saveasteading

You could use 2 x 100mm lintels and pour some concrete in-between. Or make your own, and ensure a stunning finish. Yours is a selling point for buying from a diy or Wickes, as you can choose a lintel that satisfies the surface you seek....some can be a bit rough.

In my opinion a lintel is a visible and important part of the structure, , and an invisible lintel (eg Catnic) doesn't look right, as if the bricks are floating.. Concrete lintels come in degrees of roughness, so an upside down one might work for you. The tendons will be in the centre so it will be the same strength. Then you can paint or render it if you want.

If you buy the cheapest garage floor paint it doesn't stick well or last long. Grey or red probably. So if in 2 years it comes off easily, great. If it doesn't come off then stick to it. Meantime, keep some for touching up the worn areas.

Tell more.

Similarly that superfoil is hyped beyond it's capability.

Or maybe our primitive brains know where to scratch for water, and the rods make it seem more convincing.

Divining works for me. 2 x welding rods bent as L shapes. Hold loosely. For me they cross about 1m past so I do it both ways and split. If you doubt the efficacy it wong work... seriously. Or hire a drain rod with tracker. That is more accurate but needs outlet access. The vendor would be crazy or hiding something if they declined. Otherwise any sale may fail at discoveries stage.

It's fine as long as you can get in the trench and do a thorough job in bedding and getting the gradient... and joining the pipes. Unlikely. But you could do most of the depth in 400 or more and the bottom in 12".

Seriously, I think we might be helping a few people not to get caught out by these charlatans. If they search for radiant heating 360 graphene infrared and find us here.

Kingspan 150mm for the house. Other brands don't do that thickness or are as expensive. 40mm Colorclad for the garage. There is lots of choice in thinner panels.

Me. Just done it. It has a metal internal skin and does not burn. Check the manufacturers spec. Which of course the architect could do, but probably wants you to spend more to make it more to their liking. In business we've used it lots in commercial and education too. Oh a d our own office for 15 years without issues. They are screwed down tight and I think that noise and movement are imagined issues by competitors. Standing seam, otoh, is meant to move so may well make sounds. You will hear rain on skylights. Most users tell me they like it because it is natural and a pleasant sound.

Haven't checked the sums but seems rightish. Beyond about 5 bags it might be worth buying a small truck load, but wastage can be worse. Bags can be offloaded and spread around near the points of use to reduce barrowing.

In similar circumstances I got a letter from the vendor stating that the septic tank and drain to soakaway in the nearby field had been in use for x (over 50??) years. It is very likely that your pipe extends beyond the boundary as it is pointed that way. If there is a hedge over a porous pipe it's roots will have filled it long ago. So it's likely a pipe to a rubble soakaway.

I assume this nonsense is only online I've noticed lies and nonsense like this on Facebook that is not qute repeated on a website link. Ie you can lie on Facebook but it would be illegal under UK or EU law (I saw a supposedly very special electric heater that used electricity differently.). @JKami84 well done for questioning this here. you haven't been caught out but others will unfortunately. Are these sellers of graphene infrared liars or naive?

The biggest issue is packing the underpinning up really tight under the existing foundations, so that it doesn't immediately drop. It's so long since I was involved that I won't say the way then, and it may be easier now. But you can be sure it is still very hard work. Mining mud then controlled construction. BUT most contractors don't understand concrete shrinkage, and they don't know that they don't know. Your SE should have a methodology in writing. Your contractor should accept this or recommend another way which the SE must then be consulted upon. I suggest you act as Clerk of Works, inspecting the process throughout. The contractor should accept this considering the seriousness. Keep us informed please.

To give you more assurance. I've worked with so called asbestos roofs a lot. They are actually 98% cement. The fibres are not visible. The only recognised risk is if drilling or grinding and you weren't doing that. We had HSE inspections and never the slightest telling off. I've just looked online. Horsehair or flax look likeliest. Asbestos fibres would have been invisible. The only worrying info is from businesses trying to worry you. Which it seems they have done. So unless you are allergic to horsehair?

A well known business like that will dread any bad publicity. And many / most businesses are perfectly honourable.

But you saw big fibres. If the fibres are there to hold mortar together then they were still doing that, not flying free. The Internet will exaggerate the risk . The number of cases in construction is very low. It's real, and you could better have wetted it and worn masks, but now relax. A professional risk assessment would advise that the risk is small, now totally closed off, and ig wiuld be best not to expose it again unnecessarily. Not to be confused with someone who fancies the opportunity.

Not at all. As @Conorsays your exposure has been very low or zero. And for an example, I was a professional in the industry for 20 years before I found out that most vinyl tiles had asbestos....and we have all walked over them. 1. I've not heard of this use in mortar. 2. It will have come out in lumps, and dust will be sand or cement. As you have seen the fibres you know they are big fibres, not dust. They are lijely yo be hemp or some such. 3. If there was any exposure it was then, and finished. Exposing it again isn't worthwhile. Relax.

Again, for a new post perhaps. I'd love to know more. You appear to have been involved in lots of these experimental processes. I vaguely recall there was such a trend, perhaps 20 years ago.

Low chance of being pursued for it but high risk, and rules are there for a reason. Plus I think it's wrong to expect the neighbours and bco to turn a blind eye. If something was to go wrong, say technically or injury, your insurers would poss jump at the absence of PP to withdraw cover.

I'd never heard of this term, so thanks. Otherwise known as adobe?

Dead right. The contractor must be expert but the SE does the spec. Each should respect the other. How will you know the contractor is expert in reality rather than confidence and chat?

I'm being pedantic here. Often there is a difference between "The Requirement" and the multiple explanatories following it, or summaries by other parties. Not all bcos even realise this or appreciate any question of it. Must or should or may? "Must be reasonably airtight" as opposed to ' here are the standards expected. In reality it is usually easier and as cheap to test than to argue the case another way. I haven't done hours of checking this and am not going to... we will get an air test. But if anyone knows I'm wrong, and it is a requirement in the green bit of the regs, I'd be interested.

If i understand. You have been told it dies not qualify as PD. You do not have planning permission. Therefore it is wrong to start. You are hoping to get away with it because you don't think the neighbours would complain. It's wrong to drag them into this. And they or the postman, or anybody might mention it in chat. It would be plain wrong whether you got away with it or not. The bco is not the planner but, if i remember correctly, they would send a notice to the planners. If you explain this all to the bco I doubt it will help; probably the opposite. And what if planning took weeks still because of some random issue? It's generally a bad idea to dig footings too soon. Come January it will all be legitimate and you won't have to worry.