i got bored of my little room so

[momo]

Momo had some fun today wheeeee :lol: , uh oh, this normally ends in disaster, like the roof falling in .

Anyway I had enough of being in cramped corners so decided to remove the wall and make my workshop larger, only problem is it used to be the main wall and what is between the kitchen and my room used to be an alleyway untill it was covered over, now my worry is that as the ceiling is concrete laid on planks, and one goes one way the other goes at 90 degree to it are they just one ceiling or two held up at the joint by the wall, if not, without some props ( I have none ) I can see myself having no need for a workshop or the tools under it all should it go.

Havent decided where or how I am going to put my tools when its finished but who knows. I kind of like the ideaq of the table saw in the centre but then I like the idea of a workbench in the centre too.

momo now exits stage left muttering about finding a steel rsj........fast

 

[momo]

Hard work this worrying isn't it, so its now tea break time whilst I carry on fretting...dunno who the ugly looking old beggar is, just ignore him.

Garry

 

[brianhabby]

Looks like you've set yourself a bit of a task there Gary,

regards

brian

 

[momo]

well the ceiling is fine, I just got rid of my irish mate who is a builder and he says its a all in one wet poured roof and wont need shoring up, so big smiles there, however I did damage my new saw vice I built when a brick landed on it, well it was three stuck together.
Still undecided abou twhere to put htings though, first I have to get everything out and clean all that black mould of the walls, yep its all mould, then I need to re point all the outside walls as their pre 1950's and soft as hell, in fact the mortar falls out with a pencil run along it. Then I need to rewire it all. Nothing many here haven't done already though.

I had one thought though, I have two doors leading to outside opposite each other near where the person who took the pictures was standing, common sense tells me to build a sliding saw table there, so I can cut long timber, and have my planer under it so I can swap them and plane long timbers too. So I may do that, and have my tablesaw in the centre with a workbench under the window as I get some light over it. I dunno, what do ya think ?

 

[momo]

Well it looks like I have problems, the so called concrete roof that was meant to be laid in one seems to be in two parts, never listen to a professional irish builder whilst he is holding a can of lager :lol: , he has gone of to get a couple of acro props,muttering he was sure he was right, there appears to be some cracks starting now, and he said he had an rsj to stick across it if needed. Next time i will do what I wanted rather than take someone elses word I think.

Oh well.

Sorry if this is boring, i'm doing my best, anyway heres 3 more pics of the room, I had to put some of that fast setting cement into the roof as a large chunk fell out and also the wall had a large amount of cement missing round a brick to the outside notice all the dark mould on the ceiling!!. And then hopefully you can see one of the cracks in the ceiling.

 

[ike]

You must be a right plank! Knock the wall out then ask if its loadbearing - then go sit under the unsupported concrete slab with a cuppa. Oh, and when it collapses I hope it doensn't smack the regulator clean off your gas bottle - oh dear! :roll:

 

[momo]

Plank nope, I asked a registered builder if it was safe to remove it, he said yes, it was as it was single brick and safe to do it. In fact so did the council structural engineer when I asked him some 3 years ago when I was going to do it back then. Plank no, trusting in a professionals advice yes. As for the crack it wasn't there then and so I had no reason not to sit there.

Next time someone asks you for your professional advice I wonder what you would say if they told you you were talking out your ar*e and didn't know your job. How annoyed would you get, I wonder if you would sit and say "well why f***** well bother aasking me then", We all take a professional for his word its what they train for and get paid for.

 

[Digit]

And few tales of my own I could add to that momo!

Roy.

 

[Rich]

Momo I'm no structural engineer, but get that RSJ PDQ, , the 2 roofs are running in opposite directions, it does'nt look good mate,
Rich.

 

[momo]

Please do Digit I would like to hear some!,its boring right now.

I have the props in now so its all good if it does decide to shift, Shaun says the cracks look old but I don't ever remember seeing them before which is why I rang him about it, then again he could be right, he is a builder, I am not, and i didn't look at the ceiling that much before, ,maybe I am or was worrying more now and "looked to find them" expecting it in anxiety, I don't know. The guy from the council said that the roof was a one piece job and was poured on planks across the entire roof, and it should be tied into the main house wall as well as going over the walls of the room itself, he had a good look when they came round to remove the old wooden doors both ends and put new pvc ones in 3 years ago. In honesty if either of them said no dont do it, I wouldn't have, im neither dumb nor suicidal regardless of opinion.

 

[momo]

Hi Rich.
No worries, I asked Shaun tonight to put it in regardless, I feel safer with one in, even if the concrete is a single laid slab I don't like the fact a bit fell out today even if it was shallow and not that big. Builders seem to know things other mortals don't they also seem to look at bricks and say nah its safe when I look and think erm thats a bit small and looks like it may break. I was expecting him to say it needed this or that in the hope of getting more work so when he said no its safe you have to think ok he isnt looking to make work that isnt there guess I can take his word..

 

[Harbo]

It is hard to imagine that the roof is one big concrete pour with the shutter planks running in two directions like that? From the photos it looks like it is spanning 2 ways?

I trust it was built with some steel reinforcement in it and what is holding up that line of bricks?

If the wall was structural then I think you will have to get the Council's Building Inspector involved as anything you do now will not be "legal"?

Rod

 

[Digit]

If the crack is new momo there should be clean sharp edges.
Just one to tickle your fancy.
I had a leak! Not that type, from a water main. Called in Severn Trent and up turns the fellow with his special listening gear and marks the spot with a nice big X.
' Dig here!' says he. I digs, finds pipe, no leak!
So I start extending the trench, some 20 ft later Bingo, one leak.
And a dirty great trench up my drive!
I asked the Brum council for permission to convert my front garden to a drive at another house.
'Certainly' says the suit. 'but you will need to cover the drain with concrete.'
'How deep is the drain?' says I.
'14 foot,' says he.
'What the f******g hell do you think I'm driving?' says I. 'A Centurian tank!'

 

[tenpin]

Momo

be careful listening to advice from builders,especially if they are not connected to your project....
Have you seen programs like Holmes on Homes, Cowboy builders etc. Some guys out there have less of a clue than the average layman. Take it on yourself to get your own advice, you will have to pay for it i know but if anything happens afterwards then you should have piece of mind instead of "my builder mate says it would be ok"

Nick

 

[PowerTool]

Momo - in the picture of the ceiling cracks,is it actually the concrete that has cracked ?
I have a shed that came with my ex-council house ("pre-owned local authority residence" as they call them now.. :lol: ) and the roof is 6" thick concrete,cast in situ;the underside of the roof has a layer of roofing felt,or something similar,which tends to crack and lift with age,giving a similar "orange peel" effect (particularly if previously painted white)

Just a thought.

Andrew

 

[Digit]

I'd forgotten that Andrew, wasn't it a spray coat or something?

Roy.