saveasteading

Pipes passing through solid walls or footings should be isolated by wrapping in something flexible. eg boxing round with polystyrene or foam sheet. This is so that any movement of the building does not damage the pipe. In your case, on chalk, the building will not move, but the pipe run might, in theory. Not worth arguing with the bco. is it not possible to go through the eps blocks before they are filled? Once the hurt has passed, it would be interesting for everyone to know what went wrong. We can all learn.

Extra area and volume are usually good value £/m3. Or /m2. Add 10% volume for 3% cost....that sort of range. Or in reverse. Reducing volume by 10% only saves 3%. This is because it is just a bit more of each operation while already there. Sometimes the labour cost doesn't even change and it is only materials. Depends of course on circumstances, and there are some dimensions at which costs jump. 3m is not such a dimension. If you want bigger then this is the time to ask, or insist.

Skim read it. Fascinating and useful.

https://nextdoor.co.uk/

Good point. I might put a drip hole at the bottom of the conduits. I have white flexi conduit. Is that not suitable?

It is there if the internet plays up, and it doesn't buffer. Same logic will apply to hdmi or usb cables. Esp if you get an articulating one make sure it has adjusters. Really annoying when the tv isn't level.

Are you sure? I have stopped for the moment. Hard work as she doesn't say who is speaking! A good story of course. I wont spoil it sayjng what happens to Ann Bolyn.

Nowhere you will have heard of. PM will advise.

A string with a nut tied on the end. More certainty than with a laser, and works in full daylight. Also doesn't require a surface to shine onto.

From bitter experience.... I fitted a very robust and highly articulated tv mount and all was good until.. The aerial lead was tugged while I was swivelling the tv. It could have pulled out of the tv terminal or out of the wall, but no, it snapped the tv terminal off. It is a complex box and an expensive repair. The exceptionally helpful tv supplier decided that it had perhaps been broken on delivery and replaced it. Moral, the tv aerial cable has to be supported and yet fully extendable in all possible directions. Play around with it a lot before fixing.

It is essential that the top of the door is horizontal, otherwise it will twist in use and gradually distort. Also that the runners are parallel all the way down (in the width of the door), or it will stick. Not lining up with the walls is unimportant. Once it is up and running, you might need draught strips and/or a waterproof seal at the bottom.

certain of these just ask for a letterhead and money. I am very experienced in finding and choosing new contractors and still find it difficult when in a new area. You can't really tell how it is going to go, so I treat them with total respect, but am actually suspicious for quite a long time. Hence our policy was always to retain trusted companies, for many years usually, unless they let us down. Of course the trade you want in a hurry is likely to be fully occupied already, and you end up with the aspirational ones, or chancers. Bad luck. I would just say that I don't recall ever getting a good tradesman from the recommendations of a merchant. Ask at the local BM by all means, but beware. Do you by any chance have a 'Nextdoor' community in your area? You can ask for recommendations on there. https://nextdoor.co.uk/

Got the kit today. There aren't any Piranha fittings in Kent apparently, at SF anyway, but I think i can retrofit it. So banjo method for now. I looked at 2 boxes that had 3 holes on one side, so they can be at the bottom. One was massive, so I got the dearer one which is Schneider. I will report back if there is progress or problems. Currently enjoying the thought that there won't be a power cut while that circuit is off.

What floor area? Best get learning some trades and professions, and especially building science, and site management. A main contractor who is also PM can be taking 30% on top of the nett costs. You could keep that but be taking on risk. Every contractor has margins and overheads. sometimes a series of workers/subby/bigger subby/main contractor can be adding margins on margins on margins. Also on top of materials. And it is fair as they have costs and risks. Mostly though the current stage is crucial for costs. Avoid anything out of the ordinary, and building more than you need. No, really mostly, after thought, is that it seems that you aren't experienced in construction. Therefore beware of all the surprises that are yet to come, of designers who tell you what you want to hear, and of gimmicks. allow between 10% and 20% for unknowns, and gradually design them out. I think we are starting from : 'forget about masonry'. I have a rule of thumb for early advice to clients, that whether built as single or 2 storey, the useful floor area cost is much the same. Thus use 2 storey where land is scarce and single where you can. IF the ground is good, and some more IFs that are site specific.

That's best for several reasons. Simpler to pour or form the screed against a board which closes off the door opening. allows the screed to shrink without sticking in the door. Thresholds detail and tweaking levels later. Doors are always a nuisance.

Needs a detailed cross section drawing. Surely the manufacturers have approved details?

Steel fibres expensive, plastic fibres cheap. Our local SE (we were obliged to use one) was unaware of the product. Worked nicely.

Consider drilling and gluing rods into the rock. You might as well make use of it. Gus will confirm if this is stupid or genius. The holes in the membrane will be of no consequence if the concrete is well laid. I'm surprised. The timber will be local (Moray perhaps?) or even from Muir of Ord. Ours was from James Jones at Forres, via a merchant. We got better prices for insulation and timber from the local BM than from any national or web supplier. I am biased towards timber because things fit together, you can always get another bit, and adjustment of dimensions is easy. On the rock and then on the membrane to stop stones punching through. When we researched, 150 PIR was much the same U value and cost as 300 EPS. Depends on your construction of course. Higher is good for the view and allowing the moorland runoff to run harmlessly past. Not so handy when making ramps to the door. You appear to have about 400mm of MOT 1. you don't need any other than to level off over the rock. Anywhere else I would suggest recycled stone as being much better value and environmentally. Stone may be cheaper for you, but MOT1 perhaps excessive....watch out for surprisingly big stones in it.

Been youtubing and reread the whole post . I didn't know about the principle of a gland connection, and can now see that it makes a solid connection to the box. I don't think there is a banjo at all on the existing assembly. Difficult to believe they didn't use brass. If someone could explain why the banjo, or alternative earthing nut, is a good thing then I'd be very interested. I can see why it is sensible on a metal box, but in plastic? doesn't a simple connection strip do enough? I will fix an earthing nut though, and then link it to the junction block. Does the earth from the swa still need connecting? All 3 cables through the bottom, if they fit, using a box which has 3 openings, and the one in screwfix includes terminals (SF 13096) Or a Schneider version, which is a bit smaller (SF 61100). Plus I will need some conduit to lead the light cable underneath. Thanks for the help. Stuff I didn't need to know, until now.

Understood But he won't will he! When the swa goes in, then yes.

It will be good. Normal but quality carpet underlay might suffice rather than anything fancy, unless upstairs is a music room or dance studio. The fancy acoustic underlays are more important for separating flats, classrooms etc, where foot traffic in outdoor shoes may be a big problem. I would poss use 2 layers normal plasterboard rather than 1 of soundbloc. same sort of cost and probably better results due to overlapping joints.

Unless Suffolk is different, the ground will be saturated and water will seep in from all around. It doesn't look a lot. I agree to leave that lovely old pipework in place, unless it looks damaged. Put shingle round and over it.

I will get the crossed welding rods into action, to trace the cable, if that still works for me.

Thanks. Got to get the gate working (one day left open and a white van drove in with some 'surplus furniture' to sell. Obv a proper electrician won't touch it. Come some decent weather I will try to find the cable and the route. It is possibly swa to close by. Then trench and lay it myself as necessary. For now, I will replace with a new box, with glands, fitted in flexi from below as Onoff suggested. Is replacing the swa gland reasonably straight forward? Should there be something better than the 'banjo' internally? Wago do something tidy, an external box including connectors, , but our electrician doesn't llke them, and maybe you don't. Does the earth of the swa get connected through? Onoff implies not.

Yes. currently turned off. Apart from this cable there is one outside light on the circuit, on the house wall. It has never been a problem and never will be as it is under a big roof oversail and facing north. To replace the underground cable I would, for simplicity of route, take it to the primary fuse box as in the very first photo. then hand over to a proper sparky to connect.