Ed_MK

hmmm ...you are right though (again!) I mean we have a lovely 16x16 inch beam for INSIDE the room ..just under 3m long ! and this should EASILY take the weight of the face course that will be above it INSIDE ...I mean it will be supporting (technically) ..no more than 150-200 bricks running up to the inner ceiling ... ..which i guess to be about 500 Kilos ...tops ? what do you think? ...its a bloody BIG beam ....3 man lift ! Now the chimney OUTSIDE is another kettle of sardines ! I mean the sides are brick and run all the way up ...so does the outer face .... but the INNER wall ..technically that runs just OUTSIDE the normal external line ..what this means is that all the weight of that side of the chimney will be supported by ...well bugger all SO i guess i need to get an RSJ fitted across that gap of 2.7 metres, this RSJ will be of course higher than the Internal Oak beam ...(so it cannot be seen) ..and If I am right I will have to overlap it no less than 150mm on each side and have it on something substatial ...I am thinking dense concrete blockwork 7.2N Stregnth ...sound good. This will be the blockwork cell that Peter states above and will essentially form a full inner SKIN too. the pipe from the Stove (which sits well back anyway..as that is the style) will pass directly under and to the back of the beam; on its way upwards. If my calcs are correct the new RSJ will be virtually OVER the top of the Gas Stove...but of course out of sight But what RSJ? ....Rather than s/e it ....I think as its not an internal or supporting wall (for a room anyway) I could just OVERKILL it and fit an RSJ that was well over spec and be done with it ? What do you think ? If I say that the beam will be 2700mm and it will have an overlap on each side of 150mm+ then the span will be 2400 at most Not sure how to do the next bit ...as technically a chimney is a rectangle of bricks ....but if i presume that the RSJ is just holding its own side up ... ...looking at the calculation of bricks per m2 and the average weight of a brick ...it gives me about 1200 Kilos across that span. So if i over-killed it ....what do you guys think ....1500 Kilos? 2000 Kilos ? What beam would you recommend ...? and i DID download the trial of Supabeam that another forum suggested ....but to be honest ...there are that many variables and acronyms on there ....you would need to be an SE to use it properly !.....so whats the point !

On Potton Plans? Well nothing ....just a Void with a C shape where they "presume" the fireplace is going ...but no internal makeup see attached from Architect Drawings...but cant see anything on the Key to indicate what the hatched areas are ... so I too "presumed" it was laid out for a REAL fire ..so the inner layer would be suitable for that ...and the brick outer would be a skin ..like the rest of the house ... looking at the cavity as it is represented ..it SEEMS to be exactly the same visually as the cavity around the rest of the house ....which is 50mm You (and others) have scared me enough ...I think I will spec and price up ...Plan B If i go away from the chimney liner terracotta option (which seems costly)...I think Dunbrik look good ..I will send them an email see if they are more helpful than the stove people

Thanks Red! that a lovely crisp roof on there too! how are you facing the dorma's ? ....render?

Well the wife wants a chimney ... We WERE both long-term city rat-racers and she loves anything that says "countryside" or "cottage" or wher you can see a tree! (where we used to live if there was 2 trees within 6 foot they called it a park !) The dog walkers used to wear waders so the animals could cock a leg on THEM ....as there was nowhere else to go anyways ..I have been in thee this morning ..tidying and measuring #I have some pics too. Believe it or not that gaping hole in the side of the house is NOT a drive in lounge! its the gap left for the usual MAHUSSIVE Potton Fireplace . I hope you can see from the pics below the way it is currently and i have a sketch with sizes to help The pic that came from the Home Exhibition is a different house...but the same style of chimney and the picture of the internal fireplace is what we hope to get to ...although ours will be wider ...I know! I suppose what I am puzzled with is how to START off ... One of the issues I will encounter right off is that the Bricklayer will be here before the insulation and screed is laid ...but does that matter ? Could we just MAKE a base out of engineering brick or something to screed height ? There will of course not be the Insulation or Screed...but I am still waiting for Potton to deliver the Floor Insulation Pack Another is Insulation ...I mean the whole house is wrapped in all this Kingspan Foil Panels etc ....But of course the fireplace back walls and base (see above) will NOT be ...Is it s stupid question to ask if there is ANY insulation back there or not or do I cavity fill the void ..or something ...but fill to what even ..as there is no framework at the back at all ....floor to ceiling ... I suppose whatever i do with my "silver tube" I will need some sort of lintel or throat ...bricked out of sight above the beam ? I am thinking I will have to fix a cowl or something to take the pipe up ? And then I am back to the liners ? I mean do I need them as a path for the Silver Pipe to go up ...Danbrik or Clay (although i can't see there being much point with a fire resistant ceramic of any description, as it won't get HOT enough) ...but I am possibly wrong To be honest I have SO MUCH paperwork from Potton its unreal ....they really DO have details on everything ....I can't fault them for that, but when it comes to the chimney and fireplace (which lets face it ...they are KNOWN for houses with lovely fireplaces...check Google) ...there is SQUAT in these folders on how to go about the construction and spec of the Fire and Chimney ...not even a basic guide ...(sigh)...what this means is the untrained self-builder (that would be me) ...stands looking at a CAVE of a hole in the house, thinking ...What the Fudge do i Do and everyone i speak to has a different opinion or method ...So Far I have about SIX.. LOL. The wife even rung Huntingdon ..where the Gas Stove is coming from, ....they "don't do the brick bit" , "don't know about the brick bit" apparently its a "minefield of regulations" ...and to get it wrong is "lethal" Yeah ....thanks for that, makes us feel a whole lot better !

Result ...I will buy Stephen and his Labourer a 99 if the van stops LOL. Anyways I just had a Building Control visit ....Nice Man ...Knows his stuff and he pointed out some bits i have to get sorted ....obvious stuff i should have seen myself (sigh). ..but i did ask him about the chimney , and started going on about liners and Danbrik and all that and he suggested i look into an "twin wall" flue ....So i did online seems very twinky ..could be the stuff of dreams ? Problem is ...does this still need something to be shoved into ? so am i back to liners at £25 a pop to get up to 7m or can this twinwall pipe "freefall" as long as it is secured top and bottom ? Dont you think its strange to be thinking about Fire and Heating as we sit around tapping on a computer pouring in sweat and sat in just our underpants ? no? ....just me then!

£50 THE PAIR ....good deal ?

thats AWESOME guys thanks, Now I am getting an idea of how they need to be.. I was ridiculously naive by the looks of it .... and I have a NEW Building Inspector coming today ....shame, I loved the one i had ! As usual (because i know you all love them LOL) ..I have attached a sketch ! and some photos too Yesterday the wife asked me to slam on the brakes ...she had seen a reclamation yard .. ..well basically a company that grinds up demolition for hardcore ...but has a nice earner on the side flogging stuff too good to crush. ...and you guessed ...30 minutes later and £150 poorer we left with 2 great lumps of 2 inch slate ....17in square for the gatepost copings (they are nice to be fair) ....oh and 2 chimney pots! roughly 30cm wide each (sigh) ...it seems 1 is never enough ! SO I was looking at your guys photos and stuff and did myself a little sketch ...I have the brickie coming and I wanted to make sure that me, him, the missus and the new BCO were on the same wavelength I hope you can see by my sketch how i "think" it goes together ....and you won't believe this ....but in the father in laws garage is about 10 circular clay liners ....his missus was going to use them as planters ...but never did ...are they any good? will they save me a bob? ...I dont know but they are there! Anyway ...my questions to the wise We only EVER plan to use a gas "pretend wood burner" thingy ...SO I dont want to over spec anything that would cost me more, but i want to keep the BCO happy too and dont want to cut corners ...wit the above in mind ... 1. This 2 chimney idea of the wife's ...apart from having one working and one dead on the roof ....can i just block one up ..as its a dummy ? 2. I wouldn't need to run a liner up a fake chimney would i...so it could be filled all the way up? If these are the case ...then please ignore the fact that my sketches have 2 liners/holes in them ..if i dont need them ..then they are OUT.. I mean these are over £20 each ....and its a 7m run ...mabye 5 to a metre? 3. does the rest of my ROUGH measurements make sense ? 4. them 2 voids on Nod's image ....do they get filled as you build up ? 5. The bottom of our house is brick skin on TF with a 50mm cavity ...but the upper store is going to be polymer render on cement board/batten etc. How will this affect the chimney regarding regulations etc 6. I see nod is using concrete block ....presumable these will be "faced off" ...my chimney is made of brick through and through (or at least i thought it was going to be) there must be some regulation (there is for everything else) that specifies "thickness" ....Am i wrong here or does a single row of brick sound a bit "ropey" tied in well or not ?? Some people tell me ....oh its GAS only ...you will be fine, stop panicking ....it can be any thickness ...just sling a 6" metal flue pipe up it, might not even need masonry liners, but then i am SCARED to ask the BCO in case he goes all "CYRIL SUPERSPEC" on my a$$ !!! ...and starts suggesting all manners of fire resistant this and special pumice backings imported from a volcano in the China Sea and terracotta tubes made from the finest flame retardent clay from the depths of the deepest mine in Stock on Trent ...some questions are better not asked ...as I am sure you will agree

Hi all We are at the stage in our build, where the brickie is due ..and of course we are talking chimneys! now its a Potton build and has an end/external chimney detail running up one side to the apex (see pic of very similar one built a few years ago) I do remember the BCO asking about chimney detail, I was also told by someone "not too worry" as we are only fitting a gas "look-a-like" stove thingy ...(see other pic) .... I took this to mean that we would not need all those liner tubes and stuff i "presume" are for REAL fires ...and that would only need to stick one of those flexible fat tinfoil snake pipes up the brickwork to the top ...or am i getting it wrong here? ...its been KNOWN !! I have seen these flue "kits" online and they are like £700 and talk about vermiculite? and filling stuff with cement and the like. talk of putting "starters" in (sigh) ....I mean don't get me wrong ...I dont want to die from co2 !! ..so i want it to be right. I just dont want to have it to Power station spec and standards if i dont need to

Morning All... I never really considered this (well that's me) until it now comes time to do the screeding and get the outside gullies and stuff done on our new build ... VERY early on the wife said she wanted bifolds ....or at least some way that the patio would be open to the kitchen on a LEVEL surface ... She has always loved them on these programs that hark on about "outside-in" and having a "seamless" look ....(sigh) She did manage to source some decent thick (and large) ceramic tiles that are suitable for the kitchen, sunroom and of course the patio area ... ...but... HOW THE HELL CAN IT BE DONE ?? First ....there is a 150mm (ish) block on edge around the perimeter of all doorway bases ...presumable to contain the insulation and screed. Secondly ....there is the exterior DPC is of course (or at least it will be when the brickie is done) 150mm above the finished ground level ..as you would expect, to follow the rules, which i presume are there to stop rot and damp creeping into brickwork ,...which is good! So with the above in mind ....HOW, can it be possible to have the internal floor (after tiling) which will be say 170mm above the B&B Top to be level with the exterior ground tile level ...WITHOUT building the patio ABOVE the DPC ?!?! I cannot drop the floor screed, thats just lunacy ... ...but then if i raise the ground level outside ..it will open up a can of worms (most of the said worms will of course be able to crawl right into the kitchen too Pass the fluoxetine ! I am CRAP at explaining things ...so I can feel one my little sketches coming on ....another masterpiece of highlighter and biro me thinks

Hmmm...Not sure ....suppose as we had seen it done in the photo (same house) ..we thought it was deemed necessary for tidiness. I think over the last few days we have come to the conclusion that these "brick on edge" bits will be too much and so are going for just the 50cm sills that come with the windows. On another note I am still undecided on this plinth row .....as it technically runs to UNDER or close the bottom a lot of the downstairs windows ....to leave this UNDER the window sill ....or basically have a "break in it" where it meets the protruding UPVC sill ......and in this case have the plinth row it running in LINE withe Sills around the building ... What do you think ?

good morning all ! We have the roofers starting next week (fingers crossed) and the chippys are just finishing the exterior battening to get teh render board on ....and its got me thinking about window detail (as you do!) now our house is almost IDENTICAL, to the image below ...which is one build around 7 years ago ...except Instead of a course of tile creasing on the plinth ....we have gone for cant plinth brick (3.1.1) As you can see (and its the same at the rear ...but the side doesnt have many windows (for planning happiness!) SOME of the windows on the lower floor will finish just above plinth brick ,,,and some of the windows upstairs will basically be flashed to the roof (dormer) and some will have to meet the rendered area (2 will) ... what would you suggest should be the window sill detailing ?... bearing in mind our plinth does not have an overhang but is finished FLUSH with external course (to avoid chipping) I mean i suppose i need to work out some way of the brickwork MEETING the render area ? as the flush plinth course doesnt really create a protruding sill ....someone suggested slanted "brick on edge"...hmmm with a tile crease, a plinth and a brick on edge ....LOL. I am thinking it could look "bitty" and non-consistent ... anyone got any suggestions? as usual it is appreciated

Well i have took some photos and measurements, what do you guys reckon 1. this is the view from INSIDE out through a doorway. the kicker bricks were all CUT with a saw, as i saw them doing it. they are about 160mm high ...including the bed now from the top of the B&B 2. This is the view from OUTSIDE at the same bit. The B&B must be about 160mm high too as the distance from the Trench block to the top of the kicker is around 320mm (note the waste pipe at the bottom) 3. I have LOADS of kicker bricks coming loose (see pic) and today and tomorrow I have been re-bedding them and pushing them back under the TF ...its like the mortar has turned to dust ...its sooooo flaky. I am no expert ...but i would say they have dried too fast ! but what can we do now (sigh)

I have been doing a bit of reading Brickie ... ..especially on cavity trays ....and i am thinking ....would it be a good idea to install cavity tray all around with the top of the tray tucked UNDER the silver breather of the TF? and then in the same brick course as the trays i could put weeps in every so often does that sound like a plan ? ...I still have to work out my finished ground level for gullies LOL I guess i have another 2 MINI questions ... a) does an all-round cavity tray effectively REPLACE the brick DPC ....or does this need to be there as well ? b) would it be a good idea to make sure all courses under the DPC/tray were engineering brick ? forget the image i did above ...i have just had a peek out there i only really have about 2 courses on top of the trench block before i am up to the DPC i think ... jesus ..this is confusing !!!!

hmm ...you may be right ..i will check it with a tape and get back to you ....sorry ...i was doing that one above from memory

I was reading a few posts in this section and the same applies with us re: our gas main is actually closer to the REAR of the property and so I have been advised the meter can go on that rear wall. this has one BIG advantage for us .. The meter location shown is 39M from the main in the road we are connecting to. Anything over 40M is classified as a "major" connection and prices go Loooopy (apparently) If we were to connect it to the front utility room wall (as you cannot run gas under a house) it would be another 17m trip around (gulp) At last a bit of luck But my real question is about the gas meter box ....well to be honest the electric one too ...I have a bricklayer starting in about 4 weeks and i need to get everything in for him....and i am presuming the 2 meter boxes are required. Due to a narrow 1.5m path at the side ..i don't really fancy a "sticky out one" Is there anyone with experience of installing a "built in one" ...I have a timber frame potton house ...(if that makes a difference Thanks in advance for any advice

Thanks Brickie. So in my drawing below the brick DPC is too high ? I need to fit it lower ....in line with screed top ? ...that is FFL ? If that's the case then the earth around the building need to be reduced to stay 150mm below it .. hence the gullys too .....ah well CC45 above mentioned "cavity trays " ...this is new to me, as no-one so far has used this term ....is it a necessity, or just desirable

I know I have asked this before ....but I am still not sure ..So please don't flame me I know what the finished floor level (screeded) will be downstairs. I can see where the DPC was put down for under the Block and Beam Because my house is sitting a little "lower" than intended ....due in part to me PRESUMING that there would be at least a metre of concrete under there when in fact there is about 700cm This leaves me 300cm shallower than i wanted to be able to make the longer runs to my manholes and so on to the one 40m away. So where am I confused !! ..Well ... I am thinking is it at all POSSIBLE to have the exterior DPC higher ...(well as high as i can doorframes permitting) ..or is this a bad idea? This would have the effect of me being able to raise the exterior ground height and hence the gully height and give me more fall to play with Of course this new Brick DPC layer could end up 200cm ABOVE the internal B&B DPC ...But does this matter ? ...they don't "connect" What do you guys suggest? I mean i MIGHT be alright for fall ...but i hate the word "might" ...as it's usually followed by a "head in hands, elbows on knees, sat against a wall" scenario Which I am sure we have all been in

My thoughts are turning to screed for our new build, as with the roof scheduled in about 4 weeks, it will be time to get it organised. I keep hearing horror stories of 8 week drying times and cracking floors etc etc, and as i know little (very little) about screed ..I did a bit of reading up. Now I have a good drainage site, with suspended B&B and it will have Kingspan insulation on top. The only issue at present is whether we will go for UFH...as due to budgets...we will be tight... ...but we WANT to have it...So We will look at things from that perspective (optimistic!) I suppose the Floor Area is around 100m2 when all told ...Still not sure if UFH goes everywhere or just in "rooms" ...I mean downstairs WC, Utility Room, Hallway ..is it common to UFH those ? But either way ...Does anyone have any advice as to Cost and timings for various options on Screed for me?.... the builder seemed to think it would require a "standard 75mm" ...I am presuming depth ...I thought that sounded deep but looking online it seems common ...especially as it has to "hide" UFH tubes. I mean does having UFH in there make it "weaker" ? ...Will it be prone to cracking with heat? ...just how accurate is it when people (anecdotal) say it shouldn't be walked on for 4 weeks or worked on for 8?

That looks a cracking job ! I must admit it does look a lot more solid with the block internal walls. Our timber came yesterday and its flying up ...as you can see from pics below these guys work like tornado's ...just a blur..makes me tired watching them LOL Going back to DPC ...In the last picture you can see the top of the trench block (with groundworkers DPC) and the other DPC that was laid under the frame....the "kicker bricks" the block laid directly under the frame was a CUT block and is about is around 150mm high I guess i am just nervous about how high I can actually sit gullys currently...and as these will be at exterior ground level i was trying to get my head around how high they could go and still remain 150mm below the RELEVANT dpc

Below is essentially (forgive the artwork) what I have So I am trying to figure out ... a) If the exterior earthfill needs to be 150mm below a DPC ...which DPC b) Can you tell where the bricklayer will lay the external DPC course ....and HOW is it possible afterwards to connect this to an internal one ....or is it not necessary ?

Initially thats what i was thinking ...."exterior DPC in line with top of B&B" But today i heard that there is layer of insulation ...which may be 500mm ....and on top of that a screed of at least 500mm ??? ...if thats the case and the inside is going to be 10cm higher than beam and block and the DPC under that is obviously 165mm below the top So the DPC on the Trench block ...will be 165+500=665mm below the Finished Floor So if the ground level needs to be 150mm UNDER the exterior DPC (Trench block top) then the exterior ground level will therefor be 665+150=over 800mm below the internal floor ? Am i daft or is that right ?

Ok thanks. Well the frame arrived today and it is FLYING up ...but i did notice they put down boards with dampcourse under them BEFORE they started fixing the panels. So I am now REALLY confused LOL ...I have dampcourse under the B&B, dampcourse under the TF and no doubt my brickie will put a DPC in the bricks too. Do any of these need to line up or tie together...you know from inside to out ... ?

HI All, Since the below pic was taken there HAS now been a lot more soil taken from around the trench block to bring it well under by at least 150mm. I am now working out my drainage ....and it seems the house sits a fair bit LOWER than originally planned...which due my long drainage path may cause problems for me ....re: getting a good fall from my site to the drain 40m away I was looking at some drawings and as you can see from the picture there is a dampcourse running all around the edge of the connection between the trench block and the B&B the slab now has a a run of "kicker" bricks around it ...where the timber frame sits (not shown in pic) Now I am presuming that the bricklayer will then build the brick skin on the outside of the Beam and block (on top of the trench block) So what I am wondering is..is there a RELATION to the 2 DPC barriers ...the one the groundworkers put in and the one the bricklayer will put in ? I mean they are not CONNECTED ..so will be divided by the cavity, as the DPC thats there ...only runs to the edge of the beam(sort of half way across the trench block) ...I presume that is correct? What I am thinking is ...would it be possible to have the DPC on the exterior wall a few course higher?....This of course would have the effect of meaning i get more back-fill and a better fall for my drain I understand the reason for the DPC ...but I guess if i NEED to raise the outside one ...would it affect any damp rising elsewhere, as if i do this ..effective EXTERNAL ground level would then be technically OVER the INTERNAL DPC hope that made sense

thanks all

Well finally getting to the nitty gritty of paying for our sewer connection We have found an Anglian Water contractor and are ready to apply and pay for what we call Phase 1 (connecting our parents to the main sewer) The BLUE line we are doing ourselves to save on cost, and the Pink line ....which ONLY approved contractor can dig is costing us about £7.5 k ( i know!) But they have asked us if VAT is payable on this ??? Does anyone know if we are VAT exempt on this work ? thanks