Hello!
Is there anyone who can answer some beginner questions? I have a construction drawing to replace some load-bearing walls in the house. But after requesting quotations from some construction companies with visits, 3 out of 5 wanted to perform the job differently than according to the drawing.
For example, one wanted to compact, tear down & install the beam, then cast up a wall and also cast the beam into it instead of leaving 400mm of the existing wall according to the drawing and skipping the support plate and wedges.
Most looked puzzled when mentioning the support plate and wedges, etc. Why is this? Is it normal/acceptable to install the beam and skip these steps?
What happens if you diverge from the drawing when the inspector comes for the inspection?
The one who seemed able to do the work according to the drawing quoted 80,000:- excluding VAT for 3 walls, each 4m long, made of brick.
Is this a reasonable price?
Is there anyone who can answer some beginner questions? I have a construction drawing to replace some load-bearing walls in the house. But after requesting quotations from some construction companies with visits, 3 out of 5 wanted to perform the job differently than according to the drawing.
For example, one wanted to compact, tear down & install the beam, then cast up a wall and also cast the beam into it instead of leaving 400mm of the existing wall according to the drawing and skipping the support plate and wedges.
Most looked puzzled when mentioning the support plate and wedges, etc. Why is this? Is it normal/acceptable to install the beam and skip these steps?
What happens if you diverge from the drawing when the inspector comes for the inspection?
The one who seemed able to do the work according to the drawing quoted 80,000:- excluding VAT for 3 walls, each 4m long, made of brick.
Is this a reasonable price?
Bold of those who wanted to execute it in their own way as they take over the design responsibility from K....
Based on what you're writing and the drawing, I guess it's some form of masonry walls?
The purpose of the support plate is to evenly distribute the pressure over a larger area on the support. In places where there are IPE beams, this is needed because these beams are narrow. In one place a HEA beam was specified, which is as wide as the support plate, in this case, one could skip the plate.
The reason for the wedges is to make the beam "active," meaning you load the beam. If you just raise the beam without the wedges, the beam is unloaded when the prop releases, and there will be a small "uncontrolled" deformation of the beam before it starts bearing.
If the people who will perform the job want to change something, they should show that their solution is at least as good as the proposed one, and they should know they are taking on the construction responsibility.
Then it is also the case that during renovations, you don't know the whole truth until you start opening up the walls, and it's almost more the rule than the exception that you have to solve things on-site, which a responsible inspector should know, so you probably don't need to worry about that.
The purpose of the support plate is to evenly distribute the pressure over a larger area on the support. In places where there are IPE beams, this is needed because these beams are narrow. In one place a HEA beam was specified, which is as wide as the support plate, in this case, one could skip the plate.
The reason for the wedges is to make the beam "active," meaning you load the beam. If you just raise the beam without the wedges, the beam is unloaded when the prop releases, and there will be a small "uncontrolled" deformation of the beam before it starts bearing.
If the people who will perform the job want to change something, they should show that their solution is at least as good as the proposed one, and they should know they are taking on the construction responsibility.
Then it is also the case that during renovations, you don't know the whole truth until you start opening up the walls, and it's almost more the rule than the exception that you have to solve things on-site, which a responsible inspector should know, so you probably don't need to worry about that.