Help! Builder advice needed. Acro props and padstone advice

[robbieee]

Got a builder in to knock a load bearing wall through 2522mm long. Building warrant approved. Pads on the drawing spec'd as 420mm length. The builder said he always just fits 150mm long padstones. Advice/comments?

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• robbieee
• 21 May 2014
• 1

Also he has only put 4 acro props up. And I noticed just there that one of the floor board is slightly raised now where one acro is. Is this normal? Shouldn't these be on the joists? Are there Enough props for the length of opening? The beam arrives on Friday so it's on these props til then.

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• robbieee
• 21 May 2014
• 1

Doubting this builder now.

 

[tony1851]

Don't be too hasty in putting your builder on 'Rogue Traders'.

On that sort of span, 4 acrows should be OK, and if they are on the floorboards (rather than directly over a joist) that won't be an issue for the short time they'll be up.

The padstone has been specified as 420 long?? Frankly that's ridiculous.
On a span of 2500 or so, the load won't be very high and if the walling is in reasonable condition, the shorter pad you've got will be fine.

 

[robbieee]

Thanks for your reply.

My worry with the pads is that it isn't to the specified drawing.

 

[tony1851]

Thanks for your reply.

My worry with the pads is that it isn't to the specified drawing.

Then ask the SE (or architect or whoever did the drawing) precisely why such a long padstone is required, because it is so unusual.

I suspect they've just picked a figure off the top of their head, thereby leaving you to worry about it.

 

[noseall]

Off the shelf proprietary pad's are sold in the size of a standard block i.e. 440mm x 220mm x 100mm. Simple to spec', simple to buy and simple to fit. Not ridiculous at all.

Your builder is a dick. He has no right to question the S.E. and cause you the protracted hassle of having to ring around proving what he has decided what he wants to do.

 

[robbieee]

The builder has said he will ask the SE whether it's required. But it will be required as that's what it says on the approved drawings!

The problem now is that putting the larger padstones in, means it goes right across some light switch cable. Which wasn't in the drawings or the costs.

just worried about these acros now.

 

[stuart45]

Your builder is a dick.

He has been a bit of one with the acros. In theory you should go down to solid ground when suppoting a lot of weight. However he should at least of put a scaffold board under them all to spread the weight. If one of the floorboards is bending it shows the problem.

 

[robbieee]

The builder phoned today and said that I was right with the 425 length and he needs to change it. However, the light switch needs moving now. Which means more unplanned cost!!!!

 

[robbieee]

Your builder is a dick.

He has been a bit of one with the acros. In theory you should go down to solid ground when suppoting a lot of weight. However he should at least of put a scaffold board under them all to spread the weight. If one of the floorboards is bending it shows the problem.

I'm hoping that as the beam is going tomorrow, it won't be much of an issue. I hope!!!

 

[noseall]

What is a light switch and a beam pad doing at the same height?

Either it is a low beam or a high switch!

 

[tony1851]

Off the shelf proprietary pad's are sold in the size of a standard block i.e. 440mm x 220mm x 100mm. Simple to spec', simple to buy and simple to fit. Not ridiculous at all.

Your builder is a dick. He has no right to question the S.E. and cause you the protracted hassle of having to ring around proving what he has decided what he wants to do.

It is ridiculous; you can easiliy get smaller padstones, and 420 long is far too big for that load.

Its not the builder who's a dick - it's the SE.

 

[noseall]

It is ridiculous; you can easiliy get smaller padstones, and 420 long is far too big for that load.

Its not the builder who's a dick - it's the SE.

How difficult do you actually think it is to fit a 'block' sized padstone, especially one you can go and buy off the shelf?

Do you think it is less effort than having to buy one then cut it down then fanny about ringing and arguing with an uppity S.E.

We are talking about an item that costs a few quid to buy and is not difficult to handle.

I think you are losing your marbles Tone.

 

[tony1851]

A shorter padstone will easily spread the load from the beam-end, and will be far less disruptive, in that less brickwork would have to be removed to fit it.

The wall appears to be single brick. Let's be conservative, and assume it is 20N brick in old lime mortar The permissible stress on the brickwork would be around 1.85N/mm^2.

With a 420 long by 100 wide padstone, the maximum allowable factored load would be over 77kN . Don't tell me that a beam spanning 2.5m in a domestic setting is carrying 154kN.

I stand by what I said - that the SE is a ----. Either he has not done the figures properly, or he has chosen the easy route and not done any figures all and just picked a figure out of the air. That's not engineering - it's fraud. It would be interesting to see a copy of the calcs if the OP would post them?

 

[robbieee]

Where would he have his calculations? I don't see them. I just have the drawings and the application for the building warrant.

The council agreed that the padstones should be longer. They had an inspection today. They seemed happy that the new padstones will be in tomorrow.

The longer padstones should be easy to make for the builder. As it's just a concrete lintel sawed in pieces. It's just this light switch that needs to get moved now!!!

 

[tony1851]

Where would he have his calculations?

There probably aren't any