Makeitstop

Bullivant are not cheap when it comes to sorting the beam, and so it might be worth getting costings from another groundworks company. Of course, having the one team on it to finish makes life easier, and you only have one company to deal with, but as with everything, that does come at a cost.

Surely, if you have decent access and can get a serious CFA rig in there to auger out the ground, that wouldn't be a bad option. A simple ringbeam and B&B floor may be worth considering.

Bullivant (and other piling contractors) will state they need this or need that, but there will be variation between one and another, so it may be worth running the logs you have past an alternative, like some of the companies I mentioned previously. All of them are serious contractors with the knowledge and gear to get past most work. Piling is like a dark art and often it seems that different people and companies will suggest different methods to resolve given issues. it is a case of "there's more than one way to skin a cat", and so you do potentially have other options, which you'll need to look into. With respect to the first post on page 2 and to Saveasteading, local SE's don't always know what's below ground. No one does "exactly". That's borne out in paragraph 2, under limitations of investigation. The best you will get is an educated guess based on other / prior work within the proximity of the job in hand. The only way to get a real "feel" is boring test holes and inspecting what comes out, and what resistance is experienced at varying depths. Have you asked questions of other piling companies? It may well be worth trying that to see what comes back in advice or suggested solution. If you hear the same as Bullivant have said, then fair enough, but from my experience, I'd not take one suggestion and feel like that was it. Bullivant are good, but they're not the only show in town. As the guys here have said, it may be worth exploring alternative solutions to foundations. There is no harm in looking into it.

The stp (standard penetration test) is what determines the amount of resistance the ground has at a given depth. If it states that there is no more "give" than 30cm from 50 blows with a drop hammer / chisel, and, that in meeting that level of resistance that the ground is adequately supportive for the likely given loading for a proposed structure, then that would be the approximate depth the piles will need to get to in order to provide you with a reasonable bearing. However, if bullivant say the depth achieved from s.i boreholes is inadequate for them to offer you a correctly assessed solution, then you need to find out what exactly they would require to enable them to price the job for you. As was mentioned above, any level of resistance "must" show significant bearing capacity, and, the contractor needs to be pretty sure that what they reach is not simply a hard band of sub-strata, where they may be a soft layer beneath. Of course, local knowledge will be hugely important, but ground can be massively variable over just a few metres of separation, so it's all somewhat open to guesswork to some extent. The boreholes simply provide a very good indicator, which is why its crucial they are to correct depths.

Bullivant are one piling specialist, but there are numerous others, such as Arsleff, Foundation piling, Van Elle and so on. What I would say, is that if you have a problematic site, then using a seriously decent outfit is the only way to go. From my own brief experience with piling contractors, many seem to suggest "solutions" that arguably suit themselves and their own gear more than they do to suit your actual ground conditions. Ask many Questions and double check everything. The variation in methods and pricing can be startling. From a brief read of your ground, it doesn't look straightforward. Good luck with whatever you do.

I've renovated various places myself, but never to the extent of "self building" as such. I'm about to get an extension job started soon, and I, like you, was thinking separate trades initially, as it works out more cost effective. (at least traditionally it did) However, with recent events being as they are, and with any decent trades being booked to the eyeballs, you might be pushed to rope people in as you'd like. As has been mentioned above, there is a clear advantage to a single team under one contractor working on your project, but it does "usually" come at a bit of a premium. Saving cash is all well and good, but at what point do you say to yourself that "I'd willingly pay "x" over and above to have things completed to a specified timeframe" rather than encountering the sorts of problems that can come with trying to tie trades together. No matter how well you get your ducks lined up to get things sorted, you have far less control over individuals than you do over a team outfit. As I said, given a fair bit of consideration and after reading a lot of stuff on here, I decided that I'd rather get the job done in good time. Also, to as much as is realistically possible, mitigate against anyone deciding that they either cannot or will not continue on my project as planned, or for disagreements to occur between various individuals. Of course, it does come down to available money in many ways, but if you can a tolerate the costs, then I know what sounds preferable to me and to most others.

If you are at all unsure about it, I'd advise reading up lots, and gauge from there whether it's something you want to take on. Anyone can do it, but doing it so it looks perfect is less straightforward..

If you want to use glue down, you'll need to use a levelling / smoothing compound. It needs to be really really flat, or itll look crap.

Do you want dry back (bonded to floor) or floating type lvt? If you want bonded, youd need to have a levelling / smoothing compound poured prior to fit to ensure flatness of surface.

Dont even know if it still exists, but hifiwigwam used to be outstanding. Years ago, it was full of regulars and had a community feel about it. If that is still running, it may be worth a look. I doubt it's anything like it once was, but if its active still, I'd bet there will be advice to be had there.

Sounds like you only want to hold it in place, so if that's the case, something simple like a caulk would likely do it.

Ebrin_Devon, Can you share who the developer is? I have experience of a similar issue with Redrow (who at least listened to peoples concerns when I went through this, unlike some developers) They had to be pulled on ground levels at rear of the property, had to be told the topsoil was inadequate and also had to be pushed to install a land drain along one side where the ground was sloping toward this rear garden. It was pretty sticky soil and became heavy clay at a depth of approx 12", although it had pockets of all sorts in it. Some of the stone buried in there was more substantial boulder than 2" stone or anything easily handled. It was ridiculous. The larger developers will always leave all kinds of crap under the surface, because it costs too much to do anything more. For your current situation, I'd say you need to remove what you have that's half decent, then cut out to depth of maybe 250mm minimum. From there, ensure that there is sufficient drainage to ensure you dont get excessive water trapped below your decent soil. Some level of gradient is wise, as is a very gritty layer of soil below a fairly sandy upper layer of topsoil, to help with good clean drainage. If you are looking to use turf, then it'll appreciate that, along with good exposure to sunlight. Sadly, people in new build properties often seem to wonder why the lovely lush green turf they "had" became a patchy bog of dying grass, bare earth and moss. It's mainly because none of the above has been sorted out. Push them to at least get you most of the way to the above conditions and you will be going in the right direction.

Interesting. What is the product? Dryback (glue down) vinyl with a foam backing is new to me.

Are you using a glued tile or plank type vinyl? If so, then yes it needs to be properly flat.

That isnt the fitter fault as was said above, but I think he could've questioned it. Still, if youd painted it, he may have thought you wanted it that way. All a bit of a shambles really.

If you've not paid them yet, I'd be asking questions with retail owner

Bubbles? I cant see why they are unable to stretch it due to cold. What'll happen exactly? The entire thing looks a bit like you've had "could'nt give a f**k types in here.

Hard to say. It shouldn't be two different colours no, but the crease line should decrease in appearance, although whether it goes altogether is another thing.

Well, then I guess you're stuck with what you have unfortunately. Still, I do feel it's a bit crap of the fitter to just whack new stuff down without making clear the issues your existing floor posed. If your skirting had none of that pointless beading, the gripper would be tacked approx 10mm from the face of it, and the carpet is wedged down behind the gripper, where it then sits tightly up against your skirting, as it is held in place by the spikes on the gripper strips. What you have there will be because the beading is actually stopping the gripper getting "closeenough" to the face of the skirting, and so, by the time the carpet is driven down behind the gripper, it hasn't got the chance to be close enough to the face of the skirting. To me, the fitter should maybe have pointed that out (or you should have known) that the beading is not supposed to be there when using fitted carpets. What you have now is the appearance that the carpet was cut short. Not nice

This looks like a compression mark where the carpet has been folded. Should really have been neatly rolled, as that helps to prevent marks like this

You said you had carpet previously, and yet the image shown above shows beading that's often used to edge laminate flooring. Was your skirting like that image above?

Yes, I suppose it is, but at the same time, the customer is entitled to request any element of a build is as it should be, and should not really be having to go around after the "professionals" doing remedial jobs. At the end of it all, no matter how it's viewed, this is arguably the most valuable asset anyone owns, and if someone is going to the enormous aggro of building their own home, they are well within their rights to want it done "as it should be done". I'd sort these gaps myself yes, but I'd let the builder know I was going to do that. I'd also let him know I expect critical elements of the work to be done well, and by done well, I mean AS IT REALLY OUGHT TO BE, and not as most customers may accept it being. To add.... as I hadn't read the last few posts... Yes, BCO is a good shout, as is a discussion with Kingspan technical. You'll know where you are then for sure.

Have to admit, I'm unsure of what the general rh is in passive houses with controlled ventilation, but to my mind, 60%+ rh sounds fairly high. I only refer to my knowledge of good humidity control of the timbers I use for my work, which cover a range of some of the most valuable timber on the planet. If I see the environment getting to 60%, then I know it isnt good for it. I'd expect a range of 35%-50% in a centrally heated home. Perhaps that's the issue, but as I said, I'm not up to speed on such a property.

I did wonder about the walls and thought that an alternative to the pir may be a smarter choice, and this is why I posted this up. My only concern is... what is there that competes in terms of efficiency, and, is there any viable option. Same applies to the floor, as I have the option of adjusting depth there, as nothing is down yet, apart from piling, so could in theory get more insulation in by ensuring the rc beam is set lower, or below damp blockwork allows for it. The existing house is simple brick / block construction and is approx 6/7 years old. The heating is gas c/h, so the system will be extended to serve the additional area.

Hi all, Just looking to line things up for a kitchen extension, and want to get some views on insulation choices. So far, the buildups look like those set out below, but I'm open to adjusting to whatever, should smarter choices be possible and the clear way to go. Structure is simple brick / block construction with 340mm cavity walls. Floor is block and beam, off rc beam sat on piling. Roof is warm flat. I guess there is scope to adjust from what I've got here, so please feel free to share any thoughts on what and why. Wall buildup…. U-value 0.21W/m2k 12.5mm PB 100mm Celcon high strength Block 90mm Kingspan kooltherm K108 50mm cavity Facing brick to match existing. --------------------------------------------------------- Floor buildup…. U-value 0.18W/m2k 65mm screed PE sheet separating layer 100mm Kingspan kooltherm K103 board Visqueen gas membrane / similar Beam and block ------------------------------------------------------------ Roof buildup….. U-value 0.15 W/m2k GRP 18mm ext ply Min 180mm kingspan thermaroof Tyvek VPL 18mm ext ply / firring with fall to 1:40 47 X 220 Rafters @ Max 400mm centres 12mm pb.