Jimmy Mack's 'Shop Build (photos & video)

[Jimmy Mack]

Hi,

I've just started the foundations of the workshop build. It's a timber frame structure, clad in Western Red Cedar approximately 46 sq/m

We got planning last year... as we were out of permitted development (height and proximity to the boundary (300mm) on three sides. We had to get structural calcs done on the frame and roof for the BCO ( so if it collapsed it wouldn't take out next doors dog...or worse. The main changes being Ply over OSB to the exterior walls and an increase to the (GLUELAM) ridge beam.

The BCO also wants us to put 12mm Fireline behind the cladding and treat the cladding with a fire retardant. I'm hoping he might let us drop the fireline board as I'm concerned about it getting water damaged during the build PLUS it creates a lot of extra work and of course cost. I'm not sure if it's necessary when we're coating the cladding in a retardant and the internal walls are double skin plasterboard (?)

Next week we are having 3 phase installed by POWERGRID, fortunately our house cut out/ board is right next to the pavement and the main supply running through the village is meters away, so the cost is bearable and it will take a lot of load of the house supply, as well as more POWER...HORSE POWER I do however have to run a 4 core 25mm SWA through the house and in trench to the workshop at the bottom (55m run) :?

 

[TrimTheKing]

Hi Jim

Sounds great. Photo's are probably best hosted on Photobucket then linked to as per the sticky post instructions in the Tips & Tutorials forum.

Cheers
Mark

 

[9fingers]

Here is one way to share photos.
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1280
Other photos hosts are out there and work similarly.
Please DON'T use dropbox though - it really screws up the forum for everyone.

HTH

Bob

 

[Rod]

Sounds like you have some heavy duty gear or planning to get some?
Is this going to be your place of work?
Oh and welcome

Rod

 

[kirkpoore1]

3ph line power in the shop? Nice.

Kirk

 

[Jimmy Mack]

Thanks for the PHOTO advice. Photo bucket acc created

I've a couple of 3 phase machines already, that'll be moving in.

I'll post some pics of the foundation dig to date later as we've had a few changes here. Due to trouble finding good strata :?

Jim

 

[Mike G]

A nice big structural ridge beam, and you have endless headroom. They solve so many problems. Nice to see the frame sitting on a low plinth.

I want to see the photo of you working in that 300mm gap between a dry stone wall and the building's wall! :lol: Put something down to suppress weed growth in that area before it becomes inaccessible.

Looking forward to the photos......

 

[Wizard9999]

Lovely looking garden. Looks very serious stuff, but I think it will be the first sculpture studio build we have had on TWH2!

Terry.

 

[Jimmy Mack]

Absolutely Mike!... I'm not looking forward to the tight access, one of the reasons I'm keen to drop the BCO's 12mm Fireline board request, I'm applying a retardant to the cladding too...it'll be more like 500-600mm between walls...still best lay off the beer and cake for a bit [GRINNING FACE WITH SMILING EYES] The 7m ridge beam is about 41O x 68mm...I'll look it up later...I'll be having the boys over for a BBQ the day it goes up

EDIT ***RIDGE BEAM 450 x 150***

'Sculpture studio' was for planning purposes, we had the Parish Council round, got out the Rover biscuit selection tin... didn't want folk worrying and making assumptions about hours of noise. We did have an objection submitted from the PC and one neighbour, but once I explained what I was doing they seemed alright... ish......but still left the objections on the planning portal... We do plan to install acoustic slab insulation, and double up the int plaster board. The shop will be about 50m from the nearest living space. We'd welcome any tips on the acoustic front as info on the web is quite varied. I'll post a detailed section of the wall when I'm back on a proper computer.

It was a shame trashing the garden last week, I felt a little guilty as it was clearly a labour of love by the previous owner...we have saved a pear tree, hopefully it'll survive the move...but hey ho...all in the pursuit of woodwork

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

 

[RogerS]

To reduce noise go for induction motors rather than brushed motors but seeing as how you've got 3-phase then I reckon you'll be doing that anyway!

Re the fire barrier and BCO. You might like to send Steve Maskery an email as he went through similar shenanigans when he built his aircraft hangar (oops...sorry...workshop). You can get him via his website www.workshopessentials.com

 

[Jimmy Mack]

Thanks Roger S... I followed Steve's Build on UKW, I might PM him tho...I believe he used Cedral Cement board so perhaps that strengthened his case. Wasn't sure which forum to post my build...went with WH2

GROUNDWORKS


The initial ground works and trenching is being done by a ground works chap...I did like the idea of playing with the digger but thought I might get myself into some bother considering the size of it all...I've some site experience and understanding of building work and 1st fix but TBH it's not an area I've done a lot of, I've spent most of my professional life in the workshop with installations...Cabinetry, Kitchens, Bathrooms, Free Standing (everyone's favourite delivery)...etc

The first picture is a map of the proposed services...sorry it's on it's side when I try and rotate it in photo bucket I get an error!). I plan to add a couple of runs of CAT6 for....internet, doorbell, CCTV etc



I translated the AT's (Architect Technician) BCO build notes and drawings to a cross section that I could understand and use to communicate with the ground worker and sparky (whose consulting). I switched out some timber packing the AT put behind the bricks to an engineering block.



AT ok'd this but... as it turned out a few weeks down the line when starting, my ground worker pointed out that the SLAB was over designed, I have to admit it did seem to look a bit odd when I went through the notes and AT drawings.

I called the AT and for some reason he'd put a reinforced SLAB on top of the raft!...his assistant got the blame :eusa-whistle:

Here's the edit.. ( membrane under the raft not illustrated)




But... it's NOT the final edit once we start digging we struggle to find good STRATA! I'll post these a bit later ...The baby's waking!

PS..Feel free to comment on the wall construction, any tips or errors spotted appreciated

 

[Wizard9999]

A few random thoughts.

On one side my workshop is at its closest about 40cm from our boundary fence in one corner increasing on an angle to about 60cm at the other corner of the same wall so I know about a tight space, though that is generous compared to your 30cm. Forget maintenance for now, how do you actually plan to construct your wall? Will you build that wall as a completed panel and then erect it fully clad? The way I got to clad my wall was that I took the fence down behind the workshop (needed doing anyway) and quickly clad while it was down. Not so easy with dry stone walls.

Assuming there is a cunning plan for building, with maintenance in mind I would think seriously about putting in a hatch in the back left corner (where the triangle of garden is behind the workshop) - no glass, just a very small door in effect just big enough for you to squeeze through, say loft hatch sort of size. That would let you out into that small area, this will allow you to at least get to the back and left hand side more easily for maintenance. Not sure if neighbours, planners, etc. would have an issue but if you only use it once in a blue moon I can't see it as a big issue and nobody may even notice.

On cladding and fire and building regs compliance, with respect to Steve M this was not the finest part of his build and to be honest I think he got himself into a real pickle. I really did worry at times that a difficult BCO could have him taking large parts of his workshop down. In the end I suspect and decent BCO was sympathetic to him and gave him a very easy ride. If it were me I would not want to rely on that happening. Seems like you are getting a lot of professional input upfront and surely that has got to be the right way to go.

Do those double gates opposite the kitchen give access to allow machinery, etc. in? Otherwise it looks like everything is coming through the house, as the power is.

Terry.

 

[Mike G]

Hmmmm....

This is a raft, so I am not sure of the relevance of "good strata". So long as you don't have topsoil (with vegetative matter in it), peat etc, and you don't have tree roots, then I don't think the strata is of much consequence. However, I didn't design the base so you'll need to take the BCO's advice (and he will probably defer to the structural engineer who designed the raft).

I'm knocking you off a couple of Brownie points for mis-naming the space. I'm sure you are aware that this is a Planning issue, and if anyone were to complain the council could take enforcement action (ie ask you submit an application with the correct useage noted), and they could of course issue a refusal to that revised application. Having done what you've done, the onus is now on you to make damn sure that no-one complains, so keeping the noise level down, and the traffic movements down, will be your priority.

 

[Mike G]

The comment I would make about the actual construction details is that a DPM on top of concrete needs great care. For a start, it must be laid on a smooth clean surface. Even a grain of sand on the slab will push through the plastic if someone walks on it. Your choice is to powerfloat the slab, or to put some sort of cushioning membrane down first. Your big issue is that you are constructing a timber deck on top of the DPM, so will have foot traffic, tools, nails, sawdust etc all over it, and this could trash the plastic. If you could perhaps construct this in sections away from the slab, and lift it into place carefully, then this would help.

My other minor comment is that vertical external boarding inevitably has horizontal battens, and that means that any water penetrating the cladding will sit on a ledge. There isn't really a good answer for this. The airvent your chap has shown is all but useless, as it only vents as high as the underside of the first batten, one inch up. I think he may have just copied a detail from horizontal boarding, and I suggest you go back to him and ask.

I assume the plasterboard is for sound deadening. In which case, make sure you stagger the joins, and take great care around windows & doors (lots of spray foam), and particularly around service entries. You'll also have to tack your ceiling, I suppose, and you'll need to watch the junction with the walls, again, for sound issues. This is always a straight join, so potentially leaky in acoustic terms.

 

[Jimmy Mack]

Thanks guys,

Really appreciate the input.

Hi Wizard...the gap is more like 50-60 cm, apologies, I may of been misleading in the OP as I was including the soffit / overhang of the roof for my 300mm. There is a little more at the back as it's triangular to the boundary, I'm thinking of putting a door in as you say. It's a good idea... t may happen after the build tho.

You can drive a car up the back, it's tight but shouldn't be a problem wheeling the gear in, as we will have paving all the way up to the shop...here's a rough landscape design (view from the other side)




Hi Mike...Totally understand about the DPM it needs some kind of blinding layer in that design. With the cladding. I don't quite understand about the airflow restriction. There will be two lots of batterning the first vertical the second horizontal then the vertical clad ontop. As per the drawing on the right here >

http://www.timbercladding.org/DesignConsiderations/DesignDetail/VerticalCladding/NewBuild.aspx

Thanks for the plasterboard tips, I'm considering sealing the joins behind the final Plasterboard layer...in the OSB too, wonder if there should be a 5mm gaps between my internal OSB sheathing to allow for expansion? Could silicone between the joins. Another option is plasterboard decouplers/ hangers...could be overkill and £££s though.

I'm all for keeping the noise down! In reality I spend most of my time on the computer and phone and researching projects, customer visits, so I suspect I won't be running the machines half as much as, say a retired hobbiest might be. I think sensible hours and a bandsaw box with a bottle of plonk in it will help neighbour relations. I hear hot tub parties are the current thing for neighbours from hell :evil:

Jim

I'll do anther post now to update on the foundation change.

 

[Mike G]

Ah right, your drawing is quite small and my glasses are in the workshop.........I hadn't seen the vertical battens.

Don't seal up your OSB joints. You'll get problems. Leave 2mm between them (I just spaced them with a nail). Good idea to do the joints on your inner layer of p/b. Don't bother with the hanger/ decoupler things. They're not really for your circumstances (more often used with party wall issues). Besides, what use is a workshop wall which you can't fix anything heavy to?

One last thing. You don't need a "dense engineering block" (I assume you mean a 7.5 N block or stronger). There's no need. Use a lightweight "thermal" block, which will help with the cold bridge you have at that point. They all hold 3N at least, and that's plenty strong enough with a double sole plate, even under the point load of the posts supporting your ridge purlin.

 

[Jimmy Mack]

So we wrecked the garden...here is the dig out ready for the BCO to see what we've dug down too. The pile in the middle is clean hardcore. The OSB round the edges are shuttering preps.




{family fortunes error noise} The man from Buildings... he say 'NO'!

He wasn't happy that we'd dug out of topsoil and felt any raft would break under 1.5m/t per sq m of build...( I think it might be more like 1m/t ?)

We dug down the perimeter to 1m and got the BCO round again...

BCO said 'NO.. you're still in topsoil we need good strata or you'll have to get an engineer to design a slab that will work OR ...keep digging!'

Spoke to a couple of engineers and one wouldn't design me something for 'topsoil ground' and the other wanted a fortune and informed me that the steels would have to be manufactured and it could be weeks.

Next day I got my ground worker to go a bit further in the sample hole (you can see it to the left of the picture above, with the spade) and FINALLY at 1.3m we hit good ground...SANDSTONE. Spoke to the BCO and he wanted us to dig it ALL out and build it up in 6" layers of hardcore (nearly 130 tons of top soil according to my groundworker ).

Had an A&E appointment that PM (another story!) so plenty of thinking time to try and work this out... it actually got me quite down

At A&E it got me wondering... Why has the Architect Technician (AT) gone for a raft?....Why not a ring beam? I originally specified that we wanted a suspended timber floor (to ease standing fatigue).

So by-passed my AT...called up the Stuctual Engineer and he said go for it, it only needs to be a lean mix poured on top...called the BCO and he say's he'd be happy with a ring beam ...BCO popped out... viewed some quick drawings I made up (see below) checked the sample dig to SANDSTONE and gave us the thumbs up on a ring beam with a centre divide to break the timber span (3.2m approx) :eusa-dance: .

*and relax*

The new design will actually save money! bscene-drinkingcheers:

This isn't the first time I've queried the AT's design and saved a packed of money...if you remember the re-enforced slab earlier...PLUS there was also PLY sheathing both sides of the build to meet the structural calcs, when according to the structural engineer...only ONE single skin of PLY to the outside wall was necessary, the rest can be OSB...When I mentioned the ring beam to the AT he started talking about piling the corners :shock: ...no need! :eusa-snooty: He's a nice chap but ...I am having my doubts!




So, thats where we're currently up to....my ground worker is back after the Easter Break to work on a ring beam

NB: I got the timber section size off a spans table....I'm not 100% sure of this... so feedback here would be appreciated

 

[Jimmy Mack]

....Don't seal up your OSB joints. ...

One last thing. You don't need a "dense engineering block" (I assume you mean a 7.5 N block or stronger). There's no need. Use a lightweight "thermal" block, which will help with the cold bridge you have at that point....

Thanks Mike

 

[Jimmy Mack]

Forgot to mention....Under the suspended floor will be a non structural blinding layer.

From the bottom...

hardcore 100mm (that we have already)
DPM
Sand
Gen 1 concrete (150mm)

 

[Mike G]

For clarity......Are you sure that's a ring beam? A ring beam is a reinforced concrete beam, usually spanning across piles, or other spaced support. It sounds like a normal trench fill foundation to me. I had assumed you must have some really poor ground conditions not to have done this in the first place. It also sounds like the guy who did your drawings was working outside his area of expertise (even architects aren't supposed to design foundations, and certainly not rafts. That's Structural Engineering territory).

Does your proposed new foundation have reinforcement in it? If so, then it is a ring beam, and your man is not trained to specify that, any more than he was to design a raft. He won't be able to certify the result, and Building Control won't be interested in his calcs.

There a still a couple of things that worry me about this detail, but let's hear from you first about what this foundation actually is. Oh, and your floor joists aren't big enough. Let's deal with the foundation first, though.

 

[Jimmy Mack]

Hi Mike, Thanks for your input, very much appreciated....it probably me getting my terminology lingo wrong. It's a normal trench fill foundation...strip foundation ?

The structural engineer who did the calcs on the frame said a lean mix pour straight on top of the sandstone would be OK...you've got me thinking / doubting though...should I be checking again to see if it needs reinforcement? It is a light weight structure. The BCO was happy with the proposal, I think he's been an officer for many years...


Jim

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[Mike G]

Right, OK...

If it is a trench fill footing, it needs no reinforcement (which is only needed to take tension........your footing will be in compression). It also needs to stop 500mm below finished ground level to prevent frost damage, and you don't need 2 different mixes, (which would only save you about £2.50 total anyway). You build up from the top of the foundation in masonry, and your timber suspended floor sits on masonry, not on concrete, or it hangs on hangers. You don't need a DPM under your floor, but you do need 150mm clear airflow below the bottom of your joists, with airbricks (and periscope ventilators if necessary) at least every 2m (the more the better). The top of the ground below your floor should be treated with weedkiller, and should have something on it to prevent regrowth. This can be a membrane, lean mix conc., or even a layer of lime. Ask your BCO.

As the ground level below your suspended floor will be below the surrounding ground level, if this is an area of high water table, or prone to flooding, then you should lay a land-drain to take surface water away from under the building to a ditch, watercourse, or a soakaway.

The sleeper wall your joists sit on in the middle of the building should be open to the flow of air. Probably easiest to use PCC lintels on brick piers (they'll only be a few bricks high).

Your floor joists. Now, if this were a domestic building you might just get away with 147 x 50 @ 400 C's. But you are going to have high point loads under machinery, benches, racking perhaps. Personally, I wouldn't have a timber floor at all, but I know why people prefer it. I would suggest you go for 220x50 at 400 C's, and double them up in areas where you have the highest loads. You will need to do solid blocking between the joists at mid-span.

 

[Wizard9999]

I'm knocking you off a couple of Brownie points for mis-naming the space. I'm sure you are aware that this is a Planning issue, and if anyone were to complain the council could take enforcement action (ie ask you submit an application with the correct useage noted), and they could of course issue a refusal to that revised application. Having done what you've done, the onus is now on you to make damn sure that no-one complains, so keeping the noise level down, and the traffic movements down, will be your priority.

Was the approval conditioned to be for a sculpture studio only? If not is the usage limited in that way? Say for example you did use it as a sculpture studio and then the house is sold a few years later, is the next owner limited to only using this as a sculpture studio? I appreciate that people may say they would have objected had they known there would be heavy machinery working (so you may not have made friends by doing this), it may also be the case that people could complain that it is being used for commercial purposes and/or complain about noise levels, but aren't they different issues? As ever I'm curious about planning matters - I know, I know, but I'm a bit odd that way.

Terry.

 

[Mike G]

......Was the approval conditioned to be for a sculpture studio only? If not is the usage limited in that way? ......

It doesn't quite work that way. The approval is given on the assumption that the information supplied is correct and honest, and the council can take enforcement action or even court action if they find out that it wasn't. No local authority is going to be concerned about changing useage within categories (for instance, within the category of domestic, if a building went from being a workshop to being a garden shed), but this is a jump between categories, potentially, in that a pro woodworking business is in the commercial/ light industrial category, whereas sculpture falls in an entirely different group along with other arts and handicrafts.

If there is a condition (as there often is) that the workshop is not to be used for non-commercial purposes, or must only be an adjunct to the normal use of the house, then running a woodworking business there would be more than a little risky.

 

[Jimmy Mack]

Mike many thanks for the info...really glad I posted now...I'll sit down at the weekend and work up some new drawings...I'm learning [SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES]

Re: sculpture studio

I'm from an arts background, studying sculpture mastering in 3D design & furniture...(hopefully this confession won't see me booted from the forum!).The core of my work is woodworking but often mixed media and always varied and small scale..my wife paints and flower arranges and will be in the shop (I have to share!), so the title is pretty accurate, I might do some bits of work there, but predominately it'll be for personal projects...I'm still keeping my shared business in the current city industrial unit, shared with other artists which coincidentally is called a 'sculpture workshop.

The 3 phase sounds a bit serious, but we required a new power feed as the house was to capacity, so it was a no brainer to install 3 phase as it comes off the same street supply.

I plan to be as considerate as possible through acoustic treatments and sensible usage (I won't be able to be in it that much). Sure machines are noisy but so are drum kits...I'm actually a bassist which pays some of the bills too. My neighbour works on his motor bike most weekends and the other has 4 dogs...they probably make more anti social noise than me, but we all get on.



Jim





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[Mike G]

....I'm from an arts background, studying sculpture mastering in 3D design & furniture...(hopefully this confession won't see me booted from the forum!).......

Nah, the only thing that causes that is if you start talking about curved bevels on your chisels and plane irons! :lol:

 

[RogerS]

Who's hiding their light under a bushel?

Very, very nice.

I love sculpture ...raved over the Bellini sculptures at the Musee d'Orsay.

 

[kirkpoore1]

...

I plan to be as considerate as possible through acoustic treatments and sensible usage (I won't be able to be in it that much). Sure machines are noisy but so are drum kits...I'm actually a bassist which pays some of the bills too. My neighbour works on his motor bike most weekends and the other has 4 dogs...they probably make more anti social noise than me, but we all get on.

Jim

The drum kit comment is coincidentally funny. I was approached by a neighbor who's house is behind and to one side of my own about drumming sound coming from another neighbor's house. The drummer is a 17 year old kid who lives on the opposite side of my house from the concerned neighbor, and he drums in his basement. I can certainly hear it in my yard, but can't hear it in my house because my garage and shop are between his house and mine. The funny part is that my shop is on a directly line between the two neighbors, and as often as I've used it, and as large and noisy as my machines are, I've never had a complaint from anybody.

I suggested that the concerned neighbor go visit the drummer's house if he wished to pursue it further. I mean, it really doesn't bother me.

Kirk

 

[Mike G]

...

.....

Ebonised oak and sycamore, perhaps?

 

[Jimmy Mack]

Thanks RogerS

I wondered if someone would google the sculpture workshop...

Those are low noise hand cut dovetails btw




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[Jimmy Mack]

...

.....

Ebonised oak and sycamore, perhaps?

Wenge...correct on the sycamore, it's one of a pair

Those pieces were from my 'Occassional Tabboo's ' exhibition at the Round Foundry, Leeds... there's a piece with a banana skin and another with coffee ring stain inlays

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[Wizard9999]

Just had a very pleasant 10 minutes looking at your website :eusa-clap:

Terry.

 

[Rod]

Very nice work - great website though I couldn't find the Sculpture Workshop.

Rod

 

[Wizard9999]

Very nice work - great website though I couldn't find the Sculpture Workshop.

Rod

http://www.leedssculptureworkshop.com/

 

[AndyP]

...

.....

Ebonised oak and sycamore, perhaps?

Wenge...correct on the sycamore, it's one of a pair

Those pieces were from my 'Occassional Tabboo's ' exhibition at the Round Foundry, Leeds... there's a piece with a banana skin and another with coffee ring stain inlays

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I do like contrasting timbers and colours. Cracking stuff. Would love to see how you inlayed that coffee stain.

 

[Jimmy Mack]

Happy Easter!

I’ve had ago at a new drawing, incorporating tips from Mike’s notes. TBH...I’ve found it hard to keep it simple, my knowledge of brick types and layering that works and is not over fussy is limited... especially regarding working the floor height - too low and there’s a step in, too high and I’ll be reducing my headroom at the eaves!



I’ve a few questions:

1: Is the 500mm frost clearance for the strip foundation an absolute min or a there-abouts?
2: Can I put air bricks in the first course or are they too low…perhaps periscopes would be better?
3: 3 courses of Thermal Lightweight Bricks for the complete inner skin?
4: Do I need to wall tie the brick skins?
5: At the sleeper wall, can the blocking between the joists be timber noggins?
6: Can I use short joist hangers? (Trying to line up with the mortar & minimise the step in from the door frame)
7: Does a joist toothed into the wall provide more floor stability than a one on hangers?
8: Do I need any compressible board or DPM around the strip & outer brick skin?
9: Do I require a DPM under the interior floor screed, running up the inner course and connecting with the DPC or am I ok with just the under floor ventilation?


We are on a hill so not prone to flooding or on a flood plane. The garden is on a gradual slope up to the shop.

Many thanks,

Jim

***EDIT: PIC UPDATE...original had too much AIR GAP clearance under floor***

 

[Mike G]

OK, we're getting there. But just a couple of comments before I get to your list. You don't need "engineering blocks". There is no such thing, BTW. Blocks are specified by their composition and their strength. So 7.5N Aggregate block, for instance. You can use any block suitable for below ground use, because your loadings don't get close to needing 7N blocks.

Secondly, I understand why you have 75mm blocks on your drawing, but please check locally on price and availability. There have been national shortages of blocks and bricks, and although the situation is much better now, specialist items such as a 75mm block might still be an (expensive) problem.

I'd prefer to see more of the joist in a hanger.

Right, your questions:

1: As ground level is a movable feast, the 500mm is taken as guidance. But your BCO will be on the lookout for it. You can always give him your section detail (as above) beforehand and ask for his comments, informally.

2: Put your airbricks immediately below your DPC, and use periscope ventilators.

3: That's fine, providing the manufacturer says they are approved for below DPC.

4: Yes, at 450 vertical centres (ie every 2nd block course). SS expanded metal mesh cut off a roll is the normal method.

5:The blocking is almost always solid timber. Save your off-cuts!

6: I would try to design this out. For a start, I always show the first course on top of the foundation as a brick course, because bricks are quickly and easily adjustable if the concrete isn't perfectly flat and to the right level (which it won't be).That would look to me to solve your problem immediately, and then all you have to decide is whether to have an extra brick course (ie raise your plinth), to cut a block, or use coursing blocks.

7: It's not good practice though, and below damp course you're just asking for trouble. The alternative is to build up another skin of masonry to support the joists, or to bolt on a girding beam and use timber-to-timber joist hangers.

8: No

9: By screed I assume you mean whatever you are putting on the top of the soil below the floor? No. No DPM is required under a suspended timber floor.

 

[Jimmy Mack]

Mike,

AH - That makes total sense with a levelling course first and corrects my floor too, as you say. Hopefully I've translated right regarding the coursing bricks and using hangers instead of toothing in (bad practice).
I've ditched the 75mm bricks...in favour of Thermalite for the inner and outer skin ( 3.5n suitable for foundations). I'm sure I can make up the up timber wall width with the battens and counter battens for the cladding if it saves a hassle sourcing 'specials' / rare bricks.

Revision 4




Am I winning?

Many thanks,

Jim

 

[Mike G]

You're winning, Jim. You won't need the coursing blocks, just use ordinary bricks. Coursing blocks are for block-only walls (it's bad practice to mix brick and block on walls that are going to be plastered). I can't quite see what the dashed outline in your plinth wall is, but that aside, it all looks much better to me.

You are still showing 2 types of concrete in your footings, which is just unnecessary, and your outer wall footing doesn't need to be 600 wide. 400 is plenty. Jeez.....think how much money I'm saving you Jim!

 

[Jimmy Mack]

You're winning, Jim. You won't need the coursing blocks, just use ordinary bricks. Coursing blocks are for block-only walls (it's bad practice to mix brick and block on walls that are going to be plastered). I can't quite see what the dashed outline in your plinth wall is, but that aside, it all looks much better to me.

You are still showing 2 types of concrete in your footings, which is just unnecessary, and your outer wall footing doesn't need to be 600 wide. 400 is plenty. Jeez.....think how much money I'm saving you Jim!

Cracking :eusa-dance:

I'm not sure why my groundworker is so keen to use the C35...he must have some left over in his shed or he's payed up front on it from the raft spec.

The dashed line is the door cill & frame.

Mike, you're like the polar opposite of my Architect Technician...The pounds are literally falling off!

I'll try and make it up to you... How about a selfie when I'm wedged in down one of the sides?... or... if you ever need advice on inlaying a Banana Skin motif...I'm your man.

Hopefully this will be a good reference for others.

Many thanks bscene-drinkingcheers: ,

Jim