Hello everyone, sorry for my absence but James and I have been super busy between work and Tyddyn Bryn visits, emails, phone calls…..
Back at the beginning of the month bundling work was progressing with all the underfloor insulation going in!!!!!
And we were on course for the underfloor heating to be installed and screeded by the middle of the month……
Then the builder and I agreed given a few issues with roof trusses that we should probably invite the building regs chap out for a visit……
He came out on the 2nd of October and since then we have stopped work…. Boo hissssssss…….. My builder met with him and then later in the day rang me with a list of 8 yes 8 points that need to be dealt with…..
1. Wall plates and roof truss clips…. Some have been fitted backwards so this needs sorting, but it’s fairly simple and easy.
2. The bathroom/bedroom three wall…. This wall is a cement and mortar wall that sits on a metal RSJ it is 4inch block and supports the roof….. No no no apparently four inch block is not good enough and steel is required and the wall balanced as it is on the beam needs taking down…. Ok said James and I we can make a stud wall and have a smaller bedroom! bigger bathroom and the steel could form a corner of a shower enclosure…. Oh but wait this isn’t the only four inch block wall supporting the roof….. No no!!!! The wall to the left of the gaping from door hole is four inch block that runs from the concrete base all the way up…. Building regs man wants steel in there too and a reconfigure of the wall…. But this could help with point seven…
3. The Esse walls…. We had the left hand wall moved and new lintels installed as the space was not big enough for our stove we wanted…. Now the right hand wall which supports the chimney is insufficient and needs to be six inch block not four inch block!!! Argh!!!! Starting to bristle somewhat by now!!!!
4. The building regs chappie would also like to know what is under the concrete base…. What lies beneath…. Structural engineers report needed…… ££££££
5. On a positive note the chimney liners that one of the builders said were upside down aren’t….. They are the right way up….. And the boss reckons said builder must have had whiskey on his cornflakes that morning…..
6. The upstairs flooring….. “There’s a bit of a bounce I don’t know if you have noticed” ummmm no says me….. All the new flooring joists have been let into the walls, the old walls, I.e. The two foot thick stone walls…. Not so many and they have installed noggins and bridged them across giving the floor a bouncy feel…. We have two options….. Take the upper floor in these places down and start over (hell no!!!) or beef up the stud work underneath from the concrete slab to support the upper floor in places it needs it….. So this means we need to take up chunks of insulation and add these struts in…..
7. Stairs…… They won’t work in the current hallway, head room and door opening space is an issue…. Even if we remove the upper floor…. Needs reconfiguring…. Which needs an architect to do….
And finally
8. Secondary means of escape…. All the upstairs velux windows in the plan are secondary means of escape…… The previous owner has installed the wrong ones…. Again two choices, FD30 doors throughout the house…. Or replace the velux…..
So thump…… Wind totally removed from our sails……
We have arranged a builder architect me meeting for the 28th…..
In the meantime I sneakily checked with the building regs guy myself and had the following via email…..
“Further to our site meeting with your builder at the above I confirm the following points that need addressing as discussed.
1/ The single block partition supporting the ridge beam appears to be inadequate please provide a structural engineers appraisal including any recommendations for this support
2/ Please provide a structural engineers appraisal for the single supporting chimney stack
3/ truss clips to be provided on the inner leaf of the wall plate
4/ Please provide specification details of stairs. [Ref. Table 1, Approved Document K]. Minimum 2m headroom is required on the access between two levels. [Ref. Para. 1.10 & Diagram 2, Approved Document K].
A space 400mm clear of any door swing is necessary on landings. [Ref. Para. 1.16 & Diagram 6, Approved Document K].
5/ Any window provided for emergency egress purposes and any external door provided for escape should comply with the following conditions:
The window/skylight should have an unobstructed openable area that is at least 0.33m2 and at least 450mm high and 450mm wide (the route through the window may be at an angle rather than straight through).
Please note this is not an exhaustive list if you require any further information or help in any way please do not hesitate to contact me ”
I need a structural engineer….. £££££ again, but this may be better than forking out straight out on building if an engineer thinks some areas are fine…..
Overall I think this build may take a while longer than hoped…. Just hope that we get it completed before the mortgage deal is up for renewal and we can get it onto a normal rate rather than the self build rate!!
Tyddyn Bryn 