saveasteading

In my considered opinion, which may be out of date, screw piles are suitable for huts and decks where loading is low, and deflection isn't a great loss, and short term use eg site cabins or injection stations. Also I can see they are ideal for pylons, masts etc where access is difficult. For 'proper' buildings, they are too near the surface, don't carry enough load, and then there is corrosion. I did look into this seriously as the reps were saying what they could do...but they couldn't really. For a house I would first look at a precast driven pile system where they also install the edge and cross beams, and I would be immediately out of the ground. Can be to odd shapes easily enough. Bullivant is one, and the project we did with this system went very well.

£50 for a roll of good breathable membrane, and one chance to do it....

Is the roof all too flat? Theoretically you could screed over this area with bitumen and take up all the puddle, then a bit more to create a slope to the outlet. Messy and perhaps unnecessary. Or can the outlet be altered? Cant really see it in the pic.

Was the roofer responsible for the structure underneath being to appropriate slopes? How much fall is there other than this problem area?

When pouring mass concrete it is sometimes essential to use chilled aggregate, so that the concrete doesn't get too hot when the heat of hydration kicks in.. I don't know at what temperature though. I assume that it would be mentioned if that applied in this case.

If no recommendations? The local paper or free ad paper. Or electronic yellow pages. A small contractor is probably fine. This is one job on site I have never 'helped' with. The small groundworker we used for years always brought in a particular mate just for this, as it needed an 'eye' for the thicknesses, and handling the rake, and the others barrowed and shovelled as instructed. Then rolled it.

Interesting. Curing concrete gives off heat so they are allowing that this is contained within the blocks. Might even get too hot in summer. Is he available?

Agreed. It is more like surfacing than a building, and is effectively a temporary structure.

Interesting thanks. £1500 at say £200/day is 2 workers for 4 days approx. Is this concrete pour only? 40 days at £200 is another £8,000 Plus 3 degrees and rising is the normal rule. Freezing of concrete is disastrous. Or do they say that the polystyrene is enough insulation to keep the warm concrete warm?

How long does a curse last? I once had a knock on the door, and a man said he would put an inch of 'leftover' tar on our drive for £100 (many years ago). So, this really was a bargain and I agreed, and watched as they laid a half inch. When questioned they put more down and fluffed it up, but it ended up being 3/4 thick when rolled and they ran out of tar halfway. Could I give them more money and they would come back with more????? No chance. So they got more (remarkably quickly) and finished it, and they got the money. And he gave me a receipt as promised, Mr Lee I recall, and a curse, although on what grounds he didn't explain. It lasted well and I put that down to supervision. Moral, what finished thickness is more important than 'half a ton'. More recently I found that we, as a company, could buy tarmac from the plant much cheaper than our smaller subbies, from whom they also wanted advance payment. I asked why and it was to do with admin hassle and small loads...and something else they wouldn't explain. Thus a proper tarmac contractor is the best way to go.

Experts needed please.

No, I never used it, and don't get snagged. Messed about yes, but not for long. Do any housing developers use ICF?

Perfect then as you will be facing due south and use optimum elevation....but they don't look great. Lots of daylight in Angus....the soft fruit industry proves that. We are thinking of orientating new outbuildings to face south.

Don't say where you are exactly, but area of the country, aspect of the site and roof?

Tarmac the lot. First clean the muck off. Then get a specialist to do it, as they will fetch the material and lay it. It is a skill. They should really fill up to existing tarmac level and roll, and then spread the whole area and roll again, to avoid bumps. It needs a tack coat of bitumen first so that it stays stuck. Tarmac remains flexible and will survive over the cracks, but resin won't.

Conversation me with bricklayer. There's no bricks Did you not realise they were running out? There's no bricks. I have never been able to justify ICF on any projects where it was an option, and I really tried and was being offered very big discounts . Perhaps this is slightly unfair as none of these was a single house, and it doesn't lend itself to larger spaces. My feeling is that it works best in a self-build scenario, as the blocks are easy to carry and build, without bricklaying skills. Also perhaps the other factors such as wastage, propping etc are a risk that is discovered later on some projects. I did use a concrete block equivalent though, and was shocked by how much the blocks joggled during concrete filling. Does that happen with polystyrene? And quality control...is there a risk of voids within the blocks?

I can't get my head round the effect of internal blinds and curtains. The sun has already come through the glass and is in the room, and heats up the blinds which then warm the room. But I know it works to some extent....perhaps it slows the effect long enough to spread the heat into the evening. External blinds on the other hand keep all the heat outside.

solar: Someone on Buildhub knows a lot about this, and can calculate if it is worth it depending on location. In principle as you go north you get less sun in the winter, when you need the power, and more in the summer, when you don't. Experts will perhaps join in now they see the change of subject.

I studied this at some length when wind was all the rage (Cameron very visibly fixed one). At Ecobuild there were probably 20 suppliers, (now there are none) but it was all fluff and fashion, and nobody quoting efficiency or payback. except one who honestly said that his pretty helical turbine would make enough power to light the lighting display on it which said ' powered by the wind'. Without lots of grants, a windy site and a big turbine it just doesn't work financially. See examples around London. The big tower block with a very visible turbine built into the top.....I have never seen it turning, and it would only power a few kettles if it did. And SW next to the M25 an array of helical vanes on top of a warehouse....again never seen turning. They were very expensive statements that were ill-advised. Some clients requested them in the grounds or on top of big factories, because they would tick a box for 'ethical' clients. When I explained the 30 year to infinite payback they rightly dropped it. I do know a business with successful turbines but they are the type you see on hill-tops, so if you have a few million to invest, and a huge site on top of a hill.....

Not much. The important thing is to use a quality hammer-drill, as they will provide a smoother operation. Also nice new hammer drill bits, with top brand names (de Walt, Bosch etc) as they are very much better at cutting rather than bashing. Some may go into mortar, and you will know that because it will be softer and different dust comes out. Most will not, and once you know where the mortar bands are ,you can adjust to mis the rest. I would also use stainless steel screws, as the dampness won't matter, but quality, coated screws should be ok too.

Welcome. Tidy drawings. Where will you park the car?

Thankyou for asking this as I have learnt something. I was close to saying that glazed fire doors all come with wired glass in a small pane, but found this page. https://www.todd-doors.co.uk/fire-doors/internal/glazed I don't think you will like the price, but I'm not surprised, as I have no idea how they make these big panels survive the furnace test. I thought that at least they would need a solid bottom half to allow a fireman to sneak up on the door. I checked to see if they were foreign, but it is a British supplier.

The timber that comes out of a vacuum treatment contains the nasty chemicals and the oil that carries them, and is covered in it.. When fresh out they look and feel oily. Therefore I suspect that paint will not stick well. Perhaps better just to paint the back with wood treatment. You could also put felt or similar between the skirting and the wall surface.

If the concrete was not adulterated with extra water, then there is very little surplus water left to evaporate, as most becomes chemically bonded. I think plaster is much the same but would I have to check the chemistry. So, yes the place is damp after the plasterers but the whole fabric of the building isn't (shouldn't be) as wet as it might seem. With lots of air flow there should suddenly be a big improvement and you will wonder why you were worried.

I mean translucent fibreglass (grp) rooflight panels, to the same profile as the top sheet, as opposed to the multicell polycarbonate as shown here. For half decent insulation with grp panels you need 2 of them and an extra layer between of polycarbonate. I didn't mean filling with fibreglass quilt, or a comparison with an insulated area of roof.