Workshop Design - well it's a build really.

[CWatters]

If Building control are involved (they should be if <1m to the boundary) then they may want the insulation warpped around the piers as well.

If the wall is 7.5 meters long I guess you may get away with only one pier in the middle. Have a chat with your SE.

Make sure he knows you want an open roof space. An alternative to a collar beams would be to install a structural ridge beam supported on gable ends to stop the spreading effect of the rafters. In effect the rafters would hang from the ridge rather than rest on the walls. Instead of just nailing them to the ridge they have to be strapped together.

Also check rafter span tables for size of rafter required without a purlin

 

[Dibs-h]

With the door in the middle - I was thinking of putting one pier either side of the workshop door and one on each side of both windows - giving 6 in total.

One on either side of the door as I'm not very comfortable with fitting a door into a single skin of blockwork, with 1000's of pounds of equipment\tools on the other side.

And sort of the same notion for the windows - and it would would allow me to fit stone cills to match the house and have the window set slightly further back in the opening. I know 6 piers might be slighty excessive - but I wouldn't have thought it would add much time\cost to the build.

As for the rear wall - was thinking of putting around 4 piers in that. I'll work out tomorrow the min height I require in the workshop & see what the truss firm have to say.

Cheers for the suggestion - I'll have a chat with the SE and see what he says. Plan B was to have 2 trusses - spaced at 1/3 & 2/3 of the length with collar ties at the lowest point as opposed to being raised.

 

[Shadowfax]

CWatters":3dlcevh6]If Building control are involved (they should be if <1m to the boundary) then they may want the insulation warpped around the piers as well.

As you are building in blockwork your workshop will be substantially non-combustible so you do not need to build more that a metre from the boundary. Building Regulations only specify that figure for a combustible structure.

I don't know what you will be doing but we might as well all be clear on this.

It is looking good so far. I'm getting jealous already!

SF

 

[Dibs-h]

Did around 3 hours on Sunday eve - the ground is no level to within +\-3 inches. I decided to call it quits at that point, after constantly telling myself it wasn't a table top or something & didn't need to be perfectly level.

It wasn't exactly a walk in the park - but didn't feel the need to get the digger back.

I'll be having a go digging out for one of the ground beams this evening - that might change the perspective on the digger.

I don't mind getting it in - but this is free exercise and the tum does need to go, took long enough to get rid of the man-boobs & dear God, wouldn't want them back, and the tum can't stay.

Besides - each trip up and down next doors drive and across their garden, I get the feeling that these favours are to be used lightly, there's always payback.

I'll post up some more piccies after this evenings digging.

For the r\c slab - the local Builders merchants does the type of mesh required - however for the groundbeams I suspect I will need some sort of "cage" when you look down the end of it. Any suggestions on suppliers? Or does one DIY?

 

[Dibs-h]

Did some digging last night - completely shattered. I have 2 pairs of the same model of trainers (slightly different colour for each pair) - I was that shattered, I never noiced that the left one was from Pair A and the right one from Pair B.

I decided to dig one of the shorter trenches,

The ground beam is approx 450 wide and 450 deep, so thought I'd give it a bash.

Not realised I must have a quarry that no has discovered - here's what came out of the trench,

Here's it from a wider shot,

Not bad for 2.5 hours work.

The original plan had been to use the wheelbarrow - but the combination of flat tyre and overloading - I just thought sod it - can't be bothered, something for another day.

I've got the SE popping round tonight - hopefully should have the spec for the ground beam cages and slab mesh, along with better idea of the pour sequence.

I've also been sent in the direction of a local Concrete Reinforcement suppliers - looks like all the reinforcement, etc should be no more than £200 delivered - so quite relieved.

Got the B\C inspector popping round 1st thing Friday morning as well. The plan is to get everything ready for the pour by end of week 3 of June (give or take a few days) - and with the reinforcement people quoting a leadtime of several days - good chance of getting there.

Anyone any idea of how long one is supposed to let concrete set before either building on it or pouring the next stage (plan is to do the groundbeams 1st, then pour the slab)?

 

[wizer]

Looking good, hows you back?? :lol: :lol:

 

[Dibs-h]

Looking good, hows you back?? :lol: :lol:

My back hasn't been good for the last several years and on the recent Bank Holiday - the muscles in the lower back spasmed causing me to freeze and stay put for 45 mins which wasn't any fun. It took almost 2 weeks for my left stride to return to normal - it got kinda shortened.

But my problems are muscle related - so whilst it was sore last night (2 Ibuprofens + 2 paracetamol afterwards), today it's feels very good - alomost normal.

Lord knows how it will feel tomorrow (after tonights session)?

Off to see the Chiro in a bit today as well - not 'cos of the digging, but more to do about the "freeze" on the Bank Holiday.

 

[wizer]

Take care mate. I advanced my problems whilst house bashing over the past 5yrs. Rome wasn't built in a day.

 

[Dibs-h]

Take care mate. I advanced my problems whilst house bashing over the past 5yrs. Rome wasn't built in a day.

I was going to say you have no idea how careful one has become with respect to the back - but reading the other thread about dodgy backs - I'd say you do.

Stuff I would have done before - not anymore. Thankfully I don't have any skeletal issues, the issues are entirely muscle based. Extremely tight hamstrings and quads, combined with water poor core muscle strength.

The yoga is helping immensly with the flexibility and going to sort out some sort of regime to improve the core muscle strength.

Now it's taking time out for R&R - more like maintenance to be honest. Chiro, monthly for a deep tissue massage of the back - gives a new meaning to "getting the elbow", and visiting Harrogate's Turkish baths which aren't too far. But it all starts to suck money and time.

 

[Dibs-h]

Update.

Wed

Got the old measuring tape out and realised that I hadn't quite cleared enough of the site, so rather than digging another trench - shifted some of the existing spoils and cleared another 4m x 1m section at the end. This time I made sure I overcleared by 0.5m.

You can see the extra bit - the surface is a slightly darker colour.

Thurs

Got going around 4pm - with my son thinking it was fun climbing the "mountains" in the garden (thankfully at 7yrs old - could just be left to it till his mother came home an hr later). Measured everything around 5 times from every conceivable point just to make sure I didn't dig stuff up in the wrong place. End result,

Finished around 8pm. It's not quite to the final depth - I'll do teh final "fettling" after all 4 are dug.

The "quarry" is getting bigger,

There's a nother one at the other end - and that's just the stone from the last metre of trench and it's not even at full depth!

Fri

Had the B\C chap out along with the SE. B\C want it to go thru - so the SE will be doing the Building Notice asap and the inspector will be out in a weeks time when the steelwork is in and ready to pour.

The B\C chap did say that it would make a nice bungalow in the future for someone. So that's got me think of whether to ensure the construction comes up to the level of a dwelling or not. I'll be redoing the costings and if the costing is marginally more - then I'm inclined to go for it. We may never do it - but if we ever sold, I can imagine it would of interest to someone wanting a granny flat or thereabouts.

Tonight - hopefully be digging the 2nd short run.

 

[Dibs-h]

Fri, eve

Didn't do anything - wifey person went out visiting friends.

Sat

Started at around mid-day and kept going till the eveing. managed to get all the way round. Thankfully the trench near the wall is only 12" deep as opposed to 18" on the garden side.

By the boundary wall - the slab is likely to be cantilevered by almost a metre.

I was shattered at the end - to say the hands were blistered is putting it mildly.

Sun

Now came the time to get everything to the right depth, width and level ('ish). Got a water level and decided to do the long trench (by the garden side) first. Decided to take it a little easier so only got that one done,

I'm hoping to get the rest done over the course of the week. It was suggested by the SE to use a trench rammer\wacker to comapct the base of the trenches prior to anything. Rang round the local hire shops - most don't have any available - all out apprently. Even if they did - it's £50 for the day & £100 for the week, all plus VAT.

Looked on Fleebay & bought a ex-hire one for £100 and reasonably local too.

 

[Dibs-h]

Over the course of the week I got the trenches cut to the final width and depth having checked for level etc.

Not exactly super acurate - but used 4 stakes in the corners with string (reasonably taught & a line level) to get an idea of where shuttering would be required and how much fill under the slab element,

The SE came out on Sat afternoon and suggested cutting out more on the 2 long sides, so that at least 0.5m of rebar extends into these bits (behind shuttering) - so that when the foundations are done for the garage - the 2 lots can be tied together.

Here you can see the extra bits,

Then out with the wacker and compressed the base of the trench. I did end up spraying the trenches and sides with a little water, just to keep the dust down.

The SE provided a bar schedule for the reinforcement, so that will be getting paid for tomorow and delivered on Wed - so will probably spend the rest of the week assembling that.

In the last 2 pictures you can see the large Hilti breaker. That made light work of the extra trench bits. Like a . - I'd completely forgotton I had one. It would have been so much easier to use than a bloody pickaxe.

Live and learn I suppose.

 

[billybuntus]

excellent update as usual, keep it up I'm really enoying the detail. Right up my street 8)

 

[Dibs-h]

Update - ordered the steel yesterday for the foundations yesterday according to bar schedule provided by the SE, it arrives this afternoon.

Rang round - substantial price variations, makes you wonder whether the smaller firms are actually using the larger firms and effectively "drop-shipping".

Mesh, rebar, shear links and a few other shapes along with 2 bags of double cover spacers and a roll of tie wire - grand total of £435.

Thats's just for the workshop - the garage is likely to be double that.

For those amongst us that have assembled steel on site - is there a specific way of tying the wire? Or just a case of tied sufficiently so that it holds togther?

Edit - just found this, http://www.wikihow.com/Tie-Rebar

 

[Dibs-h]

Update - the steel turned up as stated,

Got slightly diverted as a neighbour turned up in a panic - water shooting out everywhere in their utility room - somehow a washing m\c valve (hot feed no longer used) had turned on and the little plastic "handle" snapped off. Suspect someone had brused past it. So thankfully having a spare valve in the plumbing toolbox, replace the knackered one. I valve, 5 mins and some very grateful neighbours.

Bizarre, when she ran over, her husband had told her I wouldn't be in, and she said she'd try anyway. If it hadn't been for the steel delivery - I wouldn't have been home - how's that for coincidence.

I'd already taken the shear links and z bars round the back.

Spent about 4 hours on Thursday evening assembling the 1st cage, thank God the the weather has cooled. Had the sun in my face all the time except for the last 20 mins. Here's the end result,

On with the rest tonight and the weekend. I'm hoping to get the shuttering in place (where it requires it) and get some type 1 down on the top and compacted, before doing the z bars, as they might make it difficult to do if fitted 1st.

 

[MikeG.]

Dibs,

is this the same project we've been discussing in another thread?

If so, the drawing you showed seemed to have the flank wall hard up to the boundary wall........indeed, it looked as though the workshop wall overlapped the garden wall slightly.

Here, the trench seems to be a metre or so away from the wall. What am I looking at?

Mike

 

[Dibs-h]

Mike

It is the same project. Because I wanted the workshop up against the boundary wall, but not wanting to have to undermine\underpin it - we went for a cantilevered slab.

Hopefully the following should show\explain it better,

Dibs

 

[sometimewoodworker]

Update - the steel turned up as stated,



Spent about 4 hours on Thursday evening assembling the 1st cage, thank God the the weather has cooled. Had the sun in my face all the time except for the last 20 mins. Here's the end result,

On with the rest tonight and the weekend. I'm hoping to get the shuttering in place (where it requires it) and get some type 1 down on the top and compacted, before doing the z bars, as they might make it difficult to do if fitted 1st.

:x Sorry to rain on your parade but.

Your cage looks as if it is too wide for the trench it is in you need at least 2cm clearence on all sides otherwise the rebar will rust and breakup your foundations.

An example is here.

In this pic you can see the cage is suspended. In the next you can see the spacers keeping the cage centred.

 

[Dibs-h]

A few place may need the odd bit of fettling - but the cage actually needs to be lifted up, which should improve clearance as the sides are a little sloped.

The slope down between the nearest side (bottom of picture) and the far side (top of picture) is 100mm, requiring the far end to be lifted by 100mm.

The trench is supposed to be 450 wide and the cage is 370 wide - leaving 40mm cover all round. I'm confident that once the cage is "levelled" there will be at least 40mm cover all round.

I am intending to put some longer vertical lengths in every so often - say around 0.5m tall, to centre the cages and minimise movement, but also to serve something inidcate depth for the pour. These would be driven below the depth of the trenches.

The plan is\was to build the 2 long cages first - level them in relation to the trenches and to each other, then build the shorter two tying them all together. Then drive in the 0.5m verticals every so often to centre the cages and to serve as depth guides. Although these will probably have to be driven in, before the 4 corners are "knitted" together.

 

[Dibs-h]

Update - I'm somewhat shattered, but fair bit of progress. As SometimeWoodworker pointed out - trench width. At 1st it did look as if raising the cages would solve the issue of maintaining at least 40mm cover all round, perhaps with a little fettling of the trenches - it also became instantly apparent that life would be massively easier, pulling the cage out 1st.

So a mate who came round on Sat at 08:00 - man that was so early - to help me move the mesh from round the front to the rear - before 2m3 of type 1 got parked on it, grabbed on end, me the other and out it came.

So after several hours - all four trenches were a little wider. Had the SE round, he seemed happy with everything. Assembled all the cages - wired together in the corners, and even got some shuttering in place, and some type 1 down. Just need to add some more ply (or something) to extend the shuttering down in 1 or 3 places and add some more on the outside of the trenches.

Here's a piccy of progress upto last night - around 10pm,

I used some engineering bricks in places to get stuff reasonably level - but chatting to the SE he mentioned that the concrete would be breached in places due to doing this - but he didn't feel it was a problem.

But got me thinking - will be popping by wickes or something and getting around 10-15 concrete paving blocks - they're 50mm thick and with the concrete spacers I have, should give me the 100m and 150 lift (dug out to bloody much) I require. Along with being able to suspend the cages in place by using a 3x2 offcut across the trench where shuttering is both on the outside of the trench and on the inside.

My arms look like I've gone 10 rounds with a demented cat - scratched is putting it politely from assembling the cages insitu and worse the bloody shear links - thats the Z bars you might see poking out. Well at least it's done so far.

The B\C inspector is coming at 12 tomorrow - hopefully do the pour on Sat am. That gives me the rest of this week to finish the shuttering and double check everything (and the triple check it again) and make sure the concrete poker drive unit works.