saveasteading

I can't get knto it. Any hints? Or cut and paste for we lessee mortals?

then there is how it interfaces at the eaves.

No it's fine. I think it's clearly a change of use.

Care to summarise?

Sometimes the simple solution is best. You want one discrete space warmer, so boost it with an electric heater on a thermostat or timer. Or a radiating panel beside the comfy chair.

In the nasty world of the major contractors this is common enough. there is a long chain between the workers, gangs, subcontractors and so on. any one of them can be the weak link in the worker getting paid. But I well remember that being a subby to big, even national' contractors was the worst. They didn't do collaboration and they wanted a discount for paying on time. Their QS would be on a bonus for monies not paid out. And once as main contractor to a family business, a consultant warned me to expect trouble getting the last payment. The client even carelessly said he never pays a bill if he doesn't need the supplier again. It went true to form except I had my alarm clocks in place too. Horrible though.

I googled and found this . Seems sensible. No too wet and not too dry! https://www.alphasand.in/blog/what-is-the-moisture-content-of-sand Maybe someone else knows better than I, but I have seen a dry screed laid and it needed compaction (banging down with a batten) before floating. A bit wetter than that seemed optimum to me.

Absolutely. The ready-mix companies take a reading every day and adjust the water accordingly. but they have fancy kit for it. If you wanted to be scientific about it you take a kg of sand , then dry it in the oven then weigh it again. If the sand is in sealed bags and feels dry I would say it is dry. If it comes in bulk, assume it is wet and deduct 5% of the water otherwise specified. When it is just right it will be annoyingly dry for the builder to lay and float. That's great that you get on well.

They have even overlapped the lower roofs for maximum filth buildup or perhaps a nesting spot. Fibreglass boxes nailed on the trusses. I've argued against these with planners They like them and presumably so do buyers. (articulation / street scene).

That is the recipe. I haven't checked if that is appropriate. On the cement bag it should also say how much water to add. Most contractors will ignore this and put in a lot as it makes it much easier for them to mix and to handle and float. This is based on the sand bring dry. If it's wet then add less water. Too much water and it has to evaporate, leaving that much spare space in your mortar. 5% surplus water ends up as 5% aero bubbles. Thus the screed is weaker and also will shrink and crack a lot. And for precision don't use shovels as volume guides. Use whole or half bags, or fill buckets. Your builder may say nonsense to the above: most manage to avoid knowing about the subject. It will then be your decision. An easy hygrometer substitute is an upturned glass on the screed. If it steams up it is still too wet. It would be great if you can report back in 2 weeks.

Firstly. It's difficult to seal old houses with all these shapes and abutments. Secondly, a really proper job, with stepped flashings and tucked under the wall tiles will cost thousands. Old clay tiles will change colour in time. Does it keep most of the damp out? Other people in here know more about it than I do.

I'm a fan of fibres but no need in your case. It won't crack noticeably unless you have too much water. Drying time varies. But if you get the water content right it nearly all disappears in the chemical reactions. The screed will be dry in days but give it 2 weeks. Do you have a mix recipe including the water content? Using wet sand can mess this up.

"No dig" is a much better idea. The worms do all the work for you, and you don't kill off the microorganism stuff going on under there. Also avoiding concentrations of the same plants. Onions and garlic scsttered among the leafy veg confuses pests. Mix some tagetes in there too. I bought no compost last year but got about 10 bags worth from composting.

Is that so every room has an amazing view? For building physics it is a very inefficient shape. For living in, perhaps 2 generations with an end each and shared middle could work. Our steading, if unwrapped, would be 60 x 5m, and it works as 2 spaces, but needs clever design, and space wasting corridors.

Should be provided. Not must. The basic building regs are that drains should work and be roddable. Thus a 15° bend shouldn't be a problem in real life. If the bend can be immediately at the access chamber then it becomes a non issue. Use one out and one in and a straight run between? This is something to ask the bco.

I was wrong above. It does still say it in the English regs so it will be the same as they both refer to the same British Standard. Document H. Clause 2.49. Access should be provided at....a bend and at a change of gradient..

As hardly anyone appears to install a drainage field as required, I wouldn't assume it is even there. How would we know where one was, as it is all buried unless there are drawings? I first typed 'a dirty video' then realised the water should be clean by there.

There used to be an English rule against any change of direction between rodding chambers, but it was dropped. As long as its roddable I think its OK. And I think the Scottish rules are less prescriptive altogether. I'd need to check.

Absolutely. But when a client says" I'm not paying, what are you going to do about it?" this perhaps is very tempting. He is never going to get paid. I've met a few small builders who have had this. One went back and demolished the porch he had not been paid for, but only after discussion failed. The rich go to court. The poor, and becoming poorer, get the sledge out.

And not all sparkies care (or perhaps understand) either. I've seen plenty of notches out of the tops of joists and holes just anywhere that suits them for cables, ducts or pipes. I have to assume that many site managers and building inspectors don't understand it either, or do they dismiss it as nonsense? Does anyone know the approximate cost differential between osb flanged engineered joists or posijoists? As the former is most used I guess it is cheaper for bulk factory orders. Posijoists will suit smaller, local production?

That's the man. He will tell you straight if it can't be done, and other options.

That was my detail on multiple industrial buildings where the external slab had to be kept high. The gravel, being rounded, absorbs most of the drip impact and minimises splashes. But it gets mucky and weedy and needs serious cleaning every couple of years. you could insert a pipe along the bottom to carry the water away before it fills. AND it would still be 100mm below the floor level as some splashing will continue, because gravel fill will hugely reduce capacity. So for a big discount it is your shout, but be mindful that the issue remains in the long term for selling on. It's a good point above about other people not spotting it. But most buyers need a mortgage and most building surveyors are (I like to think) likely to spot that.

Leave a gap between the 2 differing buildings. link them with a corridor or utility rooms or orangery or whatever. then if one of the buildings moves relative to the other, as is very likely, the damage is only at the abutment of the link to the building. You can design it to be a failure point that is readily repaired, or even flexibly so that it absorbs some movement. To be sure that we're talking about the same thing By vibro I mean vibro replacement. a rig vibrates a hole in the ground and fills it simultaneously with gravel. Thus it compresses the ground sideways and it all becomes denser and stronger. the pile of gravel does transfer load downwards too, but that is a bonus. I've specified it several times ( and always used Keller) but some ground is so loose that it can't be used. The machines are sometimes smaller than the one shown. I haven't seen water being used as the sketch shows here.

On very loose ground I favour vibro. The main attractions are the flexibility of spacing and that the ground is being strengthened rather than the building going on stilts. It saves on reinforced edge and cross beams too. If the design allows , I would have a link between the 2 parts like a railway carriage has, to let any movement cause least effect.

It's standard single skin from Colour Clad. It is on tile batten to allow an air gap and flow, then dpm on osb on rafters.