saveasteading

If you use Google Earth, you an look at older aerial views, sometimes back to wartime 19402, to see if the hedge was there then. perhaps you'll see a fence or smaller hedge?

Fire engines are designed to be maneuverable. And there isn't a real world problem with a 5 point turn, or 7, as thr emergency had been dealt with by that stage. Hence I think bco tends to be pragmatic. Plus, if the building meets fire regs the tank water should sort a typical fire , and not need a big water store on site. Our bco was happy that we had a 3m3 drinking water store that could be used.

Insulation-wise pir is twice as good as rockwool, but gaps defeat the object. Are you pushing it up to a roofing felt or to exposed tiles/slates?

No. It doesn't squeeze. Especially when thick, it won't fit. The size of the gaps will be +/- and the rafters may not be vertical. This has has been discussed on here before, and the consensus / easiest seemed to be to cut it a lot smaller, and inject expanding foam in to close the gap. I don't like expanding foam as it goes where it shouldn't, and may shrink. On our project where the timbers are 100 years old, it was distorted in all directions: we tried with 2 layers of 75mm which allows easier fitting but it still left too may gaps. So what we did was 75mm of pir board, cut as well as poss, but with inevitable gaps., then 75mm of rochwool slab which can be squeezed in to the space. Or 50 + 100... I can't remember the detail.

Sort of. In a narrow box such as double glazed units, a tiny air gap creates a large improvement, very much more than with secondary glazing, because the air circulates. In a floor void It will heat up and circulate too. There should be air bricks and they will suck the heat away too. Even if there aren't, there will be draughts. I can't see insulation. The blocks are about 150mm, then a slab on top, but I don't see insulation.

My main point is to check that you have floor insulation, thickness and what material: don't assume. Is there somewhere you can easily check eg at a hatch you could assess the thickness. OR somehow get an accurate report on the neighbour's floor. That looks just uninsulated to me, but hollow blocks helping a bit. There are ways of playing with the numbers to get building regs especially back then. The actual number could be dreadful. It would not suit ufh. Air in a large void is a very poor insulator. Ground is better.

Agreed, it isn't really a pergola but a structure for solar panels.

16 years ago what was the required floor U value? I might have an old manual, somewhere. I'm going to guess at the equivalent of 75mm pir. But putting none in the floor and more elsewhere was more common then. I agree with the warm feet principle and that 20mm of pir (twice as good as eps, might be worthwhile. Do Wunda do a pir version? BUT on balance you'll lose a lot of energy down to the void, so I'm thinking live with it especially if the boiler is gas. And put 300mm of fg in the loft.

Is it an ancient field hedge or a domestic one? if agricultural then there is usually a fence as well, or the remnants of one, or of a gate. Logically though, if that was planted as a field boundary within a farm, then the centre would be the boundary. If planted as demarcation of two farms then there would be a fence first, of marker posts and then planting on the planter's side, but then swallowing the fence up. So 200mm off centre?. Middle of hedge seems about right whatever. Whatever, your designer should have kept 1m min away from it to avoid complexities. Decide what you want then tell them to sort it.

'We' meaning a business with insurance? Yes agreed that deadweight will work too. Presumably you didn't use the cheap pergolas which form an arch and support a honeysuckle at most. I've seen skinny things made with cheap cedar. Did you build them from 3 x 2 / 4x2 tanalised? That is the sort of structure this needs in a gale. I'm not against it, just urging caution and research.

That looks like chalk so should drain ok. And gravel, especially that much, would probably be resistant enough to uplift. Any risk would only be when the tank is empty, so that could be kept to the end of summer.

A picture saves 999 words?

Mine hasn't either then.

That might take off on the wind. It will need a substantial pergola, with strong connections throughout and fixed down hard to a foundation. The sort of pergola you see in a garden centre is not made for this use. The solar panels at that angle will create a wing effect and could all end up next door. Would this be diy or a specialist package?

I hadn't heard of this product so thanks @Nickfromwales. BUT I can't see any mention of it used in supporting a post, or of its bearing capacity so I doubt this is suitable for that They say Structural a lot, but without numbers. They also stay quiet about the insulation numbers. If that post is simply holding the side of a wall or window then OK, but not to take a vertical load without some proof. OK found it. 7,000 kPa at 10% compression...... but we wouldn't want it compressing under a post and it is made of foam, however dense. No mention of the strength before compression which again suggests it is for light structural use where the forces are small. That is 7,000 kN/m2 or 1/3 of concrete strength so quite impressive... so not suitable for heavy structures. And the insulation level is OK too considering the density. Marmox is a bit better. Back to the question, even though it has probably all been built by now. Forget about the base to concrete. Stuff the open web with PIR, then board over as above.

Contrary to the rule of thumb, forces don't dissipate at 45°, so a narrow footing might be OK but needs assessment. Re the depth... if you keep the old walls they will be deemed OK. If you are building new walls then the bco will likely want the foundations to be assessed by an SE. So a trial hole for depth and soil type.

That should show any cracking. I wonder if there is any way these internal wall were added later, and built on the floor slab. That may not be insured. When you brief the SE be sure to tell them this is re an insurance claim. If the SE thinks the problem is not the original foundations then you may wish to drop the claim and minimise his report and fee. That wouldn't resolve the original issue of course, but that can follow.

I've read some statements that are either total guff or a wind-up as you suggest. Many are clearly generic. My test would be The applicant loves nature especially birdies and bunnies and likes pretty trees too. That might creep through.

Your council should have a policy statement on what they mean. But generally, bat boxes etc are a plus, but only small. Hedges are good though, You need to think about ponds, copses, meadows. Such that this plot is genuinely better for nature than it is now. Where does your rainwater go? A soakaway satisfies building reg's but doesn't aid nature so have a pond. Barrels first, overflowing to a designed pond. Your meadow needs a strategy too. Look into it. You're right that you could abandon it all in future, but you won't and at least it is possible to keep it with pride. Search the LA planning website for similar projects. The diversity statements will be full of waffle but the fundamentals will apply.

I've got one that looks the same. Must be 25 years old, and is primitive. 25 years ago we expected smoke. The door seals are a likely source of smoke, but are easily changed. The air adjusters are not sealed, and I don't think can be.

How big are the trees? I think the ground is usually clay round your way but you or someone else local may know. Big trees on clay can be a problem. This sounds like subsidence from trees sucking water from clay ground and the hot summer combined, which shrinks the clay. But it's odd that external walls are not affected. Maybe they are but you can't see it. Are they brick? I'm pretty sure this is not because the slab has failed, so insurance should cover it. You must get this looked at by an SE.

Because it would resist heat from rising into the room. Like putting a blanket over a radiator. If the pipes are fixed down to an uninsulated slab then it would send heat the wrong way. It would still offer some insulation to the room for whatever heat was there. So rule it out for any UFH use, which is the most common use for a thin screed. I admit to not having looked past the first page of the product but that gives all the wrong vibes so I expect the rest to be vague at best. Now let's guess. If concrete costs £120/m3, and pumped screed costs $150/m3. Is polystyrene cheaper than aggregate by volume? About the same I think. so there should be no extra cost for this product....let's see.

Can we see photos of the walls where the damage is? Do you think the walls are loadbearing (supporting upstairs rooms) ? Were they there when you moved in? Generally 100 years ago it would be brick construction on concrete trench footings. and would have moved before now if it was going to. Also for the internal walls to subside but not the externals is unusual. Any big trees nearby? Does the floor appear to have moved?

That's the answer. sound doesn't go round corners unless bouncing repeatedly. Make a plenum of plywood at the entrance to your ducting, with your maze within it, and line it with insulating board (rockwool sort of thing. or carpet_ and that should sort it. Keep it bigger than the duct and that won't reduce airflow either.

Celcon blocks are 0.22. so its much better than that.