saveasteading

One of us seems rattled. You may have noticed that I expressed concern and asked the correspondent for more details and advised getting a full design. Then silence. I know it's only been 3 days but the party seemed to be having issue after issue. So I've got better thigs to do. I will duck out of this and be perhaps more useful somewhere else.

Flanagaj has disappeared, as often happens here when we give advice that doesn't suit.

There isn't am emoji for how I feel.

As I had written it in full I am entitled to then use the abbreviation.... but should properly have written them together first time. I'll try harder. Formally about £400 but you will need information on the proposed system. Informally £200 ( a look, a few words and nothing in writing). Very Informally. .. double up the joists bolting new on the side of old. But there could be factors we haven't seen, and your classic car won't be insured if it goes wrong.... and it remains a garage, not any domestic purpose.

I thought it was a spoof story at first, or that moose has other meanings. Egypt had 5 now has 6.... is that news?.. but thanks for sharing.

It shocks some people that agricultural buildings are basically allowed to fail, whether for hay, tractors or living animals. I asked a farmer once if he knew of buildings collapsing, as I hadn't ever heard of it being a problem. He told me it was quite common especially in heavy snow, and was reported in farming journals. might want to have their garage designed with a FOS. It's about 40% in approx terms.

After you've had a look at gantry options, Id be interested to know what you come up with, and we can look at support and fixings. ballast is still possible, but with reinforcement of the joists, which should be quite easy: fixing the same size of timber to the sides wont intrude either.

garages are generally designed without the factors of safety required for a house. So the timbers will be on the light side already. I.e. it's unlikely anyone would die if it collapsed in a storm, and cars don't matter. The snow load will still apply as it can sit on the solar panels, so this is extra load even beford ballast. So the joists will need help. The easiest solution may be to sister the existing ones. But uplift in wind will be the critical force As the oaneks act as a wing and kite. You don't want holes in the roof, quite rightly, so you may need a gantry to spread the load, perhaps strapped to the walls. I'm reinventing the wheel here... there must be a standard way, although don't count on contractors or vendors to know or care. Is it a building regs thing? I'd have to check but I think it is as it's integral with the house. I don't think many people ask, or do it right.

Not strictly true I think, although some councils imply that it is only allowed for small projects. Other councils may say 'should' rather than must. the planning portal use the phrase: "it is perhaps best suited to small work." But it presents a huge risk and you have to be confident of getting everyhing right, and comlying with all regulations and also hoping that the bco agrees with you and your designers. I've done commercial projects worth in the millions on building notice.... sometimes it was the only way to complete the project to the programme required. eg the one where I met the client for the first time, there was no design, their requirements were complex, and they wanted to use it in exactly a year.... and it was on landfill... and they didn't own the site yet... and politics required that we used the local LA, who didn't like being hurried. BUT again. I've had heavy meetings with BCO's flexing their muscles about their personal interpretation of the reg's, and it is scary to think they may stop the job/ want a stair removed etc. Right now we are converting a steel barn, and it is complex and unconventional. Being done on notice with a private bco, but we are a family of Architect and Engineer and being a main contractor, and with a Structural Engineer who can handle the complexity and accept (can I say relish?) that things might change along the way. SO I am being pedantic just for clarity. Full plans is highly recommended / essential for most projects on BH. Perhaps it is sensible that an LA says 'only for small domestic projects' even if not strictly accurate.

Where does it go? Best find another term if presenting this to anyone, Soil specifically means sewage and black water, but I appreciate that merchants use it as a general term for drain pipes. That is indeed a lot of water. It used to fall on the land. Do you know if it drained away or caused any issues? I like to use long french drains if the land allows. ie not clustered together but heading different directions to spread the waterr, but also with more chances to find porous areas or old root voids.

If it wasn't escaping there then it would be coming out of manholes upstream, or from downpipes. You should not send it to the soil pipe, as that is what causes overflows at the sewage works. Have you space for a ditch or pnd?

@flanagaj Could you please answer some fundamental concerns? Otherwise I'm close to losing interest in helping. Have you planning permission? Have you a construction design by Achitect/Engineer/skilled builder? Have you appointed a building inspector? If so are they happy with you? Do you have a thought out plan re construction management and details at interfaces? Do you have builders lined up or is it a sequence of one after another? Im concerned for you.. this could go very wrong indeed. But this forum is for advice not managing your whole project. This is where the Scottish system has its main benefit.. you can't start and make it up as you go. Maybe you should go the "full plans" route too.

Check the compatability. I found last week that soudal cleaner dissolves eps. Also that using soudal foam against eps, it appeared to shrink overnight so I'm thinking the eps may have been absorbing solvent and shrinking.

Not sure I agree. I did put that size in once even though others said it was unnecessary. The principle was that with 500m2 of roof it would store every raindrop in summer storm, when it is otherwise scarce. And it fed 6 x wc. In most situations it will only be for gardening and whatever m3 can be fitted in is a boon. I'm using free redundant oil tanks off Marketplace. So they will come as 2 or 3m3 typically. Any oil plumber will also be happy to get shot of them. Unless you're a market gardener of course when you need more and don't want any oil traces. We are designing the garden for minimum water demand. Meadow, prairie, dry garden areas and no lawn as such.

We got an early occupation by mallows which are attractive. The trees took over and we should have cut them back regularly. But if I had acres spare I'd do a totally wild one with coppice and a curated one.

Try your local independent BM. A relationship can be good for you and them.

The nature person was a rare unsentimental type. He said that in a wild pond, fish eat tadpoles, or newts eat fish and tadpoles, and frogs /toads dominate through numbers if they get a chance. Then the pond can flood or disappear. Fish need water, frogs can sometimes hide, but newts move off for most of the year and return when conditions allow and hormones dictate. Natural fish arrive as eggs on the feet of birds and you only need two. So build the pond and let them and the plants get on with it he said.

In Germany and Spain, flats are more common. People live closer together in communities rather than isolated suburbs. Good use of land, affordable. And lots of balconies for bikes, the washing and optional and very occasional sitting out and solar panels.

not what I meant to say. The lily that wiped out the others is perfectly attractive and successful. it takes a bit of maintenance though, to remove the dying leaves and flower heads. In a wild pond Id just let it take over and the fish would have to learn to find some oxygenated water between the leaves. As with many plants, the white flowered version prevails. I used to scoop out the sludge annually but have found it to have come to a steady state, and I think the fish get sustenance from it through the winter. The odd thing with the fish (Sarasa Comets) is that I've seen hundreds of pretty little ones over the years but only ever 3 floaters to dispose of... the dead ones must sink and dissolve into the sludge. each spring I remove the forest of roots that hang from the edge shelving plants, because the fish scoosh their eggs in there, and I prefer a dozen fish reaching maturity to hundreds. I assume that loose eggs and tiny hatchlings are eaten

Sad but true, but take them out by whatever means, A big hammer with a block of timber should do it. Then you can clean the mortar off and relay them when ready. I've just read that post And this was the bricklayer (sorry to abuse that term) who said he was 'committed' and has stopped you getting access. You are entitled to knock some of his wages off for putting the work right. Expect some aggro, but you can confidently state that you have taken advice from independent specialists and it is unacceptable to British Standards.

Quite right too, but you didn't take the advice do doing it before, and the majority of activities and processes are well proven. The oversight of the over-site! Edit I see @Nickfromwales has said what I had drafted below. 1. Why can't you knock a few blocks out and get the digger in? or a ramp? 2.Can you or your advisor redesign the slab, and will a redesign cost more than you will save by not reducing the over-site. I don't favour a thick concrete slab over insulation anyway, and can't see much point of having strong stone under weak insulation, so I'd be redesigning completely. But you presumably are working to a professional's design so should speak to them about changing it, or live with the problem and, as above , learn to manage the project more thoroughly/ forcefully. We all make mistakes. I discovered a biggish practical one this week, but we are qualified to adapt the design to overcome it. The sketch requested above would be useful.

I've got an ornamental pond (brick and liner). 3 lilies on baskets on the bottom in year one. Gradually one bullied the other two. Now one lives in the bottom sludge, and the removal of leaves keeps the nutrient down and the mass of leaves keeps the summer heat out. 3 fish became about 60 and they appear to live in harmony.

Ummm. Planners follow tick-boxes and policy. Central government not involved and we don't do politics here. Local councillors can be an issue as they have power but little or no training. Everything is negotiable so the contract can be based on work involved and an overview of the cost level, but then fixed.

Indeed. Numbers are their thing. My main issue is when they select the cheapest quote without reviewing the others properly: the headline price may not be the best after exclusions, management and quality are considered. Conversely, when they want one to win and the others are being used as checks. You need a waste strategy too, unless they are supplying all the materials and paying for disposal, you will waste masses....paying to buy surplus and then throw it. You don't need 3 quotes for everything. You need one good quote, by whatever means, and recommendation is best.

I built a pond once as SUDS, fir an office block, with all the roof and driveway water pipes ending up there for exceptional rain. Ie after natural drainage, rainwater harvester and French drains any surplus went in there. We had a 'nature' consultant who advised that we did no planting or species thinking at all, and let nature do it. Although he did say plant sone miniature willows to help drink the water. Nature took about 2 years, during which time the LA nature staff complained about the "typical builder, leaving a muddy hole behind" but were won over. Another time I would do the same if it was distant from the building but omit the willows as they took over and needed maintenance. If near to the house I might compromise and have some pretty planting, and a shallows, and a gravelly pretty feature. Nature did indeed move in. The advisor had said we would get newts or frogs or fish.....only one would prevail. It was common newts. The plants that moved in were attractive enough. Maintenance nil apart from the planted trees and sone other 'weed' trees. No sand liner! That seems pointless. The people who wrote these LA guidelines back then seemed to be tree huggers with little real knowledge. As to lining it. For SUDS you want to let it empty, and nature will deal with the seasonal changes, so no lining. For a garden feature everything is different.