saveasteading

Drains and other hidden things It's so annoying when lay observers (incl clients) don't appreciate the work involved to this stage. Especially when very tidy like yours. But you can be happy. 1m x1m pads is a lot. But 600 x 600 is a fiddle to dig, and saves you £50 each. At least it will never take off. It might be worth marking these drain runs and the tank to avoid damage from dumpers etc. Pins with red and white tape.

Including yellow rattle. It adds attractively to the mix and parasitises any grass that dares try to take over.

I'm wondering what we call flat? I did hundreds of steel buildings at 10% slope ie 1 in 10. I would not have gone flatter. Parapets or valleys only if a client's architect insisted, and then I designed in lots of big outlets, and weirs, and told them to clean twice a year.

Keep reading on here and you will learn a lot. Do you have management skills from elsewhere? Consultants can cost a lot, but usually for good reason. A company adds about 20% so if you can use gangs of direct workers, or diy you save that. Against that is the risk of good talkers/ poor skills. So be tough. Most of all....you don't know what you don't know and it can be expensive education. Add at least 5% for unknowns. No make that 10% for a beginner. Another 5% for weather. And another 10% for changes as you go unless you absolutely won't. I've just added 25% to your cost. But what a result if you avoid spending it.

The opposite. More like a beehive. It was a nursing home so 40 ish bedrooms, lots of facilities and a couple of big spaces. From concrete slab to complete framework was a remarkable change. All these internal walls and 3 to 4m spans lent itself to the system.

It doesn’t leak.

In summary, the flywheel principle that you previously referred to, was not in place .??

The one i mean is made of stud and osb in the week before delivery. So it isn't that expensive or far ahead of need. It's always a worry paying in advance, youre right. I've only done this for a 4 storey one-off*, but visited the works several times, and saw them rattling out units for developers: one of them might suit. * I costed it in masonry, polystyrene blocks, in situ timber and insitu steel and this prefab timber . It was 10 years ago but I doubt the principles have changed. Prefab Timber was best on price and speed, with the bonuses of all the internal stud walls and floors in place and services very easy to run through.

Get the water off the roof by the simplest method. To me that is a single slope and an oversail then a gutter and downpipe. Architects should have a month of their course working with roof repairers. That should be the end of valleys, parapets and internal downpipes. Philistine I know. But the primary purpose of a building is to keep us warm and dry. Second is durability and keeping the bears and burglars out. Third is the need to impress the neighbours or amuse designers.

Not necessarily. There are different kinds of kit builders. Can I suggest you speak to your local kit fabricator. They will be in a dull shed where they nail osb onto studs and deliver the panels to you. They will have access to some standard house designs....nothing flashy, all proven. Then you build standard foundations and slab, and a joiner will sling this house up in 2 days. After that you can do walls and roof how you wish. Any window company can do their bit. Innards as you wish. You'll get change from your budget as long as you don't play at architects. ....well I don't know where you live so, should rather than will.

I'm now remembering visiting a paper mill that needed new machine plinths and water troughs . It's like an enormous sauna. The steel building structure, which other people don't look at, resembles lace but still stood. Your steel will be very slightly warmer than outdoors, but you can minimise this. An inch of eps around the steel before boarding, will reduce the heat, as will stuffing the gap with tocjwool or eps, and a surround of membrane will keep even utility room dampness indoors. And relax.

Can you see the outer face of the column still? That is the riskiest face. That and the base. Steel takes decades to degrade unless in a warm and wet environment so don't panic. Paint what you can see, with any metal paint. Galv or other, or bitumen. Insulate wherever you can.

The answer in Spain is to adopt Spanish habits. Up early in the morning. Rest 12 to 4. Work /shop 4 til 8. Stay up late. Use shade and air, shutters, blinds and fans, and purge the house of heat after dusk. I'm in Spain now. 35°C max. Overnight min 23. I was observing a construction worker digging a trench yesterday. With all the safety gear on too. I wouldn't fancy that but is it preferable to a UK frozen trench in February? At a restaurant we were leaving at 10.30 and families were still arriving. Chilling equipment is cheap to buy (from €250) but expensive to run. Perhaps just have one room kept cool?

Any recent info on the cost and delivery period from the big manufacturers? I try to avoid ki***pan because of their fire test record.

I'm of the opposite opinion. I would not want the soffit to be of eps or any other soft material. Concrete blocks for me. Rodents, damage from anything being stored under there, kids playing and picking at it. Plus I've had mobile platforms run on beam and block. It is strong even if it cracks. I'd also be inclined to add 50mm of floor insulation and raise the ceiling....you have this one chance and get the cost back in 5 years. But you will lose more heat from the wind under the floor. Are you going to enclose that area?

And report back please. Good shopping!

Decorators spend £50 and take all day to use it. So it isn't as price sensitive as with building materials. Hence, giving decorators a credit account and delivery included is a big deal. And your decorator hasn't reached the vat threshold because of these lower sums. Get your whole list typed up and shop around.

Others may. Assuming this is a decent order by the merchant's standard. Ie are we talking of hundreds in one order? Make a list and ask for their best price, then you don't need an account. BUT decorators' merchant's are not always the best price. They often provide delivery included which keeps the contractor working. Try BM too.

I didn't know this. But, as often in bregs, note " should" , "or other" etc. "Alternative caller identification measures" might include a letter box to shout through. Tell bco you are fitting a Ring and get his aok. And doubt your window surveyor, whatever one of them is...should be expert and clearly isn't expert or on your side.

I'd plan on the render falling off over time and you can lime point it in stages. I'm assuming the stone is impermeable and well built, but you may not know! Granite does not soak up and hold the rain. Render does. I gather that research on trad farm buildings is all pretty recent. The 3 layer walls work well....high quality outer skin, medium internal, and a rubble and lime core. Are you insulating the roof? What insulation level is the new render quoted to provide? On our steading we fixed internal stud with a dpm facing the gap to the wall. Then insulation between studs, then a services void and plasterboard. We first thought that we couldn't afford the loss of width but pleased with the cosy result, up to newbuild standards.

There is a fair amount of published information on stone walls. My understanding is that a traditional stone wall will breathe and transmit moisture quite well, always from in to out. The insulation is not good, but not zero, so ufh seems sensible. The outer face must be in good condition, and that should be a priority and a skill worth learning. Are you putting lots of underfloor insulation in? Beware head heights at existing doors.

Might include 'never use a xyz'. BTW I met Marsh (52) at a recent presentation. They have a new model that has...from memory.... only 2 chambers and supposedly better outfall numbers, suitable for sensitive locations. Costs £300? more, but costs less to run as it turns off for 8 hours a day to let different bugs get to work. So payback in a few years. If the times were linked to cheap power then another saving. I wonder if the pump also lasts 1/3 longer. My next one is to a non-sensitive soakaway so I'm going to think further on this new Marsh (53).

I can't remember why they were so against any use of torque specifications. Perhaps the torque wrench reacted too readily to other resistances. But overtightening appeared to be the main concern...does that damage the thread? My feeling is that the torque wrench would remove the attention and "feel" that was more important. Any Mechanical Engineers able to explain?

Re steel rusting. I've seen completely wasted structures, usually indoors in an aggressive environment. But also steel that's been exposed to the elements for 40 years, with only red oxide paint, and it is still sound.... it wets and dries again. But in or near the ground I'd say it should be rigourously protected. Perhaps galvanised, certainly painted, or both. I have a lot of time for bitumen paint....easy to apply and then slurp more into the welds and corners.

I used to build lots of steel buildings. Torque was a real thing but we were instructed by the steel designers not to be too technical about it, but to turn the nut until it feels tight and then one turn more. As above, it is more important that the nut turns on smoothly and you are only tightening: not trying to close gaps. Also , whether the anchor is solid is critical. I once pulled a resin anchor out simply by turning the nut on , and it never became tight. ( the anchor was by others, and the resin was missing the second part). Steel in wet conditions with oxygen will rust and fail. What spec are you using to avoid this?