Evening all,

 

So I have a build that will require 1.1m trench with minimum of 600mm concrete fill. So I'm now looking at the most cost effective way of building back up to block & beam level. Build is a timber frame which will have vertical timber cladding as a skin.

 

So onto the question, if I'm building up to block and beam level all the weight would be on the internal skin, any outer skin as far as I can tell would be purely cosmetic to meet the cladding 150mm above ground level.

 

Is there any reason I couldn't just have single skin with standard vents for the air gap under block and beam and just have the cladding floating?

 

Just feels like a lot of expense if it is purely cosmetic when all insulation would be above this cavity anyway. Happy to be told I'm wrong, I'd just like to understand why!

You do need the outer skin 

If only to house the vents for the B&B 

You could always use common brick if your not bothered how they look 

 

If in doubt add more. There are so many weird environmental conditions kicking about now it really does pay to make it beefy. We’ve got a meter of hardcore 20ft round the house to counter heave risk and the blocks are laid pretty much solid as I recall to the full with of the foundations below the b&b floor. They are not expensive to buy or lay.