Triassic

Sunil, it all starts with a dream. We must have dreamed about a self Build plot for the best part of six years before we found our plot. In that time we probably viewed 40 potential opportunities! Including a closed pub, a closed garden centre, a few renovation projects and a number of delapidated houses on decent plots. In the end we paid more that we really should of for a wooden bungalow on a fantastic plot.

I’m looking at installing the sewage waste pipe in the raft, this will then be in a corner of a cloak room. I as wondering why the pipe is round and not square. Square pipe would be easier to ‘hide’ inside the house. Boxed in round pipe looks so bulky!

@Chablais Sorry for the delay in getting back to you, I’ve been labouring for the concrete block layer. 5 tonnes of blocks shifted! Your mate Ian Parker did the concrete pump and power floating. The SE would not hear of using concrete blocks, he insisted on a steel reinforced concrete retaining wall, so the options for me were traditional shuttering or ICF, after looking a price and practicality I went with ICF as it’s easy to install and Ian had experience of pumping into ICF. I installed all the ICF myself as it saved me money. Our slab has a 200mm thick 500mm wide steel reinforced ring beam around the edge and is 100mm thick in the middle. I’ve also installed under floor heating pipes within the slab. The basement slab has a Radon barrier within the build up. This is then linked into a stick on waterproofing membrane stuck to the exterior of the ICF walls. EPS or XPS are both acceptable, you just need to use the correct grade, mine has XPS300 around the edges and EPS100 in the rest. It took 12 weeks of peckering to remove around 1200 tonnes of rock.

Sorry you’ve lost me. What is “caged sound coat”?

The airtight layer will be on the inner face of the timber frame, there will be a vapour permeable membrane on the outside. The basement has a block work internal all, a layer of insulation and limestone outside face.

Just a word of warning I ordered a UFH pipe from them a week ago on a promise of a two day delivery. I’m still waiting for delivery a week later. I’ve now cancelled the order and will go elsewhere.

But why do you need a vent in the first place, my sewage pipes are open ended in the septic tank, so why is a vent needed at the other end?

I am using Ian, he’s a good hard working guy. I have used ICF to construct the basement walls. Waterproofing is on the outside and is protected by a 100mm thick layer of polystyrene to stop the backfill damaging it. Again, come and have a look.

You only get one chance to get this right. I talked to a number of SEs locally, none of them really understood insulated foundations like Hilliard Tanner, he is the go to guy. I, like you, went with a local SE who came recommended, he like your guy, wanted to lay over site concrete on top of rock, what a waste of time! And do traditional strip foundations. Realising I’d made a mistake so I went with someone who knows what he’s doing. In the end I also laid all the insulation, installed the rebar and worked with a local concrete pump guy to lay the concrete. All very satisfying and I saved money as well. One company quoted £150k for a job that cost me around £50k on a DIY basis. @Chablais I've just realised your in Cumbria, come and visit the my site, in based in Witherslack and you can take a look at my basement and a partially complete insulated raft foundation, concrete pour next week!. Message me if your interested.

There is only one guy I’d recommend, his name is on the report Jeremy linked to. He did my foundation. He really knows his stuff, he’s designing insulated raft foundations every day.

I’d suggest he doesn’t really understand how EPS raft foundations work. Ive just built a basement on limestone rock. The basement sits on 200mm of EPS. There is 26m3 of concrete in the raft and 26m3 of concrete in the retaining walls, there’s also about 4 tonnes of steel reinforcing in the whole lot. I have 170mm of insulation behind the retaining walls. The house sits on top of this lot!

I’m in the process of laying the 140mm medium density blockwork that forms the front of my walk out basement. I’ve pointed up the mortar joints to eliminate any gaps and was thinking I should apply a parging coat. So the question is which side of the blockwork do I parge and what mix should I use?

Welcome, I’m sure I’ve read your posts elsewhere?

That’s part of the problem, I don’t have the batteries, so it all becomes expensive!

Ah but the silver foil and red tape stuff looks impressive. Where do you even by that red tape, none of our local builders merchants stock red tape or the silver foil stuff, never mind air tightness tape. Mind you they do stock some very overpriced Gorrilla tape, not sure what it’s for thou.

In deed you are! if I were her I’d be boiling the water at the very least. The thought of poo contaminated water is turning my stomach!

Have you phoned the water company? You really need to do this urgently as your sewage could affect the health of your neighbour. Without doubt sewage water is being drawn into the their supply pipe, this is based on sampling I had done in a similar situation. The fluctuations in pressure result in a Venturi effect pulling in contaminated liquids. You should not turn off, adjust or interfere with your neighbours supply. You should allow access to do a repair bit it’s up to the neighbour to sort this leak out and repair any damage to your property, if necessary their insurance should cover this.

A local building company just went bust and went to the auction, in one corner was a large pile of rubbish. In it were a few bits worth having, brand new paint brushes, short lengths of timber,screw and nails, half tins of paint and stuff like that. There was a sign saying help yourself! I got a few items! i asked the auctioneer what was going on, apparently the skip company had come to collect their skip but as their previous invoices hadn’t been paid they refused to take the contents, hence the pile of rubbish!

Especially if you use a digger to remove them!

@Russell griffiths Call the water supply company and tell them they have a burst supply pipe in your garden. Let them deal with the neighbour and turn off the supply. Then there will be no come back to you.

My dad, a self employed carpenter, once removed a customers front door after they wouldn’t pay him. They threatened him with the Police, he said fine, call them, he had the paid invoice from the builders merchant and the T&Cs on the back of his invoice to the customer clearly stating the door belonged to him until fully paid for. After explaining this to the customer they paid there and then in cash and the door was refitted.

I’m also finding that living in a National Park and World Heritage site has an effect on labour and material prices, so I’m willing to travel for the best price. @volcane wow, I hadn’t considered that the lead time would be quite so long, are Lecht kitchen made to order? This is the sort of kitchen we have in mind https://www.facebook.com/LakelandKitchens/photos/a.1474783049482171/1756204731340000/?type=3

@nod I see your only 40 minutes away, so it would be easy to use a supplier in Preston, could you PM me details of who you used?

We are planning on installing a Leicht kitchen (German manufactured) and are talking to a local showroom. I was wondering, is it worth shopping around, or am I going to get quoted the same price no matter what? 

My wife hates using the petrol Strimmer as it’s too heavy and noisy! She spotted someone in the village using a battery operated Strimmer and asked why don’t we get one. Has anyone got one, are they any good, which make would you recommend?