saveasteading

In the standard contracts there is a line to fill in for 'liquidated and ascertained damages. LADs Of course the contractor will try very hard to avoid delay, but also to justify any delay that will allow an 'extension of time'. EOT Surveyors battle over this. There used to be some evil contractors who endeavoured to charge their subcontractors this way, and I expect some major clients did the same. The lawyers gained. With 'real' clients, ie decent people trying had to make a living, I would explain about LADs. and that we already lost money if the job runs on. If LADs are insisted on then 1. we have to fight them rather than gt on with the job. 2. will add a few weeks of that value to the tender, as risk. 3. explain that if the deadline is as importnat as they say, then they should have started sooner. With corporate clients I simply added the risk as a likely job cost.

I'd say this is a minimal issue. The walls will be made of big lumps of stone, and yours don't look porous. so any damp would have to rise by capillary action through the mortar. That is actual suction taking the water upwards. It fizzles out over about 300mm. The central core will have gaps in it sufficient for draughts, horizontally and vertically. this might affect the air-tightness of your home, but will reduce damp: its a compromise.

I've been using LEDs from before they were standard, to test them before imposing on clients. Back then there was no guarantee. They were really rubbish for a couple of years. then they became more reliable but the occasional one would go bang, sometimes with visibly black cells. when they became mainstream they were much more reliable. Heat used to be the biggest problem, and I was informed that it was because cheap lights had glued connections and not soldered. so that may still be the case with some. If the lights are concealed in the ceiling then they could get hot. This may be extreme if they are in among insulation, or have a fireproof hood on them.

I think that in Germany you can deposit packaging or end- of- life products at the retailer, and they must get it to their supplier und so weiter. Hence all German cars have every part marked with the material content. It will work as long as it as easy as dumping it, and if there is a fine for binning it.

Thanks. I'll remember next time. Could just about do the return trip in a day. The pipe isn't especially expensive at about £1/m, but it is wasteful and will now clutter the garden. Surely they could sell it at £2/m cut to length? And it would be visible corporate sustainability if they had an oddments bin, free to regular customers. I remember from doing work in London that plumbers carry zero parts, and there seems to be a tiny merchant every few streets, selling pipe cut to length. Ditto electricians.

Do the floor boards run parallel with the party wall? If so, you could lift one or two and stuff the ceiling space with insulation. Stop press. Picture just in. Can you confirm what we are looking at?

What have I learnt? The pipe cutter tool was brilliant. Straight cuts and no bits, in seconds. I expected to have to rotate the tool, like a copper pipe cutter, but it is more like scissors. So expensive for all those bits and 25m of pipe. About £200, tho that might half if I'd managed discounts (requests politely ignored, if you are in a hurry). Only jdp, of 5 merchants, had the right parts for the black pipe connection. Working with such a concentration of joints is tricky. Not enough flexibility. Bits falling out of a connector are best not falling in the hole. TS and SF are getting worse for what is in-stock, so the tools came from Amazon.

Yes you must do as they say. my thoughts are: in 100mm trench the cable would not be in the centre enough and they couldn't even see it properly in the hole. in a wider trench it can rest better on a sand bed. Also in a wider trench the backfill weight rests on the full 300 width and proportionately less on the cable.

So, I've done it. picture will follow. The black pipe is quite thick, but softer than the new blue one. also properly black right through. Given how it dips behind the manhole it is staying put for a while. If it was to leak before this junction then it is an easy job in the lawn, diverting the other side of the manhole. If after the junction, it is a big job breaking out slabs. The pipe is clearly very shallow, but freezing is rather unlikely here in SE. Even the outside taps haven't frozen in the last 6 or 7 years. Pus its very local and the rest will be much the same or deeper.. So I may place a slab of eps over the pipes after partial gravel fill. it will also prevent crushing and act as a warning if ever someone decides to dig there. btw, I turned the mains off every night, just in case, and because there was always some leakage. The denso was gradually being force loose, and the leakage increasing.

sorry for the jargon. anyway, these are under a suspended ground floor, which I'd wrongly assumed. so ignore that. You are getting smells from the ceiling between the ground floor and the first floor?

That is likely to be a critical element in the structure. We can't possibly say without seeing i, and it won't even be calculable. But I'd keep it if remotely possible. Any design to allow its removal will likely be hideously expensive. Yes, or it will fall off over the years and fill the gap. You'll find that it is fairly clear if its loose or not. Depends on the BCO. Working with the Scottish Regs we had the advantage of 'as far as reasonably practicable'. So when we proposed leaving an area of stone exposed, the bco was pleased to agree. He had the comfort of the rules, to allow it, while personally welcoming the retention of Heritage. In the English regs there is no such relaxation. But ask, and find a way of compensating (in the loft?) if necessary. Yes. But also for any other method. Isn't it interesting and appropriate ?

There is no such thing here acc to wiki In American English, a set screw is a screw that is used to secure an object, by pressure and/or friction, within or against another object, such as fixing a pulley or gear to a shaft. Wikipedia

I have asked specialists. It's the size of that tank, and getting it above lukewarm. For one client there was a freezer store and an office. Obviously it would be appropriate to heat the office from the waste heat. The client engaged 'specialists' direct and they said it was impossible. The office is heated by an oil boiler and rads, while the chillers chuck heat out to the yard Later I met a sustainable energy boffin and asked. He explained that there is some technical reason* that you can only capture about 10% of the heat, and then concentrating it with another heat pump is expensive. * I think it is having a plenum or heat recovery ducting system that is big enough, then the power in concentrating it. But Mitsubishi and Daikin now have internal modules that will balance out the whims in an office space (one cooling while another heats) . so the liquid all goes to a central point and averages out and avoiding chucking it away. I read yesterday about the prospects of storing heat in foundations. Carbon black mixed in the concrete seemed to be the thing. Resin phase change was going to be around by now, but it seems to have gone quiet.

That was my reason for resisting the thought of buying, during expensive villa rental holidays. I would point at the rusty gate and ask if i'd be expected to sort it instead of relax. On the other hand, with kids gone and retired, I welcome having things to do, especially in a pleasant climate. Other people's mess and damage though would really irk.

I wonder if an absence of perpend's may be deliberate to allow air flow between air bricks. However, it's more important that the air bricks are clear, which is often not the case. So would first check they are clear, and some of the smoke might drift away. Also, more importantly the neighbours air bricks. But how is it getting down there anyway? Next I'd think of laying a sheet of dpm over the offending wall if there is crawl space. probably fixed under the joists with a batten. why is it always cabbage? When I was a Christmas posty, there was a whiff from every letterbox. Sometimes pleasant, more often doggy or cabbage. It rather depended on the area. But I don't think that many people eat cabbage so it must be something else.

If you have any more floors like this to do, then there are other possible constructions that will be more user- friendly. On the bright side. The land was free and you've got PP. You are willing to learn. The concrete hadn't gone in. Sharing more on here will help, but make your blog less interesting.

I think we have answered the question. Please be precise about whatever might still be unclear.

No. the extra load from the upper storeys does perhaps add to the width of the footing. if the ground was weak nearer the surface and stronger lower down then that might be anther reason. but about 1.4m is the norm. a very sweeping assumption. probably not. id say add £4,000 for being near the tree. BUT there are other issues too, so get specific advice. eg. is it wise to build an extension footing at 2.2m if the house's is at 1,4m, or whatever.

i had never thought of that purpose for the plain shank. i feel educated.

Planning don't do technical stuff like that. However they might dislke the effect on the tree, because it would grow mis-shapenly and drape over the house. Also from your maintenance point of view it will tip leaves onto your roof and gutters. If you can get a decent digger in, then its just a trench and concrete. More concrete than if it was shallower. £120/m3 or so, plus the extra labour. and the earth away cost. So it is adding 5% to your build cost, or so.

indeed, you've hit the nail on the head there. I think the likelihood is that a pro would rather bash nails in than screw, so the nail spec has been assessed.

Have you steel bar spacers for supporting the top layer of mesh off the bottom one, and tying them together? All the work has to be top class. You get away with a lot if it is ground bearing, but this is a proper structural slab and will need care. eg when the concrete goes in it must be consolidated (I'd say hire a vibrating poker). and no added water. keep the pictures coming. Can we see the whole of your slab design drawings? That's why professional builders seldom do them as developers, and self builders can buy them.

OK. A lime tree will grow to 22m and is classified as having moderate water demand. The current height, and the diameter are not used in the assessment. Clay has high shrinkage. so look on this table and we see that at 3m from the 22m high tree, the depth of foundation required is 2.15m

Well done for sharing. More in a couple of months. I suggest you don't leave it that long. Preparing a suspended slab that isn't supported on the structure is a bit of a biggy, and there must be either a lack of clear information or a major misunderstanding. How will the shear links be fixed? Steel fixing isn't easy to do properly, and general builders tend to be a bit casual about it. good point. what is the plan? it presumably only has to be level, not strong.

Ahem. An interesting statement. Yes screws perform well in pullout, but they all have shear resistance based on how much shank is there. But nails hold things together too, and are not easy to pull out. A good interview question....when would you choose a nail or a screw? I prefer screws because I'm rubbish with a hammer, and there is a second chance. In this case the advantage of screws is in ease of fixing.