faby

Yes, there are basically noggins everywhere. Some are fixed to the joists others have just been hammered in. One of the issues I want to resolve is whether it is okay for the edge of a board to end on a noggin rather than a joist. Assuming I stick with the ply, interested in views on appropriate size of expansion gap between boards. I did consider chipboard but there seem to be so many differing viewpoints. One key consideration for me was the need to keep the total floor height as low as possible and that was what appealed about the 18mm boards. But perhaps I need a rethink.

I am totally confused 😂. Most of the discussion has gone totally over my head!

What are these called please? The ones I have are different because my understanding was that it was best to use partially threaded ones. Oops! So far I have only bought a starter pack of 100 but I will need about 1800 screws in total.

Sorry for the technical fail, previous message was in response to JohnMo

I should have posted this a week ago! Unfortunately the ply is now on site! Thanks for your response, sounds like a strong endorsement for glue rather than the joist tape. Regarding an expansion gap, the room edges will be fine but do you have any thoughts on what size of gap should be left between the boards? The joists are mostly 47mm wide so to rest two separate boards and have a gap would be quite tight. Is it acceptable for the end of a board to rest on a fixed noggin rather than a joist?

Turning to the crew for advice! I am renovating a period property. The plan for the ground floor is low profile wet UFH panels. Wunda have told us this needs a flat structural floor and we have gone for 18mm plywood (8x4 sheets). I am really keen to eliminate squeaks and other sound transmission to the basement bedrooms that will be underneath this floor. The existing timber boards have all been pulled up and we have a mixture of new and old joists. They are variable heights with a difference of up to 40mm in certain areas (total floor area is 140 SQM). We are planning to glue wooden shims onto the joists to level them up. Reading other posts on the forum, I am not sure whether to use D4 polyurethane glue to fix the shims to the joists or ordinary wood glue. I have also bought green glue soundproofing joist tape to put on top of the shims but I am a bit concerned that it barely gets a mention on this forum. Does anyone have a view as to whether the joist tape or the D4 glue would be better to fill the gap between the joists and the plywood as apparently I can't have both? There will be Rockwool under these joists and soundshield plasterboard on the basement ceilings below. Any advice that you can give me about the best way to level this floor and eliminate squeaks/ downward sound transmission would be very very welcome.

Thanks again everyone, I really appreciate all your responses. The quote is labour only, and I am supposed to supply the materials. Just wanted to update to let you know that in the end I felt it was a case of put up or shut up and so I paid the invoice. I have too many plates spinning to start looking for another plumber! I think Nick is right, the problem is that the plumber never explained how these things work to me at all. He just told me to call them and pay up. I have no problem with him adding 10 to 15% to the list price, I realise that there are hidden costs incurred. He is laying the pipework so I obviously want him to have whatever materials he is familiar with and thinks are needed for the job. Anyway, on to the next drama..!

Thanks so much for the comments everyone. Apparently the quote is higher because he is using better quality Italian fittings called Valsir. I'm concerned this might cause issues in the future if repairs are needed. The pipework is going to be buried under screed so perhaps this doesn't matter?

Hi, just wanted to draw on your collective wisdom and experience. My plumber has arranged a quote from a building merchant to supply drainage pipes and other plumbing materials. There is a lot of work and about 50 items are listed on the quote, with the quantity of each item also listed. There is no pricing except for a total price given of 2.2K plus VAT. I've been asked to call up and pay this. I called the BM to ask if the cost of each item could be listed so I could check it was competitive and they said they don't do that. Many of the items just have a generic description e.g "50mm branch 92' black". When I asked what brand that would be they said it would be coming straight from their suppliers so would be whatever they had in stock. Just wondering if this is a common experience? Grateful for any thoughts.

Hi, I was wondering if anyone had recently purchased trench sheets, new or used? Due to my contractors method of excavation he would like to leave a small section of trench sheets in the ground, so hiring them is not an option. I have been told by one company that there is a nationwide shortage, and they will take about at least a month to be back in stock. The excavation height is 1.8 m so I need about 25 sheets of 2m. Any tips gratefully received!

Many thanks!

I'm planning a basement conversion- so I will be excavating under my existing building to create more habitable space- the entire building will also be underpinned. I'm aware of the risks of this type of project so I'm looking for an experienced contractor who takes on work in London and would be grateful to receive any tips/ recommendations. Thank you.

Thanks very much for signposting these materials. I will check them out. Best wishes

Hi, I am embarking on a (major) renovation project rather than a new build. I live in a ground floor flat which already has a sizeable basement which I am going to convert into additional living space. I will also be adding a rear extension at ground floor level. I won't be doing any of the work myself but I've found lots of useful information on this forum to help me understand some of the processes that the contractors will be carrying out (such as underpinning and waterproofing), and I am keen to learn more.