1930s Semi Refurb - Part 11 of ... (Summer House)

[dlockers]

I believe you need to go inside and show us the dry space to prove that

I've lost the keys

 

[dlockers]

So because of the skirting board debacle in the house yesterday, I thought I'd have a clear run at the garden room. Unfortunately not, but I did manage to get 2 or 3 sheets of 50mm into the walls. I need to buy myself a spray gun!

Plan to get the workshop tidied up today I think; that'll give me space to wire in the new SWA which I haven't bought yet.

Plan to cut the noggins, slot them onto the PIR and toenail in; saves me trying to do anything more accurate.

I also still need to bolt the roof rafters

 

[dlockers]

Remind me why it's 50mm into walls and 100mm into roof again? Is it to allow space for electrical back boxes? Surprised people haven't gone for 75mm etc.

For me cutting the 100mm insulation didn't seem all that terrible just with a handsaw.

Yeah I think there a bunch of folk that have a mental barrier on the PIR. It isn't that bad at all TBH, especially if you use a nice long panel saw.

The size is just what's necessary I think - most of the heat is floor and roof so 100mm. Walls don't lose that much so 50mm is sufficient. Is how I remember it anyway!

 

[dlockers]

I would probably just max it out really!

Have you planned your cable runs? Again I'd be tempted to get those in first and place the insulation over top. Dunno why - to get them deeper in the walls I guess?

I'm working on top of myself again - desperate to get the workshop empty so I can make space to run the wiring; which means getting the PIR out of there. The chap I am following runs his wires tight to the OSB in the roof for the lights; I'll probably pre-drill and come beneath as I can't get a drill up there now (another tip @Buffman - notch your roof joists before boarding). Wall wiring will go in front of insulation I think; as I am too late now

I also need to grab a reel of CAT6 from @doodah but my London days are all over the place ATM.

 

[dlockers]

Dunno how local you are to Bedford but I've got a couple of unfinished reels, can probably "lend" one insofar as you need it

You're a babe, thank you. I think I need about 100m tho lol! It is to wire the entire place in.

 

[dlockers]

Just looking at this pic, remind me are the upside down joist hangers for the roof only required for the part with the steel? Rest can be screwed or nailed?

I think some people go to town on them. I toe nailed all of mine as I had a bit of extra height available - so could toe nail even the bits on the steal (as it's on a bed of 2x4).

So yeah only on the steal unless you can toe nail.

I might put some hurricane straps on the off chance a big gust goes through the 3m door opening

 

[dlockers]

When you say toe nail presume you mean nail at 45s from above? I'll see how many I've got I think i bought 20 but will only need about 4 for the steel .

I'm tempted to just put a couple screws in from below, and maybe strap every other beam.

Yeah should be fine if it's toe nailed. The strap operates in a different force so if you have them, that's my bet. Screws under tension aren't great from what I've read, and the headers are only 2inch thick.

Every other beam sounds fine to me

 

[dlockers]

I think it's screws under shear is the main issue but yeah I'll make sure its pretty solid.


For your side edges did you use a 5" by 2"?

I realise that I'll have to cut a taper in the cladding to account for this and only just watched this video which indicates can use an 8by 2 and cut it down so you have a flat point. Oh well I don't have time to sort that in the delivery! Shame it's not in the build pack

Day 5 of a garden room build, solo. 1 man, very little tools and a lot of hand nailing

There cannot be a more detailed unedited garden room tutorial out there!Prove me wrong!!Day5, and, well, its hard work, and really boring now!When you're use...

youtu.be

Yeah 5x2. I didnt' do any of that BS, lol. Will just do cladding at an angle

 

[dlockers]

Day 13 and Day 14.5 (I think it is about this over several days)

Managed to get a Screwfix run in earlier as I had ran out of vapour barrier. That's all done now - although I have barriered over the magnet kit for the bifolds. I MUST REMEMBER TO RETRIEVE THE KIT!! lol.

Probably could have been tidier and more thoughtful here. Lighting circuit, right hand side of ring main, and 2 ethernet. I've terminated all of the other ethernet here, and the consumer unit will attach to the blocking I've put in. I've only got a mini CU so not going OTT here, just 2 circuits with a few fused spurs. I've just drilled access for the SWA, a 1.5T&E circuit for lights at the rear (I forgot to do them on the internal, so will run it externally), and ethernet.

Some blocking for the future TV bracket. Hopefully this is about right, lol. I need to take some better reference measurements for future reference.

And all the spotlight holes cut. I used a 90mm boring drill which gave me just enough gap. I've not bothered with any fancy vapour barrier stuff here, once I cut the ceiling out I will maybe stick some silver tape up there... maybe.

All done - the plan is to do a big lift on Wednesday (plasterboard) and skim Thursday. The cladding is coming on Monday.

 

[dlockers]

Looking good! I have just read the tread, start to finish over the last couple of days when I've had time.

I took watches a lot of the Oakwood garden rooms stuff over lockdown. I was going to build one, but instead converted half of my garage. It's a shame his content stopped. I see he's changed his name, etc. I do wonder what happened there, did the worl dry up or something else?

I think he started pricing himself out of jobs tbh. He had a team of like...5 at one point. And it was still a full week build process...! He also started making more on his side gigs - the raffles thing must earn him a tidy income as he pushes them constantly. He also has a decent book of general building work by the sounds of it.

For your cable runs, I'd be tempted to run the cables in some plastic pipe or similar, just in case you want to pull more through in the future or if you snag/pierce one in the future, it will save you having a nightmare fishing new ones through or removing plasterboard to access.

Tidy job so far, well done. Look forward to more updates!

Hah yeah I always have that idea but have never bothered. I rewired the full 1930s house bar one room and haven't bothered either. I'll have bigger problems if ethernet/2.5T&E goes out of vogue

 

[dlockers]

Hah, I had the same thought when I did my garage office room. Basically couldn't be arsed and just wanted to get it finished! I had plenty of spares. Might be some useful stuff for your interior fit out in my garage office thread (https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/project-garage-office-workshop-thread.18932259/)

Will take a look - I am considering doing a retrofit to the workshop which'll follow your build much more closely.

I've also got a 1.5m gap behind this one which I'm planning on building a storage shed - next year maybe!

R/TVTooHigh

Haha I didn't measure a thing - hoping whatever bracket I end up with is quite forgiving as I am definitely not a fan of neck ache lol.

 

[dlockers]

Yeah it is high isn't it! I'll see what other blocking I've got knocking about. Means ripping open the vapour barrier tho

That's what I get for trying to clever whilst knackered.

 

[dlockers]

Is A/C provision or any additional ventilation holes on the agenda ... if it's becoming a cinema room.

Yeah but I've ran out of brain cells to think about it. I've put a fused spur to an outdoor socket as I think you just power the outdoor unit?

If not I've left plenty of space to fish wires behind the plasterboard but my working assumption is outdoor power.

 

[dlockers]

Day 14.5 (part 2)

Tried to squeeze 5 mins of DIY in today... it was all going so well (soffit lights):

Forgot I had doubled up the roof joists....FFS.

(just going to notch it with the multitool).

Just realised as well, my cladding will probably come out a decent amount. Oops. All in all, a fail of a day


Day 15.5 part a

Got itchy feet having ran the SWA so decided to quickly wire up the CU. Annoyingly; I would have been totally golden if I had done the incoming wires slightly lower - so now I have a minor "hole" to cover. Nevermind, I am over the moon - finally have power of some description.

Open to criticism on the wiring - never done a CU before. Earths are a tad bit rough and I need to trim the bus bar/add another RCD in.

Yippee

Day 16

I am brooooooooooooooooken.

Day started slow -
1. Nursery drop-off
2. Coffee
3. Itchy feet waiting for Southern Sheeting; desire to get rid of leftover 5x2
4. Allotment bed! I've got 2 more to make up and then the side return is also clear from random materials. I also have a bunch of fence posts for other "good ideas" that I'll chop up to make a composter. Plan to cover this with weed membrane and call it a day for this year.

5. I then bizarrely had to go and count up to 11am, as I wanted a FlexiSpot E7 Pro and they do this BIZARRE anniversary sale where codes go live at specific times. Annoying AF. The 50% code was a scam - but I only paid £299 which is what I was willing to pay for the non-pro model. Great success except 4 seconds to "go time" and Southern Sheeting pull up........

6. This was annoying AF. 14 sheets. I mis-cut two, so the neighbour who hates me has a bit of a patchwork on her side

^ apols about screw alignment [+/- 10mm). I really did try and IRL it is less bad. Now they're up I can go and throw some more fixings in.

7. Then the internet man showed up. I've gone for Lit Fibre mainly because I thought they'd re-run the line as the previous guys did a bodge job across the front of my 1930s brick arch. Idiots. The chap came to "pre-test" on Thursday and said he'd use the existing line and just run it nicely for me. Top man!

8. Random bloke from internet showed up for 3 full sheets of PIR and tonnes of offcuts. Had he follow me down to the garden to pick up as many as he could hold

9. I then made a start on the nice stuff for the front, but not before fixing the spacing (top batten had sunk back 5mm or so). Drip edge and a long rip got my brain occupied for longer than it should take...

Then had a text that the chap down the road had people nosing in his garden, so spent the evening locking things up..........bath time now.

Edit: awwwwwwwwwwwwyisssss

 

[dlockers]

Did you use packers or anything to make sure your horizontal battens run level @dlockers?

I only had an issue on the horizontal that is attached to the steal. Think I aligned steal with internal wall vs. external wall. Just used regular packers and screws instead of nails. You may be able to see here:

https://i.imgur.com/S8ugbiO.jpeg

 

[dlockers]

I just mashed it to bits with a multi tool in the end. Worked fine!

 

[dlockers]

What size SWA did you pull in? What’s your earthing arrangement?

4mm - I don't have much load going on. I did another thread on the electrics; it isn't final fix yet. I need to get my solar on the roof and some other bits done before a sparky comes in and final fixes it.

 

[dlockers]

Fyi 4mm 2 seems small for a run to a garden room particularly if looking to feed solar electric back to main house via it (I'm not a sparky tho!)

Overall if you have one 20 amp ring say and a lighting ring might be OK

This isn't for the solar install - this is just for the garden room. No solar there. Just a 32amp ring and 6amp lighting circuit - actual load will be a laptop charger, split A/C and an AP.

 

[dlockers]

And a big telly?

(Still only an amp maximum though)

Comes Saturday

 

[dlockers]

Cool ill soon find out what my sparky recommends. Then I'll probably say upsize it . I'm being a coward and getting someone else to look at it.

Ps what is AP

Access point.