saveasteading

Not a lot of people know that. As a Chartered Civil Engineer we are sworn to do what is right for the world first, and the client comes second. A Chartered Surveyor once said to me that this only applies to Civil Engineers, Doctors and nurses.....and he wasn't so sure about nurses. He showed me the surveyors' ethos....hmmmm: nothing about fairness. It probably hinders our earnings potential but helps our consciences. BTW "Civil" comes from " not military" rather than politeness.

That would be another reason for not allowing any use of leftovers. Seriously though. when the pour is complete there is usually a lot of important work to do. Gnome, or block, manufacture should not be priority. Also, seriously, there is usually something that can benefit from a few shovels of concrete and not take much time, so plan ahead.

So do tell. What is your recipe? Does cement go in as half a bag, as brickies seem to prefer?

That's the biggest danger with small quantities measured by shovel. A shovel of damp sand is much more than of gravel.

I think you have it. The first objective is to not make a mess that needs clearing later. Next is to make something useful. Concrete blocks for rough use/ weights. Hardstanding at site entrance...but the level needs to be right. Lastly. Consider it as hardcore not concrete, so the very wet slurry is best for this....but hold the water back to avoid mess. As a young Site Engineer I proposed having shutter boxes for left over concrete. The powers above explained that it would be abused as an excuse for over ordering. We got a big telling off for being mire than 1/2m3 over. The spare was spread and became hardcore. And an undersupply ( being short) was unthinkable. This on typically 20m3 of structural work.

In these cases it was easy in winter....heat an office or factory. In summer, no..?. The best I can think of is a reversed ground source heater. Storing heat for much later.but there are lots of snags in this. As a further diversion. Most cold stores are too high. Clients want the better £/m3 that height gives them, then don't use it.

I think few installers understand the science. They just fit equipment. My clients always organised this direct and I couldn't get close to the manufacturers....but I don't feel they were much interested either. So in a new food factory or warehouse, we or our client's contractor would put air source into an office and warehouse at one end, and meanwhile hot air is chucked out at the other.

The waste of heat being pumped out of chill stores is shocking. There has to be a way of heating nearby spaces. I asked a client's contractor if they could heat the offices in the same building. He said no, but I'm not convinced.....simply take the hot waste pipes through radiators or past a fan?

I have learned from this discussion. I didn't know this...or maybe I used to and have forgotten. It is the minimum weight of plasterboard that determines which boards suffice for sound insulation in a ceiling. See the bottom bit about the weight of pb from different brands. Combine this with the fire properties and it becomes apparent why a 15mm fireboard is thought to be the norm.

That's because it isn't simple. I resort to photocopying the relevant pages and highlighting the relevant clauses, resulting in a narrative. This remains to hand when I inevitably forget the logic, plus can show the bco....who is not our designer. The fire codes themselves are more complex. Eg the hp/a of the steel. BTW I have worked with severely fire damaged buildings and the steel structure was always intact.

You don't need a slope. Cars rarely leak. Commercial garages don't have slopes except at wash areas. So it's your choice. But you do need to keep the rain from getting under the garage doors. My standard detail has a ramp coming a good 100mm inside of the door, to let wind blown water run back. You can't rely on the bottom seals. It's best to shutter that off when pouring the slab, and deal with fiddly door details later.

Might even be normal pb. I don't have the books to hand. But it isn't much advertised and barely worth proving or arguing.

He either doesn't know a little about floors....his mastermind subject. Or that membrane makes it easier for him, taking out any blips in the screed. I like that.

You are right to minimise excavation. I'm struggling to see what the problem is....standard building construction should be sufficient. Except "where the man is". If that area is against the house wall then it needs tanking and an unusually high dpc. But keep that raised area away from the wall and it is simpler.

I read the regs as the beam needs 30 minutes protection. That isn't onerous and some beams have that inherently. It's not something to dabble with. The rules are clear. It gets complex with the weight of beam and exposure, and the house geometry, so isn't for us to calculate on here. Anyway, It sounds as if the beam is above the pb ceiling. That is fire protection. Fire can't reach the beam....beam can't melt. But it is easy to encase the steel. Bang timber noggins between the flanges and screw pb over. It doesn't have to be pretty. Or buy some fancy clips and rails if it does. Speak to the bco.

If I could find my wbb ( wee black book) then I would have it. M2 of brick or block per m3 mortar, then into bags and tonnes. What someone told me pre-internet, with my own factor against it. It must be on the Interweb surely.

Do you mean the conversion of the dry materials compared to the mixed volume?

I worry that you are getting such bad advice. What else don't they know? Correct. Screed shrinks and cracks. It does not expand, yet people in the industry don't understand this basic fact. @Post and beam What are you doing and who is doing it?

I believe they were not available before or after today. That and the Aldi canned Scottish tap water.

I will confess to giving it a second look. De walt do radios pretending to be site esentials. Pies should be hot.

De Walt 20V site oven announced today.

Not really. Especially if it is partial depth. What I'd do is a lump of eps, about 100 x 100. Fix it to the threshold wall at floor level. Your concrete pour will fill under it, giving you continuity. You will have a 100mm void for your brackets. Draw this to scale and check you can get the fixings in.

Really? Ask for a thermal loss calculation or estimate. Instinct tells me this is de minimus. I would rather lose 10p worth of heat there per annum than have a loose door. If playing that game, use skinny fixings into plastic plugs. Easy. You can build a timber shutter there from stud and plywood. Then remove it and put in local concrete to whatever level you choose. It's about 3 shovels worth, hand mixed. You have total control of fixing the bracket, and precision. An old fashioned way is a lump of eps. Then you rake it out or, naughtilly, use petrol. I'm more worried about groundworkers next to a nice door. Bumping , splashing. They might even barrow or pump through the open door. Take the risk out of it. Door later.

I wouldn't want the door in place before the concrete pour. It will likely be damaged. So I think I favour keeping the slab low at that point. Same height as the block, or a little lower, perhaps 100 or so wide? You could chance remembering to keep it low by hand finishing, or put a shutter there, my recommendation. Then the bracket bolts down to really solid concrete.

I found 2 kinks in the supposedly perfect pipes. Easily sorted.