I’d have to say that if it were me I would go and get a second opinion. Another engineer at least to give you piece of mind. However, my guess is you won’t because despite all the great advice you’ve been given (I’m ignoring the crap stuff) you haven’t modified the design and build to any extent.
If I were spending the money you are I would want it insulated, damp-proofed and electrified as a minimum. What happens if you upset the missus at some point in the future and she turns round and says sleep in the shed! Then you’ll be wishing it was dry and warm 🙂

I’d have to say that if it were me I would go and get a second opinion. Another engineer at least to give you piece of mind. However, my guess is you won’t because despite all the great advice you’ve been given (I’m ignoring the crap stuff) you haven’t modified the design and build to any extent.
If I were spending the money you are I would want it insulated, damp-proofed and electrified as a minimum. What happens if you upset the missus at some point in the future and she turns round and says sleep in the shed! Then you’ll be wishing it was dry and warm 🙂

I struggle with long sentences
Is it finished yet?

If nothing else it’s just not good aesthetically. If quarter bond was presented to me on any of my sites I’m afraid it’d get the size 10. I can’t believe any good quality engineer would accept it, it’s just not good practice! I admire your spirit tho footflaps and you will get your shed, I hope the rest runs smooth for you.
Best of luck.

I’d have to say that if it were me I would go and get a second opinion

[quote]I’d have to say that if it were me I would go and get a second opinion[/quote]
😆

franksinatra – Member

When my parents had their extension built, my dad had a small secret box room buit in to the cavity created by the recessed fire place. It was accessed by removing logs from the recessed log store and climbing up and in . Was shelved full height, about 1.5m deep and about 5m long.

But it was there……

is this your dad??

can’t believe i’ve just spent saturday night reading 9 pages about some bloke’s garage – brilliant thread 😆

Don’t forget my warning about Cambs building control being a tad shonky when it comes to structural engineering.

If you happened to have a nice orbea or cannondale I’d happily drive down and finish/put right your shed, I’ve got loads of holiday days to take this year, have a word with your building inspector, amend drawing to cavity wall and do away with those unsightly piers, it would be a far superior build

ok, so whadda i do…….

❓

😉

whadda i do

not build a set of gates with nothing to stop people bypassing them?

also, is there a ramp at the front or does your car levitate?

not build a set of gates with nothing to stop people bypassing them?

also, is there a ramp at the front or does your car levitate?

the gates are coming out, the cars a modified DeLorean DMC-12 so no worries there

How many bodies did you need to get rid of for christ sakes.

How many bodies did you need to get rid of for christ sakes.

Business is gooooood.

PS: shhhh or your next…

Just going back to that roof design…

With a truss roof, the trusses bear the load of the roof structure & covering onto a timber wall plate which sits on top of the flank walls. The trusses are at regular spaces (usually 450 or 600mm) so spread the load of the roof along the wall. The trusses are tied from side-to-side with a joist or tie beam to stop the load pushing the walls out.

What your sketch shows is the load transferred mostly to the 2 central columns via the post and tie arrangement (it doesn’t show any rafters but I guess these will appear to support the roof coverings). This will place a lot of load on those 2 piers.

There are no ties at either end of the garage to stop the roof spreading, unless the end of the ridge beam will bear on the masonry (although I wouldn’t think there’s enough bearing width). This would also mean that the ridge beam at the front of the garage is bearing over the door, putting all its load on the door lintel too.

Probably not explained very well above, but something is definitely missing from that sketch!

I entirely understand what you mean re the roof and that’s the reason I’d questioned the engineers credentials.

Rafters!

As above I would look at the roof. The motto is KISS (keep it simple stupid). 8m span for a ridge beam ?!?!?!

I would get some trusses made up, galv strap the gable wall to the truss, strap the plate down to the wall and truss clip the truss to the wall plate.

Not too worried about the DPC. Although a better detail would have been a semi / engineering brick plinth in a strong motar. Did you put any MJs in the blockwork or bed joint reinforcement?

Brief scanned the ‘9’ pages and very glad I don’t do residental stuff.

Looks like someones filled your swimming pool with concrete 🙂

re the damp and insulation, I have a single skin garage, and in the winter it is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cold and damp, that i was regularly putting teh bike away in there with snow and ice on it last year, and it was still there on the bike two days later! Nothing ever dries in there either and stuff does go rusty theres no doubt about it. Would love to have it warm and dry properly!

My house has a single skin garage with no DPC it’s awful for damp and mould already this year. It’s was pre existing when we brought the house this year but plans are to do a proper build next year. It’s a shame that the build wasn’t done well in the first place but there you go.

My dads a retired builder, started as a carpenter retired with a property development company. I showed to him this thread and he echoed the advice you have been given by those in the trade on here. Getting a simple build like this right shouldn’t be this difficult.

Where’s the pics flaps? Surely ya mans cracking on a bit now??

Cavity is definitely the way to, again my garage was single skin, had to do a major retrofit of a DPC to the inside of the walls with batons, followed by insulation and chipboard. Took a while but worked well, it’s at least dry in there now and tools don’t rust.

Come on Flaps, we need an update…..anything……. no work is getting done here while we’re waiting! If we don’t get an update soon I might have to resort to reading threads about 29ers or CX bikes…..!

Waiting…. 🙄

He’s still finishing the foundations…. and looking for another bricklayer 🙂

While we’re waiting … my *actual house* is single-skin … is this bad? I’ve always been slightly worried by it, this thread has made it worse.

single skin as in ‘300 years old and 3ft thick’ or ‘one layer of bricks with a bit of spit on the outside to weatherproof it’?

brickie probably put him in the pillars for daring to critique his speed

brickie probably put him in the pillars for daring to critique his speed

Yep, he’s bricking him up in the wall. Already up to the shins since Monday.

‘one layer of bricks with a bit of spit on the outside to weatherproof it’?

Yeah that. That’s not good is it?

it’s not the ideal, but tbh, if you’ve not had any problems and it’s stood for a while then I’d not fret too much.

…actually the original building (old cow shed) probably is/was about 300 years old. But I don’t know how much of it is original. If any.

Thrown up by a bunch of cowboys with a stingy corner-cutter of a developer as far as I can gather.

it’s not the ideal, but tbh, if you’ve not had any problems and it’s stood for a while then I’d not fret too much.

Ah OK, cool. Been here 6 years or so. No damp or obvious signs of doom. I’ll forget about it then 🙂

Keyboard warrior update.
Guess what i was teaching today? 🙂

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IMAG1457 by bmclynskey1, on Flickr[/img][/url]
IMAG1456 by bmclynskey1, on Flickr[/img]
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If a couple of 17 yr olds can manage to work it out, your experienced fella should have too. : )

So, just out of interest… those of you with moist & damp garages… how many air bricks or the like do you have fitted? I’m going single skin and adding 12 air bricks… I thunk.

Rusty, are they still using sand and lime mortar at college?
Remember not so fondly of having to clean all the bricks down after building and putting it in a pile ready for it to br remixed!

interesting that qwerty

i dont have a damp garage but i do have a nice gap all round my door , 3 air bricks venting to the underfloor cavity of the house , 5 venting to the outside, and i left the vent from the old boiler in the wall as well. ….as well as a window

i do get condensation forming on the inside of the roof – it stays on the roof though and my tools/bikes do not rust 😀 – which is good cause i iz anal about my tools/bikes !

‘one layer of bricks with a bit of spit on the outside to weatherproof it’?
Yeah that. That’s not good is it?

Did your mortgage company (assuming you’re mortgaged) not highlight anything? The few people I know who’ve bought places with single skins have had part of the mortgage held back till a 2nd skin has been added.

If you aren’t suffering damp problems however….i wouldnt worry about it.

Yep, sand and lime. All walls taken down by students after marking and muck put back through our pan mixer. Cement would make it a VERY expensive operation!
Busy today, we had nearly 50 16-27 yr old lads in the workshop today between 2 of us.

Buggy bump

OK update.

I’ve been deliberately ignoring this thread as it was adding to my stress levels (feeling I have to defend the design / my decisions) and I’ve had quite enough to cope with as it is.

However, current situation is:

Mrs Flaps got hold of QS guidelines for pricing jobs (her dad is a QS) and priced it. Asked Brickie to finish the job as per the ‘set rates’, he said no. So we parted company amicably. So I have 200 blocks laid, 200 bricks laid, no brickie and a duff pier.

Phoned round loads of brickies, all very busy, quoting Dec or even Jan for start. Have found one chap who might be able to fit me in this year and he’s coming round at WE to take a look.

If he can’t do it, I might start work at WEs and see how far I can get DIY…

So progress wise, not a lot has happened.