Recent content by BuilderSte

never had the need to use a pump. nobody round here does either. barrowing concrete is not hard. and 3m is nothing really. did a slab with 6m in it the other month me and my mate with the conc company helping to barrow, took no time, do footings week in week out, again with barrows, no prob...

firstly you should always mix wet to dry, ie add water first, this is the correct way, ignore any advice to the contrary. by all means gauge your mix with shovels, buckets and what have you. but remember if you always fill to capacity the consisancy will be the same, just explaining how it is...

get those lats and thighs workin, 3m of conc, get it in in no time. some of your local firms will provide a borrowing service, usually 1 or 2 young scroats who barrow in with you.if they barrow you can rake and point at where u want it.

in my opinion , on clay, a properly constructed concrete strip footing would be suffficiant. provided the footing is of adequate depth, width and has a good fill of concrete. recently completed a very similar size garage, a little longer but a little narrower. however we are spoilt were i live...

hope you have a nice nest egg tucked away as what you are talking about is a big job. best of luck tho, especially with the demigods at your LAPD

firstly its not normal, far from it. nosealls comment was right, if the ground beneath the stripfooting has changed state and expanded or shrunk due to weather this could account for it. however if your footings wentdown only 500mm you may not have reached virgin ground and therefore the...

lol just dont throw it at what your building. here is a little tip along those lines tho, take a little on your trowel as if to butter a cross joint. turn the trowel upside down, if the mortar stays on the upturned trowel for a few moments its good stuff, iff it falls off immediately its shizen

engineers are often OTT due to this blame culture society we live in. however, if your builder has accepted on the basis of a drawing, he should comply with it as shown or discuss alterations before work begins. usually in my experiance retaining walls are faced with brick if seen and the back...

get it delivered from a concrete wagon. you will pay around £100 (ish) per cubic meter and it will take you no time at all. to mix 3+ meters will take a long time and you wont save anything mixing it after buying all aggregates and your time.

lo. yes any contractor would be happy to present you with details of insurance. secondly, as you mentioned in your post a contract should be drawn up on a job that size, detailing the work that is to be carried out and the agreed payment stages. this will ensure all runs smoothly and there...

you want to lay a concrete strip footing first. ensure that the building line is square. the bricklayers will then come and build to your FFL/DPC (finished floor level/ damp proof course) then you need to put down hardcore for your concrete slab, crusher will do, make sure it is well...

for a start, no sane man would contact a structural engineer over a 22ft by 6ft wall. find a recommended local bricklayer / builder, there advice will be more than suffciant. i would suggest 6inch block and pillars. i would not use 4inch on a single skin freestanding wall. if the location is...

lo all. the best advice i can offer you is this, mix from wet to dry, dont use too much feb or the mix may end up like pea soup, let the mixer do the work. this prob isnt the best way to encourage proper practice to a beginner but i mix in the following way. turn the mixer, add around half a...

i would suggest using a box and lip type lintel. a concrete lintel is out the question for both internal and external as your opening is 3m wide and concrete lintels only go to 3m max. your lintel must be at least 3300mm - 3400 to get the correct bearing. provided there is around 300mm (1ft)...