saveasteading

I have always found that installation by such firms costs so much that the grant is less than worthless. They pay their reps a lot to chase the jobs and the reps I have encountered knew nothing. Similar with getting lottery money....you have to engage their approved architects....and the money is gone, and the build cost spirals too.

Hmm. There follows a short essay which I hope is helpful. I'm avoiding being angry, and taking this as an opportunity to correct a misunderstanding. It is a common one too, supported by excellent self promotion by Architects and less so by Engineers ( who tend to be immersed in the job). Journalists encourage this because they generally recognise "pretty" but don't understand science, especially physics. So, who designed the wobbly Thames bridge? The Architect was all over the press until it wobbled, then disappeared while the Engineer sorted it. Arup gained a lot from that. Who do you think designs, then manages motorways, bridges, dams? No Architect involved in any way. It's not Surveyors either, it is entirely an Engineering project, with various other professions involved. What profession do you think organised the Channel Tunnel? Then the main man also organised the London Olympics. Other names to the fore of course. I would say they involved management. Look at suspension bridges. Occasionally an architect tweaks details, then pushes themselves, but good engineering results in elegant design.....then the small matter of building the thing. Teamwork in construction is essential of course. Is the gherkin architecture of engineering? Which matters more.. the appearance or it not falling down? Now of course it takes all types. The Engineer designing a beam in an hour from information supplied to them is probably not the same character as the head of an international contractor. Also there is a career change after degree when you have to decide to stick with Civil or specialise in Structural Engineering. The latter suits academics more, and the former suits hands-on and management types more. I've nothing against Architects by the way. I hope that clarifies somewhat. Discuss.

They are primitive and sensitive. Brass ones come apart for cleaning but there can be spare ball bearings. Reasons mine have failed. 1 wrong way round. 2. Incompatibility m/f 3.worn out. The most common failure is the junction uncoupling and not shutting off.

I had a holiday job in a cemetery. Saw the man in the hat up close, and noticed he had lots of white powder on his face, for effect....oops wandering off subject. Pressing submit anyway.

We had that and what a sensible requirement. For us and the world it is a document of the previous use and layout of a farm building. It is available to all on the Internet along with other such buildings. I'm sure the powers would have rejected the record if not good enough. We removed stable stalls, and flooring, rotten doors, filled in drains and equipment paraphernalia. Interesting but there was no way of saving it. We also found writing on doors, 'we were here' by some local lads 50 years before, and notes of sheep numbers off to market....and are trying to preserve these.

Is this a windup? Consider it successful. The majority of Civil Engineers end up in general management, many outside of construction. SE is a subset of CE. Perhaps you have only met the ones who are proposed by architects. The likelihood in this case is that the SE had a very limited brief and low fee....as set by client or their agent.

It will depend on your exposure, and the panel construction. I have never had solar on a property ( always designed them dotted, for planning). But most seem to be on brackets that need a lot of thought before fixing, to provide enough pull-out resistance without leaks. So the wind gets underneath. I have spoken to loads of suppliers though and was shocked by their ignorance. Perhaps things are better now. Others on here will know more about the reality.

That makes sense as wind forces are much greater at the perimeter. In a sheltered area it might not matter so much. I have been told that lots of roofs are damaged by poorly fixed panels.

Yes I agree that 2.4m is prob very conservative. But don't accept what a groundworker says. Even for bco make sure they understand clay and heave. I think nhbc says 900 min and that seems sensible. I hope the new foundation for 2nd skin is at the same level as the original.

We are going with stick build. I went to examine the t and g kits, only to find that the show field had closed. So I looked at how I would build a t and g, and wasn't comfortable for anything other than a small building. Then looked at stick built ....easy and stronger. We are going with t and g boarding. I know that BigJimbo is correct, from expensive experience. But having used t and g with success 6 times and a problem once, I know it was a bad batch. So let the boards sit for a week or 2 before fixing. Avoid any long lengths, and either stain before fitting, or wait a month for gaps to settle down We have decided to build the roof the old fashioned way, with a joist at eaves level, then mid verticals and a tie, then the rafters. This uses more wood but is much easier to build diy, ie no ridge beam and no unsupported rafters to juggle with. It loses a bit of clear height. It will be much slower, but stronger and won't warp. The joists also provide a working platform and an attic. Costs.?..don't know yet but I'd think similar with skilful buying and waste avoidance. It will be under 30m2 GIA, so no building regs, but timbers, fixings etc as if it was.

Sounds ideal. I was getting you to describe it while fresh in your mind. Just in case someone wants you to dig it again.

I wonder what the mortar strength is. It is so variable that 0.5 variation in blocks should not matter...but you could ask.

When we first changed machine, we found that the new one hit against the batten at the back, holding up the worktop. The old machine had a cutout for this, the new one not. What a pain to replace. Yet another thing to bear in mind.

Engineer geek enquiry. In advance of your next stage queries. Was it the same all the way, or layered? Clay/sand/stone? Did it fall apart when deposited or stay in lumps? Did the trench sides stay upright? When walked on at the bottom it seems to have turned to mud. The ground report will say something like silty sandy clay with root fragments and occasional gravel. Clay would be the most important word. It's lucky you had an experienced observer prepared to say just a chicken and an old tree stump....not possible evidence of an ancient encampment.

But you took photos first? How would you describe the ground?

600 is fine though I once struggled to get a 598mm machine out as the units had spread. Most seem to be 595 which makes all the difference.

It it going to settle. Near enough will do for now, with the main target beong a nice tilth for the seed, and then the grass will germinate and is gusranteed to grow the right way up. It is easy to fill any hollows later, using soil or sharp sand and the grass finds its way through.

Most of these are tomatoes or French marigolds which have seeded themselves. Easy to recognise and remove fortunately. Self sown tomatoes can be good or disappointing, so I only keep a few for fun. Problem weeds esp grass seem to fail if covered deeply enough. 5cm?

This appears to be still unanswered. In the hope that it helps you set this aside as a matter to accept and stop worrying about, here is an explanation. Each line is the weight of a material bearing onto the beam. The known weight per m2 or skin or m , as appropriate, is multiplied by the area, length etc. This provides the weight that the steel has to support, then the correct section of beam can be specified. There is then a choice from a selection of standard beam sections. Tall and narrow beams are more structurally efficient (less steel) but take more height. Chunky beams take up less height but use a lot more steel so are more expensive. Pad stones are standard. They cost about £25 each. They are high strength concrete blocks from any builders merchant and replace wall blocks where the beam sits. They spread the very concentrated load from the ends of the beam so that the normal (weaker) blocks can take the load without breaking. Builders, architects , engineers, bco all should know this. A solution to the height issue is often to build the joists into the side of the beam instead of on top. Most of the beam is then lost in the ceiling space. I suggest simply telling whoever is responsible to find a solution. Then post it here. I agree that a new thread, with a simpler challenge, may help.

I have taken to using a mix of garden soil, last years compost and some added fertiliser for all my pots. Yes weed seedlings grow from it. So on top of it I dress with westland or dobbies compost, as nothing seems to grow well in that.

Have spoken to the team. They used a 3T excavator costing £250/ week.or £750 for 4 weeks. It comes on its own trailer so collection is by customer with towball. There were a lot of these hire periods so it added up. The grab function turned out to be very important as it can lift boulders etc. Another theoretical time they might buy new or nearly new and sell at the end. But for heavy jobs a big jcb with operator can do stuff in an hour rather than days if at all. So there has been that on top. Dumper cost £90/week but that is no longer achievable for some reason, and £250/ week is demanded (plus expensive delivery).

Does it blow away?

That's why I like cavity fill rockwool. There is nowhere for mortar to fall. Or I could trust all bricklayers. Apologies to you good ones.

Ours for reference. There is now more pipework but the same space taken up.

Did you have any breakdown or maintenance issues? That would be my concern, especially having seen our (business) groundworker suffer when his bargain purchases broke down. The worst was losing a track, and he wrote it off and gave it away to any collector.