saveasteading

I'm retired so 5 years ago... Sensible safety. Firstly it is designed to be easy and safe to erect. Proven methods of construction. Secondly the job is progressive so one process a time... foundations are complete before structure starts to go up. A simple and relevant risk assessment* that is easy to read and understand. Hard hats when anything is overhead, proper site boots af all times. Yellow jacket at all times. 2 tales of yore. 1. On this project as a steel structure contractor for a national contractor, and sitting in their office, as was their site manager. Unannounced visit by HSE. He introduced himself to the manager and asked what was going on at present. The answer was, steel is going up and ask him over there (me)... OK I will but can you show me the relevant risk assessment? The manager pointed vaguely at 3 lever arch files but didn't know. HSE came over to me and I explained that a gable wall was being erected and the methodology. Could he see my risk assessment .... of course. " very good and especially that it was easy to follow and relevant." Back to the site manager: is anything else happening and please explain the methodology? ...He couldn't. Then hse and I had a chat. He said my document was ideal in his opinion, but that higher powers wanted much more paperwork, an I would soon have to go that way. And so we did but only ever relevant content, revised for each job. 2. Main contractor for a pharma company you've heard of. They had their own safety inspector. We were putting a fibreglass ladder in place and he stopped us. The ladder isn't tied. We showed the rope that one guy was going to tie while the other held the ladder. Not acceptable, you need a scissor lift. I guess we must have very quickly hired and offhired one as the next time he came round it was tied. That sort of idiot was creating a new profession and now they are in charge where large clients or contractors are involved. They make paperwork that keeps top management distant from blame. I never had a problem with HSE. A few tellings off and one 'sort it' notice but they were always correct and even helpful with suggestions. On our current family project we apply common sense. If HSE happened along, I guess he would advise some changes, but generally be happy that everyone was safe. There is no written document but everyone is sensible and the kit is appropriate.

I'm thinking out how to conceal an ugly garage and get privacy from a neighbour's terrace. The plans are: 1. A raised bed of maybe 600mm with dwarf fruit trees, attractive in summer and not an issue in winter. Maybe some grasses. 2.A pergola and trellis with honeysuckle and clematis which are green all year. These will be about 3m high when mature. Stunning flowers for 8 weeks.

OK that's helpful. I would disagree re water from the roof. It should even be cleaner than straight off a roof or gutter. I think they are being cautious. But the issues remain that you would be creating a very big sump, collecting water from the surrounding ground, including neighbours'. You need structural design approval being close to the neighbours. The pump part of the question is the easy bit.

Correct. I don't really want to help you with this, sorry, other than to say I disagree with doing it at all. It is complex anyway so you can't get great advice without a detailed design assessment. Your assessment is under-rated ad you would have much more water than that. Ethically it is wrong because we are all supposed to be reducing water to storm drains, not collecting it then pumping it in. it causes flooding or sewage overflows dowmstream, and diminishes the groundwater and aquifer. You wouldn't only be dealing with your "own" water but collecting it from neighbours with potentially serious consequences. Have you considered a soakaway or pond? Rainwater harvesting? If you do end up with a scheme, you must put it past building regulations and get the drain owner's approval. I strongly suggest finding another means of privacy(fence, hedge). Sometimes we have to compromise.

If you do it manually you can prevent dust. The screed is usually quite soft so it doesn't need a machine. You can get on hands and knees and use a brick. And it can be dampened first. How much would be coming off, and how thick would the remainder be?

There are a lot of useless people doing this, and good too of course. the test is whether they ask questions and/or give suggestions. interested or its just a job. have some questions. some are just random guys that have been given the task by their employer. I recall a family purchase and upgrade, of traditional brick walls and somebody came to assess for the gas or electric company for some reason. He spent 5 minutes making assumptions for 'this sort of building'. didn't check in the loft. wouldn't listen that we had upgraded the party wall. I wouldn't be surprised if he thought this was a cushy job and would start his own assessment business.

using wedges?

75mm of screed. Presumably this was pumped, and was hard in a few hours. this is mixed very precisely and should not have excess water (if it did, it would be utter slops). the majority of the water enters the new chemistry of the screed, and is not wetness. the remainder evaporates over a week or so.... Unless it got wet again of course. The free water would be the equivalent of about a 5mm puddle, and we know that doesn't stay there for long. double that for seeping upwards I've had floor fitters claim excess dampness then I've had others test it and it has been well in tolerance. I suspect the fitters wanted to remove any warranty responsibility. BUT if it really is wet then that is an issue. I suggest you get an independent measurement. It has to be somebody who knows what they are doing as I misunderstood one machine: it was reading a high figure but the expert explained something or other that I can't recall, that it was well within. The diy probes are quite possibly fine for timber when you an push probes in, but less reliable for other materials.

Fear is too strong. But I want him to visit again in a good frame of mind. Who knows what he might want proof of, at cost of much time , maybe some fee. The green bit of the regs is ' do a good job' and the rest is suggestions and interpretation. So I will show willing (do a bit), take a flattering photo and then membrane over it. It's a much better job than most he will see and walk past. Eg when I've cut the insulation to just the right shape and it needs to be hammered in with stud offcuts as spreaders...... then it won't come out again for certain. He will have walked past plenty of undersized, maybe underthickness, boards with expanding foam.

Yes. family members did it diy. All the tiles have a camber so it is essential to straighten that, using the plastic wedge method. It has been in place 2 years now and not a problem. One of those things where diy gave more certainty as well as the cost issue. I have a thing about wood-effect... you will never see the same pattern on 2 planks so I don't wat to se it on tiles. the ones we used had about 20 patterns and then could be reversed. I've tried to see the repeats of course, and managed, but they are very convincing. You may have seen the recent discussion about decoupling mats. I can't remember if the steading had one so will ask. Anyway, I wouldn't be using one. Notch? I suspect that with having the camber to resolve, you'd want more rather than less adhesive.

That's a commercial application not a self-build issue. does show that wind is better than oil though.

Made me laugh. What if it is low alcohol Peroni or vegan?

Continuing this drift from the original question. We have had a difference of opinion with the BCO. Any advice will help, either technical or to my behaviour. I am personally infilling between timber studs at an isolated area where the architecture requires that we add some insulation. 50mm of rockwool would meet the numbers required. Because we have some 150mm eps and pir left from the floor works, I am using that. Obv this far exceeds the requirement. I wasn't there during the routine inspection, maybe as well. BCO isn't happy to see different materials being used. There is PIR and EPS, and even that looks like different products because batches have different amounts of the black specks from graphite additives. He also doesn't like where I have used 2 or more pieces butted within a section of wall. It is all sealed at edges and any joints with aluminium tape. Why have I used more than one piece? Economy and avoidance of waste. Sometimes because there is a nail sticking out so I've cut it for ease of adjustment, or there is a pipe behind and I have used 2 pieces, cut for exactness. And some are where eps has snapped, as mentioned above.... I have used it but taped the junction. In family discussion I suggested we tell him where to go / ask him on what grounds there is any suggestion of a problem / submit proof that this exceeds regs / sign it that I have a degree in Building Science. Pragmatically we are avoiding a row as it isn't worth it. So I've gone back to address the worst and there actually isn't anything that bothers me. I saw one panel where I'd used 3 bits so decided to pull that out and redo. Then I saw why I had done it. The sparky had inserted a noggin so I had pushed what I could down the back of that, in 2 bits to get a good fit. Then I had done the front, with a gap at the noggin but used eps and pir. The boards are so well fitted that one won't come out So I decided to reduce the quality to please the man. I've cut 30mm off one of the blocks, but 30mm off it and joints and placed 25mm board over for better aesthetic effect. Lowering standards to get approval... Grrrrrr. I'm thinking of peeling the aluminium face off PIR and gluing it over any panels with joints. But no, I will not lower myself to that. Thanks I feel a bit better now. we have had a difference of opinion with the

also of note. I have been a hater of expanding foam for years as it is used freely to hide bodges. But Soudal with a gun is another matter as there is control of quantity to some extent, and the nozzle can be extended into voids. BUT NB it acts as a solvent with EPS so must be used with caution. I have learned to squirt in a small amount as adhesive, then a sparing amount, then a 'top coat'. Not fast but a proper job

But laying 2 layers allows the staggering of joints. Having recently done 2 layers I'd be thinking of having the thinner layer below, as the top one will be stiffer to resist bending under load (if there are any voids). Jablite is much softer and the saw doesn't get stuck in thck boards. But for 50mm of either, a saw is fine. Both are easy with a machine. We had a contractor do the floor. He used a recip. saw and long blade. Fast but approximate. I've been doing some wall stud infilling. It's a pain. I'm using a jigsaw with 4" blade which only cuts 2". Then repeat other side.. so is slow. With a long blade it wanders wildly. I think ideally with pir I would cut first with a jigsaw then complete the cut with a recip. Also, eps makes lots of dust, pir much less but nasty and needs a mask. Another option.. pir has aluminium foil on both faces. It cuts by stanley knife and so for 50mm you can cut both faces and get a snap-off cut... and it ux marked in 100mm squares. Yes eps snaps rather roughly.