saveasteading

I've said this many times on here. You don't pay the bco to be your project manager. They do spot checks, more for society than for you. Imagine what they would charge you otherwise. You must have supervision and expertise, whomsoever from.

We are about to remove the Tung oil for the second time. Very tedious. Then we can get rid of the black rings from water or aluminium implements, where the oil was eroded. I didn't know about this varnish. Perhaps it is newish?. I should look into it.

I know this! A builder friend inherited a plot and built a wooden house with all the timber from whatever florida's b & q is called. The standard was simply that they had to use a local builder within their team of builder mates from the uk. 4 x 2 and 6 x 2 mostly. The building bends with the winds due to being smallish sections and just nailed together. On stilts too so the lashing surf runs underneath. No bco just someone from the Town Hall. Structurally sensible. Fire would be another matter. BTW I did some crazy-paving sea steps (there is only so much sunbathing and lobster eating I can tolerate) that have withstood many storms...should be on my cv. @Boybluewhh are you asking about beam and block, if you can get it? Going to start a factory? NB the reinforcement is tensioned wires not just bars.

You are being a sensible, pragmatic researcher. Membranes, insulation, and service voids are great but must be used properly. I'd venture that the "back to nature" methods are the ones to be cautious about. Nature has no idea of house building.

Not exactly so.

I did that recently. I 'just' leaned on it to help me up. The removal and reconnecting of the plumbing is more work than the fixing. Are you planning to do this yourself or get a handyman in?

As a potential customer for sunamp, I won't be any longer. If I was them I'd be looking for a resolution to be published here not a tale of woe. Google finds these posts. Problems with sunamp, or sunamps customer service resolved it ????

I gather that building materials come from USA and are expensive. Beam and block included?

OK it is compromise of a job, but I wouldn't use bubble wrap. It will barely help insulation and your concern about it crushing unevenly is valid.

First do as @prodave suggests. That is probably only for your comfort, and won't change much. I often lecture people about not adding too much water to the mix. Very wet concrete shrinks quite a lot and is weaker. In your case this doesn't really matter, but its still for the best. And we do want the mix to permeate in to the depths of that hole. Being pedantic I might suggest adding a plasticiser to the mix. This is a liquid that bricklayers use. it produces bubbles which make the mix more fluid, and also have some detergent for the same purpose. How much to add I don't know though... your circumstances wont be on the bottle but will still be a guide. btw sharp sand is excellent stuff and stronger than building sand, but does not flow well. Building sand is better for that. So you would first use a mix without stones I think, so that it flows into corners and gravity will do most of the work. you should agitate it with a stick though as this will encourage it to flow and it removes any air voids.. once that has stopped disappearing and is visible, then make a stronger mix with sand, cement and aggregate. and fill the rest. I can never remember mortar or concrete mix amounts but it will be on the cement bag. Never pour concrete or use mortar unless the temperature is at least 3 degrees and rising, otherwise it fails dramatically.

I came across this at the bottom of a tool bag. I vaguely remember buying it for 20p or so in maplins clearance. For stripping and cutting cable? Any special use or advantage over a conventional wire stripper?

Polythene on the outside of the stud would be normal. Then another inside. The bubbles will barely help so use polythene sheet from a builders merchant. Better to use polystyrene backed plasterboard than bubblewrap. Be aware that you may still have dampness through the floor.

No, there should be that distance , or close to, underground to where the the ground is stronger and away from the weather. Yours seems to be 100mm or so of concrete at ground level. So it is built more like a garden shed. There isn't much you can do. So dig that hole bigger so that you can prove it is very local, and get your arm into it to see how far it extends.

Good work. It would appear that there are no foundations, only that slab that we see. I would want to dig the hole a it wider and deeper to establish this, or otherwise. That will also allow you to pack concrete in better, as that is probably a good plan. If it is just a slab with no thickening, , then it is a bodge job that didn't trouble the building inspector or a decent builder. So you won't be doing any harm. I don't see any sign of a damp proof membrane. Is it damp inside? We can discuss the concreting later. ps @Alan Ambrose was writing concurrently.

At least carry on investigating yourself. Decision later.

That never passed a grade test by machine or inspection. I was told by a timber importer that they had quality issues with Russian timber where rotten timber would be concealed in the centre of a bundle. The strength grading would be dubious too, and I think the merchant did their own grading. That would be 1990s. Maybe one of those.

I think that's what I said. I don't know what you mean. An air gap is additional insulation unless draughty.

Don't fix eps as an exposed soffit. It is highly flammable and melts as is it burns, spreading gobbets of fire. Pir is not as awful but still not good. Incredibly these were once standard ceilings. But you could apply it then cover with plasterboard or cement board. Preferable would be to remove the ceiling and fill between joists with rockwool.

Carelessly used expanding foam has cost me £thousands. It once expanded out of a metal clad wall and stuck to the outsides. Replacement required. It was Mr Nobody as usual. I would worry about it doing the same to windows. Can it be controlled? Also it is used excessively as a bodge to hide poor work, and that can't be removed to do it properly.

Help us to help yourself. Clearing the area. What is there now? How accessible is it.? Clear site and prepare. 2 days? Dig trenches. 1 day? Pour concrete 1 day Block or brick walls 2 days. Stone base 1 day Concrete slab 1 day Clear up and leave. 1 day 1 day float Does that sound right? 10 days x 2 men at £250 = £5k. Materials about £4k Add 20% for overheads About £11k Add 20% vat. 13k More if tricky access, biggish firm , anything you havent mentioned, drains, insulation if required, London or SE.

Yes @iSelfBuild. We are here to advise but not design. The advice now is that it can be done and that you need professional advice and more money than you first hoped.

@LnP thanks for that link. I was not aware of this document so will read it thoroughly later. It's a great example of what I was going to say which is basically...it is complicated and ultra important. i have designed and built buildings for decades. Hundreds. I thought I was expert on fire risk. One of our steel buildings was exposed to extreme fire and the fire chief said he'd never seen such good resistance. And yet, when I went on a 3 day intensive course I learnt much more. Professors study nothing else, and what we see in the regulations is a summary. Building inspectors rightly want to see proven constructions as any variation creates a risk. That can be frustrating when you have a special circumstance of a 'great idea' but safety must come first. Why should they accept a variation. Even so, we find that kingspan and celotex ( do i say allegedly still?) cheated their fire tests. @ARC GuitarsWhat are you paying the bco? Typically about £1000 for the whole project. That is what 4 days of a tradesperson will cost, or 1 day max of a professional designer. The bco is not your designer. On the positive side. A timber housing estate here won't burn like in Los Angeles. Timber needs air flow if it is to blaze and spread. Working to the regulations prevents that.

Altnaharra, not too far from you was coldest last night. On other occasions the warmest place in UK.

Unfortunately not. I think you will have to take the foundation down to next door's ground level.

The sketch is perfect. Thd issue is the load of the new building thrusting against the existing retaining wall. Imagine loads spreading at 45 degrees. What is the wall construction? Keeping the gym dry inside will need careful detailing and some cost. Will there be a door at ground level and steps down inside?