saveasteading

Most people are surprised how much variation there is in what looks like a smooth slab..eg a b & q shed. There is a difference between smooth, and level. also that i have known a flooring company want a smooth concrete floor to be scabbled to get a grippy surface, and it then looked like yours. I can't really say any more because it has to be up to you and your relationship with the tiler. If you wanted to persuade him that it was ok, you put a long spirit level down and see how much gap there is.

I didn't like hollow wall anchors because of the way they spun and ripped plasterboard, until i discovered setting tools. Like a rivet gun. The anchors can be 70mm long, maybe more. Used for very heavy duty eg toilet cubicles where the supplier denied all responsibility fof wall fixings. Very successful...so much so that the tool didappeared. content://com.android.chrome.FileProvider/images/screenshot/1673180082309677399860.jpg Ceiling?...in theory yes but a noggin has to be favourite.

I'm not talking about any chemical reactions but of insulation floating. 50p/m2 takes away the risk.

On the positive side. Problem seen and sorted rather than built in. A good day.

Adrian Walker, thanks for that link. Fascinating. Can anyone explain how London is using 2.2% hydro? Also, and excuse me if it is all explained and I haven't read it, is the 'imported' figure a total, thus including French nuclear?

Yes you can sort those 5mm dips out beforehand with self leveller. It will be very thin so make sure to get a product designed to be thin (it is on the bag). I might be tempted to use tile adhesive instead. It is nice to work with, goes on thin and sticks like... The general roughness shouldn't matter, assuming it is 1 or 2mm blips. want to send a pic? The advantage of doing it in advance is that the tiler wont be perching tiles on very thick adhesive, with possibly some voids. Shouldn't happen as I learnt the wonders of double buttering. Maybe someone on bh is an actual tiler and can confirm or contradict.

I think it is beyond budget. perhaps allow an extra £20,000? Just guessing: best find a local who knows. That is assuming brick-like stone blocks are readily available. please don't consider man-made fake stone. That is what you need to be doing. Not necessarily Loch Rannoch, but your own area as Perthshire is big and very varied. You may even find a builder on a site and can ask about costs, incl stone.

Thanks Sparrowhawk. I couldn't find this. Back to the original discussion about resilient bar: page 40 has graphs showing how effective the 'decoupling' of a resilient bar or staggered studs is. 10 dB (and more) is lots. A real wall or floor will not work as well, but the comparisons should stand. The usual downfall of any compartment is at edges, or with sound travelling through the adjoining walls or floors (flanking)

Yes. the screed is generally quite sloppy and finds gaps between insulation and floats it. I have been at the floating of a whole area and it wasn't fun. Our plumber had insisted on doing the concrete, but it turned out hadn't done it before. Me to the rescue with the brilliant instruction to stop pouring. Then concrete blocks to keep it down. In theory all your taped joints might be sound, and not stick to someone's boot. In practice it isn't worth the risk,

You need a plastic sheet between insulation and screed, so might as well move your dpm up. The radon barrier is already a dpm though.

British Gypsum's technical manual. The book, if you can get it, is very much easier to use than online resources. The same applies to Knauff, whatever the new name is.

A standard try-on from flooring contractors, along with damp-proofing concrete. Easy money extra job for them, at your expense. Thin latex doesn't stick as well as tile adhesive anyway. I think the discounts on adhesive are good for tilers, so just £10 extra. This is all assuming that it is generally level, but uneven. Have you put a long straightedge on it?

https://www.gerflor.co.uk/search-professional.html?search=gym But I doubt they would be interested in domestic size orders. They supplied the London Olympics, You can always ask.

as long as they keep the footprint there are special dispensations due to it being an existing building. the link worked for me again. maybe you will have to approach it from the base website p and k planning.

There aren't a lot of rural houses being planned. here is one to show I can find them , but isn't good news...stone, slate , complex. https://planningapps.pkc.gov.uk/online-applications/files/6317B957BCF1E331336618B4A071BE77/pdf/22_01606_FLL-PLANS_AND_ELEVATIONS_AS_PROPOSED-1876306.pdf Make sure to search for 'new dwellinghouse' to confine the list. Out.

Can I suggest something? There is a danger of losing our interest when we make suggestions but you don't appear to be listening or agreeing. Not agreeing is ok, but do say. How about you do as we have collectively suggested? Take a week to look at nearby buildings, new and old,that can be your guidelines. Then you can choose elements that suit what you want to do, and the planners will have your references when assessing it.. Also look online at recent applications. The drawings and discussions will be a huge help to what they are accepting and what you like yourself. I predict less stone and slate than they are suggesting. Have you looked at the P and K Planning portal ? Then send us some pics and a summary of what you have found out.

Ahhh. So that is Perth and Kinross. It is a large and varied area so there will be plenty of styles around, and not be as specific as that example. Best read the guide backwards and forwards, looking for clues that suit what you can afford. And as we all keep saying, look at what has been built nearby. That is the first thing they say....buildings in the vicinity.

didnt have arches: they are for carts. A landowning farmer would have a mansion. A labourer would have a very small house with no insulation or services,. What you have been asked for is something that looks like a converted barn, not a farmhouse.

Bought Tower Gland kits at SF, then today saw this by chance. Not worth a journey, but in case anyone wants to stock up. Tower IP66 Black Gland kit, Pack of 2 Sold & shipped by B&Q Write a review Was £5.44 £ 2.04

I think thy look great, and are what everyone will notice. But they are very hard work, expensive and will severely limit your choice of supplier. What are other houses being built like? OK here is my stab. Keep the plan shape but raise the eaves height by 300 to get rid of these roof blips. Lose the arches on cost grounds, and revert to rectangular. Forget using stone as you cant afford it (the complexity and the labour). That is all a bit dull now so apply a variety of wall finishes, render and wood, or wood in different directions and/or colours. Slate Grey or Anthracite Metal cladding on the roof. You do not need to decide on construction method yet. You can ask local builders for options. The budget seems to me to be be achievable but only with expertise and hiring trades direct, not main contractors. Therefore you will be on site most of the time, and coordinating everything, and doing a lot yourself. For example, my family converting the steading have paid off the joiner and are doing all the internal stud and insulation. With my training they paid off the groundworker and did the second half of the work all themselves. groundwork, slab, drains. but got a specialist for the poured screed. Friends turn up and help with big events. This was not their intention but they have learned that a lot of this is doable, with training, and the quality increases. Plumbing/ electrics/ roofing is all still by specialists. Where do you sit in this regard? Fitting it in with a day job? Strong and practical?

Remember not to nail your wall sole plated down into the pipes.

No, these are 2 separate issues. Drains are encased in gravel normally, but the gravel is replaced by concrete under loads such as roads. This is a small amount of concrete to spread any loading away from from the pipe and prevent it from squashing. I would suggest that you mix up some concrete and use it to bed the pipe to level with control. Then the surround and cover can be poured from above, though still with care. You can use a semi-dry mix so it is almost like gravel, and will stay in place. For total control, you can then mix and hand place all the concrete. Slower work but you don't need much concrete. For economy place a plank parallel to the pipe and concrete against it. A contractor will want ready mix to pour in the trench, at your expense of course. The bco and se are making the standard assumption that loads spread down at 45 degrees from the edge of the load. so if your drain is well below the footing then that would apply. Except that you say you are founded on chalk, so the loads are not going to spread through the fill at all, but into the chalk. You might point that out, and save the concrete bed and surround. This drain concrete surround would not prevent differential movement, hence i still think you are to allow movement through the wall. It is low risk in your situation, so just check what they want and do whatever. But try first to return to gravel.

Immediate thoughts The shape is efficient. perhaps not interesting. The upper windows have these interesting little blips above them. So little that they may look like an error. Higher will be more of a feature. Or raise the eaves by that much and do away with them. They are costing you about £1,000 extra, maybe more, and adding joints that increase maintenance risk. Vey pleased to note that the architect has allowed 3 downpipes to allow for the breaks in gutters at the windows. The arches are nice. just be aware that most bricklayers can't do them. allow £2,000 for fancy work and lintels. Also that most window companies do not do curves. If they do it adds about £2,000 per arch compared with the equivalent rectangle. We have arches, and have had the units made in several sections with different top slopes, and still have to work out how to finish them off. without these features, the house is a simple block, so you must decide.

i haven't looked at the budget, but whatever it is, you need to control the cost with management and knowledge. The trades should have all the skills but be aware that there isn't a lot of knowledge of anything other than what they do, and how they always do it.