Recent content by j_mchattie

Hello, I made a 6x 4" 12v DC fan extractor hatch for my loft - it works really well to pull cool air up through the house and out the loft. I'd like to attach a filter to the loft side so if it's windy the glass fibre from the insulation in the loft wont come in to the house. My...

Hi, Until I save up and put in a new kitchen, my washing machine is in the garage. I can run hot and cold water to it but the drain is a problem. There is a drain outside but it would mean boring a hole through the wall (no problem) and running a pipe right across my front door step...

No, no Cobra here. I'm 21 and Mr Insurance says no (as does student wallet). However, I can stretch to concrete block walls in the pit. The earth is dry in the pit at the moment - you can see that from the photos. Hopefully Concrete block would be strong enough for the job - its only 4ft deep...

What do you think about this? http://www.cobraclub.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-1360.html Basically the last guy used concrete block backfilled with concrete. Is that an OK option? It would be a lot easier for me to do that. If I built a concrete block wall around the inside of the pit...

SimonWH - thanks for that, I will do a search for them. House move is going really slow (Dont ever use TG Baynes for a move), so it will be mid Jan when I actually do this. Not sure how to hold the shutter in place, ill sort that when I come to it!

Ok, thanks for your advice. Im not rubbishing it, but I think I will use one facing of 10mm rebar and 6" of concrete. The pit is only 4ft deep and it will all be poured at the same time, so it will be one huge piece. If any cracks develop I will just fill them in. I cant see any danger of...

I've got a book by Rick Arnold called 'Working with Concrete' It says rebar must be 3" away from soil. If I follow this rule I can only have one facing of rebar mesh. It says the same as the grave stone site, the rebar will otherwise rust, expand and the concrete will crack. It also...

Ive just read this http://www.savinggraves.org/education/bookshelf/rebar.htm What do you think?

Ok, Thanks all. Ill let you know how it goes in a couple of weeks time.

STATIC - A layer each side..... Sorry, what do you mean by this?

It looks like the standard size for a rebar mesh (fabric) is 4.8 by 2.4m I can get all the sides I need from one of those, including the floor. You mentioned the 8mm rebar, but if its allowed I would prefer to use the 6 because if the weld spacing. Is one facing of 6mm rebar in 6" of...

I will also try to cast a raised step all the way round to stop running water from entering. This will be quite difficult for me as I havent done anything this large before, nor used rebar - so apologies for the rubbish questions! Is rebar really required for a project this small? Bearing...

No way! Its going to be ultra handy. Im doing an MSc in Automotive Engineering next year. So 6" of concrete with rebar to boot. Would it simply be one layer of mesh (6mm?) all the way round? And who supplies small quantities like that (I live in Gravesend, Kent)? Thanks

Thanks for your advice - I is my primary aim to make it safe. How thick does the concrete need to be? I am not happy about digging one of the sides out anymore than it is, because its only 3ft from the house. Obviously I will need to remove material to re-fill the gap with concrete, but I...

The photos are here http://picasaweb.google.com/james.mchattie/Pit Thanks James