Project: Two storey/part single storey side and rear extensions

kai

kai

Soldato
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If it's wrong i am not overly concerned or goes wrong in the next few years there will be no drama and he will need to rectify as we know him as a family freind who completed the work.
 
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Are there any trades out there that actually care these days :mad:.

It's not the trades, it's the individuals and basic pride in their work.

They are out there but, unfortunately, apparently very few and far between.

Once you find one stick with them, you will have to wait as their never short of work, but worth the as they're weight in gold
 
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Soldato
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The thing is they might not even know they've done a poor job. If you mention it they'll probably say it will be fine. Which is annoying.
 
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SBEiSk3.png

What's their excuse for leaving all that crap underneath? To save time, I guess.
 
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Yep that is how it was done. The middle was filled with the backfill of rubbish but around the edges there was a small gap and the wood left off the ground. Again not an ideal picture but the joists none of them are sitting on the soil. We are talking a few mm (at best) but around the edges it was kept off the floor and clear. Not sure if it helps but it's all 30 year pressure treated wood :confused:

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That deck is sitting on rubble and soil without a doubt.

It doesn't matter that there is a 1mm gap and the timber isn't technically 'touching

With the elements, the timber / ground will have movement and there will eventually be contact at various points.

Not only will moisture leech into the timbers from the ground but the timbers will stay continuously damp as they cannot dry out.

In that environment the timbers will start the process of decay and begin turning black within 3 years

I never understand why folk play musical chairs trying to 'hide' piles of rubble / inert ground waste around their own garden or a clients garden.

You wouldn't chuck rubble into wall cavities, same principle here.


Avoid any landscaper who thinks this is a good idea....
 
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I can't chime in about anything to do with the laying of decking as I know zero about it, but the end result looks fantastic for it. Hopefully it lasts for you.
Unfortunately "hopium" won't help at all here.

Honestly that's terrible and lazy work with the rubble dumping and frame embedded in it all.

As dlockers has said, get a level across the decking to make sure it falls away from the house.
 
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Unfortunately "hopium" won't help at all here.

As someone who grew up with a Dad who thought he could do everything himself on the cheapest dime and who didn't believe in spirit levels or reading instructions you literally never know :D I've seen some of the worst jobs last a long time. Should've seen the shed in my childhood garden.

But I digress, as I say I can't offer anything on the technical, but amidst the 'issues' being pointed out, I just wanted to say the design was nice. Hardly 'hopium' as I have nothing in it. A bit of positivity is sometimes nice, even if something may have been done wrong. Frankly I feel for Kai, as he's obviously had a shocker thus far with the project and issues, but despite that I love the look of it all.
 
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kai

kai

Soldato
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What's their excuse for leaving all that crap underneath? To save time, I guess.

I brought this up Friday evening, and after some discussion, we reached an understanding. In fairness, he had five workers show up yesterday to rectify many of the issues I raised with the base. From what I saw before I left early in the morning, they had started lifting and clearing out. The bricks have remained, but any soil, from what I can tell, has been removed. My wife who was here yesterday said they spent most of the day lifting sections and clearing.

The ground is also maybe 50% overpour from the foundation and was previously slabbed (I should have maybe mentioned that in my original post)

ObVwNni.png


The labour cost was £1,500 and it took 3 days. The 4th day (yesterday) was naturally non-chargeable.

I can't chime in about anything to do with the laying of decking as I know zero about it, but the end result looks fantastic for it. Hopefully it lasts for you.

Unfortunately "hopium" won't help at all here.

Honestly that's terrible and lazy work with the rubble dumping and frame embedded in it all.

As dlockers has said, get a level across the decking to make sure it falls away from the house.

Cheers, i have grabbed some photo's this morning and overall i am pretty pleased with it. The water is falling away from the house (there is a natural slope even before they started) and they connected into my soakaways for items such as the step.

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