saveasteading

1. The simple solution if it appears reasonably stable. 2. Build a block wall with hollow blocks and reinforcement up through it, and put drain holes through it (or a special block as below right if you so choose. It is possible to tie the wall back into the hillside with anchors (platipus) and cables. i saw them in a fencing shop even. Backfill with rubble, as loose as you like (not gravel as it will move if the bank does) what is the worst if the bank slipped significantly? What is on and above it?

As the floor will deflect as soon as furniture goes in, as well as with personal movement, it would load the screws and then the wall (or bend the screws) The proper detail would be to fix an inverted channel to the ceiling, then build the wall within that but short of the top of the channel. You could fill the gap with foam rubber for sound. That way there is no solid connection of wall to upper floor. the channel could be a proprietary one, which would disappear under the plasterboard, or made of 2 Ls instead, to give you temporary access for building, or made of wooden battens, which would be ugly or perhaps could be hidden in the ceiling. Search for 'deflection head'.

As most self-builders are genuine amateurs, it behoves the professionals to make it very clear what they are doing or not. This may not always be to the liking of the client, and they may not appreciate that they will soon be 'on their own' unless they pay more. They may not be 'listening'. The unhappy clients on this blog seem usually to be of considerate disposition. I wonder how badly the others get on.

Good plan. A book-case will probably put more load down than your wall. First jump up and down on the floor, and if you don't break it, neither will the stud wall. One caveat though. if you build the stud very tight to the ceiling, and it is under joists, then it will take a lot of the upper floor loading. It may still be ok but better to leave a gap from stud to ceiling and fill with flexible material. There are details for this.

In a great deal of situations, the tradesperson knows better how to do it. Specialist builders know a great deal about their type of work, whereas Architects will agree to design anything (I mean that, as I am unaware of an Architect ever declining a commission due to lack of experience. Also I have met many an Architect who isn't too great with numbers. So it depends on skill levels, and there are plenty of Architects who have these abilities. On the other hand, I know a very skilled and conscientious Architect who is often only instructed to obtain planning permission, and is then paid off. The builder and developer together then alter layouts and details to suite the marketplace, leaving the Architect none the wiser. BUT it must be made clear what is expected, we don't know the exact situation here, but it should e the expert, ie the architect, who makes it clear to the client what they are getting and not getting. So how does the builder know what to build? Full circle.

Good point. I forget how little input some architects are engaged to do. So if paid for planning only then he is right that it is not down to him.

Do you mean deliberately vague or plain wrong? I'm surprised to hear that as my view has always been to present drawings to the BCO that we could build from. If you don't know the dimensions you can't design/order/ build/properly. Once worked with (against) an Architect who was keen to offload as design and build, and promptly deleted all the dimensions from his drawings. That was for the best as it happens, but the attitude shocked me. So thanks, I will bear that in mind in these discussions in future. Re this post: the beams were too short, meaning that they now span further than intended? Ditto the roof structure. Increasing a span can be a significant change as the strength is not a linear change but related to the square of the span. May well be ok but do get it checked by SE.

Easy peasy then. take out 3 edge blocks. scoop some sand out to be 10mm lower, smoothing up to zero to make a dish, or not as you choose, then relay.

https://www.marshalls.co.uk/commercial/paving/permeable-paving I don't know if they are the same module, and it will be a hassle getting just a few. To take blocks out, the first one is tricky, prising it up with skinny screwdrivers. Then the neighbouring blocks are easy BUT you must avoid them spreading into the space or they never go back in. So kneel on a board. Now we know the circumstances, a little bodge sounds pragmatic. If the edge blocks are on sand (not concrete) just try these. 1) bash the centre edge one down with a timber. if it settles by 5mm the puddle will follow. 2) otherwise take it out and try to re-lay it lower. 3) or rake it out and infill with whatever is lower and looks ok to you...split block/gravel/ concrete with a dip in it.

A good idea as a better bodge. Or take out a block or half block and replace with gravel. If the builder will come back, just ask him to reset it.

lifting and relaying the blocks to that puddle area is the work of 2 hours, and only some more sharp sand needed. They can shape it to tip under the fence or outwards, but check it doesn't just make another puddle. A drain into the soil will not necessarily work and may wash away the ground beneath. A proper drain will also have to go to an outfall somewhere. Hence I prefer to use gravity and flow. TIP use a golf ball or other hard, smooth ball (snooker, lacrosse) and roll it gently all directions. your watering can method is good too of course. As a bodge you could rake out the sand at the deepest point, and up to the fence, and the water might go away. Then the blocks will move and perhaps settle over time. Or get hold of the kind of blocks which don't use sand fill, and are designed to drain.

Contractor can lift the blocks and do this area again, with a slope. where would you like the water to go?

There is a protocol for where they sit in the trench so that they are accessible if necessary, and for safety. if I remember rightly, water goes below electricity for safety reasons. the waste pipe has to be to the levels that flow, and the bendy services fit around. Haven't time to find the standard trench layout at present, but I think you basically dig a bit wider, and put elec 100 above water in separate line to the drain.

Agreed, and it protects you from any claims by them. Have you also got any reliable witnesses? not necessarily experts, just to confirm what they see. Have you seen their insurance confirmation? Not just the cover sheet but the details and levels of cover. My hunch is that it will not cover any big problems such as a wall falling down during construction/injury.

Keeps the sand manageable and not running through gaps like an egg-timer to the room below. Links the grains of sand and heat transfer will be much better, ie absorbs more heat to release later, and spreads it better. Fills between the grains and gives you extra density. All important things.

Isn't looking better then. How many months of this to come?

Three. We have a plan with all the voltages from a neighbour's old enquiry, so can find a few voltages etc.if that is of any use.

Does that effectively mean 2 supplies of 240 volts? Might that be all we need for a domestic supply plus an ASHP? According to the sparky who remade the connection, it was already live, even though unused for many years. He didn't mention the blue. We only asked for a caravan and builder's socket so maybe it is all just ready to use. I'm pretty sure we are only paying for a single domestic connection. Supplier hasn't been to see.

I am an expert on this from watching Poldark, which defines all the SW. When times are tough you hope to find a shoal of tin or a seam of pilchards, or cause a wreck.

ok, I had not understood the context. So your floor will bear on the joists and does not sit on the screed. The screed mix was dry and is basically sand. You can put your floor down any time. I had no idea a hygrometer was £15. In my experience they are a closed box, sealed to the floor, and costs hundreds. Play with it if it if you wish: could be fun.

Photos below. have included the overhead cables in case you can 'read' them. 1. transformer on the left post and 3 cables to next post, on our land. and single cable off. The transformer post is on the main through run of cables 2.. the connection, which is live single phase, blue wire bent back. 3. Intermediate post, with cable to the building. 4. all 3 posts from further back 4 photos from the connection, to the first post

Quite right. That price is silly high, presumably only specified by clients that don't thrust the contractor to wrap it properly. In your case, you can line the trench with it, so that pipe and gravel are enclosed and kept free of roots. to protect the wall from damp you would need another membrane. a roll of dpc would be easy to place. I like these agricultural pipes as they are cheap, fit in the boot, and are cheap. If used in a french drain they increase the volume considerably compared to gravel. Handy for soakaways in general. Once the drain is full, the water has to go somewhere. Do you have a slope and a drain or soil nearby?

Can you have a poke/scrape at the wall and see if any paint flakes off, then report back with what type of paint you think it might be? basically wondering whether the paint is snowcem type (porous masonry paint) or gloss or other waterproof type. Or maybe more than one layer. I think brush marks are visible in places.

Or both jaws? I bought some cheap ones at Aldi (or Lidl), and they are ok as clamps but a right fiddle as pushers., and awkward to adapt.

Perhaps they need a simple statement that it is temporary, the expected time scale, and a promise to have it removed on completion. Plus the advice from above.