saveasteading

Can we see a photograph? I have often wondered why these specialist kits are so expensive. On the face of it, the contents are £100, on sale for £200. suppose it has been thought out and refined, and made just right for a brick mortar bed, so the company deserves some profit and credit. Also gives confidence compared to buying your own bits. For a barn there will be different parameters. Brick or stone? My own thoughts for a stone barn, are to buy stainless steel threaded rod (v cheap mail order) , possibly add some nuts where bed thickness allows, bend to suit the wall gaps, then bed in with cement mortar. Then finish off with lime mortar. probably more adjustable to the beds, and £30 instead of £200. As i am looking at this kit x 8 it is more significant. If you use helifix, HID will be more relaxed. If you use something else there will be no credit if it works well. £170 plays against poss grief.

Currently reading all the rules, in both the Scottish and England and Wales versions. I see that both septic tanks and package treatment plants needs sampling and inspection access at both inlet and outlet. see Document H2 , clause 1.23 This then refers to H1, 2.48 which implies that an ordinary inspection chamber suffices. result! or result? But the Scottish document requires this. Therefore it is possible that this is also expected in England and Wales, and they are still available to buy as an expensive (£300) 'thing'.

The amount of mud on your concrete is trivial. I was commenting on muck deliberately mixed through from a separate pile. Likewise the odd bit of plastic and steel is to be expected, but not branches., toilet seats and areas of steel mesh. Yes you send away good stuff, and unfortunately sometimes buy back a lesser mix. If in any doubt, ask the supplier if you can observe the crushing process. It will help the price a lot if they can use the lorries both ways, ie delivery and collection, but that depends on having enough space.

The cost of sorting the neighbours door slam is so small that you might offer to do it for them. Thickness of an extra skin of wall? 20mm gap with rockwool slab therein, normally a 70mm stud, with fibreglass roll or batt between, then plasterboard and skim or joint. you might turn the studs 90 degrees, put twice as many in, and accept some deflection. Testing if noise is flanking through the floor is rather undignified. It involves you lying on the floor with an ear on the solid floor surface while a noise is created next door. It is worst with impact on the floor, and much reduced if there is carpet.

I've done 350 buildings and had one measured, that I know of. I don't know why they measured it....probably somebody complained it was too big. It was to the mm. However I think they sometimes just have a look, and if there is no obvious discrepancy that is the end of it. Have asked a planner what tolerance they allow. On a brick house there is no excuse for being more than 1/2 brick out either end, so 1 brick. Strangely nobody goes half brick shorter. Of course they are busy and not looking for trouble....unless upset for other reasons. If there was an issue it would be negotiated, and the bottom line is whether it would have got PP at the larger size.

I am not confident that the typical accountant will know the rules, or be prepared to write that letter. Will be interesting to hear progress. Have met a specialist in VAT who will write the letters, and take the hit if HMRC don't agree, but you don't want to know their fee level. We have just had exactly the same query, since my earlier post. We are writing to 1. State that it is a conversion and the 5% applies. 2. Enclose the planning permission. 3. Guarantee that we will pay (effectively lend) him the other 15% if it is disputed by HMRC , until resolved. (but his invoice must state 5% so we can reclaim) Haven't had the response yet. Firstly we hope he realises this is correct. Secondly he has the planning evidence to show hmrc if necessary. To reiterate, it is not nice being the contractor that has to change the process, lose a lot of cash-flow, and have some risk of aggro from hmrc, so I sympathise.

Never heard of the triple leaf effect. More layers and more density will reduce air-borne sound, not amplify it. Impact sound will come through because there is contact all the way. To reduce airborne sound you need something separate from the solid wall, so changing to a dab connection is little benefit. Any introduction of fibreglass between the leaves will help, but noise will still come through the connections. Also there is flanking sound, where a surprising amount comes through the weakest point, such as cracks or joints at corners. What is the floor made of? If concrete in a single slab, then the noise can reverberate from one house to the next. For a much better sound barrier add another skin of wall, using studs that span floor to floor, and that don't touch the party wall. Fill with acoustic mineral wool, plasterboard and finish. You have now lost 80 to 100mm of floor space. The best improvement I have known was by fitting a special acoustic barrier of pvc sheet, containing lead, hung loose down the 9 inch solid party wal, then stud and board. It resulted in not being able to ever hear babies or tv through the wall either direction. It was experimental and would be v expensive, and I don't know if it is available. It shows what can be achieved if it matters enough. British Gypsum and Knauf have info on the noise reductions theoretically available, but an acoustics guy told me that the life levels are never as good as the lab figures.. Please note that you could do lots to the wall, only to have the noise come through the ceiling, or side walls....it depends so much on the construction.

Not exactly. when you dig up rock or soil it bulks up with jagged edges and lots of air between so the density is reduced. For gravel or pure sand it will not bulk much, but the more jagged the product the more air is between the lumps, 0.7 is a decent estimate for concrete or clay.. So 1m3 of solid concrete becomes 1.4m3 of pile of concrete. If you send it away you fill the lorry with 0.7 concrete and 0.3 air. They or you crush it, and the density varies a lot depending on if it is all one size or there are smaller bits and dust to fill the gaps. If completely graded, like type 1 stone, it is very much denser. Then if you compact type 1 well, it is almost like concrete or rock again. If you crush on site to put back the same volume, you will have surplus hardcore. If you buy it in, you can have a choice of qualities, and densities....ask the supplier what the conversion is. You pay them by the ton, and use the conversion between 1.8 and 2.2 ish to convert to m3 you need. The crushing process can vary in quality, and ethical approach, I have seen earth being mixed in, and have had wire and plastic in it. How did a toilet seat get through the crusher and the sieve? I have rejected a load for being full of mud (mixed thoroughly) and had no argument back from the supplier. Conversely there are very thorough suppliers, and it is as good as virgin stone. answer? diy crushing you will bulk up and have surplus. diy or send away and buy back? you must do the sums. My hunch is crush on site but crush it very thoroughly. Some might have to through twice. Have a hose to hand to keep the dust down, and some beers for the neighbours. BUT !!!!!! are you sure you need to take it out/ why can you not leave it there as a very good sub-base? More to say on that subject if required, but I have observed that most(?) consultants say to take it out and then put stone in, but it is not their money.

Depending on levels, if you screeded inside to slope to the door, would it run outside and away?

If that is your decision, then show the groundworker diagram 9 and clauses 2.19 and 2.20 of document H. Any change of gradient to have an access point. They have none Bends as large a radius as possible. They have tight bends. Unfortunately I can't screen grab it, but here is the link https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/442889/BR_PDF_AD_H_2015.pdf

The reason i asked was to see if it is pouring or dribbling in. Seems the latter. assuming you are not going to do a rebuild., how about a pragmatic improvement. 1. drain against outside wall , as above, and make sure it goes away somewhere else. 2. seal the wall on the inside , best you can, accepting it will mostly pop off again. dry wall, bitumen paint joints, then whole wall. 3. screed floor to fall to a side or corner, and leave channel in it. Cut out a sump to catch the water. 4. pump out occasionally or automatically

The drawing is to scale, so is prob fine to proceed at that, until further notice. For your comfort, drop him an email that he has omitted that dimension, scales x and you are working to that, and please advise urgently if otherwise.

I believe the regs have been simplified...although I am not about to look up the old books. There was once a rule, or at least understanding, that there was a maximum gradient to prevent separation as described. That of course does not apply to vertical stacks as obv it all just falls together. Also it is a fact that there can be separation, but it may now be recognised that another train will soon be along to give it a shove. Diagram 9 stops at gradient 1:10, so it could be argued that this is the maximum. AND it used to be that every change of direction, horizontal or vertical, required an access chamber. That has been dropped. Well, not dropped exactly: it now says 'as straight as practicable, so that does leave it up to the inspector. So be happy that he is ok with it , as that is not as straight as it could have been. If the groundworkers are too old to remember these old rules then they aren't really very old at all, or were not paying attention. In reality, your arrangement with the steep section, rather than a simple grade, will work fine. Did you say why they didn't do a constant grade? I tell BCO if I disagree: Some are happy to agree when they hear the argument or see the proof. Some get very angry indeed to be shown to be wrong, and then it is time to demand someone else, usually younger. BUT to their credit they come across some awful work, where the builder does not care or understand the theory. Perhaps they have to assume we are all like that until proven otherwise. Yes, this is management, even teamwork, and has the least chance of causing disagreements. The BCO is not a designer, and neither, usually, is your groundworker.

So the number is missing. A minor thing. Ask. If you ask politely it will probably be confirmed as 450 or 500, and 1m below ground. There is a '2000' adjacent, but out of context I don't know what for.

got it.

I didn't know these existed, and it hurt my head for a while. I have a similar situation, but with normal hinges, and the gate is made to just miss the slope. That then leaves a space for a small dog or child when shut. These hinges would have been ideal. Agreed re 2 parts: one to suit the normal vehicle and the other bolted in place, that can open for wide vehicles. They do settle differentially but it only takes a turn of the nut on the long top bolt to adjust it either way. I am confident that oak is traded between the South East and the 'wild West' and can come on the next wagon train.

Drawing is not loading for me.

Lots of good advice above. Never hire Heras except for an event. The cost equates to buying in about 4 months, then they charge for collection and damage. Buying, will not be 'heras' but a cheaper manufacturer. The quality varies, esp at welds, but that doesn't matter in your own property. then, as you have found, there is demand for second-hand. Moling is a few hundred pounds when you can accept a wobbly line, as you can. The technologies vary: some send a probe down, along and up. Others need a pit at each end and thrust a pipe through, like a bore hole. So shop around. Once there, maybe worth moling all the way. If you will be on site and in control, then perhaps they will accept a simpler fence. In a way heras is not the best for the tree, as a builder can easily move it 'out of the way', then dig up roots and compress the ground, then put it back again. The standard method used to be chestnut pale and that might be acceptable. Well done for respecting the trees, and I'm sure they will repay you. fyi, I understand from various arboriculturalists that the micro-roots at the surface are more important than the big ones; that a single trench can cause huge damage, perhaps 1/3, which is enough to kill a tree, and compression of the earth is as bad as cutting the surface roots. The arbori etc that work in the private sector are more likely to accept the removal of a tree than the LA officers. 'it is just a tree....cut it down but plant some more'.

I thought the tank was so that a test of quality could be taken, and so that should apply to both. The liquid after a treatment tank is going to be much better quality than from a septic tank. However, I can see that will matter even more if discharging to water course. OR, can I use a leach field for a treatment tank, instead of a soakaway, and avoid the test chamber? That will surely be the best of all, in dealing with any occasional overload.

Green Home Grant scheme? Rather than split this discussion, I will start a new thread.

Where does the water go from inside the garage? I mean is it flowing in and out, or just in and stabilises?

The High Street under water again?

There are some that have a big wheel sploshing round. Most just have an air pump, like in a goldfish tank, to keep the contents moving and break the surface. if there is any noise it will likely be a buzz from a loose support.. Have used Marsh Industries in the past, because they are real and will speak to you. I especially liked that their tanks are shallow. This makes it very much easier and safer to install, without so much worry of hole collapse. I see that hydroclear now does shallow ones too, also at around £2,000. they include a telescopic shaft to the cover which i will be looking into. Septic tank maybe £700 cheaper? Does anybody know if a septic tank requires an outlet inspection chamber, as for treatment tank? Can't see why it should not.

The rules re septic tank discharge are rightly more onerous, but there is no reason why the further digestion should not occur in the drainage beds, which are larger anyway. However my own preference is to use a more sophisticated treatment tank. It is basically a septic tank with more chambers and bubbles. They are not that much more expensive if you shop around. Of course there is the running cost of electricity, but against that, there is much better digestion and less frequent need to de-sludge. And 20% less soakaway to build, and reduced risk of problems if the tank gets heavy use at any time.

Perhaps veering into a different subject but...new v old surveying. Modern equipment and methods are very easy and precise. So on this post it would be feasible to get a land surveyor with a fancy machine to mark your points out for half a day's pay...£300. You should be in attendance for banging posts and any decisions. But it is much more fun and satisfying to do it yourself, and in doing so you might also notice any quirks in the landscape, and change your mind where to put this new boundary. Walking the land and doing the work yourself is the way of understanding the possibilities and challenges of a project. Why do I resist modern methods? I don't, but they are so easy to use that they are used by some people who don't really understand what they are doing , and mistakes are missed. Expensive mistakes if not spotted. Everything needs to be looked over, just by eye and perhaps pacing to check for anomalies. For example here, if the satellite guided positions of 4 posts don't look straight. Laser levelling can go wrong too. The modern groundworker uses them, but doesn't know the principles of levelling. So if it is out of adjustment, and using long and short sightings, big errors can arise. Best way to check if a building is a rectangle? Measure the diagonals, by pacing then with a tape. Best way to pour trench concrete level? Not with a laser level and staff on the wet concrete imho. And most importantly, know your stride length. This costs nothing. As for water levels recommended above They are invaluable in confined spaces. I spent 2 uncomfortable days under a Boots pharma factory, but there was no other way with 4 ft headroom. For the cost, everyone should have one. This one is £10, and if you fix it to timbers, as the following pic, you have control .You can get a hydraulic oil version with digital readout of level difference for £400.