Hydra

Howdy folk, Just reading through the kingspan advice for insulating above a concrete slab and I make note that they suggest a batten under door transitions (understood) and toilets / stairs. As i'm doing a downstairs WC with a hidden cistern i'm just curious how folk would arrange or attach a batten in this situation. a) Running perpendicular to the toilet like a Joist. b) Within a notched out bit of the PIR (Perhaps a square box?) c) Lengthways along the toilet and fixed to the wall behind the toilet lengthways? Not seen a single video on the tinterwebs that covers this and would like to avoid a bouncy toilet. I'm all ears! Cheers

I agree it doesn't sound much, though I have a smaller length of PIR I laid down as a tester, admittedly not a very accurate one - it rocked all over the show Been researching and might use some sharp sand just for peace of mind, assuming a dry fit isn't satisfactory.

Currently looking to do the same for a porch conversion - leveller left me with 3mm humps, mostly in the middle - 2 hours of grinding later it's better but any PIR slab on it is going to rock all over the place. I am a little worried that the sharp sand will move over time? Though I guess with a 100mm PIR slab and floor boards, it "shouldn't ? Do I worry too much How did yours turn out?

Howdy folk. Got myself a floor that needs raising by 15 cm and needs to meet regs regarding insulation. BCO wants 10 cm of PIR which i'm happy with. Floor is currently smooth but not level (up to 3 mm differences and several notable humps) (this is after using leveller twice, and yes I primed, mixed thoroughly and worked it) - can't stand the stuff personally. Because I have up to 2" extra clearance (and can't pour that much leveller in as it'll raise the floor above the base plates - has anyone heard of bedding the PIR on a morter mix a bit like you might with a shower tray? Ie loads of dots / dabs then pressured down till level and left to cure? It's a 80 x 140 cm room so not that large. Will use battens for all points of load (toilet and entrance)

Good afternoon all, i'm in the process of converting a downstairs porch into a downstairs WC and have a slight snag. My dilemma is that inside the property is a gas inlet that then travels down under a concrete slab and into the property. My problem is that BCO wants timber a frame to be created inside the porch and the floor will rise to the DPC (floating floor) (1 inch above the gas pipe) On the down side, my BCO has told me he won't get involved with gas and leave it to a plumber to decide what to do. More or less 75% of the pipework would be covered by the studwork, assuming I can be very creative with my notching. My current thoughts are to build a ply box for that corner of the room (6" by 9" or so), attach it to the wall then build the stud walls around it , perhaps with some screw protection (metal lining?) and then for extra security replace one of the bricks with a vent brick - just encase of leaks. Technically the pipe will not be accessible. Can I ask you dear folk if i'm a mad man, should I just pour a 6x9 box of concrete into the corner and have it as an extension of the existing pipe in the floor (though admittedly this has joints) Any help, appreciated.

Something permeable as I really want to keep building regs out of my life, for the rest of my life The intention was likely gravel - would you have a minimum thickness suggested for concrete under gravel and hardcore? Cheers

Howdy folk, Just wanted to prepare a little for the future, Having a soil pipe run put in, as i'm on a slope, unfortunately, the soil pipe will be approximately 8-12 inches underground. My BCO is happy with 1" of concrete over the top for safety from spades etc, but I wanted to ask how this would fare if I were to later dig and lay a drive? Already 12 inches would seem to imply it'll be barely below the hardcore layer, so i'm a little scared of a) digging and b) driving over it. Am I being overly paranoid? Cheers in advance.

I'm not even building a house, i'm putting a toilet in a porch, that used to have a toilet in it in the 1970s, which was removed. Now I want it back again! I could have knocked it out in a weekend but instead i've got to create a cavity wall with sheathing and breather membrane built off of the brickwork, with 4x as much insulation as the rest of the damn house. Can safely conclude, moving a toilet = moving a mountain at least.

Hmm thanks for pointing these out. Have read through but didn't notice the specific points. They did install, to my relief - an access chamber via a plastic manhole at the start of the drop, just out side the property. As for the lowest radius possible, i'm assuming by avoiding a backdrop they have technically achieved this? Currently the run has a slow 90 on the internal, a 45 into the access chamber, then a 15 drop before a 15 inlet at the drain. Seems pretty chill to me. The only alternative I can think of is to have had a deeper dig all the way through and a stub stack drop of 1.5m and a slow 90. though the way they have done it seems far easier to access in case of blockages.

I don't get it, if 1:40 is the optimum for flow - why am I being asked to do 1:60! So confused...

Yes I have been giving them written plans of my intended methods for almost all works, to keep them sweet. I dare say some of it is architect standards as I had far too much time during lockdown. Unfortunately this time, disaster. Came home to find the work has done, the pipe is cut and measured and fitted (no infill yet thankfully) but the gradient is a 6 inch drop per meter. The problem being in the same evening I have in writing from the BCO confirming the absolute maximum the he will accept is 2.5 inches per meter. Groundsmen understandably are peeved, as it passes regs in their eyes. Maybe I just get them both a table for two and tell them to hash it out? Anyone had a similar mexican standoff ? Wondering what's best to do. Other than revert to forums to moan about my issues Once again thanks for the views and such.

Have asked for written clarification but as the work is being done tomorrow, doubt I'll be hearing back in time. Gulp! Next time in life i'll leave all the reg interaction to the builder rather than pretending i'm a project manager

Possible that i've misquoted him with my 1:60! He stated for every 1m of run, 60mm was the maximum he would allow for drop. (for foul drainage). His reasoning being any steeper would leave the solids hanging dry. Given the dislike for steeper gradients I wonder if he will dislike my stub stack! (joking) Asked for a written conformation to present to my groundworkers, who aren't that happy, and in their own words "are too old for this"

Unfortunately not the case, just got off the phone with the BCO and he said he won't accept more than a 6cm drop per meter. (1/60) Which leaves me feeling a) slightly peeved, and b) Slightly happy about being a first for something. Now I either need to go outside and dig another 1.2 meters down, though nothing but stones and clay for 6 meters, or use a backdrop which would mean the pipe would be about 4 inches under ground level for half the run, and will be smashed to pieces when I have a driveway put in next year. Potential solution, Perhaps i'll get the initial run a little lower using a stub stack, then a backdrop at the end. To at least get it low enough that I can actually put soil over it! Thanks for all the replies and sorry to be the odd one out with his BCO.

Quick question as I note in part H of the building regs it makes specific mention of the minimum gradient of a pipe run. Currently I have some workers putting in a soil run that's going to be more like 12-15 degrees, which I believe is something around 1:4 - 1:5 gradient. From what I read online for advice this isn't ideal - My groundworkers insist they don't have any choice (think they want to avoid a backdrop) Any thoughts as I have Mr inspector round Monday and the groundsmen will be long gone by then. Update - yes i've contacted regs, but after they haven't responded to my last 7 emails, i've given up with getting any advice from them. Cheers