SimonD

the irony of this is that if you then need to submit drawings to planning, for example, they'll be rejected with this note, but notes to the effect of scaling from 'figured dimensions' is okay.

You can use something like this https://www.strongtie.co.uk/products/detail/sole-plate-anchor/408 - sometimes they're installed fully to the inside like an angle bracket.

see also 'sheathing'

On our project, the only people to provide dwg where the company who did the topographical survey and architectural technician who I specifically asked to provide dwgs (as he did the existing site drawings). I think they're mostly worried you'll steal their drawings and use them for other purposes, or that you might unintentionally change something and cock up the drawing leading to a build problem. However, if you really want dwg files, you can import pdfs created by cad software back into a cad programme and go from there. It's also sensible not to fully rely on drawing dimensions as many of the larger general arrangement drawings can be 1:50. Many suppliers won't accept drawing dimensions other than for quotation purposes and insist on as built dimensions for production. In my case, I can tell you that with this project, if I had gone with drawing dimensions, both my steel frame and glulam beams would have been wrong.The steel columns wouldn't have been high enough and glulam beams would'nt have reached the end walls of the house. That's some professionals for you....

I've never used a product like the one you've linked above which looks more like an acoustic product designed to reduce impact noise through intermediate floors. How this might work to get rid of squeeking noises I have no idea I'm afraid. TG floors will provide an excellent floor free of squeaks. In your current situation, as previously suggested you've already added fixings, I guess at minimum 150mm intervals around the edges and 300mm in between but even better if it's 'shit loads' ?. You've also added noggings and you've checked as best as you can to see if there are any obvious gaps between joists and subfloor. The next options really are to either add a floating floor on top of the existing installation and see if that works, or take up the existing chipboard, check joist installation and then re-install an alternative subfloor, probably plywood to see if this rectifies things. I'd say that in the first instance it might be worth laying a large 8 x 4 sheet of plywood on top of the existing floor in the area you've gots squeaks to see if this helps. If this works you can then proceed with installing a floating floor otherwise do the drastic. It's really difficult to say exactly what would work without seeing it all in situ

Yeah, usually its TG2 for the large 8 x 4 and TG4 for the 8 x 2.

@LA3222 's explanation is spot on. Much better put than mine! ? I would go for plywood subfloor over chipboard any day. Whilst chipboard floor may well be ok, I personally don't like it that much but that's just personal preference and many chipboard installations are just fine.So I'm not saying chipboard is more suited. I think plywood is a better product. However, re the plywood, 22mm is overkill as it's usually used in commercial floor applications where heavier floor loads are design for. You'd be absolutely fine with 18mm plywood at 400 centres. 22mm would be belt and braces. However, I would recommend carefully checking the joist installation prior to laying any new subfloor. I don't know if you've already said this but do use the TG4 (tongue & groove 4 sides) plywood flooring sheets. Now, you can use tg4 plywood as a floating floor, but my worry about putting this straight over your existing floors is that if there is some defect in the joist installation, it may not resolve the problem of subfloor creaks. Although you could lay a large 18mm sheet of plywood over your existing floor, walk on it and see what happens? Maybe worth a try?

My suspicion is that the problem lies with the joist installation rather than the subfloor per se. With carcassing timber it's not uncommon to get them with several mm difference in finished dimensions, even when they're regularised, because they're nominal dimensions. Similarly, if a joist or more was slightly bent vertically and installed with the curve concave instead of convex, for example, you'll likely get subfloor movement, even when screwed. If there's insufficient glue, this will not help. If the joists don't provide a sufficient level structure, even installing plywood is risky as any undulation will still need to be spanned by the subfloor. At 400cc that could mean an 800 cc span which is above the recommended max of 600cc even for 22mm ply.

You've pretty much got to go back to planning with your changes. The question is whether your local PD will consider the changes material or non-material. I've been successful getting changes to windows through as non-material amendments which makes life easier and cheaper and you can do it very easily yourself. The only problem is that it is your local planning department who decides whether what you're asking is material, minor material, or non-material. Helpfully my local PD had a clear policy online I could use, but it's worth giving them a call if there's nothing available online for you.

That's the traditional way of building a timber frame wall (although it's usually not with the cladding in place due to weight), so you're spot on. I little tip to make things easier when lifting is to put some 4 inch nails diagonally through the sole plate into the floor before you lift the wall. This will stop the wall from sliding off the side of your floor when you're part way through the lift. Have fun!

Just one more question. I guess you've checked the installed lengths of the joists?

Screws don't have the required shear strength so should never be used for joist hangers. Also, the nailing pattern for joist hangers varies according the installation so you don't always have to nail all holes. I use metal connector nails using a positive placement nailer, makes life a whole load easier for joist hangers.If joists are installed correctly, the nails won't experience forces that pull out the nails.

Sorry if I missed this already but what depth are your joists? Am I correct in reading that the span is 3m? I guess you've checked you haven't got any twisted joists throughout the installation? And the other question is whether the original joists were installed when wet? (this is one of my pet hates about some builder/timber merchants storing carcassing timber exposed to the weather and then installing them that way. With framing timber, for example, there's a maximum allowable moisture content above which you don't frame with the timber). You'll always have some timber joist deflection, it's just a question of whether it's within the correct tolerances. I personally prefer TG4 OSB floor boards to chipboard, and plywood of course is very good, but more expensive. At 18mm thickness the OSB is fine for up to 600mm joist centres so at 400 cc you've got a good margin. OSB glued and sufficiently nailed should give you a creek free subfloor, but that does depend on the joist installation.

Isn't that the unfortunate truth. Beyond the initial design phase, all the meetings we had with our architect ended muddier than they began with rare moments of undertaking to get this done within a specified timeline. I also had to sack the SE our architect wanted to use and refused to pay him a penny. We also got caught between all the builders we spoke to wanting more details and architect saying there's no point as they don't get used anyway. If it's a straightforward house using standard building techniques then I'd argue details are less important. If it's unusual design and/or materials, or you're building to a standard like Passivhaus, then the details and specification are far more important. For me this demonstrates the problems we've got in the construction industry in the UK. Having the poorest quality of building construction in the developed world is in part down to this disconnect and lack of trust between the 'professionals' - e.g. your architects - and the builders, many of them with questionable training, experience and standards and who often think they know better. I grant you that sometimes they do, but to the extent that is accepted in the industry? Anyway, that's got me on my high horse and probably hasn't helped @ianfish

We found that all apart from one of the architects proposing for our job only quoted for RIBA stages up to planning. It means you then get hit with a major additional cost once you've got through planning.I think a lot of self-builders are put out by this and thus choose a different route? I think there are advantages if the architect works with the SEas you can get more integrated design as if they're involved independently I think they can focus too much on their own areas without necessarily considering the others.For example, the structural scheme imposes itself too much on the aesthetic or vice versa. I think the best solution is to have an explicit conversation with the architect as to the exact nature of the agreement and ensure it's all in writing.

I'm guessing it's for some other design purpose that the architect/SE used univeral columns rather than universal beams where the joists could either be notched into the flange and braced with noggings at the ends or face fixed on packers within the flanges? I'd go with @markc that you could probably just use noggings between the ends of the joists bearing onto the welded flange, but I guess you'd want some prevention of potential uplift. Otherwise, you could bolt timber plates to the side of the universal columns and then use normal joist hangers. Hopefully your architect or SE will clarify this for you.

A good excuse is that if you're doing a traditional feather edge fence you nail it all on your side of the fence, automatically giving you the nice face. Otherwise you'd have to be in their garden doing all the nailing.

I've just installed windows using the Soudal SWS foam which has a sound insulation value of 60 dB - I've been quite impressed by how well the foam insulates for sound. I'd be surprised if the Illbruck was any worse.

I used it a bit during our design stage but never looked at suppliers and didn't find it very good overall. My wife hated it with a vengeance. My details also got hacked from them.They didn't inform me, it was a piece of password security software that told me! I do run a business focussed on a local demographic and found that the most successful means of getting customers was Google. I know some people get really good results from socials, but I didn't so stopped putting in any effort other than website and search rankings. With another business of mine, neither socials, nor web worked, all word of mouth. I think it largely depends on your business and customer demographic.

Catnics is basically a Tata Steel clipped standing seam roof (Tata steel product for selfbuilders is called Colourcoat Urban). If you're looking at coated steel roof, @Kevin J will I'm sure be along shortly re the product Metal Solutions supply which is also pre formed with clip together seams but made from SSAB Greencoat PLX. The minimum pitch for these roofs is usually 5 degree although with some standing seam products you can get away with 3 degrees.

Interestingly, I just put in an order for some stuff to be delivered from Germany. A quick phone call to HMRC, which was very promptly answered btw, gave me all the info I needed that any duty on what I was ordering would be either 0% up to a max of 2.5% (varies as I didn't have all the codes I needed). VAT is chargable and payable only once, so either on purchase or customs. For me it's got to be down to Covid and related supply/demand issues.

I second what @nod says. I can't answer your question as to whether the steels can sit on the timber. I have a large stick frame more than double your size but the timber roof structure, including glulam beams of almost 7m long all sit on the steel beams, so really the other way round. My structural engineer specialised in steel and timber frames.

As @joe90 and @Declan52say, if they're free and you feel like trying them out, just give it a go and see how it works! Nothing wrong with trying out your own ideas, actually more credit to you for doing that. It'll only be after you do it you'll really know if it's a good or crazy idea.

To me that looks like total overkill for a garden office foundations. A lot of unecessary work and materials. If you were building a house, I'd understand. Here is a video of a much simpler method of foundations which may be helpful for ideas and inspiration - far quicker and cheaper: My garden office simply sits on breeze blocks with a small about of concrete to help with levelling. I have a large metal tool store that sits happily on breeze blocks lying on bare, levelled and tamped earth with a simple timber frame base on top of those. I don't think you need to worry about wind uplift, my garden structures have sat quite happily through several 50+ mph storm winds and not gone anywhere.The office just creaked a bit in one of the worst storms we've encountered.

No problem,of course. It's best to speak to an accountant in the first instance, but it doesn't harm if you know any developers that you can speak to about how they run their business. In order to find and contract an accountant with the right experience, and to gain initial insight on answers, I've previously used the Any Answers section of AccountingWeb. You can either search up existing answers relating to companies involved in property development and see who's posting the good answers, or just write your question with a note that you're looking for an accountant to help. I've had some good response previously that helped an organisation I was working with through some tricky and vague tax law and I didn't know anyone locally with the expertise.