Building a Block Workshop - ADVICE NEEDED!

[Iceverge]

3 hours ago, stunotch said:

Hi, and thanks for your help. 
If I use a block on edge at 225mm that would mean quite a step up on the door way from the ground level. I was trying to avoid that ideally, but maybe a bit stuck now as the concrete got poured to the top. 

 

You could use 150mm x 100mm x 440mm blocks and 75mm insulation plus 75mm concrete. 

 

It might be less work just to shutter and pour the floor and a ring beam all together. 

[stunotch]

5 hours ago, Iceverge said:

Best practice would be to use some perimeter insulation as shown above

With perimeter insulation, do you place that to the top of the first course? Because then it would be seen around the edge of the floor? Or do you cut it slightly short and the concrete around the edge on top of the perimeter insulation is thinner?

[Iceverge]

1 hour ago, stunotch said:

Because then it would be seen around the edge of the floor?

 

This is normal. It is covered by the skirting and plasterwork normally. 

[stunotch]

7 minutes ago, Iceverge said:

 

This is normal. It is covered by the skirting and plasterwork normally. 

Sorry, I meant if the bottom block was on its side, and then the upright blocks were on the edge of the bottom blocks. You would see half the bottom block where the arrow is pointing... 

[Iceverge]

Buy some 100x 100 blocks rather than do that . 

[stunotch]

Decided to put up my marquee over the workshop since the weather is rubbish!
Started my first course. decided to go with the blocks upright, and i'm going to add a little extra insulation as suggested and the floor concrete should only be around 75mm thick. Seems to be going ok considering this is the first time i've ever laid blocks! The corners are spot on square, have measured the diagonals to check and they are perfect. Turns out, the Taylor Wimpey concrete foots weren't quite as level as first thought, but only 10/12mm difference from one side to the other, so I've taken that out with the mortar bed. 

 

Question! As it is 4M square, I presume I need to put a block pier on each wall? Should this just be in the centre? Or should I maybe put it on the door opening on the one wall? On another wall there will be a large window, and my workbench will be running along that wall, I would prefer not to have a pier on that wall, any suggestions!? 
 

The piers themselves, do I just lay blocks right next to the wall blocks and use wall ties? Or should the blocks be laid flat for the pier? 

Any tips as always are welcome!

Thanks. 

 

[Iceverge]

The roof will provide bracing if you tie the timbers in to all 4 walls. 

 

The corners will obviously be strong as they too are braced in 2 directions. It's the middle of the walls laterally and vertically that'll be weakest. 

 

It really is SE territory for an official answer but I guess you're not going down that route. 

 

Have you any dimensioned

 drawings/sketches of plans and elevations what you plan to end up with? 

[markc]

At 4mx4m you do not need piers, the wind loadings are pretty small unless this shed is in a particularly windy location.

[saveasteading]

All the above.  Just make sure of the robustness of the roof ties. If still nervous, a  vertical timber bolted down the wall will provide extra stiffness. 

 

All tgat assumes that you are not hoing to be hoisting great loads off the roof.

[stunotch]

22 hours ago, Iceverge said:

Have you any dimensioned

 drawings/sketches of plans and elevations what you plan to end up with? 

I have a rough sketch, and have worked out where I want the door and a window. Art is not my strong point!
 

[stunotch]

 

13 hours ago, markc said:

At 4mx4m you do not need piers, the wind loadings are pretty small unless this shed is in a particularly windy location.

 

11 hours ago, saveasteading said:

All the above.  Just make sure of the robustness of the roof ties. If still nervous, a  vertical timber bolted down the wall will provide extra stiffness. 

 

All that assumes that you are not hoing to be hoisting great loads off the roof.

Thanks for all the help / suggestions. 
I don't plan on having loads of weight in the roof, will be using slate, and will likely plasterboard the inside of the roof which will weigh a bit obvs. 
We do live near the coast and it can get pretty windy here. 
 

[stunotch]

Getting there! Compacted the base, put in a few inches of sand and levelled it, DPC down, 75mm Insulation down and taped the joints and the concrete lorry is arriving in the morning! 😅

 

 

[Chanmenie]

Looking good 👍

Did you run out of tape, I’d do the cross joints as well 

[markc]

Well done, looks neat and good progress

[Onoff]

How are you going to render the outside of the walls or are you not?

[Roundtuit]

I wouldn't worry too much about the joints tbh, but I'd put a slip membrane over the top of the insulation before the concrete.  Isn't there some debate about a potential reaction between the foil and concrete if they're in direct contact?

[Chanmenie]

4 hours ago, Roundtuit said:

I wouldn't worry too much about the joints tbh, but I'd put a slip membrane over the top of the insulation before the concrete.  Isn't there some debate about a potential reaction between the foil and concrete if they're in direct contact?

Yeah slip membrane is deffo needed, for the reason you mentioned.

taping joints not essential but costs peanuts and takes minutes so why not ? 

[Onoff]

For the cost don't forget to put underfloor heating pipes in! 😂

[Radian]

10 minutes ago, Onoff said:

For the cost don't forget to put underfloor heating pipes in! 😂

Part of a big loop that continues up on the roof?

[Onoff]

42 minutes ago, Radian said:

Part of a big loop that continues up on the roof?

 

Or a South facing DIY array... 👍

[stunotch]

On 11/11/2022 at 08:16, Chanmenie said:

Looking good 👍

Did you run out of tape, I’d do the cross joints as well 

I did, but I got more tape and finished it before the pour, and taped every joint 👍

[stunotch]

On 11/11/2022 at 08:19, Onoff said:

How are you going to render the outside of the walls or are you not?

I got the phone number from the guys that do the spray rendering on the Taylor Wimpey houses being built behind, might get them to do it as the finish is amazing and its in colour. 

[stunotch]

23 hours ago, Chanmenie said:

Yeah slip membrane is deffo needed, for the reason you mentioned.

taping joints not essential but costs peanuts and takes minutes so why not ? 

Didn't see your post before I laid the concrete, I don't think it should cause to much of an issue

[stunotch]

The concrete slab is now poured! However, the concrete lorry turned up 1.5hrs late! so it was 2.30pm! I had 3 mates hanging around to help with the wheel barrows too. 
By the time we had the concrete in, it was getting dark! Then, the lorry ran out of concrete... I measured it several times so I know it wasn't my mistake, I even allowed 10% for waste. So we ended up having to mix up 4 cement mixer loads of concrete to add to it - I had no chippings so had to take them off my driveway to make to concrete!! - Anyway we got there in the end and it appears to have turned out not too bad considering its the first time i've ever done this! Its pretty flat and smooth, other than a few air bubbles that popped up on the surface. 

 

[stunotch]

NEXT STEP! 

 

I need to decide the sizes for my door and window. I'm going to have double french doors to make it easy to move big things in and out. Obviously I can choose the size I want, but is there anything I should bare in mind with this? Ideally I want it to be a full block up to the door opening to save extra cuts? and are concrete lintels for above the door only available in certain sizes / lengths? 
 

And same for the window I guess? 

 

ALSO> Do I need to have a return in the brickwork for the reveals of the doors / windows? Or just fixing the door frame to the single block is acceptable? 

Thanks All.