Garage build

[GSDGPW]

Well, we are now out of the ground thank goodness. It has been a hard and stressful few weeks but the last pour was Thursday night. Funnily enough it was the last trench for the block and beam which caused the most problems. There must have been an old pond there because the ground was black, (and smelt of rotten pond water). The trench caved in on a few occasions, but thank goodness we only had to be 1.5m deep on these trenches. Time was pressing on so rather than shutter the sides we just poured and filled the hole. It probably took another metre and a half of concrete but as it was the last concrete lorry turned up at 6.15pm so a bit of a late one.
I’ve lost count of concrete and graphic lorries but I’d estimate about 75 cubic metres of concrete and about 15 grab lorries of muck away. It hasn’t been a cheap exercise I can assure you.
Friday was spent clearing up the site and digging out the over site for the ventilated void under the block and beam floor. I also got the digger driver to excavate for a slab for my chicken pen. The chickens are currently being boarded at a hatchery, so it will be nice to get them back.
I’ve got two more grab lorries booked for this morning, so hopefully come this afternoon it won’t look as if a hurricane has blown through my front garden.
The bricklayers are starting on Monday morning, so hopefully there will be something other than mud and concrete to see by the evening.

[GSDGPW]

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[GSDGPW]

The bricklayers started on Monday, they are certainly quick, as you can see from the pictures they have made great progress. I spent Monday loading out the bricks and mixing for them but the past couple of days they have been on their own (just two of them). They have just got the front two skins of brickwork to do and then they are up to damp. The block and beam arrived this morning so I am hoping that come tomorrow evening we may have a garage floor or at least a bit of it. I’ll have to concrete the cavities at the weekend and then the face work will begin next week if not before.

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No pit I’m afraid, there was one in the garage that I demolished, full of filthy water, I was pleased to see it go. I’m starting to get an idea of the size of the garage now, it’s going to be great.

[GSDGPW]

Bricklayers slightly thwarted by the rain today, so the front cavity wall wasn’t built. It wasn’t a wasted day though as fortunately all the block and beam arrived on site yesterday so the three of us spent the day cutting beams and laying blocks. Hopefully by tomorrow evening the front walls will have been built, all the slip blocks laid and all the blocks round the edge cut and laid.
Hopefully that is achieved so that Saturday I can fill the cavity with concrete ready for the face work to be started on Monday.

[GSDGPW]

[GSDGPW]

Nothing happened today due to the torrential rain that we experienced in Essex. The bricklayers turned up but after an hour they decided to call it a day. The good news is that they are working tomorrow so between the three of us hopefully we will be up to damp and the block and beam will be finished.
In answer to your questions re the block and beam floor, time was a consideration, it’s much quicker to install. My ground is really unstable so I didn’t want to take a chance on my slab cracking. The ground level drops by a metre front to back so I would have to excavate and make up the ground. The last reason was a building control condition that I need a methane barrier Or a ventilated floor slab, hence the block and beam floor. With regard to loading s I have used 7 Newton blocks and there is going to be 5 inches of concrete with road mesh in it. I really can’t see there being an issue with loadings.

[GSDGPW]

Externally the garage part is 2.4m high, and the upper storey is 3.5.m to achieve the ceiling heights. With regard to budgets I think that 40k may be a little optimistic. It all really comes down to the unknown costs of ground works. I spent about a third more under the ground than I had envisaged. The prices of everything has rocketed recently and it is difficult to work out how many grab lorries you need. Again I thought it would be about 10 lorry loads away it was actually 16 or 17 which at £260 a load soon mount up. Concrete as well is so expensive and of course how much of the work you do yourself is a big cost factor. The one thing I would say is don’t bother with boreholes soil sampling and structural engineers drawings for the footings. Maybe get a trial pit dug and speak to building control. I went for the first option at vast cost, building control however wanted 2.5m all the way round rather than the designed stepped footing. I feel I could have just gone dug the deeper option straight away, still live and learn.

[GSDGPW]

Apologies for lack of posting, garage build has been plodding along slowly, the bricklayers finished up to plate at the end of June or thereabouts. Things then went on hold for a few months. I was probably a bit exhausted with it all, if I’m honest. Quite stressful trying to get materials on site, and work out measurements etc. I had notice of a break from work for a few weeks so the trusses were duly ordered. They arrived and a few favours were called in, a friend with a lorry mounted crane and a few mates saw all the trusses sitting on the plate strapped together.

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Two weeks of long days and a lot of stress and hard work, me and a mate had all the trusses up and dormers cut. I have to confess I was more of a labourer than skilled carpenter but but due tomy friends skill and hard work we had a roof formed.

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With the roof timbers all in place, the bricklayers took a few days from their busy schedule and came and constructed the gables. It was now really starting to look like a building. Autumn was coming to an end and the need to get watertight became a real priority. I met a couple of roofers on a job and they agreed to come and tile it on day work. The next problem manifested itself almost immediately. I wanted to match the tiles on the main house, but you’ve guessed it 7 to 9 month lead time.

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Lots of ringing around and same story everywhere, no concrete Redland tiles. A local builders merchant fortuitously had a delivery of clay tiles and fittings so that’s was what me went with. Velux windows were also a problem with the plastic ones being virtually unobtainable. Painted wood was the only option so that was what I had to go for. The roofers were starting on the Monday so I had to get a good start on the fascia and soffit so that they could make a start. All working round each other we managed to get the fascia finished so it was all systems go for the roofers.

[GSDGPW]

Happy to answer, it all depends really, if it’s just labouring then I have a lot of mates mostly firefighters who I have served with that I can call on. We all help each other out so labour is reciprocated for free. Ground workers I have known for years so day rate, but a Most reasonable daily rate when you consider he supplied a jcb and mini digger. Bricklayers were full price, but did a great job, when you work out their daily rate it was expensive but they worked like dogs and hardly stopped in the day. Me and a mate put all the trusses up and cut the rest of the roof. I paid him day rate but again a reasonable Rate when you consider what trades are charging. The roofers were on day rate, I’ve known them for years and one is an on call firefighter so again reasonable rates. All the way along I have been most amenable to their schedules so there was a bit of coming and going but it’s got there in the end.
The scaffolding was supplied by an ex firefighter, definitely at
mates rates. Crane to lift trusses was a freebie by a mate.
I have certainly benefited from the good relationships that I have with people, I’m always happy to help others,and do. This has certainly been reciprocated.
My biggest savings has been materials, I’ve picked up loads on Facebook market place, 1500 footing bricks free, roofing membrane a tenth of shop price, dpm £10 roll, building sand picked up from sand pit. This is to name but a few, there have been load of other bits picked up out of skips on jobs and car boot sales. All the wall ties came from a boot sale £5 a box instead of £40.;
It all adds up, obviously there is a fixed cost to lots of things but I’m sort of where I expected to be budget wise, any other questions feel free to ask.