saveasteading

A good point. And big knots and shakes too. One of the plus points of Wickes, as long as someone hasn't already taken the good bits. There is often more out the back. I once went into Travis to do exactly that, and the supervisor complained that we were taking all the best bits. In fact we took it nearly all, including a 2x2 that rotated 90 degrees in its 3.6 length. Then he complained that he had no saleable wood left if anyone wanted any. Straight wood is good. It grows straightest in very cold places like Siberia and Finland. Siberia is a no-no of course.

Thanks, a non-industry daughter recommended Inkscape and she can certainly draw beams etc on it in good 2d. I tried and it seems to be more for graphics than building...but that will be me.

The last time I tried it I found that I was not highly capable though. Perhaps Sketchup is now more intuitive.... (had no instructions, it just assumed we learned as we went....I didn't, and didn't need to either).

Nice drawing btw. What did you do it on? I need to start using a computer drawing suite as have had a life of giving sketches to others to draw up.

So 75mm quilt, squeezed to 50 (or as final detail) at the studs? Otherwise it becomes a very thick wall, which may not be an issue if the rooms are big. Attention to detail is important, as sound leaks through gaps significantly. Sound 'pours' through any significant gaps, so the quilt needs to be tight to all interfaces.

I should add that it withstands 5 -a side football in real life. The stud doesn't have the same strength when sideways on, but plenty, (the plasterboard will fail before the timber) you won't need noggins, and you have room to Z the insulation through.

Not saying I could prove it structurally, but I have used CLS placed the other way (wide face to the room) and it worked really well.) Used it as a sports hall liner 2.1m high with no noggins and one face of MDF. It moved very slightly when our 15 stone tester shouldered it.. So it should work in a house without noggins. It also makes the board fixing very easy with such a wide surface.

Yes, this is important. Would 50mm studs work and allow more insulation to run past without over compression? 50mm insulation roll wiggled through the length of the wall. Also: the noggin shown is linking the 2 faces , so defeating the object of the two separate surfaces. You have shown a slight gap which is clever, but if you bang on one side then the noise will still reverberate through the noggin to the other face. (I have done this myself recently without full thought, so thanks for bringing it up. It is a a compromise but I suggest using a 50mm noggin on one side, ie not touching the other face of board, or with your idea but leaving a bigger gap on both sides. What are noggins for anyway? This is not a structural wall so they are only to keep the studs vertical, and perhaps could be removed once a face of board is in place, or use osb one side before the plasterboard..

I being a Philistine, would simplify this massively. The raft foundation seems excessive unless the ground is very poor. The edges will require skilled shuttering joiners, but they won't be much interested in a small job. Never did understand why we should put sub-base in the bottom of a trench. Lean-mix concrete for me. The step is a brick sitting on the geound..it will move un less supported by the building. Cold bridge at the sole plate. dpm on the outer face of the raft will be torn/crumpled during construction. You shouldn't need it if the concrete is dense enough.

Exactly. Experimenting is fine, but risky. Design for the weather conditions and a building can last indefinitely. Look at The Burrell Collection in Glasgow, reopened this week. Opened 1983 Closed because of leaks 2016 (33 years before leaking and being shut isn't great, but it was leaking long before that.) Reopened 2022 after works costing £69M A building is here to keep us or our property out of the weather, with looking pretty and letting light in coming second. The original designers (whose roof leaked) have criticised the revised designs. Interesting I think, as to what we expect of Architects. https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/opinion/glasgow-is-butchering-the-burrell BUT the collection and gallery are rather good, and I recommend a visit.

The above advice is all good, and I feel that I am expected to add something. Two more thoughts. 1. People often have too much expectation about beautiful finishes. Our houses are made of ground and plants, in all sorts of weather and in the middle of a field:. Very little can be perfect. The floor is built and it is not going to settle or float away. It is safe to walk on , jump on and support a stove. If it cracks a bit more it won't go anywhere, but you may have some cracks which you can cover.. This only really presents a problem if the industrial finish of the concrete is intended to remain uncovered. Look at the floor in a retail outlet shed and there are normally millions of visible cracks. 2. You can fit floor finishes when it suits after just a month or so. The times stated for concrete to cure and dry are generally extremely conservative. This gives all the contractors an excuse if there are problems, and also sells sealing products (which trap any moisture in for ever). The exception to all this if the concrete slab is laid with too much added water (which makes it easier for the contractor to handle) This evaporates and leaves the equivalent as voids in the concrete, which will crack more and may be soft on the surface. That would be nice. This is Britain. Not turning the heating pipes on too early is essential as it will upset the chemistry of curing, but much lower temperatures (above 5?) will be fine. I would leave the UFH off for at least a week.

Yes that works, but it isn't normally a great idea to have such a big tolerance. The washers need to be very big and sturdy. I was assuming that the sole plate will be in long timbers, to minimise joints, so more chance of error. Doing this myself it wouldn't be a concern, but I can't see our contractor being thrilled with this. I like the idea in principle, better than shot-firing down which I think is the norm, and will give it more thought. Had more thought. Let the chippy fix it any which way, then drill through the plate, into the concrete and fix studs with epoxy.

Expect nothing from them after it is yours. NHBC standards are not the same as their warranty obligations, so expect nothing from them either. You might find a delightful site agent who will be pleased to sort these things out....or not. If not then tell whoever is your formal contact, in writing.

I had no intention of a direct connection until last week, and the discussion here convinced me otherwise. I was going to duct in air to the floor or wall adjacent to the fire so that it could get air without causing a draught. This would also allow use of a £600 stove instead of a £1,200 one with a duct in the back. After consideration and reading the rules, for now we have chosen to provide a connected supply, because there won't be uncontrolled draughts in the room ( all the time, as it can't be closed) , and the fire will take what it needs without trying to take it from the room. The spiral ducting is not pretty so will be buried in the floor. Behind the stove I had expected to use a sturdy pipe supplied with the stove, but they don't seem to exist. 6 months to find a 60mm internal diameter tube with bends. Re hearths. There is another advantage, in catching burning bits that fall out, before they bounce onto your knees, or onwards to the Persian carpet. You could have an occasional hearth , making a U shape in angle iron, so that it could be lifted away out of season.

Yes. I f you were to write a polite message saying that you intend to comply, but would like to know what would be acceptable, so that you can adapt or rebuild as appropriate. Then it is also on the record that you are not ignoring them, and being reasonable, and there could be good progress for all parties.

No problem then: in the foundation rather than the slab. How do you get the bolts in exactly the right position for holes in the sole plates? I ask this with much experience of bolting steel plates to foundations to precise dimensions, but with theodolite (or string-line) and templates essential. Most contractors work to 50mm tolerance on the bolts, such is their uncertainty of lining up properly. Nice idea I would like to explore, if there is a technique to share. Our current plan is to build the footings with hollow blocks and J shaped bars from the concrete footing through the blocks and infilled with concrete. Then it needs straps screwed to timber studs, and bolted to the slab/footing. Your small bolts could be cast precisely into the concrete infill of the wall IF the holes could be precise enough in the sole plates. Drilling holes to fit over the bolts sounds tricky though. Oversize holes and big washers paerhaps. Interesting, but seems over the top here, as there will be studs at 600cc and a lot of nails, plus the external board for stiffness. If you tried to lift the completed wall by crane, the failure would be the bolts at the concrete interface I am sure. ie the bolts would pull out of the concrete with little cones of concrete attached. This rod will be passing through noggins and insulation, so will be tricky. I would also want to revisit the nuts after the structure has had time to settle and shrink. Rods and connectors are readily available online at much better rates than the usual suppliers. I use a supplier to the M and E industry who use the rods to hang cable trays.

Adjacency may not be the main issue. There is often a presumption against any structure, bank, wall, fence over (I think) 4'6". I expect this varies by region and authority. Being non-adjacent will give more chance of approval. I your case I would think the issue is of overpowering the footpath, so best imagine what height and distance back would resolve this.

It's personal: have had m and e people squirt it into metal cladding voids and it came out of lap joints and ruined the cladding, and a replacement sheet of cladding is always a different shade. It can be bridging gaps and causing dampness too. I can imagine it squirting everywhere as you place your panels, but perhaps this make is more controllable. A heavily reinforced slab I assume, or theoretically the bolts will pull lumps out of the slab in wind uplift. I don't follow though, how you can slot a sole plate over pre-fixed bolts protruding from the slab , so i am probably misunderstanding. Radon: Apologies if you know: it is very local, defined in big squares, and if you are on the cusp on the radon maps, £5 well spent on a certificate if it turns out that you are in a nil radon spot. https://www.ukradon.org/radonmaps/

Had a browse to see what pu adhesive really is. A lot of choice, and little indication ow what suits, although being suitable for outdoors has to be a good sign. Came across this one which is very cheap....any reason why? It appears to be suitable even for sealing joints in concrete paving. Soudaflex 40FC PU Sealant (310ml) (12 Reviews) £3.48 inc VAT

We like drawings on here. Is there any problem with concrete erosion/ steel corrosion from being near the sea?

I have a friend who built his own house in the Bahamas. For hurricane resistance there were standard local details, which basically meant use wood and a certain number (neither more nor less) of nails. This gave it the right strength and flexibility. It has withstood a couple of hurricanes ( as did the crazy paving steps into the sea that I did...pleased with that while other docks were washed away.. Materials were all from Florida, with anxious waits for the boat to turn up.

This depends on being designed for storm quantities of rain, both to the drain and to wherever it outfalls, and rigorous maintenance. Please ensure that for any failure of the drains there is an overflow / slopes that will take the water away. AS Thorfun says, this has been discussed but come back with your own comments.

Expanding foam. I see it as a last resort when a proper detail has not worked. The gap will realistically be 0 to 5mm , so I'm not sure it can be applied properly anyway. Polythene, yes this will work as the airtight barrier, except where it doesn't at any horrible interface. I now wonder whether a memory foam strip (basically draught strip), should be fixed under the plate, and squashed into place. I wonder what the specialist timber frame people recommend/do.

I am imagining the interface between the top of a block wall and the spiked down sole plate. I see in my mind a lot of gaps, equating to draught and heat loss. Is there a recognised way to seal this? I am thinking a strip of bituthene that might compress when the load is applied.

Just put cardboard on it and cover with soil. The grass will die , the cardboard becomes compost.