabion baskets against the stream edge so you can back fill over the ring beam, this could stop them digging under the ring beam and under your floor.

ASHP will go through the wall from where you sit the unit to the water tank. Duct going out from CU to anything you need power in the garden, shed outside lights, gate intercom, cctv.

You really need to sort out your details or this could turn into a bit of a drama if your icf is below ground level on the outside but above ffl on the inside then you will need an external waterproof layer or you will get moisture on the inside. I thought you are going to use the of walls of the garage to support the earth bank, in which case you will need to provide a method of keeping water out and the structure stood up right you need some cross section drawings showing finished ground level outside as well as finished floor level inside, only then can you sort a method to prevent water penetration.

@epsilonGreedy have you looked at the blower proof liquid, I have a tub and I looks like good gear, you can get a sprayable version that you can blow into all the nooks and crannies.

I moved all of mine around the house even the 240kg one on a trolly with 4 large castors on the corners its the sort of trolly you see them delivering food on at supermarkets metal frame about 750mm x 750mm I cut a chunk of ply to fit in the frame and covered it in carpet, lift the windows on one at a time and PUSH.

I thought you said upstairs had already been removed.

Are you really sure you need a pod burner down there, is it not a nice constant temp being underground? i would think it would get as hot as fook very quickly.

And that’s why I paid a surveyor to set mine out best £100 you will spend. Pins all put in by surveyor, using his funny machine and a small glass prism thing.

Get some of the steel they use for gabion baskets make a basket that is only 150mm deep fix it against the ring beam select some nice stone fill baskets so it looks like you have a nice plinth of stone around the house.

WHY, WHY, WHY OMGG YOU REALLY ARE OVERTHINKING THIS.

Have you considered your drainage needs to go under the slab as well.

How are they being delivered, will the truck have an hiab, or do you have to supply a forklift. Does your window schedule have the weights on it, this is the deciding factor 65kg window two blokes can pick it up 225kg window you will need lifting gear bit more info needed really my contract stated I had to supply a forklift to offload, or they would come on an hiab truck with a £700 extra charge.

What is your wall make up currently, it would be good to get an idea on how to get some insulation in there, I would definitely talk to the council regarding lifting the roof higher 300 mm will make a tremendous difference. A budget would be handy, I do believe you mentioned it is fairly small, but that is cool need to know how to get the best bang for your buck, it would be horrible doing all this work to end up with something you don’t really like.

You could use the garden walls, but I would build a timber structure on the inside to separate it from the wall as it will be a pathway for damp as previously said.

You will need some technical drawings done by either an architect or structural engineer as you will need to submit them to building control. You would remove the concrete hearth upstairs you would extend the short joists out to the same to the same length as the others by fitting a new joist directly to the side of the original short one, this will extend out to the rsj that will support upstairs. How do you intend holding upstairs in place whilst you install the beam. This is not a small undertaking, proceed with caution.

This is hard to answer really depending on you. How will you move the mesh? what type of piles? If you have continuous augered piles how will you break the tops down? are you laying the concrete? how will you get the concrete to all areas of the slab? what is the finish on the concrete? if You are supposed to have a 20mm layer of sand is you excavated area that good or will you need something else to get the levels right. It is all very doable on your own except laying the concrete, you will need lots of help for this, moving the sheets will be very awkward on your own they are very heavy. I work on my own every day and just plod on but I have an excavator for moving heavy stuff and would call on 4-5 other blokes when I need to pour the slabs. You will need a good bunch of tools and don’t underestimate how hard work it will be.

Your pipe has probably collapsed and all the excess soil is inside the pipe. ????