Will this pass building control?

[WoOt]

The builder's bricky went off sick with covid, which was threatening to hold things up, so he's started the bricklaying on two piers that are to support a 6m (575kg) steel himself.

The steel went in with two genie lifts today and is currently held in place by two acrow props. He's built up one and a half pier today, and when he left tonight after dark he did say it didn't look good, but that I shouldn't worry as it will be "plenty strong".

I just went out to have a look, and I'm a little worried by what I've seen. I thought I'd post some pictures and maybe someone can reassure me (although I fear the opposite might happen).

As long as this will be a) safe, b) pass building control, I guess I won't care too much. But if it won't, I'd rather know now as I'm pretty sure this weekend the padstones will be cast in-situ with bolts in the beam and attached to the 6m steel. Probably won't be easy to undo.

The spec from the structural engineer was:

325x325mm solid engineering brick pier fully tooth bonded to inner leaf
Engineering brick piers are to be constructed using minimum 40N solid brickwork laid in type (ii) mortar to BS5628. 1 Portland cement: 4 sand + plasticiser.

The bottom of the level is touching (in places), but clearly the pier isn't straight. As you can see there's about a 1 - 2cm gap at the top.

 

[^woody^]

builder's bricky went off sick with covid

I don't want to be mean, but if it was Long- Covid he would never return to the industry with his extravagant claims of being "a brickie".

On a similar theme, there is no jab that would cure that shiite work, or erase the memories. I'll try some malt though in the interim

 

[WoOt]

It's the main contractor (builder) who's built this. I believe he's a carpenter by trade. His bricky is off sick. I know it's dreadful. The question is:

1. Will it pass?
2. Is it safe to take a 575kg beam?

Builder isn't the easiest, so if it will pass and is safe, I'd rather not bring it up. Even though I think it's appalling.

I have no idea how to even approach this with him in the morning and I fear he'll finish it tomorrow and start casting the padstones. If I call BCO in the morning, I fear they won't be able to visit until Monday (as I'd rather let them deliver the bad news).

 

[jacko555]

fully tooth bonded to inner leaf

Is it? I can't tell. If it's not then that's a point to raise "not built to spec"
Cripes my dead nan could do better.

 

[WoOt]

Is it? I can't tell. If it's not then that's a point to raise "not built to spec"

I am not a bricklayer, so not entirely sure what tooth bonded is. He asked me to get some wall starters, at which point I pointed out the spec said: "tooth bonded". He very reluctantly grinded out what I thought were the teeth (in red below). Although I can see he ended up chopping them off higher up the wall (as he was so far out that the bricks no longer fitted).

 

[^woody^]

The question should not be "Will it pass?" but "Will it crumble if it passes and I am living there"

I have no idea how to even approach this with him in the morning

You say "You are complete shiite, your work is awful and you are an embarrassment to the industry. Now sort that god damn ****ing awful pile of **** out if you want paying. Pay a ****ing proper bricklayer for ****s sake. And don't do any crap work like that again on my job, you poor excuse for a man"

Or words to that effect.

 

[jacko555]

I am not a builder. Sure an expert can advise. Looks wrong. Very wrong.
http://nhbccampaigns.co.uk/landingpages/techzone/previous_versions/2007/Part6/section1/sitework.htm

 

[WoOt]

You say "You are complete shiite, your work is awful and you are an embarrassment to the industry. Now sort that god damn ****ing awful pile of **** out if you want paying. Pay a ****ing proper bricklayer for ****s sake. And don't do any crap work like that again on my job, you poor excuse for a man"

Or words to that effect.

Sadly, I fear I know what that might lead to. We paid 25% up front, with the remainder payable on completion. He then dragged his feet and said he was worried about not getting paid and that his guys wanted paying upfront and he had all his cash out on other jobs....
Long story short, we paid him another 25% earlier this week to get things going again. The work to date had been reasonably good, so I figured "why not".
I know he walked off a previous job, so fear he might do the same here. With the back wall out, and his 8 acrows supporting the house, it's all a bit nerve wrecking.

 

[^woody^]

I'd let him walk.

He seems like a complete charlatan twaat with his use of the old 'emotional blackmail and implied threats' business model

Presumably your contract is not for him to give you complete shiite work and you pay him regardless? If it is, carry on.

 

[WoOt]

Trouble is that the rest of the work looks OK. The work his brickie has done is actually really good.

If I call Building Control first thing in the morning, do you think there's any chance they'd come out for a same day inspection?

@^woody^, can you confirm whether that would be considered tooth bonded?

 

[jeds]

You do sometimes see some carp but that's one for the album. Is that pier as specified by the engineer? Is 575kg the weight of the beam, or the overall load?

 

[WoOt]

The beam alone is 575kg, which I always thought was way over the top. But what can you do? It might be as heavy as what it's supporting. The spec for the pier was as above:

325x325mm solid engineering brick pier fully tooth bonded to inner leaf

I don't feel like I'm the right person to say whether it technically conforms. I don't know if that's tooth bonded or not. It's definitely built out of engineering bricks. In some places it's 325mm, but where the "tooth" are it's down to 260mm. Is that OK? I have no idea.

Have written to BCO to come and have a look tomorrow, but fear they might not arrive until Monday.

 

[cdbe]

Bottom 750mm looks ok. Push the rest over and blame it on the cat - no need to upset anyone.

 

[^woody^]

can you confirm whether that would be considered tooth bonded?

Worst case of edentulism ever

 

[jeds]

The beam alone is 575kg

Un-bloody-believable! The beam will be heavier than the load it's taking. What a waste. The tooth bonding in the photo; well, might as well not have bothered! I'm guessing the total load on the column is something like 10 or 12kN. The brick column itself will take quite a bit more than that so it's not going to fall over, but, well, just but!

I don't normally like to go over the top on exclamation marks, this one just seemed to be crying out for them.