foundations

Hi. I have just purchased a terraced house. Built circa 1890. It's in a row of 24 houses built on a relatively steep hill. The houses are built in pairs. Each pair is lower than the pair before as they step down the hill. I'm near the bottom. I'm situated so that, looking at the house, the house...

Hi all, I hope you are well. I'll try to keep this short. I am building an outbuilding (hopefully to use as an office / gym). The size is approx. 7m by 4m. It is being built on the boundary so within 1m. I plan to build it all of the light breeze blocks (except two rows of bricks at the...

Hi everyone. I've only just joined today so please bear with me as i may post in the wrong forum. I have a question. I intended to build a sloped polly cobonate roof between my existing bathroom( which spans half of my terraced house to the rear) and next doors lean-to/conservatory (this...

Hi, we're about to do an 8m x 4m 2-storey extension and have an oak tree 4metres from the proposed extension flank wall. We're also on heavily clay-based soil. One structural engineer has suggested pad and beams as being the easiest and most cost-effective solution, whilst another has said we...

Hi all, I hope you are well. Just looking for anyone's opinion on these cracks. Both cracks have been here since we moved in and after filling they have recently began to open again 18 months on. The first crack is against the join in the wall and runs vertical up the wall between the join. It...

Hello I’m looking at putting a single story extension on my house (roughly 4x4m). I’ve had a foundation inspection on my property and the foundations are about 3m down and are of raft/pile formation. Mu question is do the foundations of an extension this size need to be the same as the house?

Morning, I'm wanting to build a summerhouse, and keen to find out all I need to know before starting. The plan is to build something 3mx4m, with the highest point of the roof being <2.5m high. The site is not very level, a few inches drop from one end to the other, and can get very damp in...

Hi, im currently in the middle of a planning permission application, my council are running 4 weeks behind and I'm yet to get to the 21days ask the neighbours part (i think thats about two weeks away) I already have building regulations approval that came through quite quickly. Site is...

Hi Guys, So i have my trenches dug amd in certain areas due to limited space for the digger the trench is dug a bit wider (80-90cm) - i have some old fence panels lying around.... Will these work to shutter the trench?

Hi all, Im about to endevour on a new journey to project build my outbuilding at the bottom of the garden. I have been reading this forum for a few months now researching etc. The site is nearly cleared and i am ready to mark up for the digger. There are some Sycamore trees dotted around so i...

Hello, I am hoping to build a summer house/shed combo at the bottom of the garden. I am hoping to build it myself as I won't be able to find something off the shelf that will meet my requirements. It is going to be one big building with part of it serving as a shed and the other part a summer...

I hope that someone can help me. I am partway through constructing a close board fence next to my new single skin garden wall. The previous fence was posts and panels some of which were bolted into the wall, these recently took out part of the wall in a storm. Have got half the fence done...

I’m doing a rear extension on my bungalow, the floor is going to be block and beam. My question is... where the beams key into the existing cavity wall, do they have to knock through so that they sit on the inner load bearing skin? Or can they rest on the outer skin? any advice would be...

Hi all, Embarking on a small extension on the back of the house. No knocking through required, just using existing window and door openings. I've spoken to BC for some of the technical info, and am intending on doing a chunk of the work myself as much as possible. My questions are as follows...

HI All, Somewhat of a random question so don't shoot me for asking! I am building a retaining wall to form a driveway next to my house (its about 6m from the house). The height being retained is about 1m in existing made up ground forming a bank to the field next door which is about 1m lower...

Morning We have just commenced the build of an orangery off the back of our property. The plan and quote was to have a 7m x 4m beam and block base with an air gap of around 150mm, so a fair bit of excavation. However when the builder turned up he suggested a slab as it worked better with the...

Hi - I am applying for a build over agreement with Thames Water to build over a sewer. They require "Existing" and "Proposed": a) Cross-sectional foundation plan b) Ground floor plans How do people usually determine the existing foundation plan? Do you actually dig down until you see the...

Hi It seems i'm trying for the record of the longest time taken to do an extension! I am hitting so many problems! After much advice & discussion with several structural engineers and the recommendation of the building officer, I am having the foundations for my two storey extension piled...

hi all im building a large gym in my garden which is 9.7m by 3.8m i have dug the trenches and they are 800mm deep which the building inspector is happy with. he has said i can trench fill upto 400mm and trench block the rest. ive been offered some thermalite blocks 3.6n could i use these as...

Can anyone tell me how far, very roughly, the concrete generally projects from the face of an underpinned wall please? Been digging a small trial pit to expose the foundations of my neighbour's Victorian flank wall, as I need to build some new footings adjacent to this, and have exposed some...