saveasteading

That's my point really. As in some recent discussions, if someone has 2 workers with 2 barrows, and the footings are round the back, then slower can be good.

Gravel moves a lot, even if angular. It also sticks in tyres and flies off in the street when speed picks up. Hence planners don't allow gravel at crossovers. Plastic grids keep it in place and spread the wheel load, but chip away over time. You must have membrane under or it will mix with mud, and it us much more effective to have a coarser layer under, rather than thick gravel. Yes you can lay paviors on concrete. Just make a very dry sandy mix and lay as if on sharp sand. You might then want to haunch them to keep them In place.

Yes. The radon barrier needs to continue to the outside, so that any radon gas disappears into the atmosphere. So the 'second' layer may be what is shown dark blue: a strip up the wall and out. I don't know Juta products. They seem to cost more though as they are red and have "radon barrier" printed on them.

Have you got polythene ready to cover it?

You were lucky getting it early. That should be stiffening up nicely by now. Don't overdo the floating or you will get too much cement paste.

I do wonder why there isn't more around. Zero waste, nice and slow, mix can be changed immediately. I used it even on parts of huge jobs, if there were small shutters to fill or bolts to hang as there is no pressure re delay costs or minimum orders. My only concern might be quality control when it is crucial....but none of my buildings have flown away yet. Perhaps it looks more expensive /m3 to new customers who don't know about the extras with big loads.

I expect there is a misunderstanding. One is enough, and can also act as the dpm.. but the original design wasn't quite right so maybe he meant something else. It's great that he's being helpful

I'd need a picture. But the easiest solution is to pack the space with insulation offcuts, then box around.

Firstly I would assume that the fitters haven't read the instructions on position, so a concrete slab will make them set it off the wall. See instruction manual for position. For all the cost difference I wouldn't use slabs or just gravel. I wouldn't risk any imbalance when the fan is running. Also they have to fix their rubber feet down. Concrete will be a solid fix. As above, leave a gap to the wall and fill with gravel

Simple tongue and groove, stained to a colour to suit. It will probably then need an intumescent varnish.

Agreed. Do something soon. String is the principle but for a flatter material that nobody would even question beng there I suggest metal strapping., builders band. OR the plastic strapping used on pallets. That is cheap and could be stapled easily and be near zero thickness. Then you can add a service void when it suits.

A nice summary. Can you save this for future re-use? So many initial posts are, " what will it cost", as if it was a fridge from a shop. May I suggest though that the inaccurate costings were perhaps accurate as to what that builder would have cost. I'm guessing the estimator quoted high.....they daren't be low. And of course perhaps you are the reason for the successful outcome. Good manager, firm but fair, and not changing your mind regularly? And you are not costed in to the final figure.

From our experience " the industry" doesn't like laying pipes at any centres, and sends out their , let's say most junior, employee out to do it....badly.

But not stop sedum roots which will get into any gaps they can find in the roof cover What weight is this system when wet? I once wanted to prove why a green roof should not be a planning condition and did it by showing how much more material the building needed. I think it was about 50kg/m2. Is your bike shed up to it?

On the subject of atcost and similar, In case anyone is interested. There used to be a thriving trade in second hand concrete portals of which atcost was best known. A farmer would sell one"as seen", then the buyer commissioned a contractor to move it. They stripped the asbestos cladding in strict order so it could be reused, then the concrete or steel rails. And the rafters. Then they cut off the columns at slab level. In its new location it became lower as the columns were reduced. They were dropped into recesses in concrete pads and packed into place. Then reassembly with new fixings like abu simbel all in order. Every new hook bolt went in an existing hole. A building might be moved several times and become ever lower. They were worth much less already disassembled as there was uncertainty as to it going back together. Broken asbestos cladding was legally buried on a farm.....and can be an expensive discovery.

An atcost footing for a farm building won't be very deep or very big. I'd expect to have found it by 3 ft. If really needs to be dug by hand or with a small machine, eg 2 ton. Often the post was just dropped into a socket in the footing, and packed in, or even supported in the hole while concrete was packed around it...like a fence post. So it could all be a bit fragile. Hence be gentle. I recommend a fencing crow bar/ excavating bar or a spade for an sds drill if you have one. Then yes, stop digging at the bottom of the concrete.

That is date stamped 17/8/11. I wouldn't be surprised to find it is second hand, and badly stored at that. The top ones are smaller, maybe cut out of bigger sheets. I used a load of salvaged PIR in my house, and it handled as if new. I think it does shrink but not much. It would take some effort to bend it as shown. So don't worry about the product in principle.

That is quite a big IF. It is a specialist skill to lay, level and smooth a oncrete slab, especially in outdoor conditions. Some companies do nothing but. But a latex levelling screed may be enough to smooth it out and prep for tiling, ie not a full screed, but something a tiler would do first. I woukd cost that in. There are formal specifications to describe what "flat" means Does your drawing mention any? As a bad example, our groundworker's slab work was so wonky that the joiner had to pack up wall plates by up to 50mm. He was dismissed, and amazed that we didn't think he was great. No spec would tolerate that. Just for clarity, what do you mean by a raft, and what superstructure method are you having?

What a great idea. Better yet if it could be hired. @ProDave s diy version was £1200 cheaper but didn't have an app giving figures.

We're not supporting the builder either, and he may well be trying it on re extras. Just keep talking, and pay what's fair. Not much less, not much more.

No and no. Some roofers have been the least skilful, biggest cowboys I've ever known. I think if is that nobody normally goes up to inspect their work. On the other hand general builders know a bit of everything. So I think you are probably better off. Apologise if you have been rude or doubted him to his face. Perhaps offer extra payment for getting on with it despite his subcontractor letting him down.

I think this is sensible. There are many tales of old buildings falling down due to attempts to dig the floor out and underminng the walls. We aimed for new build standards because it is in our long term intetest,but had to adapt and adjust.

There used to be a simple graph in an insulation catalogue, summarising the more complex calculation. But it was not repeated in subsequent issues. Cynical? Yes I think so, because i don't think it was well understood. I noticed this and labelled the old book, " never throw this out". .I may have it in a box. I know I found it online once too, so it may still be there. The logic is clear. A heated warehouse might be 100m x 100m. So the heat in the slab at the middle has at least 50m of ground to spread through before if reaches the cold outside. Contrast that with a complex house shape with a high proportion of outside wall, that may only be maximum 3m away. There is another way of dealing with small buildings, by placing vertical insulation around the perimeter. The building regs had a section in it, but I always thought it had an error, the benefit was so low. It's all as if the insulation manufacturers cared more about selling more stuff than about best practice and energy efficiency. I'm not in a position to look for the old document, but will af some stage. From memory, you don't need any slab insulation beyond 25m x 25m. Anything wider than about 10m allowed some reduction.

It is the fault of reduced death rate, medicine, clean water, that sort of stuff. 100 years ago a couple would have 10 children and 7 would die. Then the parents die at 65. No population growth....well just enough to arm the next world war.

I use timers. The good ones give a lot of timing options, and you can adjust the tap to a sensible flow. I will only use hoselock or gardena now, but even they fail in time...too short a time, about 2 years on average. I have tried b and q own brand.....never again. One had a digital display that was barely legible and failed in hot weather another had a metal part in the mechanical that rusted...duhhhh. as I keep telling myself....no own brands from kingfisher....however disguised as a brand. I also have a fairly expensive drip system that would also power a soaker tube. It is ever so clever as it is solar powered and pumps when the batteries reach a setting of my choice. So it goes every half hour on a sunny day or not at all on a cloudy rainy day. It works off a barrel which fills from the greenhouse gutter, but lasts a week if no rain. Actually £60 is very good value for pump and tubes. The only trouble is the tuoccasionally slly clog up with lime or algae, so some patience is required. I wouldn't ever water the grass. It takes its chance. Monty Don says he never waters flower beds.