saveasteading

I have met a few people who bought such a building, with planning permission. They were not aware that the structure was beyond use for conversion, and that complete new foundations and mostly new structure were required. (Foundations and structure for agricultural use has no factor of safety, so even if in good condition, everything has to be redone or strengthened) The building itself therefore has a negative value, and this should be seen as a building plot with constraints. If any of the cladding is asbestos cement, then there is a largish cost for removal and disposal. The current roof is very light too. you would be increasing the load on the structure. Drainage is the least of the concerns I would say. Sorry for the negatives, but be sure to build them in to the cost, and off the land value. On the positive it is timber, not steel and has its attractions, if you can retain, use and show the timber. Are you thinking of ground floor only, or an upper floor? What is the height to the eaves and ties?

I think most owners who were confident of it getting PP would have done that already, and raised the value. Not necessarily, as there is cost, but likely.

can you show this from further back, for context? Is it concrete?

Should not be a problem. Even with a new digester early in the project, building control were not interested as it was temporary and sensible. As you have an existing arrangement with outflow then even less issue. In a surprise visit from HSE, they were surprised but happy with the arrangement. Well, never happy, but 'content'. BUT no blue caravan chemicals into the tank or you will kill the beasties off. If slopes are a problem you can fit a saniflo into the line and go uphill. That can also avoid constructing drains until you are ready.

I think you have all helped sufficiently on this for now, thanks. I know it is sensible to go under the wall, and can try with long drills and a trowel, or use a core drill for possibly a neater hole. As there is the sand-lime bed it should hold up fine. Whether to put 100mm pipe in straight away. or a 150 as a duct I will decide later. The downside is that we will be starting the drains at minus 500 from current floor level, before anything new above. then there will be, for foul drains, a 50m route to the digester, at 1:80 that is +/- 600mm, so getting deep. But hey., it is sand so out and back easily and cheaply. The surface water I am planning to take 4 different routes to spread it out. Reduced volume at any one spot, better environmentally, and also cheaper. Soakaway rate is on the limit of being too fast, but as there is 10m or more of this sand, it isn't about to form a sink hole, especially with a long holey pipe. I will have more questions about forming new openings. It is either very simple or very difficult according to different sources. We previously looked at similar buildings in Aberdeenshire, and found that forming an opening is called 'slapping'. That isn't just a trade term but is on planning drawings. I don't know how local a term that is. Meanwhile if you have any dire warnings now is a good time to tell, as the layout is being developed.

another word. hoover. third word, instructions

It will show up the dimples and swirls, unless you get a matt finish. I might worry that it will look like a garage floor, but with plenty of rugs and furniture perhaps no problem. There are all sorts of options, from single coat to 2-part epoxy, that can be microns or mm thick. Prices accordingly. I have found the cheapest 2 part works fine, and clients happy to have the huge saving and a spare pot for touch ups where wheels wear it out......ooops still thinking garages.

Nobody will notice as they will be looking at the view. Just make sure the concrete is dry before sealing it.

Or 2 hook bolts screwed to the wall, then wire linking them and holding the pipe. Galvanised wire. Then it wont budge in any direction. Too late....I see the strap. Not sure that will work in the sideways direction though. Another couple of screws and tie the strap together at the back?

The stone is mostly granite in boulder form, but dressed at the corners. the frontage is mostly sandstone ashlar, with some serious but traditional architecture to it. what we think is the oldest part has some enormous boulders as the base layer. We are currently doing serious repairs that don't involve regulations, to keep the worst of the water out, as that has caused some local failures to stone and timber. the exposed base will be buried when the courtyard is built up for domestic use. meantime I intend to bank stiff mortar under and onto the face to reinstate full bearing and divert water to ground. this face has been exposed for decades, other than having 18" of manure against it, so is not about to fail. the ground is pure sand, rather dense and amazingly single-sized, yet angular, so is strong and porous, yet very easy to handle. The downside would be supporting any trenching and avoiding undermining. I am a Chartered Civil Engineer but don't have experience of stone buildings or A frame roofs. Thanks to all of you. Enough for now, and I welcome any tips on such buildings.

jfb So just long bits, as straight as possible, and a trowel on a long arm? TonyT Will try with bits first. I now see that extensions for core drills are readily available, so is an option. Nothing happening currently, but I wanted to know before deciding other construction methods and programme. Getting the pipe in precisely the right place will be a challenge, with existing stones dictating the position. Even on new build I tend to allow some swivel room by boxing out the slab. This is much harder than new-build or refurb.

All above agreed, but also your friend is right but a little cautious for most situations. Some repetition: 1. Don't let anyone see it, so gone asap. Not because it is illegal, simply to avoid explanations and complexities 2. The longer it is out the longer the ground has to recover. As we have had a wet summer, the ground should not have shrunk too much. Then the winter is likely to be enough to get back to stability. But depends on tree size and variety, and ground type. Can you advise? Pine in sand is no problem. Oak in clay might be. 3. I would leave the roots where they are. The loosening of the earth from digging out will exceed the gaps left when the roots rot. By all means remove big surface roots, and the trunk under the surface. Is that what a 'root bowl' is?

Less interest on the deposit from Jan til work started.? That deposit was surely for buying the materials: Your materials not someone else's. Unless the steel was an addition or a change, or they specifically excluded the equipment, then the method is their choice, and their cost. ask why they took your deposit and didn't use it for your project. and that was a huge show of trust on your part argue that the delay has been a nuisance/problem/cost to you. agree that material prices have gone up 10% +£300 deduct 5% interest of £2,000. -£100 disagree the rest. In summary agree to pay £200. then have the argument and eventually agree £300.

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.