saveasteading

That is why I don't want to propose 6,000 or 10,000 in case they aren't bothered. I am not much bothered either as it is a stone building and will have plasterboard everywhere, so any fire will be in a compartment. We have a couple of contacts very locally who might be able to tell us what they had to do. Keep the advice coming folks, but I will also feed back anything we get locally.

I have dealt with it on several occasions, once formally and others informally. Always successful. I would expect a bit of red on the leaf but perhaps this is especially healthy. As it is far from clear, it would be prudent to kill it. This is what I would do, and you must make your own minds up, together with the neighbour, Do not cut it back but spray it thoroughly with the nastiest systemic you can find.. Repeat whenever it dares show a leaf, and at least 4 sprayings per annum. Expect to do this for 3 years and never relax until a year passes without any sight. It is an offence to dispose of any cuttings incorrectly. Therefore only when it is all dead, cut back the growth and BURN. Every node on every branch and root can grow a new shoot. The official way of getting rid of it, which we proposed to the planners and then did, is to dig it all up (incl all roots and soil) , and bury it very deep (2m???) with polythene over. It dies. Then also check the area regularly for any new growth. OR get a specialist in and tell the LA. Allow several #k oh my pound sign has become a # several thousand pounds.

As above. At this size it is of no significance so just cut it down. The roots will die too. Very sensible from the BCO. Then keep an eye on the hedge and keep it all down. Tree killer in the trunk works , and there are other similar products, or weed kill the leaves if it dares try again. I get lots of sycamores coming through the hedge, and just cut them down regularly.

Thanks all. No sprinklers are required. It seems that fire engines carry 1500 to 1800 litres, which I would hope and expect would extinguish a fire in any modern house. 'Our' burn at 80m distance and 20m lower doesn't sound suitable to me. The 6000 litre tank isn't as expensive as I feared, but is a big lump of a thing, and I don't recall seeing one on a recent similar project we visited. The valve being their hose connection point? As the building warrant application has to go to the fire authority, I wonder if the options are a) to know what they want and show it precisely, or b) not deal with that point and await any instruction.....it may well depend on the local attitude, and being remote the local fire people will be used to it and perhaps more relaxed. Reading the clause again, it is for every building type and situation, so an isolated single house may be low risk and no special measure.....please.

No answers!. posting again in case anybody with info missed this last time.

There are special adapters available for this. A butt joint between the internal and external lengths of steel, bolted together in some clever, non-continuous way. I have prodded them at exhibitions but could not get a cost indication. ahhh. found one using the interweb. over to you.https://www.farrat.com/structural-thermal-break-connections?utm_term=thermal break pads&utm_campaign=Thermal+Breaks-Leads-Search&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=5261485987&hsa_cam=13260167897&hsa_grp=122980897859&hsa_ad=523953648699&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-382966641357&hsa_kw=thermal break pads&hsa_mt=b&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwNWKBhDAARIsAJ8HkhcB8DpTz-Xk9vOiET718z4T9BDTbmE1D1TFVqfLh4KgC1rURMVP-EIaAqGlEALw_wcB

Pallets are worth nothing if you want to sell them. Suppliers charge you a deposit for them ten wont take them back. Therefore there are lots of them unwanted, especially by merchants and on sites. any builder would rather give them away than skip them. just beware of the very clever minimalist ones that are made of very skinny timber and mdf, cardboard/chipboard.

If you have not done this sort of thing before, then this is not the one to start with. At least get an experienced builder to do the propping and column work, and you can assist. There is the window, too, and so there isn't much wall there anyway. Perfectly doable but you don't know how much you don't know....yet. Think of the worst that could happen. Now ask your house insurer if you would be covered.

Prop the wall up on both sides. There are special fittings to go into the mortar beds/ Remove brick corner , dig hole and fill with concrete. Fix column, bed wall onto column. Remove props gently while holding breath. Move on to next area. Standard work for skilled builder. Scary for novice, and rightly so. What is above? another floor or a roof.

If I remember rightly it is likely to shatter. If fixed by some sort of adhesive, I would want an additional gutter support near the join. Cast iron gutters are still made, and seem to be pretty standard.

I don't really understand the question. Do you mean removing the brick corner and replacing with a steel column? Underpinning is horrible and expensive. Much easier to dig a hole from above.

Hooray. you are my first, although I won't count if you mean that it was too small. But would you turn down something because you hadn't done one, and you might not know all there is to know? My bugbear was sports halls. So many badly designed buildings, as if nobody had ever done one before. Not knowing how much they don't know. Actually it was good for business when the architect had done ignorant or expensive designs because we could sort it, But it shouldn't be necessary.

ok, thanks. Best we chat it through non-technically with SSEN, as we have a useful contact after 12 non-helpful referrals. ie all we want is 20kVA by whatever means?

Thanks. How do you do that? Is the transformer just to step down from huge voltage to domestic? Unfortunately I may know the answer, as we applied on a different site that fell through. They wanted £15 k to provide a new transformer, where there was none, and bring in 100m of cable and 2 new poles. So we think the transformer is about £10k, and then the cable. We have an enquiry in for an upgrade but it will be a long time in getting a quote. Do we need 3 phase though? 350m2 of floor area, quite high ceilings but will be well insulated and airtight. I was thinking we needed 3 phase for domestic + 15kVA ASHP, +water pump, but perhaps that second wire is live and gives us double the power...or could do. Do you mind explaining what 2 phase is for? After many years of sparkies failing to explain, I think I understand why 3phase is clever and efficient, but 2? Is it just 2 supplies in one tidy cable?

Scottish Standards state Standard 2.13 Every building must be provided with a water supply for use by the fire and rescue service. 2.13.3 Alternative water supply Where no piped water supply is available, or there is insufficient pressure and flow in the water main, or an alternative arrangement is proposed, the alternative source of supply should be considered as appropriate by the fire and rescue service. As we are 2 miles from the road and have a private supply of 10 dribbles per second, can anyone advise? is it a problem or; Does the fireman think that it is a single house so no problem. Do we need a tank of water and how much to suggest? ( 1 or more IBC linked) There is a burn but it is wide and shallow and 70m away. 15m lower, so I think is no help. Actually well water supply is between 3 litres / minute now and 12 l/minute in winter, so no problem in supplying domestic water, but quantity and pressure, no.

Read this site for a few weeks, and search back for any key words that seem relevant, and you will learn an awful lot. Someone put up a first principles checklist a few weeks ago. We all welcome photos of the site, for context, but it is best not to publish personal or location details, for many reasons and as all this is findable in online search.

Rubble is usually free if you can collect it, and if you have trailer and towbar.

I think there is a big difference between small domestic and anything else. The former is to the regulations document, quite detailed for England, and to generally accepted practices. Anything bigger needs special details. My career has been heavy civils and commercial building construction, and the full drawings went to the inspector, with the absence only of setting out (ie where on the site) and externals. With a growing relationship with the same independent inspector, we came to know what he didn't need or want to see. On this hub we are mostly doing small domestic of course. Any answers to 'do any Architects ever turn down a commission?'

I am afraid so. I used a capital A consciously. If you are one, then the thing is that you don't work with the others. I was careful with my wording and stated 'specialist contractor' by which I also imply some standing. Anyone disagreeing with that? I speak from experience of some Architects having a go at anything, and some very serious errors needing to be sorted. I mean basic physics, keeping the weather out, building reg's and design principles for the function. Designing to a budget is another matter for another day. But good and less good, a or A...do they ever say 'no, it is not something I am familiar with'? Nor am I. An interesting discussion though, from which I learn that there are very different experiences. Thank you for writing.

It is a commercial detail, especially in clear span portal framed buildings where the deflection can be a lot. WWilts, allow for 1/180 of the span. eg for 3.6m joist above, allow 20mm gap. Sounds clever, but I will have to think about it. You try it first.

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.