saveasteading

My daughter took on a house with a stair lift. Put it on line for 'free to collector' but nobody response. I think eventually through Age Concern or such, a need was found and it was taken away. So try both as sources. They really are as simple as that wonderful technical drawing above, although it omits the motor for clarity.

A few thoughts from experience. Make sure you use the dia, make and colour of duct they specify or they will refuse to use it. It is something to do with heat generation. The specified duct is more expensive than others, and than you will like. Also use only straight lines or the cable may snag. Don't forget a draw cord. there will be a mx length between drawpits. Often they quote a high price to cover risk of obstruction, and will rebate if it goes smoothly. Don't fall out with them. You have nowhere else to ask. And a word about the original post. Best not be rude, however justified, on here. Google picks this all up. I did a search recently and my own earlier Buildhub post came up on page 1. Therefore I ty to avoid quoting manufacturers or businesses names, or referring to recognisable persons if it is a negative matter.

I realise notching joists is not to be encouraged....even when it is ok it encourages plumbers and sparkies to cut anywhere they feel like it. this was only suggested if there happened to be a comfortable overlap of the bearing wall (ie not working past that point0. or if there was an actual gap between end-to-end joists or joist to wall that would allow a turn. ONLY with permission of the joist designer.

Not an expert.....BUT If your current insurance does not already cover damage to neighbouring properties, then I would be surprised, and concerned. I think this is more for commercial construction where a small builder may not have enough cover for damage beyond the project value. Insurers will sell you this happily whether you need it or not. So I suggest check out your current cover, and ask the broker to confirm. And best not be (or let workers be) negligent, or you don't have any cover at all. Many insurers' priority is to deny any claim, and one even boasted to me of how little they pay out.

I hope you don't mind a wild suggestion....isn't that we are here for? I have never done UFH except in concrete floors, so may be wrong....but hoping to learn in time before having to do it to an upper joisted floor BUT I do like the answer above of putting it on top, assuming you have the headroom....we do not.... and may use big rads upstairs. My off the wall thought.....multi-conditional....is that if the UFH pipe went parallel to the joists , then only at the ends could there be an issue. IF the joists have plenty of bearing it MIGHT be poss to notch the tops to cross the pipes to the next gap. Only at the ends though , where the stresses are dwindling. Needs approval from floor designer. You still have to get the pipe to the location too.

Glad you are not paying for the blocks, but somebody has done. It has all the signs of being built for the ease of the bricky with no regard to waste. Every block costs what? £1.50, then half a skip to get rid of it all. Unless I wanted them there I would tell the bricky to take it away or pay for the skip. Had a site manager once who called me the skip inspector. They had to learn that whole bricks and blocks, or even half ones do not go in the skip, ever., and any waste has to be taken to a pile, not the skip. An MD of like mind used to only put small hippo bags on site, as batten offcuts would not fit, so it was easier to keep them on the roof and use them. Re hardcore. The suggestion above is ok, that you lay them all flat and infill with stone. but you should also then break them up more, as they lie. Good exercise with a sledge hammer. Skips. I went on talks, and then conveyed it to all staff (admin as well as site) that the real cost of a skip is not £250 but £1,500, because of the stuff in it that you should not have bought. Then each job had a target number of skips, about 1/4 of the nationally accepted rate. Most of the time it worked, even if partly due to pressing down with a digger. The estimator and buyer had to get it right first, then the workers be told they had to use offcuts. esp plasterboarders who like a new sheet every time.

If you ask the water co to change it, I think they will increase your standing charge. The old pipe is likely furred up and bent anyway, so the restrictor might not be making so much difference.

I have one experience with this sort of floor, using a manufacturer that is not the biggest name. Had seen it in a busy cafe and it was standing up well, so asked what make it was (which I cannot remember. It had 2 years of use with baby/toddler and a cat. No sign of wear or problems, and later the house sold v quickly. There was a hardboard underlay and screed to ensure flatness, so the labour and prelim was as much as the supply.

Answering my own question fyi. There aren't many companies to choose from. Had a visit from one company who agreed to waive the fee, as we did not want a survey, just a quote. Quite a thorough report, a mixture of relevant and generic. Interestingly he described the treatment as a caution rather than necessity, I suppose because the worm will all die when the heating goes on. Very, very expensive quote. Included 10 year guarantee, but then said that this was not usually sufficient , so could make it 20 years for an extra £800. Some people might think this was opportunistic. Another contractor, selected by looking at time in business and location, quite reasonably said he would have to charge to visit as it was 40miles each way, but instead quoted from a drawing , description and quantities. Less than half the price, and including 20 year guarantee, and in line with my original estimate, which was just time/material/equipment/oh based. I will not quote the prices until the job is done satisfactorily, but happy to do so then. Or PM if you need to know.

Soundblock plasterboard AND acoustic mineral wool insulation.

What Gus says is all correct. Also we don't know enough about your circumstances to give a definitive answer. As it is an outbuilding, you may be allowed/ not silly to under-spec it. If it is very rarely occupied the rules don't always apply, eg garden shed. I don't think it has been mentioned that you might build your pier outside. Then you can take it down to founds. there will be a top ledge that you will have to weather.

Is Kwikstage still extremely heavy? I have struggled with the weight of the sections at height. it may have been a v old model.

Can I just suggest that you don't push your luck. Water is not sympathetic. Also I work it all out myself as have not found many in the industry, certainly not groundworkers and plumbers, who really understand how water works. Easy, it runs down-hill. Not so easy, is that it builds up, goes under and through, and stops and reverses when there is an obstruction. What I do, even if people laugh, is once I have worked it all out, I go back to the start of the run and imagine a rainstorm. And I use a golf ball (snooker better) to check where the water will actually go, not the theoretical flow. best of luck...report back when successful.

V interesting and useful to know. You have £200 budget to buy some planks or boards to walk on or protect from dropping bricks.. Choose something you can use later in the construction and you win it back.

Planning...the answer to almost every question.

Thanks. the optional extras are essential, esp the stability bars. I have something like but lower, that and it wobbles more than I am comfortable with. make sure you tie it to something solid if going high, and prob needs sleepers under the feet. for the right circumstances that can work, and then is good value. For working at height or on dodgy ground, there are some nice hook bolts where you fix the base to the wall (masonry or metal versions) , then screw in the hook. The advantage is that you can unscrew the ugly loop and the fixing remains.

This website will link you into the nearest council that will take your bag of tiles. https://www.gov.uk/asbestos-in-home or just search in your local council website. They will tell you to wear gloves and a mask, keep stuff a bit damp, Put the tiles gently into a sturdy bag (most polyethene bags will tear with tiles so maybe a box first. Then tie the bag up and put it in another bag. Phone to tell the council you are bringing it, and hand it over formally. there will be a form to fill in, and they will welcome your test statement. They should not charge, because they really do not want to encourage fly-tipping of this stuff. now get on with it and report back when successfully handed over.

worry not. the HSE say this 71 In certain types of ACM, the asbestos fibres will usually be firmly linked in a matrix and will not be released easily. This includes: ■ asbestos cement, (unless it is substantially fragmented, crushed, or otherwise significantly damaged); ■ textured decorative coatings; ■ paints with asbestos, any article of bitumen, plastic, resin or rubber which contains asbestos where its thermal or acoustic properties are incidental to its main purpose, such as vinyl floor tiles, electric cables and roofing felt. it is not licensable. you have spoken to experts who have told you not to worry. https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/a23.pdf I assure you that most 'specialists' will not go to quite these lengths unless in an occupied building.

Decided that if we dithered we will have spent £200 on hire in the next 2 weeks. In reality, one subby requires a tower and the other gave £100 off for free supply. Work that over a year or two and it is a no brainer. So will have a shiny new tower, until used. In case of any use to you. About 4 base suppliers in UK (I mean excluding sellers-on). Some quote basic tower which I guess might be ok for a few purposes. But add adjustment, wheels, platforms and delivery and they come out within 10%. One, to their credit , charge more for a smallish, narrow tower because they include stabilisers automatically, than for the wider version. That is always for the professional level tower. There are 'trade' and 'diy' versions but they seem skinny, and involve bolts. I have a tiny diy one and forever needs tightening...and wobbles. The likelihood is that they will be readily re-sellable at conclusion, for 50%? if in a fit state. I tried a second-hand supplier. No response. oh, and free delivery does not include Highlands...there is a supplement of £69. I persuaded another supplier to not add a supplement , but I guess that is effectively a discount. Thanks for the advice, and do pass on any bargains you see, including another tower.

Got me thinking. I was surprised recently to rediscover the differences in rainfall around the UK. I am used to SE England projects. In calculating for the Highlands it is staggering difference between west and east. Also, I had not realised that the intensity varies dramatically and that is what affects capacities and causes flooding. I realised I was overdesigning the drainage system for the East Highlands and wondered why...so looked up some key figures. Rainfall in Inverness is low, totalling 723 mm in a typical year. Precipitation is distributed evenly, falling over about 143 days per year. Rainfall in Fort William is high, totalling 1504 mm in a typical year. Precipitation tends to fall more in the winter, falling over about 181 days per year. London averages approximately 106 rainy days each year and receives a total of 583.6 mm of precipitation annually. Royal Tunbridge Wells. The rainfall here is around 737 mm | over about 99 days Newquay Cornwall The average amount of annual precipitation is: 1021.0 mm in 260 rainfall days. Apologies for not reformatting these in the same order. This tends to explain why Tunbridge Wells suffers from flooding recently, ditto London. Intense rain. The moral: do not be stingy with gutter, drain or soakaway sizes, especially in the areas with high intensity.

1. Absolutely not. It could already be full when the next rainstorm comes. 2. as Oz07 3b, yes if for garden only, and even with membrane around it you will get silting so need access to clear it. But as above (BitPipe) , what if weedkiller or oil or detergent from the drive gets into the tank and hence to the garden....so best not. Use soakaway. Proper garden barrels are not too expensive, esp if you keep your eyes out for seasonal bargains. eg the identical barrels are half the price at Wickes as from a garden centre I saw selling them. You sometimes find food product barrels available, in blue or green, and make your own lid and connections. If you have space and distance from house and boundaries, you can use a french drain to the soakaway and add that to the soakage area, so the pit size is reduced. It is better fro the ground too as it disperses the water. aco to the perimeter of the house....that could help dewater the ground as you suggest. It will only catch what runs there though, so needs a runoff from the house wall. Ensure that it does not do the opposite by strict control of levels. at connections.

The Engineer may not even charge you if you have done the prep and it is clearly a good proposal. If he specified Catnic, tell him it is not available, but you have come up with...this.

I don't have difficulty with this method of procurement. The client can do as they like, and presumably gets a fixed price and it is the contractor who takes the financial risk. It looks like a £3M+ job though, and client not short of money if happy to pay for these very complex features, so very nice to get the job. I see that polystyrene houses is what you do. If your supplier can't answer the question that concerns you I would be very wary. I looked into the polystyrene option very seriously, as there was no shortage of suppliers chasing us, and costed several jobs in detail against other methods, but it never proved the winner for me, even on small blocks. However that was for office blocks, schools and industry, so it is very different indeed from one-off housing. Steel is nearly always the right answer for big buildings like this, and all your targets can easily be achieved or exceeded. The trouble with competing construction methods is that usually tenders are between contractors offering the same methods, as instructed by the architect. Then if you suggest there is another way, they tend to get defensive rather than think of the client's budget. Presumably flood plain issues has caused the planning delay. Another plus for steel is simple columns and beams form your under-croft, and can be galvanised and painted ready for the big flood. I will be interested to hear of progress if you will allow us.

Have had asbestos tiles in demo/refurbs. They have never bent like that photo. Always came off clean or snapped. So first check them out. If asbestos reinforced then I think they are low risk, and I don't think need any special training, but you do not want dust. Plenty of people have been unaffected but plenty have suffered. There will be a leaflet online from HSE saying something like: wet the area, wear disposable gloves and mask. then do the double bagging thing. If you are not a business, then you can take them to the municipal tip and hand it over for safe disposal (all contaminated stuff seems to go to Peterborough)

yes, asbestos tiles usually hard and snap, and probably would not have come off so nicely. get a test though.