Builder has knocked down one wall of brick outhouse then gone home for weekend. Is this safe?

[DaveAF]

Hi

my neighbours builder has knocked down one wall of their brick and concrete slab outhouse and retired for the weekend.

This can't be safe can it? 

[George]

Not really, just keep away from it.

[Mr Punter]

The roof is holding the walls up and vice versa.  Maybe don't let the grandchildren play in there though.

[Russell griffiths]

Safe as houses, reinforced slab roof, 9 inch thick walls, it’s not going anywhere. 

[George]

  On 11/11/2023 at 11:55, Russell griffiths said:

Safe as houses, reinforced slab roof, 9 inch thick walls, it’s not going anywhere. 

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The safer way to demo it would have been to remove the roof first, then push the walls inwards. Leaving a RC slab up in the air was not wise, as it's old and cracked it may behave unpredictably.

 

 

[Nickfromwales]

  On 11/11/2023 at 13:54, George said:

The safer way to demo it would have been to remove the roof first, then push the walls inwards. Leaving a RC slab up in the air was not wise, as it's old and cracked it may behave unpredictably.

 

 

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Indeed. Odd way they’ve gone about it!!

Wont budge though, but should have been cordoned off not left open to access by the clients

Steptoe & Sons building Co. at best. 

[nod]

I definitely wouldn’t go for a s##t in there 😁

[DaveAF]

  On 11/11/2023 at 13:54, George said:

The safer way to demo it would have been to remove the roof first, then push the walls inwards. Leaving a RC slab up in the air was not wise, as it's old and cracked it may behave unpredictably.

 

 

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The houses here are 1930s built but is that outhouse younger? It's pretty heavy duty for a space the size of an outside loo. 

[DaveAF]

  On 11/11/2023 at 14:18, nod said:

I definitely wouldn’t go for a s##t in there 😁

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Not tonight anyway. 

[Adsibob]

Maybe they aren’t demolishing it? Maybe they are converting it into something? Or extending it?

[Ferdinand]

On the date, the concrete looks like nobbly that was aiui most commonly done in the 50s/60s.

 

But white bricks would perhaps be unusual then, so I'd punt for late 60s early 70s.

 

 

[SteamyTea]

  On 12/11/2023 at 10:27, Ferdinand said:

so I'd punt for late 60s early 70s.

 

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Good times.

Just found a pile of pictures from then.

 

 

[DaveAF]

  On 12/11/2023 at 09:55, Adsibob said:

Maybe they aren’t demolishing it? Maybe they are converting it into something? Or extending it?

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Nope its coming down and being replaced by "a new outhouse". Those walls are really thick. Looks like a nuclear bomb shelter. 

[DaveAF]

  On 12/11/2023 at 10:27, Ferdinand said:

On the date, the concrete looks like nobbly that was aiui most commonly done in the 50s/60s.

 

But white bricks would perhaps be unusual then, so I'd punt for late 60s early 70s.

 

 

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It looks tremendously strong. You could just about stand up in it. I wonder what it was built for? Is it a diy bomb shelter? 

[Ferdinand]

  On 12/11/2023 at 12:53, DaveAF said:

It looks tremendously strong. You could just about stand up in it. I wonder what it was built for? Is it a diy bomb shelter? 

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I'd say storage shed, coal house, or loo for short people.

 

But I have seen air raid shelters from the 1940s in approx that pattern.

 

If I recall correctly a bomb shelter is the one type of permanent outbuilding you can still create where you can spend the night without Planning Permission. Under 30 sqm and no Building Regs either.

[Ferdinand]

  On 12/11/2023 at 10:38, SteamyTea said:

Good times.

Just found a pile of pictures from then.

 

 

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Is that a lido with the sort of diving boards we don't build any more?
 

[SteamyTea]

  On 12/11/2023 at 17:10, Ferdinand said:

 

Is that a lido with the sort of diving boards we don't build any more?
 

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Oh yes, Ramsgate.

 

If you look in the background of the other picture, you will see the oil storage units.

 

 

I find the colour of the sky interesting.  One is in Kent, the other the West Indies, both overcast days.

[TonyT]

I would be more worried about your clothes line pulling the cladding off  than taking photos of your  neighbours garden…..

[DaveAF]

  On 12/11/2023 at 20:15, TonyT said:

I would be more worried about your clothes line pulling the cladding off  than taking photos of your  neighbours garden…..

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Fair enough but if you had seen the series of total balls ups these cowboys have inflicted on this building project and you lived beside it you'd want to keep an eye on every move they make. 

[TonyT]

Actually I wouldn’t, why would I want to get worked up about other people builders.

 

 

[joe90]

  On 12/11/2023 at 20:49, DaveAF said:

Fair enough but if you had seen the series of total balls ups these cowboys have inflicted on this building project and you lived beside it you'd want to keep an eye on every move they make. 

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Why? Frankly unless children were at danger next door it’s only their business unless it was likely to fall on your fence or property 🤷‍♂️

[Canski]

Set your video camera up and wait.

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 2023 by Canski

[Mr Punter]

That looks very difficult to safely demolish without a large excavator.  It looks like a coal shed, but a bit too clean inside.

 

Send pics of the progress.

[jayc89]

  On 13/11/2023 at 09:01, Canski said:

Set your video camera up and wait.

 

 

 

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Exactly what I was thinking. Surely they've just made removing the roof even harder. 

[joe90]

With the thickness of the walls and roof I think it was an air raid shelter.