saveasteading

It's easier to do as @Russell griffiths suggests. Concrete to a flat surface then drill and use epoxy and stud bolts. But ask your SE: there are complex loads on a goal post. It's worth painting the lower levels of the steel, using specialist paint or bitumen. Any steel encased in concrete won't need paint.

A double stud wall is my favourite too. This will be more stable and good for sound reduction. It should not need plywood. This will all be published in the manufacturers catalogues. Knauff etc, fire, sound, stability. But it sounds as if this is yourself and bco as designers, so I think I will leave you to it from now.

Hurrah, the Steading is approved by the BCO except he wants a smoke spill test for the Wood Burning Stove. We forgot this was a thing, and he didn't mention it before. Now I read about it , it is a 15 minute test with a joss stick and the extract fan in the kitchen running. I have read the discussion on here from around 4 years ago, and it seems that demands varied by region. Any updates from recent installations? Inverness region. Do we really need a fire qualified person to do this? Can we do it and send the bco a recording? Can I do it as a Chartered Civil Engineer, (different surname to the applicants)? We have an ethical code on not cheating, unlike many institutions. They accepted my drainage design, but that is my subject. But 'is there a draught coming out of the stove door' isn't exactly a complex assessment.

The load spreads with depth. With an eps raft, the wall loads have already been spread a long way so as not to squash the eps. almost any natural ground will be as strong as that.

agreed. I'm just meaning that the reality might be different from the lab figures if it is allowed to sag. If built tight then no difference.

Meaning, it stays in place even if one side of it collapses in fire. It can be in stud as long as it isn't going to be dragged down by a collapsing floor. That is doable in stud.

"A couple who bought a £32.5m mansion can hand it back and have most of their money returned after they found out it had a "severe moth infestation", a High Court judge has ruled" or moth wool mansion. For the whole story I suggest cut and paste some of that quotation. In brief. The seller knew about the moths and did not declare it. He might have spent a lot of the money already.

I'm not a legal either. But I've done courses and sadly been through adjudications etc claiming or resisting payment.. Never got to court but once was settled literally on the courthouse steps. The big contractor pushed their trumpian non-payment that far.

Don't get hung up on the formality. You are not expected to know these formalities of the industry. You simply have to state your reasons and make a "reasonable" payment. But the formal notice might shake your builder. BTW I don't feel that he will ever be back, and a formal pay less notice will increase that likelihood. So you will need a new plumber who might be nervous or opportunist: either of these will add to the cost. And you won't get a discount for the kitchen door. My main concern is that the door is a different shade, as it will be a different batch. Do not hold back too little but be fair at the same time. If you want to draft it here for comment please do. Or send it privately if you don't want it in the public domain. No names or locations for us of course.

I was an estimator for years. As a contractor you have to get it dead right or you lose the job or lose money. Waste is not acceptable.OR accept iinevitable table and allow for it. A bill of quantities by another party is a start but can be too generic....or have errors. In it's simplest terms a builder looks at the work and either 'feels' how long a job will take, or calculates by other means, or a combination. Some aspects are well documented. How many bricks per m2? How much sand and cement, and so on. It is all highly skilled. Sometimes it is a gamble. Waste is discussed above. A bricklayer supplying the materials will have negligible waste. Free supply and they won't use a bent one, pick up a dropped one or save half bricks for the next use.....and then they fill the skip. It's a huge subject so needs to be more specific if there remain questions.

It's too complex to give a quick answer. I did a fire course, and used to submit innovative design solutions but bco's tend not to accept them any longer. So it has to be a standard detail or by a Fire Engineer. Your supplier should tell you this.

My take on this is that first time builders cannot possibly know all there is to know about every option, and their own site specifics. The attraction of a kit is certainty. Would another method be better technically, aesthetically or financially? The kit suppliers can't advise. As a professional(design snd construction) I have never used an insulated raft, but private houses aren't my thing. I have never used eps kits either as the headline costs were good but not the final cost. Those eps of raft projects I have looked at have small rooms, or lots of hidden extras in steels and foundations and elsewhere. I'm sure it can be a good choice in the right circumstances of site conditions and standard layouts, and ease of project management......perhaps at a cost.

Don't 'suggest' or barter. Pay them what you think is fair and leaves you enough to complete the work. This can be a little high to allow for unknowns. Eg what if the door is discontinued? Change them all? Put it all in writing. Not as a take it or leave it offer, but actually pay. I am paying the sum of £x, withholding y for the door and z for the plumbing and zz as a contingency*. The retention will be released within a week of your completing the work. Any legal attempt by them would then be futile. A lawyer would tell them not to be silly. As long as you are being reasonable, they will not prevail. * slightly concerned as to why they haven't done it. Is there some problem? Is the retention enough to get a new and willing plumber in?

Beware. The roof will need maintenance to remove weeds, litter and dead birds. How will you access it safely? The membrane has to be uv resistant or weed resistant as appropriate. The changeover can be complex. The weight of the junk on the roof is additional to snow loads. The structure needs a lot of beefing up.

For fire this is good advice. For sound, go to the next level, because the tests are done in labs with perfect construction and no flanking effects.

The only difference might be that mineral wool could sag if horizontal in a free space. All the figures that are published are from lab testing and some iteration, and the workmanship will be immaculate. Convection may affect room heat loss because of renewal of heat and higher temperature at the ceiling, but not the actual conductivity of the barrier.

Plastic carcases filled with foam! they fall apart or break! Ditto anything just plastic. I will always get a solid concrete / epoxy one Also, think ahead to where the outlet had best be. The drain has to get past joists/ through walls etc. Left, right or centre outlet to the short end or the long?

Thanks @torre. I will have a read of the official government paper on this if readily findable. But I've seen this recently, ore than once definitely not happening quickly due to alleged loss of facility... they had to prove it was non viable.

You can see here at the window reveal, the stone as was and the amount of inner lining. there is clear air and dpm between the two elements. That loss of room width bothered us at first but there was no option really, and it's fine. There is heat loss through the stone of course but it is art and heritage in place of ultimate insulation and the BCO agreed it was a good thing. The rest of the house is fully insulated. The Scottish reg's allow pragmatism in conversions. Another factor is that, if you built a structural wall supporting the floor above, then it would need a footing.

Yes. the wall has stood there for hundreds of years, so keep it and use it. Our steading has 3 skinned granite walls. we kept the roof so that is a difference of course. then inside there is a timber stud construction for insulation and decoration and airtightness. Thus you are looking at a stud construction, not structural. It works a treat. Normal joinery. perhaps copying what is there, or otherwise, but local joiners can do it. For completeness, We had, and have, 4 sides and a central courtyard, with 3 retained sides, as described, but the 4th side had to be removed and rebuilt as if a new house. That was stick built.

Ask the merchant, if you know who it was, and/or the manufacturer.

As @Jenki says. The underground tank is supported by gravel or concrete as specified. If that tank is used above ground then the internal pressure is not evenly distributed or supported, and the tank will distort then break. So above ground it would be thicker material, and probably have fins within it. Plus the chemistry is different for UV protection, or again it will fail. It must be underground and built as spec. OR buy an above ground version at greater cost. Some tanks are made to shallower profiles and so are not so deep in the ground, and/or can be buried deeper and have an extended shaft up to ground level.

I'm afraid it is the opposite. Loss of local services. You will likely get opposition from locals, and then the council will want proof that it is not viable as a business , in any way or form. I would suggest that you start by talking to the Parish Council. They may well support you and that would be very significant. If they resist then you may have a long process of being seen to try to sell as a going concern. The complaints are often from people who never use the shop/ pub etc. OTOH If you have the community onside, then it will be easy enough.

Is the whole project a conversion? Presumably upstairs is accomodation already, and only downstairs is a conversion. On that basis a private buyer might leave the roof alone, or until cash allows. Otoh, the new owner should seek a VAT rebate on the whole project, not only half of it. I agree just sell. As @Nickfromwales says, the prospects for private or commercial buyers are very different.

I had to rush my 'send'. You have clearly stated that you intend to proceed so that clarifies greatly. Otherwise I was going to suggest that it might be an expensive battle. As all the good advice above, take your time but waste no time. Tidy your garden now of piles of stuff that will later have to be removed for works. That will give the newts an opportunity to relocate. Then keep it all clear of any habitats. There is no law against tidying the garden or cutting the grass. When the council visit there will be nowhere on your build area that newts could be living. Assume there will be objections and that the consultant they ask will tell the council that he needs to be appointed before and after, for several £k By that time you may have found a sympathetic specialist who supports you, or you will be expert enough yourself. Read al local applications and you will find a pattern to argue against. With your application you submit a long and attractive paper, in easy to follow form, with pans and photos, on what is there, what you are doing so no newts are harmed, and why there isn't even a need for a watching brief. You may include some new habitats away from the build area. It will read as a benefit, not harm , to newts. In fact you might start by saying how obvious it is that no newts can be harmed, but here is an explanation anyway.