That'll be something to do with your name on here then
Conservatory foundatios.
- Thread starter Tristar
- Start date
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The saga continues.
The builder has now completed the footings to 1 meter deep and 450mm wide, and put in 6.5 cubic meters of C20 concrete, which comes to a few inches below the trench top. Unfortunately I have been unable to get the images from photobucket to upload onto this reply. I don't find that method terribly user friendly, ( Moderator, why can't I upload images straight from my own files? Seems cumbersome going through photobucket, whose site is almost incomprehensible.)
Anyway, back to the builder, you will recall that he was not a happy bunny having to dig deeper, and replace the soakaway with two new ones, due to poor communication from the boss. Yesterday he promised to bring me some bricks to choose from, instead of which, however, he made up his own mind and brought a pallet of - you've guessed it - ones that didn't match. I told him that I would go into town and choose a brick. I was gone an hour and half, and found an exact match. When I got back he had cleared the site and left. Would not answer my home phone, but I got him on my mobile. Reading between the lines, I think he was unhappy with the extra work, and probably with the extra money offered by his employer, but is saying that we did not get on, seems the fact that I didn't like his choice of brick upset him. I have to say I was very disappointed, as, once the initial problem with the footings depth was resolved, I thought he and his two lads had done an excellent job, and my last words to him before I left were, "What a great job you've done with the footings." Sensitive little souls, builders, aren't they! I am now waiting a call from the Conservatory supplier to tell me who is going to finish the job.
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The builder has now completed the footings to 1 meter deep and 450mm wide, and put in 6.5 cubic meters of C20 concrete, which comes to a few inches below the trench top. Unfortunately I have been unable to get the images from photobucket to upload onto this reply. I don't find that method terribly user friendly, ( Moderator, why can't I upload images straight from my own files? Seems cumbersome going through photobucket, whose site is almost incomprehensible.)
Anyway, back to the builder, you will recall that he was not a happy bunny having to dig deeper, and replace the soakaway with two new ones, due to poor communication from the boss. Yesterday he promised to bring me some bricks to choose from, instead of which, however, he made up his own mind and brought a pallet of - you've guessed it - ones that didn't match. I told him that I would go into town and choose a brick. I was gone an hour and half, and found an exact match. When I got back he had cleared the site and left. Would not answer my home phone, but I got him on my mobile. Reading between the lines, I think he was unhappy with the extra work, and probably with the extra money offered by his employer, but is saying that we did not get on, seems the fact that I didn't like his choice of brick upset him. I have to say I was very disappointed, as, once the initial problem with the footings depth was resolved, I thought he and his two lads had done an excellent job, and my last words to him before I left were, "What a great job you've done with the footings." Sensitive little souls, builders, aren't they! I am now waiting a call from the Conservatory supplier to tell me who is going to finish the job.
Tis easier to post into your own album on this forum as explained here.
As I said in a previous post, it's not uncommon for them to have a fixed fee arrangement with the conservatory supplier, who's invariably at least two jobs behind in paying, then when any client complains, blames it on the contractor and uses it as an excuse not to pay them. Presumably, if you got away with £85 for the EO work, that's been banged down to £40/£50 to him, so he was not interested in wasting any more time on the job.
None of which helps you and it's somewhat unprofessional, but there you go...!
Btw, if he got the bricks for below ground work, then they wouldn't need to match up: any old stuff will usually be got and used, which is fine. Edit: just seen that the concrete stops off a few inches below GL, so ignore my last
As I said in a previous post, it's not uncommon for them to have a fixed fee arrangement with the conservatory supplier, who's invariably at least two jobs behind in paying, then when any client complains, blames it on the contractor and uses it as an excuse not to pay them. Presumably, if you got away with £85 for the EO work, that's been banged down to £40/£50 to him, so he was not interested in wasting any more time on the job.
None of which helps you and it's somewhat unprofessional, but there you go...!
Btw, if he got the bricks for below ground work, then they wouldn't need to match up: any old stuff will usually be got and used, which is fine. Edit: just seen that the concrete stops off a few inches below GL, so ignore my last
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i would say that the builder is being paid peanuts for this job.
my children would have to be starving before i would construct connie bases for a crust. the plastic morons allow only a third of the costs necessary to do a proper job.
i have little faith in upvc companies. as the generations of connie companies 'evolve' subsequent owners know less and less about the building trade.
Hi ST,
no he chose these bricks for the whole outside dwarf wall, and he had said he would bring a couple of choices. But in the event made his own mind up, and yes I did say I didn't want that brick, but hey, if I'm spending £xxgrand , I'm entitled to choose the bricks! In any event, no blockwork is now required as the footings are only just below the surface.
//network.diynot.com/Tristar/albums/
See if you can get the pix from here, I don't know how I did it last time, and even using your link it is not simple enough for this idiot.
no he chose these bricks for the whole outside dwarf wall, and he had said he would bring a couple of choices. But in the event made his own mind up, and yes I did say I didn't want that brick, but hey, if I'm spending £xxgrand , I'm entitled to choose the bricks! In any event, no blockwork is now required as the footings are only just below the surface.
//network.diynot.com/Tristar/albums/
See if you can get the pix from here, I don't know how I did it last time, and even using your link it is not simple enough for this idiot.
£4700, I presume, is for groundworks, slab and brick/block to cill level? Or does that also include tiling once the cons is up? Plus VAT?
Photos worked fine - even if you don't know how you did it at least the two steps are courseable, assuming that it's level between those points.
For the relatively small amount of facings that you require, then the variation in cost per thou would be three parts of nada in the scheme of things, so there shouldn't have been a problem in you choosing them. His fault, anyhow, should have got you some samples for appro beforehand.
Photos worked fine - even if you don't know how you did it
at least the two steps are courseable, assuming that it's level between those points.For the relatively small amount of facings that you require, then the variation in cost per thou would be three parts of nada in the scheme of things, so there shouldn't have been a problem in you choosing them. His fault, anyhow, should have got you some samples for appro beforehand.
WOW 6.5m3 of the grey stuff for a conny footing Rest assured that wont be going anywhere
I think the builder may have mis-interpreted what you wanted, 1 meter down then 250mm strip footing would have been fine.
Then again he has saved himself coming out of the ground.
By the way, i cant see your piccies? have you taken them down already.
Rest assured that wont be going anywhere I think the builder may have mis-interpreted what you wanted, 1 meter down then 250mm strip footing would have been fine.
Then again he has saved himself coming out of the ground.
By the way, i cant see your piccies? have you taken them down already.
As you say, he preferred to save time/money(?) by not blocking up. Which makes me wonder, as he clearly had a hidden agenda for p*****g off, he probably had a nice little earner somewhere else, if he got away early today, (12.30) Try this link.
//network.diynot.com/Tristar/albums/
//network.diynot.com/Tristar/albums/
There is something strange here, in Internet Explorer the link above says my albums do not exist. In Mozilla Firefox, which I normally use, the albums come up straight away with the same link. I blame Bill Gates myself.
There is something strange here, in Internet Explorer the link above says my albums do not exist. In Mozilla Firefox, which I normally use, the albums come up straight away with the same link.
I blame Bill Gates myself.
mass filling foundations is not unusual. so long as the builder has taken into account ground level deviations, potential services and can accommodate storm gulley depths, then mass filling is economical.
mass filling is only discouraged, where a number of services cross the trench, and wisdom suggests a shallow foundation with courses of masonry. this method affords the builder an opportunity to 'slot and lintel' around the services without actually trapping them in concrete.
mass filling is only discouraged, where a number of services cross the trench, and wisdom suggests a shallow foundation with courses of masonry. this method affords the builder an opportunity to 'slot and lintel' around the services without actually trapping them in concrete.
Que?
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