Moonshine

I am looking to use aerated blocks as the internal leaf of a fully filled external cavity masonry wall. However I have heard that they can crack easily and also you have to dot and dab onto them. How secure are screw fixings into them? Has any one got any practical experience of using them in this way and issues they had?

A couple of comments from me use 140mm blocks on the inner skin to support the timber frame (as per @Mr Punter marmox blocks are available in 140mm. I have not seen the marmox block directly inline with the screed, i have only seem them designed inline with the floor insulation as below (https://www.bregroup.com/certifiedthermalproducts/product.jsp?id=3590&thermalId=908). Also are the marmox blocks designed to have sole plates screwed into them? i would check with marmox, also runs the risk of someone using too long a screw and bridging that nice expensive marmox block what is the u=value of the floor? I looked into these type of systems before and found they weren't cost efficient for a single house compared with a standard block and beam floor with PIR insulation in it. has your ring beam size been confirmed by a structural engineer? may be worth adding text such as 'please refer to structural design' 190mm concrete screed seems too much and i would have thought that 75-100mm would be fine. for your other detailing there is really good info here https://www.bregroup.com/certifiedthermalproducts/selectcategory.jsp?st=2&pt=3&id=3590

I didn't know that was a requirement, but it can be and the above is just an illustration of the soakaway location. ****starts reading part H**** umm, by stairs.....? Attached are some WIP drawings from CAD first floor - WIP.pdf roof - WIP.pdf Basement - WIP.pdf ground floor - WIP.pdf

I am trying to get my head around fowl water and surface water drainage, with the below substructure layout and rain water pipes (RWP) and SVP and direct drains for fowl water. I think that I am o.k for the surface water going round one side of the house to a soakaway under the drive. However i can't get my head around the fowl water and how to get the SVP and direct drains out to the front of the house with the different levels of the house, i was thinking about getting some grouped together and a manhole put in the garage slab, but not sure what is best practice in terms of below block and beam runs. If it is easier the is the possibility that the SVP in the top corner could be moved so the two SVP's at the top could be combine to one drop. This could then be placed in the ground / first floor void between joists to drop at the kitchen, just above the entrance, as below any idea how to get this to work? ideally I don't want to run a drain right round the outside of the house, and if it can go though / under the block and beam where possible that would be the best option.

i agree the right wall is not well used, but I don't see the appeal of them, it would makes me feel like i was in a cafe or curry house, and hate the fact i couldn't adjust my seating arrangement without moving the table. Though this caught my eye in google images.

thanks @AliG and @Mr Punter, nice ideas and have revised as below, though I think that the 5A with the sink and hob on the same run is too cluttered, and i think that the hob is best on the back wall with work top to the left and right of it. Though i do like the idea of the tall cupboard having a high oven in it like 5C (maybe a bit cluttered).

yes its the only eating area, and a lot more fiddling needed to make it work. What do you mean by the sink waste? i am not sure what you mean catered for? i was just looking to pipe it out of an external wall, or does it need a bigger service void to run to the rear of the cabinets? Thanks for the input and it is fair to say that the island is a step to far, next up looking at putting a breakfast bar in and curling the kitchen round, some floor space borrowed from the bedroom beneath and breakfast bar (300mm) to the back of base units. This seems to work a bit better. Further feedback would be welcome

Moving on from planning and the indicative house layouts from there, i am trying to come with some decent kitchen layouts and fit in an island if possible, one big enough that people can sit at it. Option 1 - the planning layout Option 2 - ditch the joining stairs from the right to increase usable floor area (stairs don't comply with building regs with the door anyway), though with the island seems too cramped. Option 3 - as above but with some floor space borrowed from the bedroom beneath to make it less cramped, this could work if i could make the island slightly narrower (600mm) Option 4 - switch the cabinet walls around, and change the kitchen entrance door, this needs some tweaking but not a massive fan of it. I would be interested in peoples thoughts on my ideas and any other input, or is it an island too far? kitchen layouts 1-2.pdf kitchen layouts 3-4.pdf

Thanks, sounds like it can be sorted during the build once block and joist depths are know rather than at the design stage

O.k so joist hangers are built into a masonry wall, and a metal plate hooks round the top of the block and gets mortared in. So the hanger hieght is dependant on the lock height. So how do you deal with where the required joist level does not tie in the block level? Do you use 1/3 blocks to level up the joist level or do you select joist heights to match? Or can you put a spacer at the bottom of the hanger to get the right level?

I presume that is because he is developing two houses at the same time, which even if one maybe for himself, he cant class himself as a 'domestic client' that people building one plot for themself can.

Could you outline some of the things that happened to you? I guess it is a risk of using a main contractor that all your money is tied up with them, and if they get into trouble then so do you. Where as if you are dealing with more trades you have less money at risk with each one of them, though more to manage.

That is odd, I could imagine a situation that the builder would rather the.order went through them to make sure the sizes were right and to make a 15% uplift on the cost of the windows, however having the two companies linked is something I haven't really come across, and it seems like there could be a chance of a monopoly on the price of windows provided.

The central garage looks pretty bulky in the middle of the two houses, could you change the pitch orientation? If you had a gable end on this you could put a window facing out to the rear, though you would need to change the rear boundary fence location? How are you looking to build them, at the same time, or phased? Is one for you. If so you need to consider CIL, as if they are on the same planning permission and not phased you will have to pay the CIL for the house not for you up front (circa £15-20k).

O.k I am not saying one way is right.or wrong but these are my thoughts on the way my design is going for a modern rendered flat roofed house. I decided not to go fully timber g8ve the external render, and rendering onto a timber structure just doesn't seem right to me, and in the back of my head have concerns on the potential shinkage of the timber frame and it's effect on the render. That led me to a block external skin, and timber frame internal. This was my preferred option for quite a while. I choose this as you could get u values of about 0.17 with an internal layer of 50mm pir. However the cost was a concern and I am not too concented about getting the frame up in days where block would take week. Thinking about it, I would have the brickies on site anyway for doing the external skin so why not get them on site for longer rather than a separate trade. Also this was coupled with being able to get a u value of 0.17 with a thicker cavity. So in the end I am (currently) going for - rendered 100mm block - 150mm full cavity with mineral / glass will (0.032) - aircrew blocks (0.011) - dot and dat plaster board. Just my decision process.

I have a bay window with a lead roof as below. There is an area towards the front which is covered in moss and growth that I want to clean off. However when I clean it it also takes off the paint and exposes the lead. Anyone got any idea what to paint the lead with to get black as per the rear of the bay.

Thank you for this, some very good tips. I work 5 days a week and looking to take some leave during the key period of the build. The site is a garden plot so I can easily check in at the start and end of the day. I like the idea of the power of the brush!!! Also the tip about taking on non time/work flow critical jobs. I will be looking to source bit ticket items and spend the time sourcing deals / good prices.

I am looking to do this approach, and words of wisdom / pitfalls?

So looks like it needs to be external then

I am likely to fit an a ashp, and not need a mains gas supply. However one thing I really want is a gas hob (induction doesn't do it for me). So I am looking to have a gas bottle supply just for the hob. Would the gas bottle be required to be located externally or could it be stored.in a integrated garage? If it could go in the garage is there any particular requirements for the pipe and protection?

The architect says he never got a letter (not unheard of), but it was on the website with it being open for comments (the drawings are actually still on a separate part of the website), it was easily searchable on the planning website. Could being on the website be classed as being publicised even though it never went out for consultation?

I have been pretty involved with planning my build so far and have been drafting building control documents of how the building goes together, contacting services, dropped kerb app etc I have come to an agreement with my architect that rather than him drafting them, i will draw out / spec and he will review and comment on build issues or information for BR application, for which he will work on hourly rates. When it comes to the construction of the build I realise this is where I want to play an active role though i nor have the time (work full time) and experience to do large bits of work (e.g. building block walls), and also the budget does not allow for a turn key main contractor. As i see it feel the best way forward is to have these main work stages Groundworks / excavation / retaining walls, up to beam and block floor level. Superstructure / roof / internal walls and floors / stairs Windows / Render Internals (plastering / elec / plumbing / joinery / painting) Kitchen Landscaping For stages 1-3 i would likely have this contracted to three or four different companies to get me a water tight shell. Groundworker General builder (may do groundworks under their contract) Window installers (i would source the windows) Renderer (who i previously used) After having a water tight shell i would look to appoint contractors myself, and where possible do work myself. This does have pitfalls in terms of management and making sure the timings are right. Also i would look to supply big ticket materials, as am looking to shop around for best prices on materials as a builder may not be looking for the best deals and also will put a ~15% markup on for organising. What are peoples thoughts on doing things this way?

Circa 3-3.5m.

If I am not mistaken i can channel rainwater from a roof to a correctly designed soak away, which I intend to do. However my build has retaining walls, what do you do with water from these drains? Do these go to the soak away to? If so how is the water from these incorporated into the soak away design and sizing

So the architect has managed to speak to the planner, it seems that there were some inconsistent levels on the drawings, a mistake from the architect, and the planner wanted some more labels on the site plan marking where the elevations refer to. Seems nit picky to me rather that anything significant, i think it really could have been dealt with during the application process in a drawing revision rather than invalidating the application two days before the determination deadline.