saveasteading

It is perfectly possible with a long measuring tape , or preferably two. You will need them anyway. I use branded ones, eg Stanley, and if you get them on an open reel then the mud washes off and they are easily untangled. Non-branded ( or made up names ) can be very approximate. I had two from tool station that were 100mm out in 30m...I think they were called silverline. I happened to check with a different tape. Could have been expensive. And for levels i recommend an old fashioned site level on a tripod. BUT groundworkers and brickies will use a laser why? because it doesn't involve so many sums. They still sometimes get it wrong for other reasons. But that is me. I've done it all my life and believe that working with these tools gives an understanding of the process and more control. PLUS I had one job where a professional came in with a total station and got it very badly wrong. BUT I've seen that many highly intelligent people can't handle these tools, as it needs some maths (mostly arithmetic) skills which are not universal, and working in the weather. Other points to consider. If someone knocks over a marker peg, do you call the pros out specially? Where are they taking their datums from? It has to be up to you. who would teach you the setting out techniques?

I've been called a lot of things. That's nice. Any remarks on the document will be interesting. I've learnt a couple of good ideas already from a quick skim. Mainly the idea of fixing the sole plate hard to the floor, without packing. Then packers go on that up to a precise level. Plus, that packers can be used instead of continuous filling to level IF under the vertical studs. That makes levelling an easy job under no presure. Do we know where the studs are going though, at that stage? Or do I make lots of ply strips from 2mm to 8mm and tack it on continuously?

I don't think that matters. we took ours under the floor, then a small , capped riser outside. Once it gets burning the rising heat up the flue will draw air in whatever level it comes from. minimise the distance.

Sounds feasible with the mains intake positioned quite low in a header tank and the spring water at the top. Then the spring valve refills as standard and the mains seldom does...the downside being that it will only partly fill the tank. Or modify the float for the mains so that it is low, and underwater most of the time. Big downward bend or extend the ballcock arm?

No. As an earlier post says.....to prove this the builder must present the proof to the bco. It is easy enough to find the solution to suit the circumstances. By the time a steel beam has melted there isn't much left of the house or the people upstairs. But a good ceiling stops it all.

you don't have a choice, as the spigot will be at a fixed point on the stove. There should be instructions on the fed pipe required to outside. Whatever it says, bear in mind that air is a fluid and so the feed pipe should be as short as possible with slow bends, then outsde it should be unobstructed. From my experience of just one such direct feed stove, it is very efficient indeed.

Everyone interested in timber frame construction should read this. https://www.merronbrook.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/timberframepocketguide-aug2016.pdf

And they don't understand the subject anyway (why would they?) and they fill the mixer by bucket or shovel, not scientifically. An expert can tell me, but isn't a high cement mix much smoother and sticker and easier to use? The story used to be of a bricky having a pocket full of washing powder, allowing a surreptitious handful in the mix. Perhaps that was preferable to high cement?

Normal timber is favourite for small spans. Easy to adapt/ join/ buy/ replace/ cut.

If the blocks and mortar shrink, then something has to give. Concrete shrinks after manufacture, bricks expand. They can be delivered still sopping wet or still hot from the oven. Leaving them to cure before use will overcome this. A month sitting on site is a nuisance and a cash flow burden but it works. Alternatively ensure that they are coming from stock, not straight from the factory. I have boldly/ riskilly deleted movement joints on the basis of the materials being matured on site. Proved right or got away with it?

You can speak to your local councillor. They get direct access to officers. Can you demostrste that nothing has changed?

I do. Because I am both feeble and a poor bricklayer, i have infilled a redundant door with them. 3 years on , no cracks. And the most recent use was to jack up the site caravan, because a dozen go on a trolley and into the car. They are not strong. More importantly they have little interlock. If concrete blocks crack , they have a very jagged interface on the crack, and resist displacement. Aerated blocks dont have stones so this doesn't happen, and cracks will grow.

OK so it won't be left like that. Also, note how Nod's cut blocks are not at the perimeter, but one block in. That's good but uncommon.

As I often say on BH. The bco is not your designer or to be relied upon to spot everything. But in this case perhaps ask them along. If you have a designer of any sort, get them to sort this out. Meanwhile stop the work...that is sensible but also concentrates the builder's mind. Let's hope the builder is just going about it in an odd order.

If you can present the case yourself then try it. Eg archaeology...I have pointed out that the design cannot affect anything that is there, with drawings etc. The planner asked the archaeologist who reluctantly accepted. Ditto newts. Designed on the assumption that newts are present...no need to do a survey Trees ditto..... It doesn't work with every subject or project but you can try. Most projects do not need these types of reports.

The drains are interesting. Superficially tidy but laid on bricks or over rubble, then pour in lots and lots of gravel. i am guessing that you are paying for the gravel.

The piers have to be directly on the foundations. It all seems worryingly vague, and that you are your builder think this can be made up as you ho along. Is there a design for the piers and the beams?

Different but the issue still applies.

Make it clear you like it but have options. Have a big area of floor and other tiles. Try another topps if one isn't discounting enough. Be lucky with whether they are pushing for sales at the time. I would have to ask the team which tile it is. BUT crucially for me there are 18 (?) patterns x 2 ways round, so ( with attention) there is no visible repetition.

When trees are removed, the ground recovers wetness and expands. More with clay, less with other ground. Your foundations will need to be deep..probably. There are tables for this. OR you don't build for a couple of years after they are removed. Then there are the roots as obstructions. The cable may have to be diverted. What kind of cable is it?

that's a good idea to tell them. It might avoid the planners asking consultants if they should be involved: they invariably say they should as it is an earner. I think it is worth remembering that the planning officers are individuals with a busy job, often up against robust developers. If you provide them with an easy to read overview, then it helps them. You can , if you want, give a little tick list of why it is simple. There is only one little tree, no outbuildings, no archaeology or whatever. a couple of photos perhaps.

Masonry cracks and crumbles and is heavy. If the building is well designed and well built then it resists the elements and devourers for a long time. Hence there are very old timber buildings around, albeit usually of hardwood because that was what was available.

The differences are speed and certainty. With Full Plans the bco will bring up any obvious issues before you start. That might delay the start as you await approval, and dealing with any issues. but then you are pretty sure that it is going to go ok. With Building Notice you just start. If there are issues at inspection then you may have to stop, even undo or modify what is done. With both, there are inspections at key stage, so there is no difference in that regard. As a builder you will have met bcos, even if it was not your design responsibility. So you know that they are not designers. It is not their job to design the building and they are not insured to take that responsibility.. If a helpful one gives more advice then that is a bonus. It can be an issue if the inspecting officers don't agree, so you do what one wants and another disagrees....another reason for full plans. This confuses some people. But if you look at the building regulations (which you should already be doing) there is the statutory part ( in green at the start) and then the typical solutions. There can be different interpretations. Moral? if you absolutely know how things are done and don't mind the risk, then Notice is ok. Otherwise do the drawings and submit them all and await approval.

A sheet of damp proof membrane under the concrete slab does the same for 50p/m2. The ground sounds great. The 300mm topsoil has to go, and be replaced by stone. If you can stick to traditional construction methods, the cost is much lower, local builders can do it, and to some extent it is more adaptable to any particular details you want. Why are you worried about high water? does it flood/ puddle visibly? Another thread is preferable as we are hijacking the original. @Admin can apparently shift it.

yes. Politely. ask him if he has shown the tree and description on the plan. you can explain that you don't see any need for other consultants on such a simple matter, unless he is reducing his fee accordingly. Some Architects do seem to suggest outside reports a lot. This may be because they don't know a lot, or simply for their ease and convenience. I inherited one project with about 10 reports submitted along with the design. All expensive and had already taken many £1,000 out of the construction budget. If I had done it from scratch then I might have had input on bats but the rest I could have done myself. It is reasonable that they don't dabble in things they don't have expertise in, but there is a limit. In most cases the planners are content with the design submission and don't need any more. They will ask if they want more, but it may be that you can do it yourself...or ask on BH.