saveasteading

I meant correct that the reg's have no maximum gradient, not that the physics have changed. I agree that it is better to use moderate gradients or very steep, and avoid the grades where separation occurs. The reg's do say somewhere to maximise the radius at changes, and that will help it all to move along together. Minimum gradient is good for costs and keeping trenches high, but has the risk of any settlement causing a dip.

Thanks for the film: fascinating and you can see why it is expensive. Would it help to look at the positives? If you had chosen real marble, every piece would be different as it is a lump of mountain. The features would be flaws too, with the danger of cracking and of bits flaking out, and then catching muck. Here is an example of where it would come from, and the colour differences and flaws are visible even at this vast scale. Every slice different, even more than yours is. I think it would cost even more , too. Good luck with the other things too.

That was what I thought the masonry hole cutter might be good for, ie sailing through the sand/lime bed with a very neat hole. Would need to contrive an extremely long bit to extend it though. How did you do it?

That seems to be correct in principle, though the change was never flagged up, and I had not noticed. I have just searched Doc H and see 2 mentions of maximum gradient. 1. in branch connections ie the short pipe from the wc or other appliance, there are maximum gradients. see table 2. 2, clause 2.13: changes of direction or gradient should be minimised. I assume this means don't do it unless there is no other choice. Table 6 is interesting too. It implies that the flush of a wc is essential to keeping the drain clean. I think we need to work from the published tables wherever possible. I need to read this lovely document again I think.

Gladman appear to be ruthless and a great worry to local authorities, as they throw money at legal cases and multiple applications, both of which are the big money way of bullying at planning. Ashford Borough Council had 3 applications at once, none of which remotely fitted the Borough Plan and all of which were utterly resisted by the villages concerned. Eventually the BC prevailed but it cost money and scarce resources. The article is apparently from Private Eye.

I recently had very similar quote for hire and delivery. These are brilliant machines, and have replace cranes to a large extent because they can manoeuvre things like beams and trusses and hold them firmly in place. Then they can sit holding the part while the driver does other work. If one of the contractors is ticketed to use the machine, then this is much cheaper than cranes. However. They are difficult to operate. Example, because of the agreed late arrival of subcontractor, and a delivery to offload, we once hired a ticketed forklift driver. He couldn't work this machine though, and the lorry was not getting unloaded. Fortunately another subby, a groundworker who drove excavators, came to the rescue. Moral: difficult to operate, so you need not just an operator with a ticket, but someone who has sed these machines before. Perhaps the hirer can help. Also: they are big and heavy and on wheels. They can tear up hardstandings. This needs serious method discussions with the contractor.

This, by strange chance, appeared in a different context, and gives an example of commencement being denied by LA and at appeal. The big difference, I suppose, is that this council desperately wanted to deny commencement, whereas usually they aren't too bothered. See bottom left paragraph. The PS is interesting too.

Page 15 on this gives standard flows and gradients. as you say, 1:80. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/442889/BR_PDF_AD_H_2015.pdf I did unfortunately once employ a groundworker subby who's digger man ignored our designed gradients and put it in much steeper.. He knew better than us apparently. Expensive. Just saying as perhaps there is a wrong rule of thumb out there, among drain installers who need it steeper to overcome workmanship problems.

Explain further please? Did you cut a hole through the stone or under it? This picture shows the wall and where the footing has been exposed. in case not apparent, the lighter colour at the bottom is the virgin sand and a puddle, then there is darker colour below the stone, which is the vertical bed. All we have removed was manure, so this situation has been standing for decades. We will be protecting and filling that eroded edge.

I am coming to realise the difficulties challenges in working with thick, solid stone walls. Tell me if I am on the right lines here please? The walls are 600th, with high quality, largish but random blocks outside, decent but smaller blocks inside, and then rubble and lime infill between the skins. They extend about 300mm into the ground where they sit on 200mm or so of a sand-lime bed. Under that is virgin sand, dense and clean. This sand-lime bed is strong but will be diggable. The sand is a bit low for starting drains off. My plan for getting drainage pipes outside is to expose the bed on both sides, choose a nice long or big base stone that can act as a lintel, with similar to the other face, then form a horizontal hole underneath, just big enough for 100mm pipe. Then in will go a length of pipe on a slight slope, and promptly infill with sand-lime, packed into place. Perhaps for once, cement will be better than lime. 1m or so of pipe will also act as a joggle pipe in case of movement. How to form a neat hole? either with a drill and long chisel, and long trowel. OR will a 150mmbe the answer There will be about 7 of these to do, so the ease of doing it matters, as does keeping the height up. I am reasonably content with the structural implications, but am open to comment.

Ok I have it. they downloaded to my files, which isn't something I want to do, so next time drop onto the page please. As IanR, no sign of any wall insulation, and the wall cladding is shown single skin. If this was mine I would also box around the columns, and insulate at the same time. Timber, metal, whatever, and stuff with weatherproof insulation. Why the block infill to columns? Also I would be nervous about the valley gutter. Is it new or old? I see you are having new purlins, so presumably they have wasted, and so will have the gutter. If old, it will be well undersized for recent rainfall levels, except in gentle parts of the country. Even if new, they are never on a slope to outlets, and seldom even flat, so the lowest point controls the depth before it overflows. This needs expert design. Also needs some serious sealing at the bottom of the roof profiles, or water splashes up from the other side. The specification should include the quality and coating material of the cladding. Worcestershire isn't known for salt air or pollution, but still...best invest in good quality. This drawing is not complete. The cladding needs 'cleader rails'.. and closers. then you need to join the insulation and make it airtight. If not your thing, then I suggest you do need a designer who knows steel buildings...I am not offering......Or research it yourself for which I suggest look at Kingspan design details which cover most of this, last time I looked. Cedar: you know this goes dull grey and you need particular fixings or it stains? I always use tanalised pine, and spend a third of the saving on a coat of Sadolin Oak colour, then it stays that colour with a sheen, or use a cedar colour or any other. But if you want dull grey, that is an opinion. Spell check changed it to tantalised!!! Good job I checked.

no drawing appearing for me.

I have heard it said that some authorities require constructive work to be done. This avoids any thoughts that a hole might have been dug for another reason. It used to be that setting out the building , with posts prominently painted red and white, was enough. Now I recommend digging the trench in the right place and putting some concrete in. But that involves design and building inspector, so perhaps find an easier start. From recent experience, i have seen certificates from LAs confirming that a project has commenced, with forming an access track, or visibility splay being the works involved.

I have looked for national figures and found this in Construction News. 22 JAN 2021 The number of European Union-born workers in the UK construction industry dropped by more than a quarter in 12 months. In the third quarter of 2020, there were 127,000 EU-born workers in the industry, down from 176,000 recorded in the same period in 2019. 49,000 gone out of, from what I can see, about a million total site workers in construction. I think the total number then and now are a lot lower than is generally thought, but these figures will not include any 'invisibles'. Almost a year from then, on and I cant see any more recent info. Ours left, that was a subcontracting business with about 12 to 20 highly skilled workers. well paid and paying tax here. Not Polish. The owner said it wasn't worth the hassle and bureaucracy when there was work elsewhere esp in Germany.. There are skilled companies and individuals in this field in the UK but few, and far between Quality and work ethic is what will most be missed. I have tried very hard to encourage youngsters into the industry, by helping at school careers days, but most kids with any interest in construction wanted to be architects and seemed to be studying photography and, strangely, philosophy.

Thanks. and that is £2,000? I was expecting bats, newts and dormice for that. A rebate would be appropriate. Were they recommended by your architect or by the planners?

As long as they repair your pipe properly, and it would be appropriate for them to get the building inspector to check it, then all should be ok. 1. I have seen clay pipes linked by a different size of plastic pipe, with no collars and only using silicone mastic. 2. it seems they are still trying to worry you, or they are ignorant of how drains work. Your pipe should stil be fin with more appliances. Your pipe will again have a nice clean run, and it has worked well in the past. It is always, and correctly, assumed in the regulations that you won't all flush at the same time, to deliberately overload the system. 3. the flow tables in the building regulations are a little conservative. There are much more complex means of calculating flow, and it seems likely, based on reality, that your pipes would pass. I suggest you photograph the pipe now and after repair, and insist that an expert inspects it.

official UK statistics also show that around 150,000 Polish citizens have left the UK since the Brexit referendum. Not all in construction of course.

Well, all of ours went. Our first eye-opener was employing 3 Polish metal workers to erect steel buildings, because we couldn't get quality in the SE. They worked hard, came for the next instructions, and turned their hands to anything. That was until one of the locals was heard telling the that they didn't have to work so hard, in fact they would become very unpopular unless they slowed down a lot. Then used steel gangs from Iceland/ Germany and Hungary. they were not cheap (perhaps dearer at tender) , but they turned up and worked. All gone. Thee is plenty work elsewhere and no brexit employment issues. Maybe that is just a SE issue. what is the working day in other areas? 8.00 to 8.20 turn up, tea and the sun 10.00 to 10.30 breakfast 1.00 to 1.30 lunch 4.00 home Fridays home earlier of course. Good job they are on a price, but it could be much lower. or Hungarians: 7.30 start 10 to 10.20 breakfast, possibly staggered to make best use of machines 100 to 1.30 lunch 6.00 home, perhaps later in summer. weekends working too if allowed by planners. Winter less of course.

Not just Part M but A to Z. Seriously, you have to read through all of it, as it is not the BCO job to design it, or this forum to do other than help with problems. It will come in handy throughout the project too. I find that printing the important pages, and marking up in highlighter saves a lot of re-searching, especially when clauses seem to conflict. GYM. I know about gyms. On concrete ground floor, no problems. On concrete upper floors, some issues On joisted upper floor....challenging. If it is just for you then make sure it works for you, then call it something else on the drawing. ie design as a lightweight gym but don't flag it. Then if it is noisy downstairs it is just your family that is bothered. Also the BCO won't demand design for dynamic loading. Even kit that appears to be static (rowing machine/cross-trainer sets up a harmonic motion in joists that is very perturbing. On top of that is the noise which thumps through the building. The very worst effect is from synchronised movement by multiple persons. No the worst is dropping a heavy weight. You will need to ensure hat the gym floor is very strong, very stiff, and has acoustic insulation. If you tell a kit house company, then they may well not want to do such a non-standard thing. If you don't tell them you will get problems.

It is in your neighbour's interests as well as yours to get this sorted now. As above, it is easiest to deal with before buried, and the building inspector is unlikely to be made aware of the issue. If it is the LA inspector, I would speak to them first, just say you are concerned and ask if they considering your position. otherwise, yes the water company. On fitness for purpose. If it has worked for decades then it is fit for purpose. Being on a very flat gradient seems to be ok for you now, but if they meddle with it it might cause back-ups in your perfectly good pipe. eg. you flush and it goes away. you flush same time as them and it all swirls and slows, and solids sit down and stay put. problem. It amazes me how little is understood by builders, about water. The less they know, the more they seem confident of their expertise. I think it is part of the 'too much of experts' mentality. Don't know enough to know how little they know. Or he was bluffing/bullying. The contrary by Einstein is “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.” Most of us on this forum are with Herr Einstein. Where is nextdoor's groundworker?

There is certainly a great shortage of skilled persons in the building trade. A lot have gone back to their own countries, and many of these were the highest skilled or hardest working. Very few youngsters being trained. It may simply have to be that many of us cancel our projects as being completely un-affordable. Presumably this will partly self-correct but may take years. Otherwise, as above, project manage it yourself, with a number of trades instead of a general builder, a lot of diy and all the tidying up, and give it a few years. It is not easy and a huge risk if you are not experienced. A tip from the industry. My business was very specialist construction, (I mean in limiting the scope and maximising knowledge, not in being high-tech.) we would often be half the price of other perfectly decent businesses who were not being greedy. so I analysed it. Simplistically it was. 10% in design control, ie efficient to build 10% in cost control 10% in fees, hardly any outside design 10% in close and integrated management, so no wastage, and with problems resolved, rather than by buying a solution. (and don't spend the contingency) 10% by using small contractors without much overhead, and no chain of contractors each taking percentages. Then doing your own PM you save our 20%. too I'm not saying you can half these prices, as the materials have a cost, but it is feasible. But if you have a day job it is not so easy. Your cost looks horrendously high, but we don't know the detail. Some retrofit can be very expensive eg UFH. perhaps prune some of that out.

Estimator's hat on. It is a pain breaking down your own detailed costings to fit a simplified spreadsheet like this. Different contractors will put sums into different boxes when summarising. 10 to 15% overhead and profit is generally not enough, but nobody wants to see more, so some will be 'lost' in the other figures: either spread through or plonked into a big and early item, or classed as prelims. The provisional sums vary a lot too, so are clearly the contractors' tricky items, and may balance out some other items when allocated. tbc and % without sums make this pretty useless too. heating 11k or 42k. not the same job. windows 21k or 41k not the same spec. As Mr Punter suggests...simplify it if you have to start soon, and leave the innards. Don't rule out any of these contractors yet. The cheapest may very well be very efficient, while the others use subbies a lot. The dearest may be the only properly quoted price. Very good luck,

Interesting. I have never come across this before on what seems a simple application for replacement. If you done mind, I'm interested in whether the area is ecologically sensitive, and what was discovered. I have been annoyed in the past at some planners' keenness to engage all sorts of consultants, who presumably have 'sold' their own importance to the planners. Archaeologists for one. Fortunately I have usually had this postponed to be a condition, or simply done away with. Then they write themselves in to do even more surveys at your expense. It is fair that our history and ecology are not wiped away, but these could be conditional. At this sort of cost level it was almost worth getting outline permission first. I hope it was a very thorough and worthwhile report.

Isn't your architect an expert on what will achieve planning permission? I suggest politely ask him to get it sorted, without further cost. Unless what is designed is exactly what you asked for. Good you have a list to resolve. 1. easy, and saves you money 2. easy enough and save you money 3. ask for their criteria...this may well be a percentage of the land. 4. so ask why. Also I'm surprised you did an ecology survey at great expense before checking out if you could be allowed to build. This could have been a condition for later. Did they come up with anything you didn't know? Why not demolish and rebuild? seems you are constraining the options. Also there is the VAT. Have you checked that you are entitled to the VAT back on labour and materials? 20% is a lot of discount.

I am a year late entering this discussion, but the heading got my attention. I have not read the discussion, other than a swift skim. There is an interesting and helpful document showing examples of different stages of dereliction in the countryside, and the possibilities of rebuilding, even with photos as examples. I think it was Aberdeen County Council. I have it saved somewhere but where? If I come across it I will share.