saveasteading

As someone else mentioned, this is not the sort of thing the planners look into normally. If the rule is imposed by the sewage company then that is who should control it. I don't recall any time when a sewer company did not take it seriously, so would expect them to be hard on this. Bullying often works doesn't it. Sorry to hear of that. You either accept it or stand up to it, and I cannot advise what is better for your circumstances.

ah, the stories I heard this week about why the level was out, the concrete had cracked and there was an over-order of 3m3! The last one being so ridiculous I may recount it. The people are so pleasant and apparently caring that I think it is genuine ignorance. But it is their self-certainty that worries me.....is this the norm in housing trades? Moral....they think they know more than they do....check it out.

I'm pleased for you...really. returning home after a week at the project , mine are alive and....well that is good enough for me. The bean seeds I planted in the ground 2 weeks ago may soon pass the ones from 2 months ago. The extreme heat stunted all desired growth, but the brambles are looking strong. 9 big fat snails more interested in grass clippings than beans in my torchlight inspection. No slugs...it is too dry.

Not even that. I was once explaining to a farmer how there is no factor of safety for farm sheds, as there is low risk to people. Also that I was surprised that there weren't lots of collapses in heavy snow or wind. He told me that there were many instances of collapse, covered in Farmers publications. If you were to combine all the factors of safety it would be about 50%, to keep us safe. Deflection wont even have been considered. So as Dudda, having had our overview, you should get this checked out. PS...I have seen enough farm foundations to suspect that yours will be shallow and on the rough side.

My house in the SE does not get hot in the summer. This is due to the design, where concrete tiles catch the direct sunlight, and a lot dissipates as convection. then there is an attic, which gets stupidly hot. then 200 of fibreglass. followed by high ceilings and it is much warmer high up. Opening of doors at opposite sides can help, or hinder so need thought and control. Leaving the doors open into the evening cools the fabric down ready for the next day. Shutting curtains to keep the sun out helps a lot. Logically all the light, and energy is entering the room. Presumably some reflects back out and the warm air locally doesn't spread round the room....not sure how it works but it does. So just do all that to your existing house and it is solved. If my problem was an office in the loft then I would be stuck, and no amount of cooling would work. How many days is this a problem? Temporary transfer of the office? Totally blank the windows. Purge the air overnight.

There are 'hard and fast' rules about mains sewers because of the seriousness of any problem, and access for maintenance. It sounds as is yours is a private stub only affecting your 3 houses. Does it belong to the 3 owners or the sewage company? What would be the issue if there was a problem under the conservatory? If it could affect your drains working then you should speak to the BCO and the neighbour. Otherwise perhaps it isn't your problem but theirs? As to the 3m rule, it is variable. I once built a warehouse/retail unit over a very big sewer, with the approval of the drainage company (and the owner of course). The owner had to agree in writing that he would allow access through his building (including excavation) if ever required. It saved a stack of money in diverting the sewer. We designed the building with a very wide portal space so that it would not be affected if this was to happen, and so that our excavations were well clear. Your situation is lower scale of course. If the conservatory has new footings then they might add load and damage the drain. But it would need lots more info to understand fully.

Slate is something we have. It is in 3 different thicknesses, but 8mm is the thinnest. Therefore we can pack it in where the gap is widest, but not the rest Thanks for pointing out that not all packers are the same. The joiner made timber packers by cutting slices off the end of a 5 x 2, so it will be loaded parallel to the grain.

I was taught by a mining surveyor too. I thought I was good until the new regime was taught. I wont bore with the details but the inaccuracies inside even the best machines was one of the principles. And how to set up a theodolite on a hillside, with no plumb. Road not pointing at the bridge could have been costly, but in a dream I learnt to go and check the day before's work. It is all far too precise for housing, which is perhaps why I am so shocked at the errors that are clearly standard, and overcome at the next stage. I think our project's recent 8mm level error was probably in setting up the masonry at the corner.. Using the up-a-bit/ down-a -bit method rather than reading a staff or a line.

I didn't like any I saw (appearance/material/ sturdiness) until I found some abroad, with an 'own-brand' name. Roca were good too but more expensive, and so similar I wonder if they were the same. I tried one and then got loads as they are so good. I came across a Wickes advert and they look the same to me, so worth a look., especially at £19, and 10% off if you can get a trade account. I also bought stainless steel screws, as I have known some supplied fixings to rust, which is not good behind the tiles. Then silicone inside the plugs, and behind the capping....good so far., and very sturdy. Croydex Grab Bar with Anti-Slip Grip - 300mm

Yes, but in principle fix it to whatever is available, the columns and any roof ties. With the height especially the wall is becoming very slender, but then the cavity wall consruction helps a lot, and especially if you use sturdy cavity ties rather than the wire ones. Your situation is unlikely to be in any examples, and the flat blocks are likely to be stable in themselves. Any cross-walls will add a lot of stability too.

Plane or geodetic surveying. You can imagine the error then on a length of motorway. I did that as a job one Highland summer over a length of 13 miles, through or over forests and quarries and glens. Then we just spread the 1m or so error evenly and that was close enough for earthworks. Nowadays satellites make it somewhat easier.

I got one of them for the business. (different make, same principles). The great advantage to me was that it could be used single handed, so I could check levels after the works were over and distractions gone. Also it is great for going round corners and up stairs, as the cable goes where you want it. That would be so much more work, (with change points) with a traditional level. It can measure several metres height difference so is good for deep pits, banks etc. Against it... With the trailing pipe full of pressurised oil, any damage is terminal, and it can't be used where vehicles or even pedestrians may pass. In practice, I found I had to recalibrate often, especially if the sun was out, as it would read wildly wrongly when it got hot or cold. Nobody else in the business had the slightest interest in it, so it seems that it works for you or it doesn't. So jut watch that last issue and you should be fine.

Slate is the material of choice for us as it is used in the masonry repairs as the final wedge. I am imagining the house with its many tons of weight sitting on a small timber packer.....which surely will compress? Perhaps we squeeze in whichever packer will fit, starting with the skinny plastic ones, then slate then timber.

Ignore me, I come from a discipline where we had to measure to much tighter tolerances. After surveying many km we were supposed to be just a few mm out. My view is that if the level is accurate then that is one possible error removed. I acknowledge that on a small house that will usually be ok. BUT starting from a low accuracy at its best, I would worry that it loses more accuracy over time. AND as stated above, it is essential to use equally distanced sightings or it will be 3mm out, to which add other tolerances, and you get the 8mm error our groundworker made last week. Also for long runs such as drainage might be, it can matter.

Question and then an update. All comments welcomed. The groundworkers have built the block footings with an 8mm error in one area. The joiner was not impressed, and neither am I (laser level used incorrectly). The joiner arrived with the standard plastic packers expecting 1-3mm undulations, but had to make timber packers..... a tetchy start. My plan of putting a mastic seal under all the sole plates was ignored on the basis that it was impossible in an 8mm gap. From enquiry it seems that 'nobody' applies any seal under the sole plate. But I wanted to to keep out draughts and spiders. I guess we can simply apply a bead along the joint where it is small. Question.....What is normal/appropriate where the sole plate is propped 8mm up? Won't it subside and bend, or crush the small packers? But 8mm and diminishing isn't enough to pack with mortar. Suggestions please. Progress. Really impressed with the joiners making cassettes on the ground and lifting to place, so we have 23m x 5m manufactured and erected to eaves in 4 days, including day one being prep and offloading. Glulams will be fixed in place using threaded rod and nuts. Then templates will be made using osb, and then steel copies can be made for bolting in place without holding up the job. Due to the tight acute angles, and aligning opposite holes in plates, I am thinking of changing from through bolt to coach screws. Using standard joist hangers was accepted without demur, so I assume is normal. Some very perceptive advice and suggestions from the joiner. Where these are more along the lines of 'not how it is done' (despite the Architect and Engineer's designs) I am tending to go his way as it smooths progress, even though I know the design is fine. The day when the walls are in place is a real client pleaser.

The kind that wants it right. Doing this unseen after hours avoids any conflict, and provides either peace of mind or a good opportunity to sort it sooner rather than later.

Or if you like a challenge. Place the slab on a bed of sand so that it is fully supported. Gently/firmly chip a cut line with hammer and cold chisel. Repeat, getting deeper. Turn over and chisel the same line. At some stage the stone should break on the line.....but sometimes it won't. It worked for thousands of years before disc cutters.

Says you who understand it. I have trained/tried to train several people but they either understand it or they don't. Using a laser for small building works is really just carrying a set level (probably set by someone else) around to mark the same level elsewhere. Easy, and no excuse when it goes wrong. is rather poor. It doesn't normally matter if the machine is placed centrally and used over a short distance. The fundamental principle is whether the machine is describing an exact horizontal circle, or is pointing up or down a bit. If the distances are all the same then the error cancels out. to check a level: Place it centrally between two solid points, and measure the height difference. Then move the machine so that it is close to one of the points and distant from the other. Read the height difference again and it should be the same. If it isn't then the machine is not accurate and needs adjustment if this is provided for.

I should clarify that I think as a contractor as well as designer, so the savings (shared client and ourselves) are significant in designing out the commercial products. If only a designer then it is prudent to be more conservative, as there is a small fee available compared to the risk of going unpaid or being sued if it does not work as hoped. Plus it is an interesting challenge. Plus I really don't think any new development should be allowed to add to flood risk at all. Upstream developments (by the big developers usually) cause flooding and damage downstream, which is entirely unfair.

It seems to me that ash works until wetted by either rain or watering. Then it somehow becomes just another slime-compatible surface.

Yes, but will still leak heat to the side. Gus is correct and this theory requires a very large area. The ground at the perimeter will lose heat more quickly , simply as it is a shorter distance. So if you have a big footprint then you might insulate the perimeter more than the centre. Also you can add vertical insulation to the perimeter down to about 500mm as the ground is not very cold below that. Slab economics in simplistic terms. On flat and strong ground use ground-bearing. On a slope or on poor ground use beam and block. (Or if your selected builder can't do slabs well (and most can't) then B and B is a pragmatic choice.

Thanks, but eps is half the price and half as effective, so it doesn't work for us.

I strongly recommend learning the principles of levelling. I don't mean you have to use an optical level, but you should know how they work. Laser levels are doing the same thing I used to ban lasers because everyone thought they were infallible and so everyone used them and mistakes were many. I have given up banning them as nobody except me seems to be able to use an optical one. But what do you know, this week we have a block wall that is 8mm different on 2 parallel walls 5m apart, even though the bricky used a laser. Not a good start for a timber frame.

As Mr Punter says, this needs support. From the steel columns is the obvious, but it may even need more as this looks wide and high. How far between frames and how high will it be?

I first thought you meant a drain survey by video, which is a common thing. The most boring video I ever watched, even though it was a very dirty video indeed. Well done though. I don't understand what you did, can you explain further?