Onoff Posted March 26, 2021 Share Posted March 26, 2021 11 minutes ago, daiking said: @Onoff I don’t have a mixer and for under £200, 3 guys and a volumetric mixer will come round and do all the hard work for me. Just leaving me and wife to screed the surface with a plank of 4x2. Fair enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiking Posted March 27, 2021 Author Share Posted March 27, 2021 Need a plan B on this. It was tricky enough to get 2 blocks to form a corner and have the block level across length and width but trying to hit the same height on the next corner was impossible. I have 2 blocks laid and can’t lay the third ? Should have used bricks as I’ve got more play in the height as I build up 3 courses. Hitting one course of blocks bang on is hard work for a beginner. I have about 100 engineering bricks sat around that could be used to build the basis of my foundations and just fill in the middle blanks with blocks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted March 27, 2021 Share Posted March 27, 2021 2 minutes ago, daiking said: Hitting one course of blocks bang on is hard work for a beginner. Oh yes, I take my hat off to brick/blocklayers (I stick to woodwork). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted March 28, 2021 Share Posted March 28, 2021 7 hours ago, daiking said: Need a plan B on this. It was tricky enough to get 2 blocks to form a corner and have the block level across length and width but trying to hit the same height on the next corner was impossible. I have 2 blocks laid and can’t lay the third ? Should have used bricks as I’ve got more play in the height as I build up 3 courses. Hitting one course of blocks bang on is hard work for a beginner. I have about 100 engineering bricks sat around that could be used to build the basis of my foundations and just fill in the middle blanks with blocks Imo if you struggle laying blocks you'll really struggle with bricks. You'll just multiply the faff factor. Why not ditch the brick / block idea altogether and just buy some scaffold boards then shutter it up like I have a few times now. Where the blocks were will just be thicker concrete at the edge, like a ring beam. Thinking you might fair better getting shuttering square and level. Saying that, with your inexperience, you might struggle keeping it square when you pour your concrete and see the edges bowing. You need to stake it and backfill the edges to prevent this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiking Posted March 28, 2021 Author Share Posted March 28, 2021 5 hours ago, Onoff said: Imo if you struggle laying blocks you'll really struggle with bricks. You'll just multiply the faff factor. Why not ditch the brick / block idea altogether and just buy some scaffold boards then shutter it up like I have a few times now. Where the blocks were will just be thicker concrete at the edge, like a ring beam. Thinking you might fair better getting shuttering square and level. Saying that, with your inexperience, you might struggle keeping it square when you pour your concrete and see the edges bowing. You need to stake it and backfill the edges to prevent this. I’ve got nothing better to do in the wind and rain today so I’ll have another play with things. (if I go down the raft route, I have 5 tonnes of backfill in piles around the garden and more than enough bricks and blocks to go round the perimeter twice so should be able to prop some shuttering well enough. Keeping the insulation in the right place though...) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiking Posted March 28, 2021 Author Share Posted March 28, 2021 Still persevering with the blocks but held up by rain today. Managed one side just by laser marking one block at a time. Plenty more to do. Also need a mate as only mixing tiny amounts of mortar by hand and stopping to reload takes time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted March 28, 2021 Share Posted March 28, 2021 (edited) 9 minutes ago, daiking said: Still persevering with the blocks but held up by rain today. Managed one side just by laser marking one block at a time. Plenty more to do. Also need a mate as only mixing tiny amounts of mortar by hand and stopping to reload takes time. Mrs daiking not help? I know if SWMBO and I work together I invariably end up wanting to bury her in the over site... Edit: It's mutual btw. Edited March 28, 2021 by Onoff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiking Posted March 28, 2021 Author Share Posted March 28, 2021 23 minutes ago, Onoff said: Mrs daiking not help? I know if SWMBO and I work together I invariably end up wanting to bury her in the over site... Edit: It's mutual btw. Not usually although she did put a shift in on Wednesday. She was having a day off after cooking non stop for 2 days. I’ll get a photo of the fence she painted on Wednesday though ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted March 28, 2021 Share Posted March 28, 2021 12 minutes ago, daiking said: Not usually although she did put a shift in on Wednesday. She was having a day off after cooking non stop for 2 days. I’ll get a photo of the fence she painted on Wednesday though ? Aka she doesn't trust you with a paint brush! ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiking Posted March 29, 2021 Author Share Posted March 29, 2021 I’ve been out till half 10 tonight (only started at half 4). Nearly there, standards dropped significantly but should be ok for the role. Concrete booked for Wednesday afternoon, hence the need to get done today. Will get up early to finish off 2 blocks. worried about them being set before the concrete pour. tomorrow night I’ll be putting the eps insulation down and membrane + significant backfill out side the blocks to keep them in place. 2 sides are pretty trenchy so I will slide to bricks in to prop them off the solid ground. The 2 more open sides will be banked up with a few planks and soil. I’m sure the instructions I’m following say blind the sub base with a 25mm layer of jablite. This is what I’m doing as there’s no time to get sand delivered now. Was just going to put the DPM above the jablite. But have to buy a massive amount so could put it under the main jablite layer as well as on top but don’t see the point unless anyone can enlighten me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiking Posted March 30, 2021 Author Share Posted March 30, 2021 I should remember the old adage that no plan survives contact with your family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiking Posted March 30, 2021 Author Share Posted March 30, 2021 (edited) Got this far. Sub base wasn’t exactly level so the thin jablite is not sitting unless you crunch it down onto the stone. So the main layer is a bit up and down wobbly in places. I’m a bit high as well, probably only 75-80mm in free height left for the slab. Hopefully thicker in places where the jablite bends a bit. need to go out and put the DPM over it and backfill the trench so my blocks don’t fall over Edited March 30, 2021 by daiking 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiking Posted March 30, 2021 Author Share Posted March 30, 2021 Early finish tonight 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiking Posted March 31, 2021 Author Share Posted March 31, 2021 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiking Posted March 31, 2021 Author Share Posted March 31, 2021 (edited) With the ‘extra’ concrete, I dig out the back and dropped it in against the back of the blocks. Not wildly impressed by our tamping skills but the forced labour wasn’t speaking to me. I am pretty sure it is not my fault but everything is certainly not fine. So it’s as good as we’re going to get ? Edited March 31, 2021 by daiking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiking Posted March 31, 2021 Author Share Posted March 31, 2021 For the floor, I had anticipated floating p5 chipboard on 25mm eps. Not sure I fancy that after the experience of the eps for the blinding. Will probably use some timber bearers. already had 18mm flooring delivered, 22mm might have been ok direct on the eps ?♂️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markc Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 Looks fine, floor and wall finishes hide anything, and you will be super critical of yourself where contractors/builders rarely care about anything that will be covered up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiking Posted March 31, 2021 Author Share Posted March 31, 2021 2 hours ago, markc said: Looks fine, floor and wall finishes hide anything, and you will be super critical of yourself where contractors/builders rarely care about anything that will be covered up I'm not too fussed now, although the pigeons have bombed it, leaving holes to fill later. Its warm and sunny here so I've just watered it and pulled over a plastic sheet thats almost as big as the slab, will take it off tonight. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiking Posted April 2, 2021 Author Share Posted April 2, 2021 We’re part of the way up now. The stuff i did in the dark on monday is dogshit so it’s shimmed on one side and the massive pigeons keep shitting all over it. I emailed Tuin with a few queries about construction details but they’re running weeks behind on support so just had to make it. I haven’t fixed the foundation beam to the blocks as there was nothing about it in the instructions (one of my queries). It does say to fix the bottom logs to the beam. Without any supplied long fasteners to screw through 2 logs and the beam so I’ve just angled in some screws through the bottom log into the beam. Another thing with this cabin is that the size is 4.35 x 3.5 but the supply foundation beams in 3m lengths. You do the math. I actually planned out how to use the supplies planks with 2 pieces on the short side and 3 on the long. But as there was a spare piece, I thought I would do it the stupid way - 3m length plus the extra. And the stupid way is what it’s sat on. ? The other thing I really noticed today when trying to make some shims is that my mitre saw is awful. I know it was cheap and didn’t expect much. I’ve just used it to quickly cut stuff up but nothing on it is square. Even the main fence, the two sides that are split by the blade, one piece of metal are not parallel ? ffs. I’m going to struggle even to make some shelves with it for the cabin fit out with it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted April 2, 2021 Share Posted April 2, 2021 Get a bucket of plastic shims maybe? https://www.screwfix.com/p/broadfix-assorted-plastic-shims-medium-200-pcs/80408? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyT Posted April 3, 2021 Share Posted April 3, 2021 Just finishing off a 9x9 feet version myself I have double doors at the front and a side window, glorified shed made out of 20mm T&G boards sold as a ‘summer house’ i binned the crappy roof boards and used some OSB and added extra roof supports to beef the existing, it’s a lot more ridgid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiking Posted April 3, 2021 Author Share Posted April 3, 2021 8 hours ago, Onoff said: Get a bucket of plastic shims maybe? https://www.screwfix.com/p/broadfix-assorted-plastic-shims-medium-200-pcs/80408? I’ve done it, of sorts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiking Posted April 3, 2021 Author Share Posted April 3, 2021 26 minutes ago, TonyT said: Just finishing off a 9x9 feet version myself I have double doors at the front and a side window, glorified shed made out of 20mm T&G boards sold as a ‘summer house’ i binned the crappy roof boards and used some OSB and added extra roof supports to beef the existing, it’s a lot more ridgid This is pretty decent, 44mm logs. Roof slats are 18mm. Got double doors and 4 full height windows, alI double glazed (bumped the price up ?♂️) it’s nominally 14 x 10. couple of logs in the reject pile, need to fettle the joint as it’s too tight. Only 1 banana so far ,not sure how that one will work out. Have a plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyT Posted April 3, 2021 Share Posted April 3, 2021 Nice, the quality on the 20mm wasn’t bad, just the roof boards. im hoping to felt mine this weekend and get some painting done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted April 3, 2021 Share Posted April 3, 2021 1 hour ago, daiking said: Only 1 banana so far ,not sure how that one will work out. Have a plan. Friends contacted Tuin and they sent replacement ones out by courier. Also found last thing at night they put temporary ratchet straps on the corner joints and middle of the long sections and pulled it all down tight and it made a difference to how the logs went together the next day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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