elMuppito

Thanks. I haven't yet but it seems pretty level with the pins all round and they were perfect. That said a rise or fall of a few mm would be impossible to see without measuring. I'll check tonight - need to go on hedgehog duty in the trench anyway, all the hedgehogs around here are either adrenaline junkies or are very bad at parkour

Could be my maths. I looked at an extra course which should be 1050, but worked out I'd need a 2-3mm bed for that to work at exactly 1m. You can see the first two courses of facing bricks, and I just wanted them to line up perfectly. Really wish I'd just have poured the foundation to the same height now Def going to look at using standard blocks and backfilling though, I think that will do it. Thanks

Great, thanks.

Honestly, I just thought that solid blocks seemed like a good idea. I was also matching the existing part of the house which was built on foundation blocks. But if it makes no difference from a strength perspective then I suppose there's no point matching something which won't be seen. I've not bught anything yet. Just working out my quantities so I can go and see the builder's merchant. Just priced this up. Even with the extra for the mix, I reckon it's half the cost. Thanks for this, I think this will do it. Will run past the BCO tomorrow.

Afternoon My first questions for you all. Hope you can help 1. We have concrete poured and now need to build up to DPC. Our foundations are quite deep as there are oak trees close by. Very sandy (as in pure sand) ground conditions So I have to build up exactly 1m in foundation blocks (300x275x140mm) to match the first course of facing bricks below DPC. Foundation needs to be this way as I have waste water which needs to pass through the underground blockwork. Problem is I can't see any combination of foundation blocks/engineering bricks which will give me exactly 1m whist retaining a sensible thickness of mortar join. Am I going to have to cut blocks in half longways to hit the right height, or does anyone have any tips. Figures are: 6 courses of 140mm foundation block as with 10mm join will leave me with 100mm for the last course With highdsight, another £100 or so of cement would have brought the base up to a level where it isn't a problem, but not much I can do about that now. 2. Can I assume that most merchents can get anything. Want to use MKM but they don't have some of the things I need listed. If I give them a list are they likely to be able to source everything? 3. Related to the above, A cannot see a lintel listed which will be the same width as the foundation blocks, for the waste water to pass through. Would it be OK to buy 2 or 3 narrow ones and lay side by side, or do I just need to look harder. Thanks

This ^^^ We had a problem after planning but before breaking ground. It delayed us by around a year. All sorted in the end, and WELL worth it, but reading through some of the other posts and speaking from experience: - Don't tell the neighbour anything you don't have to, sometimes tiny details make a huge difference so keep the idiots in the dark - Don't give in, it's yours - Don't believe a word they say. You say they've backed down... I'd assume they havn't and just do your thing anyway. Just look after yourself. With us it was the parish council who lied and led us on a merry dance. If I'd have realised earlier then it would have been better for us. When it comes to land, just assume the other party is a scumbag and a liar. Our best help came from a Town and Country Planning Consultant initially, might be worth looking for one of those as well as a solicitor.

Evening Dropped in to say hello. Joining you from sunny Doncaster, but don't worry, that doesn't mean I'm unecessarily violent. We are just starting a self build extention. Almost doubling the size of our bungalow, so not a small job. After 25 years of no shows, poor work, no shows, late work, no shows and the occasional no show, we've given up on contractors and are doing the whole thing ourself. There must be good ones out there, I'm sure there are some on here, but for some reason I can never find them. Anyway, I'm in IT, 'tuther half was a hairdresser, so we are definitely not in the trade, I have a 4 day brickaying course and a brick barbeque (which I accidentally smashed with a mini-digger) to my name, thanks to my Dad I'm generally quite handy, if a touch clumsy. We know it will take longer, but at least that will be our fault. Foundations are dug and concrete poured, our buiding control dude is excellent, but I still have questions, so I'm hoping you can help. I can't guarantee my questions will not be stupid, but I can guarantee not to get offended when you tell me they are. We're reading the regs before each bit we do, and we do know there are certain things, like gas and parts of electrics, which are off liimts and we are going to have to bite the bullet and either find or kidnap a contractor, so that all seems fine, but some of the practical things are where I'm hoping to borrow your experience, like today's question which I'll post later.