Hi,
As you may have read from my previous questions, i'm currently building a 2 story extension. Ground floor garage with bedroom above.
We have just got upto damp course and are planning putting the garage floor in next.
For obvious reasons I want to put in a solid concrete slab for the garage floor. don't feel the expense and hassle of a beam and block is justified for a garage floor. However I live in a heavy clay area and when I dug out the ground for the oversite and built the footings, the area inside flooded from the rain, and did not drain away, as I said very heavy clay area, no drainage.
Building control saw this and said that he wants us to have a beam and block floor to prevent the risk of water rising through the floor (he thought the water was coming out of the ground and not the sky).
He then went on to say that if I took out an airbrick from the existing house then that will show that that is beam and block and would want to copy the existing design.
I have done this and sure enough where there is a room on the inside, there is a plastic channel which goes down into the cavity and I assume under the floor. Except the airbrick which is where the previous garage was (converted to dining room). This is just blocked up and goes nowhere.
Building control is coming out tomorrow to have a look and tell us what he thinks.
My question is this:-
Can he enforce us to have a suspended floor or would we be able to ignore his advice and go for the slab, and still get it signed off. I really don't think a beam and block is justifiable, especially as the previous garage obviously didn't have one.
I know its been a long winded explanation, but any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Dave
As you may have read from my previous questions, i'm currently building a 2 story extension. Ground floor garage with bedroom above.
We have just got upto damp course and are planning putting the garage floor in next.
For obvious reasons I want to put in a solid concrete slab for the garage floor. don't feel the expense and hassle of a beam and block is justified for a garage floor. However I live in a heavy clay area and when I dug out the ground for the oversite and built the footings, the area inside flooded from the rain, and did not drain away, as I said very heavy clay area, no drainage.
Building control saw this and said that he wants us to have a beam and block floor to prevent the risk of water rising through the floor (he thought the water was coming out of the ground and not the sky).
He then went on to say that if I took out an airbrick from the existing house then that will show that that is beam and block and would want to copy the existing design.
I have done this and sure enough where there is a room on the inside, there is a plastic channel which goes down into the cavity and I assume under the floor. Except the airbrick which is where the previous garage was (converted to dining room). This is just blocked up and goes nowhere.
Building control is coming out tomorrow to have a look and tell us what he thinks.
My question is this:-
Can he enforce us to have a suspended floor or would we be able to ignore his advice and go for the slab, and still get it signed off. I really don't think a beam and block is justifiable, especially as the previous garage obviously didn't have one.
I know its been a long winded explanation, but any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Dave