I have recently found an increasing number of builders getting the hump whenever you are trying to do these checks especially with regards to insulation and ventilation. This video provides a lot more confidence to home owners to ensure home owners persist in asking these questions. Thank you.
Interesting points thanks. At 7:34 you show the extension's roof mounted to the existing external wall, which becomes an internal wall in the extension. Surely that's a major cold bridge negating all the insulation? How would you thermally break this to ensure integrity of the thermal envelope?
Yes, the inevitable problem with this type of addition. Batten on the walls and insulated plasterboard over. It’s not ideal, but on a refurb, there’s not a lot else you can do.
@@build-better-things you know what would make a good video? 🤓 exploring solutions! perhaps thermoblocks (insulation with high compression), or using 2 half width RSJs to keep inner outer leaf separate, potentially at different heights to accommodate wrapping insulating around, maintaining envelope. Im sure there are other options as well.
Can say as a mason in Canada many of these are absolutely correct. Some of the terminology is different for sure but the principles are the same. I’d venture that most bricklaying apprenticeships discuss the importance of weeping holes very early on in the course as they are fundamental. I’m also suprisef that anyone would argue about ventilating cavity walls, there HAS to be an air gap, it’s even in the name “CAVITY” wall. Only in very rare instances have I seen or heard of the cavity being filled and in those cases it is for a specific reason making it the exception and not the rule.
Some excellent and very valid points made here, I couldn’t tell you how many arguments I had with supervisors over strongboys before I worked for myself, they have their very limited uses, such as supporting new lintels for a very short time, but anything involving major structural alterations has to be needled. Also, cavity trays are essential for lintels, areas of higher ground level against the building, and of course at abutments. However, I feel that they are sometimes specified needlessly at floor level and do more harm than good. Depending on the ground level and conditions, I feel that in most situations a standard dpc is the best thing. Just my opinion and you may not agree but I do think trays have a vital function but only in cases where they are necessary, and aren’t a fix all for other issues as some architects seem to think.
im going to have to build my own standard extension under permited rights , im going to do the 48hours submit so no need for plans, but the bit thats got me worried now is the installing a cavity tray in the existing wall above the new flat roof,cutting one in is a massive job
My understanding of the ventilated cavity requirement is it only applies to timber frame with a brick/block outer skin, not brick and block. Weepholes are required, as you stated, to drain the cavity over obstructions but I am not aware of a requirement for them to be provided for ventilation. Can you confirm otherwise?
Great question. In the UK, it’s only a regulatory requirement for timber frame, to ventilate the cavity. I think that’s because of the breather membrane , not present in masonry inner leafs. There may be other reasons, the risk of rot to the timber at dew points. That doesn’t change the fact that all cavities should always be ventilated, including all masonry. The aim is to dissipate residual moisture at its source, not allow it to make its way down to the nearest weep hole on the inside of outer leaf. We’ve just demolished a masonry wall gable for a customer, it had no windows in, so the only weep holes were along the base of the 2 storey wall. The cavity was sodden. The insulation bats were done for, they had been wet for so long. The inside face of the wall was cold. The question you should be asking here is….why are all cavity walls not required to ventilated as a matter of course…why would you not do it? And yet…some seem resistant to it. Why??? Thanks a lot for the comment.
Thanks so much for your videos. Incredibly valuable. Can you tell me what would be the appropriate course of action on the wall abutment cavity trays when the existing building is a Victorian single leaf double brick (no cavity) wall? Liam
Liam, with no cavities, I’d be going along knocking out 3 courses of outer leaf, 2 bricks wide, so six bricks in total, flashing up against inner leaf 3 courses high, then horizontal to outside face, forming L shape, mortar back in bricks over the flashing being careful to allow next flashing to overlap, and go along like that. This wall flashing would lap over the Roof abutment flashing. Hard to describe, easy to draw.
@@build-better-things thanks for taking the time to respond! That makes sense. Sounds like I’ve got a bit more work cut out than I thought (pun not intended)
Build Better Things and Robin Clevett, the two best construction channels on TH-cam, or anywhere else. But I do have a question that I cannot hunt down an answer for. Do I need a cavity tray above my bungalow extension patio doors with only two brick courses and a cavity closer above with 200mm soffits over sailing the two brick courses? Any clarity on this would be great.
Thanks for your compliment. For your circumstance I probably wouldn’t bother given the overhang from what I assume is your eaves. Usually in those circumstances I’ll use a Catnic lintel with combined cavity tray and closer but I assume you’re past that point, in which case worse case knocking out two courses and putting a tray in if you get moisture isn’t that big a deal.
Really helpful points. On the last point about cavity trays for walls adjacent to a monopitch extension, what about in traditional buildings/older properties where there is a solid masonry wall with no cavity? Are there any precautions to consider?
Great question. Deep chase with lead flash insert and sealant. 150mm upstand. Wraps over roof abutting flashing. Most solid masonry will be at least 400mm so going deep with the chase should be ok.
with regards to the bridging in a cavity wall, I've seen builders using insulation which touches both inner and outer wall - i think it's called rockwool. does this not bridge outer and inner wall?
@@azza1793not so sure I’ve taken bricks out because of damp issues and often find blocked cavities bridging over the dpc but also find very often soaking wet insulation in cavities , I’m all for insulating cavities with kingsman/ cellotex fixed to the inside skin using 75 or even 100 mm thick but for gods sake leave a cavity after between that If not please tell me why not
Insulation has a significantly lower thermal conductivity value than air, so while anything that conducts heat is a bridge (insulators are just very very bad at conducting), air is more conductive and therefore a worse bridge than insulation
@@Seqhael but presumably air doesn't allow water to cross from the outer leaf to the inner leaf? but this insulation must do that as it's stuffed in touching both inner and outer wall. I thought this was the reason they now say not to spray foam in the cavity.
I’m not looking at the timestamp so don’t know specifically wish you’re referring to, but we use composite insulated DPCs, which definitely do help with cold bridging. I’ll add in additional bats on the dry side where I see it necessary .
I explained that in the video. And I’ve never known it to be “recommended” by anyone. It’s used as a last resort where a cavity cannot be used or incorporated, perhaps due to space .
Not sure exactly which points you’re referring to, but, a lot of these things can’t be checked as they are immediately covered up. But regardless, it’s a common misconception to believe that the council’s building officers carry out any form of quality control. All they’re doing is checking for compliance. You should be factoring in your own form of supervision and quality control for your builds.
@@build-better-things I've experienced builders rushing to cover walls up with plasterboard only to discover lots of air behind a "wall" that I needed to hang a kitchen unit to. I think its best just to let them do the roof carpentry and masonry bits for a shell which you can see and nothing else. Let other trades do the boarding and floors. P.S. I would not let a general builder do skylights, let proper roofers do it.
@@build-better-things I recently saw a video from a popular building channel where they were using stormdry on the brickwork over the extension roof abutment instead of providing a cavity tray, and this was suggested to them by the Building Control Officer! As a building surveyor, I totally agree with you, a cavity tray is vital for long term protection of the building.
No, building inspector only checks at a set number of points during the build such as foundations then once you reach wall plate height. They are not there to inspect the entirety of your construction
@@azza1793 It seems the only choice we have is to learn how this is meant to be done ourselves because we can't trust the people who present themselves as experts to do it. I know of great builders but they are nearly always unavailable or too expensive so we're left with the ones that can do a terrible job, or something passable if you're lucky. I found myself having to explain the current building regs for wall to roof joint insulation continuity. I'm a software guy I really don't want to know this stuff. Its the wild west out there and I have to learn and enforce these requirements to protect myself. I've had to just accept incomplete work that I will complete myself later just to get a shell started. Rome wasn't built in a day, took two days.
just started watching, am almost 2 minutes in and as much as I appreciate what your trying to do I feel scare mongering is what will happen. First off with PIR its water proof and by nature has to fitted before both skins are built ( its a bricklayers nightmare) IE any snots will not effect the internal skin. I bet I have more to say
Cavities were always airtight and sealed at the top, its the way we were taught at college in the 60s and 70s and were always built like this.This only changed late 70s with the advent of cavity insulation which had to abutt the roof insulation.
I’m too young to know about building in the 60s and 70s but maybe that’s the reason there’s so much damp and sick housing from that period. Always ventilate your cavity.
@@build-better-things Yea ok, ive opened hundreds of houses up from that period and earlier with compo in the trays, bridged ties no vents all bone dry.
@bricklayersworldwithandy6277 I believe you and I know you’ve got way more experience than me on brickwork. I’ve watched your channel before and it’s really good. I agree you need to seal the cavity at the top in certain circumstances, for example… to prevent fire spread, but in my view you can and should ventilate the cavity, even if there’s no insulation.
@@build-better-things Maybe but it wasnt done that way years ago, thats why air bricks to ventilate timber floors and ventilate larders etc were tunnelled through the cavity with slate to stop them venting the cavity.I was actually taught at college to spread a bed to give minimal snots and any that you did get you didnt scrape of you left as scraping of you would always drop some but that all changed with insulation.
@@bricklayersworldwithandy6277 In traditional cavity wall construction the brickies used to use a timber cavity board with ropes at either end that was sat on the wall ties to collect snots/droppings and raised and cleaned off each time the ties were added as work progressed. Doubt this is even possible now the cavity is so narrow with the insulation added?
You’ve left a number of weird gotcha comments so far about the video, some of which I’ve responded to. This one is so naive that I’ll leave you to enjoy your time.
surely you can substitute different PIR boards but NOT substitute PIR for Phenolic insulation (e.g. K108). K108 is twice the price of PIR so can see why builders would substitute.
Yes exactly, assuming each PIR has the same lamda value. The point I was trying to make was that you wouldn’t know to look out for that v PIR, they look very similar. I’ve spotted it a few times recently since the new requirement to achieve a 0.18 u-value, at the same time to avoid super thick walls. One of the ways is to use Kooltherm, unless you go for a 10mm cavity, which I don’t recommend. So the temptation is now there for builders to substitute, if they think they can get away with it because it’s a more expensive product. (but you get lots of value from the extra expense). The point of the vid is to flag the issue. If I didn’t make that clear, apologies.
@@build-better-things having just self built a house (literally), I’m acutely aware of the difference and the cost! was just trying to clarify the difference. I used 75mm K108 and 50mm clear cavity. I don’t like full cavity insulation of any type.
you want the perfect job, you have to pay the perfect price" you only get what you pay for" like everything else, there is a right way to do brickwork, and there is a wrong way, always check out your bricklayers"
No, that’s lazy and poor workmanship . You want the moisture dissipation to be controlled. You want it to be going out the weep holes, not travelling down the cavity. It’s not always possible, but that’s the goal.
As well-intentioned as this video was intended, it was painful to watch/listen to some of the items. The brand doesn't matter for insulation, the technology does: Kingspan phenolic boards are "better" than PIR (0.018 vs 0.022 u-values respectively). If the design says Kingspan PIR, you can use any PIR brand as I have seen all of the ones readily available have the same stated characteristics. The rest, very difficult to assess for a end user to be honest and even good builders would walk waalk off if questioned every step of the way. Also steel does not always need to be on padstones, depends in the calculations (bigger spans and bigger steels with more stories on top will.most likely have padstones) but a single storey extension with a 4m steel might just have a dense block either side or some engineering bricks. If there are supposed to ve padstones they will 100% be in your engineers drawings and on the steel beam's calculations.
You suggest that “good builders should walk off if questioned“. That made me laugh out loud, it’s so silly, and it’s obvious you’ve never put at risk your own cash to build anything substantial with contractors. To your other comments, leaving aside your pedantic and condescending tone, the aim of the video is to warn homeowners of common shortcuts and errors to look out for. For example, substituting lower lamda boards because they’re cheaper. Are you suggesting these 9 points are not things to look out for…?
You are right, good luck questioning any builder at every step and although it’s the customer’s money and their right to question things etc it will not stand with a builder if you are looking over their shoulder every 5mins questioning their work. Also try telling a builder to remove how ever many course of bricks due to snots being inside the cavity 🤣🤣🤣 i’m not disagreeing with the poster but after 30 yrs working as a carpenter/building surveyor i know this will not stand and you will be told go away in not such a pleasant manner. Looking at his response response to your comment comment it’s clear that he has have never worked a day in his life on a building site and his view is purely that of the home owner spending their money which is not wrong but in REALITY no building will stand being questioned like this
As a bricklayer, I can honestly say, every single point you made is valid and relevant, great video.
Same mate, he’s bloody spot on
This might be true but how on Earth are you supposed to put in a cavity tray in on an extension in his example?
@CantE8tCheese Easy. Start by asking the question, or reading through the previous questions, and see what simple solutions exist.
really useful video, keep up the good work
As an architect he’s bang on.
I have recently found an increasing number of builders getting the hump whenever you are trying to do these checks especially with regards to insulation and ventilation.
This video provides a lot more confidence to home owners to ensure home owners persist in asking these questions. Thank you.
Interesting points thanks.
At 7:34 you show the extension's roof mounted to the existing external wall, which becomes an internal wall in the extension.
Surely that's a major cold bridge negating all the insulation? How would you thermally break this to ensure integrity of the thermal envelope?
Yes, the inevitable problem with this type of addition. Batten on the walls and insulated plasterboard over. It’s not ideal, but on a refurb, there’s not a lot else you can do.
@@build-better-things you know what would make a good video? 🤓 exploring solutions! perhaps thermoblocks (insulation with high compression), or using 2 half width RSJs to keep inner outer leaf separate, potentially at different heights to accommodate wrapping insulating around, maintaining envelope. Im sure there are other options as well.
Can say as a mason in Canada many of these are absolutely correct. Some of the terminology is different for sure but the principles are the same. I’d venture that most bricklaying apprenticeships discuss the importance of weeping holes very early on in the course as they are fundamental.
I’m also suprisef that anyone would argue about ventilating cavity walls, there HAS to be an air gap, it’s even in the name “CAVITY” wall. Only in very rare instances have I seen or heard of the cavity being filled and in those cases it is for a specific reason making it the exception and not the rule.
Thanks a lot for the feedback. Much appreciated.
Some excellent and very valid points made here, I couldn’t tell you how many arguments I had with supervisors over strongboys before I worked for myself, they have their very limited uses, such as supporting new lintels for a very short time, but anything involving major structural alterations has to be needled. Also, cavity trays are essential for lintels, areas of higher ground level against the building, and of course at abutments. However, I feel that they are sometimes specified needlessly at floor level and do more harm than good. Depending on the ground level and conditions, I feel that in most situations a standard dpc is the best thing. Just my opinion and you may not agree but I do think trays have a vital function but only in cases where they are necessary, and aren’t a fix all for other issues as some architects seem to think.
Thanks, good points you raise. on the cavity trays at ground level, yes, detail specific and definitely something I should have explained more.
im going to have to build my own standard extension under permited rights , im going to do the 48hours submit so no need for plans, but the bit thats got me worried now is the installing a cavity tray in the existing wall above the new flat roof,cutting one in is a massive job
My understanding of the ventilated cavity requirement is it only applies to timber frame with a brick/block outer skin, not brick and block. Weepholes are required, as you stated, to drain the cavity over obstructions but I am not aware of a requirement for them to be provided for ventilation. Can you confirm otherwise?
Great question. In the UK, it’s only a regulatory requirement for timber frame, to ventilate the cavity. I think that’s because of the breather membrane , not present in masonry inner leafs. There may be other reasons, the risk of rot to the timber at dew points. That doesn’t change the fact that all cavities should always be ventilated, including all masonry. The aim is to dissipate residual moisture at its source, not allow it to make its way down to the nearest weep hole on the inside of outer leaf. We’ve just demolished a masonry wall gable for a customer, it had no windows in, so the only weep holes were along the base of the 2 storey wall. The cavity was sodden. The insulation bats were done for, they had been wet for so long. The inside face of the wall was cold. The question you should be asking here is….why are all cavity walls not required to ventilated as a matter of course…why would you not do it? And yet…some seem resistant to it. Why??? Thanks a lot for the comment.
Any alternatives to a cavity wall?
Yh, a solid wall insulated either inside or outside
Thanks so much for your videos. Incredibly valuable. Can you tell me what would be the appropriate course of action on the wall abutment cavity trays when the existing building is a Victorian single leaf double brick (no cavity) wall? Liam
Liam, with no cavities, I’d be going along knocking out 3 courses of outer leaf, 2 bricks wide, so six bricks in total, flashing up against inner leaf 3 courses high, then horizontal to outside face, forming L shape, mortar back in bricks over the flashing being careful to allow next flashing to overlap, and go along like that. This wall flashing would lap over the Roof abutment flashing. Hard to describe, easy to draw.
@@build-better-things thanks for taking the time to respond! That makes sense. Sounds like I’ve got a bit more work cut out than I thought (pun not intended)
Thanks 🙏
Build Better Things and Robin Clevett, the two best construction channels on TH-cam, or anywhere else. But I do have a question that I cannot hunt down an answer for. Do I need a cavity tray above my bungalow extension patio doors with only two brick courses and a cavity closer above with 200mm soffits over sailing the two brick courses? Any clarity on this would be great.
Thanks for your compliment. For your circumstance I probably wouldn’t bother given the overhang from what I assume is your eaves. Usually in those circumstances I’ll use a Catnic lintel with combined cavity tray and closer but I assume you’re past that point, in which case worse case knocking out two courses and putting a tray in if you get moisture isn’t that big a deal.
@@build-better-things Just producing building control drawings. That sounds like a plan. Many thanks.
Really helpful points. On the last point about cavity trays for walls adjacent to a monopitch extension, what about in traditional buildings/older properties where there is a solid masonry wall with no cavity? Are there any precautions to consider?
Great question. Deep chase with lead flash insert and sealant. 150mm upstand. Wraps over roof abutting flashing. Most solid masonry will be at least 400mm so going deep with the chase should be ok.
@build-better-things thanks for the reply, that's good to hear, cheers.
Definitely need to ask a lead worker to double check. Different stone in different areas reacts differently and the local experience will know best.
with regards to the bridging in a cavity wall, I've seen builders using insulation which touches both inner and outer wall - i think it's called rockwool. does this not bridge outer and inner wall?
No
@@azza1793not so sure I’ve taken bricks out because of damp issues and often find blocked cavities bridging over the dpc but also find very often soaking wet insulation in cavities , I’m all for insulating cavities with kingsman/ cellotex fixed to the inside skin using 75 or even 100 mm thick but for gods sake leave a cavity after between that
If not please tell me why not
Insulation has a significantly lower thermal conductivity value than air, so while anything that conducts heat is a bridge (insulators are just very very bad at conducting), air is more conductive and therefore a worse bridge than insulation
@@Seqhael but presumably air doesn't allow water to cross from the outer leaf to the inner leaf? but this insulation must do that as it's stuffed in touching both inner and outer wall. I thought this was the reason they now say not to spray foam in the cavity.
@@samirpersonal5499It’s not just any insulation. It has to be full fill cavity batts insulation. So it’s designed specifically for this application.
7.02 I agree should happen but you stated thermal, a damptray won't stop thermal bridge
I’m not looking at the timestamp so don’t know specifically wish you’re referring to, but we use composite insulated DPCs, which definitely do help with cold bridging. I’ll add in additional bats on the dry side where I see it necessary .
@@build-better-things retro fitting damptrays. you use an insulated dpc for this? That product I have never seen please share
So if cavity is meant to be vented why is full fill insulation recommended on some jobs?
I explained that in the video. And I’ve never known it to be “recommended” by anyone. It’s used as a last resort where a cavity cannot be used or incorporated, perhaps due to space .
Aren't building regs meant to check for these types of issues?
Not sure exactly which points you’re referring to, but, a lot of these things can’t be checked as they are immediately covered up. But regardless, it’s a common misconception to believe that the council’s building officers carry out any form of quality control. All they’re doing is checking for compliance. You should be factoring in your own form of supervision and quality control for your builds.
@@build-better-things I've experienced builders rushing to cover walls up with plasterboard only to discover lots of air behind a "wall" that I needed to hang a kitchen unit to. I think its best just to let them do the roof carpentry and masonry bits for a shell which you can see and nothing else. Let other trades do the boarding and floors.
P.S. I would not let a general builder do skylights, let proper roofers do it.
@@build-better-things I recently saw a video from a popular building channel where they were using stormdry on the brickwork over the extension roof abutment instead of providing a cavity tray, and this was suggested to them by the Building Control Officer!
As a building surveyor, I totally agree with you, a cavity tray is vital for long term protection of the building.
No, building inspector only checks at a set number of points during the build such as foundations then once you reach wall plate height. They are not there to inspect the entirety of your construction
@@azza1793 It seems the only choice we have is to learn how this is meant to be done ourselves because we can't trust the people who present themselves as experts to do it. I know of great builders but they are nearly always unavailable or too expensive so we're left with the ones that can do a terrible job, or something passable if you're lucky. I found myself having to explain the current building regs for wall to roof joint insulation continuity. I'm a software guy I really don't want to know this stuff. Its the wild west out there and I have to learn and enforce these requirements to protect myself. I've had to just accept incomplete work that I will complete myself later just to get a shell started.
Rome wasn't built in a day, took two days.
just started watching, am almost 2 minutes in and as much as I appreciate what your trying to do I feel scare mongering is what will happen. First off with PIR its water proof and by nature has to fitted before both skins are built ( its a bricklayers nightmare) IE any snots will not effect the internal skin. I bet I have more to say
PIR is definitely not waterproof. Snots affect the inner skin and the PIR by bridging the cavity. Scaremongering??? What?????
Cavities were always airtight and sealed at the top, its the way we were taught at college in the 60s and 70s and were always built like this.This only changed late 70s with the advent of cavity insulation which had to abutt the roof insulation.
I’m too young to know about building in the 60s and 70s but maybe that’s the reason there’s so much damp and sick housing from that period. Always ventilate your cavity.
@@build-better-things Yea ok, ive opened hundreds of houses up from that period and earlier with compo in the trays, bridged ties no vents all bone dry.
@bricklayersworldwithandy6277 I believe you and I know you’ve got way more experience than me on brickwork. I’ve watched your channel before and it’s really good. I agree you need to seal the cavity at the top in certain circumstances, for example… to prevent fire spread, but in my view you can and should ventilate the cavity, even if there’s no insulation.
@@build-better-things Maybe but it wasnt done that way years ago, thats why air bricks to ventilate timber floors and ventilate larders etc were tunnelled through the cavity with slate to stop them venting the cavity.I was actually taught at college to spread a bed to give minimal snots and any that you did get you didnt scrape of you left as scraping of you would always drop some but that all changed with insulation.
@@bricklayersworldwithandy6277 In traditional cavity wall construction the brickies used to use a timber cavity board with ropes at either end that was sat on the wall ties to collect snots/droppings and raised and cleaned off each time the ties were added as work progressed. Doubt this is even possible now the cavity is so narrow with the insulation added?
Where have you got this idea about vented cavity?
That’s like saying…where have you got this idea about putting a roof on your walls?
@@build-better-things
Idiot
lets look at your detail at 5.09. you show a damp tray over a lintel. No insulation causing a cold spot!
You’ve left a number of weird gotcha comments so far about the video, some of which I’ve responded to. This one is so naive that I’ll leave you to enjoy your time.
surely you can substitute different PIR boards but NOT substitute PIR for Phenolic insulation (e.g. K108). K108 is twice the price of PIR so can see why builders would substitute.
Yes exactly, assuming each PIR has the same lamda value. The point I was trying to make was that you wouldn’t know to look out for that v PIR, they look very similar. I’ve spotted it a few times recently since the new requirement to achieve a 0.18 u-value, at the same time to avoid super thick walls. One of the ways is to use Kooltherm, unless you go for a 10mm cavity, which I don’t recommend. So the temptation is now there for builders to substitute, if they think they can get away with it because it’s a more expensive product. (but you get lots of value from the extra expense). The point of the vid is to flag the issue. If I didn’t make that clear, apologies.
@@build-better-things having just self built a house (literally), I’m acutely aware of the difference and the cost! was just trying to clarify the difference. I used 75mm K108 and 50mm clear cavity. I don’t like full cavity insulation of any type.
I hope the self build was worth it. Thanks for your comments
@@build-better-things scratched an itch, but wouldn’t do it again!
you want the perfect job, you have to pay the perfect price" you only get what you pay for" like everything else, there is a right way to do brickwork, and there is a wrong way, always check out your bricklayers"
stop ends? where else is the water going? down the inside of the outer skin as it is every where else in this building.
No, that’s lazy and poor workmanship . You want the moisture dissipation to be controlled. You want it to be going out the weep holes, not travelling down the cavity. It’s not always possible, but that’s the goal.
As well-intentioned as this video was intended, it was painful to watch/listen to some of the items.
The brand doesn't matter for insulation, the technology does: Kingspan phenolic boards are "better" than PIR (0.018 vs 0.022 u-values respectively). If the design says Kingspan PIR, you can use any PIR brand as I have seen all of the ones readily available have the same stated characteristics.
The rest, very difficult to assess for a end user to be honest and even good builders would walk waalk off if questioned every step of the way.
Also steel does not always need to be on padstones, depends in the calculations (bigger spans and bigger steels with more stories on top will.most likely have padstones) but a single storey extension with a 4m steel might just have a dense block either side or some engineering bricks. If there are supposed to ve padstones they will 100% be in your engineers drawings and on the steel beam's calculations.
You suggest that “good builders should walk off if questioned“. That made me laugh out loud, it’s so silly, and it’s obvious you’ve never put at risk your own cash to build anything substantial with contractors. To your other comments, leaving aside your pedantic and condescending tone, the aim of the video is to warn homeowners of common shortcuts and errors to look out for. For example, substituting lower lamda boards because they’re cheaper. Are you suggesting these 9 points are not things to look out for…?
You are right, good luck questioning any builder at every step and although it’s the customer’s money and their right to question things etc it will not stand with a builder if you are looking over their shoulder every 5mins questioning their work. Also try telling a builder to remove how ever many course of bricks due to snots being inside the cavity 🤣🤣🤣 i’m not disagreeing with the poster but after 30 yrs working as a carpenter/building surveyor i know this will not stand and you will be told go away in not such a pleasant manner. Looking at his response response to your comment comment it’s clear that he has have never worked a day in his life on a building site and his view is purely that of the home owner spending their money which is not wrong but in REALITY no building will stand being questioned like this
your voice is too quiet in these videos, I can barely hear you at max volume.
You must be deaf