Good one done a good few steels only difference is instead of the stud wall I'd put in a second line of props with scaffolding planks tying in the joist's .See you got your steel reinforce with a top plate . Always check your props first thing in the morning , might get about quarter turn . Lot of heavy work .👍🇮🇪🍀 Stay safe
Exactly the way I do it, only other thing I do is take some photos of the outside walls in case there’s any existing cracks etc that the client at the end try’s to say was you!
I do the same and also get my client to inspect with me, as you say this mitigates any issues later on, that is great advice to any other tradesmen out there, thanks Aidan
As an approved inspector I see a lot of people installing steels, and it certainly isn’t a job to be undertaken without prior thought. You explained the process well. A lot of people don’t go slow enough or do enough planning but I like your method. Great videos, keep them coming.
Did this on the back of an old Victorian property with 500mm width rubble filled stonework. There were 2 beams at 250kg each; one on the floor and one on the top with a steel post each side. The beams were dumped half a mile away as the lorry couldn’t get down the side streets (small Victorian roads). We had to get these beams through a 2ft basement window, through a kitchen, a lounge then into position. We had 5 blokes lumping them bit by bit. If anybody’s worked on old stonework you’ll know that the rubble falls out of the middle.... interesting job. Didnt know you did this sort of work Robin. I guess when your in the trade you inevitably end up doing other work, not just your trade. Cheers mate.
@@gdfggggg no point replying to that freak, if you look throughout the comments section of this upload you will see that freak registered just to be nasty, as sick people do. Just place report and many folks probably will, he will get banned soon enough.
Technical as ever and lovely neat job as usual. Like you say used to do a lot of that type of work in England. Never knew what I was doing only how to do it. Thankfully never lost one. Where I am in Oz mostly tin roofs no weight to speak of. Not many brick homes. We cut openings with minimal support and small ones with none. Tie down to stop them blowing away is more of an issue than load in most cases. Different World and like learning a new trade.
Another top quality video love your vids I’m a landscaper and build a lot of timber products for customers and your carpentry skills have tought me a lot and got me out of some difficult situations keep the vids coming
I really enjoy watching all your vids, very informative and really good at explaining the reasoning behind everything you do, your methodology is sound. People often forget that there can be a lot of load carried on a back wall. Too many times I go to site and see strong boys holding up a back wall. There are some horror stories out there. Keep up the good vids.
Hi Robin, great video and methodology used. I had an interesting one recently which was in an old building in Sydney city and was an old wool shearing shed near the old docks. There were two timber beams that looked like they were scavenged off an old timber ship, they were massive. There was two of them bolted together. The termites had gotten into the timber and eaten the majority of the inside of the beam. I had to remove it much like you did, section by section and then new lintels and brick it up bit by bit to take the loads above. The old bricks on that building were hand made by the original convicts sent here. I say variety to your work is key so you don't stagnate, I prefer this kind of work where it is like a game of chess, careful planning and execution otherwise one wrong move and it's check mate. Cheers 👍
Very well explained. I am taking a leap this year and starting my own internal renovations company. Been building flats for a decade now. 16 hour days project managing and it is robbing my soul. I need my freedom.
The beam takes the triangle of wall above the beam, plus the floor loads and transfers them down to either side. That’s why it has to be on dense concrete pads often with engineering brick “nibs” to take the weight down the walls either side. When I did mine, I put Acrow props on the inside to hold up the floor. Six more props (three inside and three outside) supported tubes cut through the wall which carried the weight of the wall. The gap was filled with mortar and natural slate as packing.
Not done this for years but we used to use longer needles and cut round the bearings and roll them big concrete boot lintels of and just concrete them in the oversite.
Nice work Robin (as always!), good to see you're using needles, I see so many builders these days using Strongboy type props for everything however big the load is.
All those calculations makes you sound like an engineer that lost his way and became a chippy..... good sound advice for people to calculate on basics and apply some common sense... gold star.
Definitely not my favourite job to do but also one of the most satisfying when that steel gets in place and the acrow’s are under it so I’m looking forward to this just to see how you do it
I am a bit late watching this one Robin, I really like the stud wall inside and particularly like the progressive supports for the steel as it you raise it. That is always a critical point. Very few people prepare for worse case scenario. Excellent work.
Another interesting video. Thanks, Robin. Just one little point. The critical part of moving the steel while raised, into its final position (which I think is the most dangerous part of the operation) was fast forwarded. It would have been good to see that in real time. 😁
Robin 7:27 in the video - get some new boots ya tight git!! Great job, it always brings a smile to my face when I see this kind of job being done properly, the old "arrr we will only need 2 needles and the old 2 acros will do that" so many excuses as to not do a proper job because they got away with it 10 years ago on a job. Gravity and mass is not to be messed with or guessed. Keep the content coming!! Keep the hair short too it takes a whack off your perceived age!!? perhaps 42 at a push for this video :) Thumbs up.
Great video, Love the idea of the timber safety props either end. On some big knock throughs ie:installation of a portal frame or box frame we also run a scaffold tube through the lines of acro props to tie them together.
Hey Robin cracking video, great explanination and workmanship, my apologies if I talked to much on the live stream i have always held you in high regard, it’s your amazing talent with the pride and passion that you are a true master craftsman all the best Tony 👍
Thanks for sharing. I'm a structural engineer going into construction. Surprised the engineer didn't suggest a moment frame if the entire ground floor external wall is being knocked. One of the things building control moan about for the frame to resist wind loads.
Was this live?? I am just catching now! Great stuff as ever Robin. I am a 39r old seeking a carpentry apprentice in Ireland and wondering if its possible to learn the craft from anyone anywhere in the world that does their work as pristinely and meticulously as you!! Amazing stuff, a joy to have you explain and demonstrate! Maidhc in Cork, Ireland
Hi Robin you are a true master my friend love your energy and passion attention to everything!!was wondering i can't see in video the sides , what widths on the pillars .keep them coming
Great job, similar to how we do it but we get the inside skin in first dry pack it then take out outside skin then drop that steel in? Instead of stud wall, couldn’t you just do a number of arco props with double scaffold boards top and board. Save you money? Top job though?
Nice one....Here in Victoria the building regs require demolition of this type to be engineered. Whilst this involves a cost I think it's worth it given it eliminates the guess work. Also id it goes arse up you can blame the engineer
A bed of mortar will crack and crumble as the steel expands & contracts with heat over time. Solid packers like slate, engineering brick, or steel shims, set at intervals along the beam, will be better.
I used two 150 x 50 as a sole plate these where in the upright position resting on the joists and over the sleeper walls, the main acrows for the needles etc are taken through the floor onto spreaders on the existing concrete oversite
Hi Robin I think the higher you can get these steels the better. Did you not think about taking it higher and having the joists run into the web of the steel in order to have the ceiling running level through.
We can do that but in most cases the steels are taller than the joists so you end up trashing all the rooms above, so although we can do it we give the customer the price either way and they decide
@@ukconstruction Thanks Robin. At least you give the client the option then let them decide. Like you say a lot more work and mess involved. Good luck.
Robin could you do a video on boxing in the steels, I always find this a labour intensive job, and wonder if you have any tricks. Enjoyed this one , hope your keeping well !
Two lintels are easier to lift, but you do need to bolt them together .... however you can use a single wide one which can be cheaper and quicker, but need to have loading calculations to be sure
"Wedge and pinning" I was told a long time ago. No one knows what I am talking about nowadays. "Hope and a prayer" seems to be the order of the day when judging whether one has charged the new beam sufficiently enough with force to avoid a dreaded a second wave of forces causing more beam deflection and possible cracks to the masonry. How do you tell? Is it the sound the hammer makes when it is just right? "Overdesigning" cheap steel beams does help, but still, the crack risk must be a constant worry.
We I use a similar method to what your talking about, we have had jobs before where the engineer asked us to bolt a winch to the existing foundation below and pre stress the steel, its amazing how much these steels can flex too, the knowledge you have is being lost, anyone can call themselves a builder in the UK and there have been some horror stories in recent years!!! thanks for your comment
@@ukconstruction Pre-tensioning with a pulley and measuring the deflection to meet design criteria, sounds like a more scientific way of calibrating the beam deflection. But even that is not perfect as it is a point load, not a more realistic uniformly distributed load along the full length of the beam. So even structural engineers struggle to perfect a practical solution to a difficult situation. A compromise like a lot of building task, is inevitable. Thank you for that insight and I hope your good work is given full consideration by your clients.
At the start of the video you can see the end grain of the rafter up against the brick work. They have been notched to sit on the ledger. Is this personal preference over joist hangers or does it depend on what the local authority want/say?
Awesome video as ever RC. May I ask how is the roof of the extension supported on the existing external wall? It looks like a substantial piece of timber has been fixed/screwed to the brickwork with the new extension joists notch cut and resting on it. If so, would that leave the timbers at risk of moisture that moves through brickwork? Cheers
An exemplary piece of temporary builderswork and way beyond any textbook method. Main Contractors that are governed by 'ealth and Safety wouldn't go to such lengths, let alone any small jobbing builder. Rather than needling through, generally Acrow Strongbeam ends are used to support the wall from the inside. The beam is lifted into a 4 1/2" deep pocket on the outside and then the inner leaf is removed, including the RC lintel and the beam is slid into position with slate packers, keeping the be3am loaded at all times. This is a tried and tested, structural engineer approved method that requires only a fraction of the temporary builderswork shown. The material to be supported by the new beam and therefore the temporary works is all the loads within a 60deg triangle above the beam that generally does not include any roof load. The exception to this is where there are windows and other openings in part or wholly within the triangle and then the loads will require individual assessment.
Temporary works in construction are important, and are effectively a specialist skill...they are covered by mandatory requirements within the Construction Design and Management Regulations, which covers ‘all’ construction work, not just those works on ‘construction sites’... as for the cast in situ concrete pad stones for the steel beam, concrete can be ‘designed’, relating to cement/aggregate ratios and water content so it can be accurately ‘designed’ to meet or exceed load expectations (as assessed by laboratory concrete design mixes and testing to destruction under load), and provided it is mixed correctly in accordance e with the pre-determined mix design, cast well, and allowed to gain sufficient strength before being loaded, there is no reason to suspect it is an inferior method to others methods, using placing of pad stones etc. Robin seems to have a thoroughly good job here, and no doubt he has been supported by a Structural Engineer, who has also probably actually designed the Temporary Works for the job, and probably provided RAMS for the work itself to ensure they were carried out effectively and safely.
@@stun9771 As you raised the CDM Regs, I trust Robin has supplied the client with the Contractors Health and Safety file as mandated by CDM Regs 2015? I have yet to see any small builder provide such a document to their client despite me reminding everyone of their duty. I also won't mention the PPE - helmet, safety glasses, gloves. I see he has safety footwear and ear defenders. For beams of this load/length the engineers that I use all prefer to spec engineering brick pads as it takes out the difficulty of casting insitu pads that with on site mixing can be variable. Brick pads are much easier to install. As I said, Robin's temporary works are exemplary and beyond the normal good practice. There is nothing wrong with going that extra mile so long as the consequences are acceptable.
Very good. Can I ask a question. I have an old house the beam was out in a long time ago. But opening up some dodgy hardboard round it. I found that there is wood what might have been a lintel from the old house but just bits. Can I leave it as the house hasn’t moved or the walls on the top cracked. So it seems fine. It should I have e it take out and a pad put in. Not sure about the other side of the beam supposed as not got to that bit.
Just so it goes up at a set time. Sometime you try and upload and doesn’t always work right. This way everyone can get excited for Robin’s video with plenty of time to make a cuppa 🤔
probably a daft question....but why do I regularly see people fitting beams after the shell of the extension is up? It seems logical to install first whilst you have open access for moving the lifters and beam. Then build outwards and knock through last. I'm obviously missing something.
Great video yet again Robin Its great to see someone who is knowledgeable and passionate about what they do. I have a question about how you got the calculations done for the beam and how you got away with just a single top beam and not a goal post system or a box frame. Just doing my house currently and had 3 engineers come around they all wanted an over the top set up. Its only a 5m beam in a two bed house just up the road from you in Westcott just outside of Dorking
In our case the existing foundations of the dwelling where really nice and the walls where super solid, we where also leaving enough brickwork as piers to justify not needing the frame set up, this is the first for a while that we have done that did not have the goal frame set up so that was great, its really tricky because an engineer has to cover him/herself and they also have to work on assumptions etc, maybe ask the question "can you make this work with a single beam?" say hi if you see me out and about!!!
@@ukconstruction Thanks for the reply Robin I certainly would say hi if I were to see you out and about. You actually shop in a timber merchant where my partner works but she's too shy to say anything to you. Keep up the great videos and sharing your knowledge its much appreciated
is it ok for a size 2 prop to bend a little forward in the top section with a strong boy attached? the bottom is plumb and the top was at the start but bent slightly when wound up....
Hi thanks for video. Very well explained.. My question is , I’m removing load bearing wall for a patio door opening is 355cm and high is 230cm .. how many needles do I need ? It’s 9” wall. Thanks Regards kaz
Hi Kaz, without seeing a picture or knowing what the structure above is its hard for me to say, but based on the dimensions you could do it easily with three needles so 1 in the centre and the others spaced equally from the centre to the edge of the opening, just make sure that the props have a good footing mate, good luck Robin
How do you pressure the beam up against the overhead wall or is packing it enough after it sits on the pad stones. I've always wondered how one can minimize play once the pins are released.
@@ukconstruction thanks for the reply, very good video. Is it the same approach for putting in lintel for adding french doors or a window etc? A video on that when you get a chance would be great.
Thanks for the video Robin, have you come across any good ideas for retaining loose fill cavity insulation? I’ve got to make an 2m wide opening through a gable wall of a bungalow, I wondered if drilling all round at regular spacing and squirting expanding foam in would work? Otherwise it’s a garden full of polystyrene beads🥴
The beads should be lightly glued together. I have them in my house, and when I opened up the wall to put in a new cavity tray I found only a small proportion came out. Although I was still finding those loose ones blowing around weeks later! As you say you could use spray foam to retain them, but it effectively bridges the cavity (along the top of the foam) and could provide a route for moisture to run thru to the inside skin of the wall. Beads by comparison allow moisture to run thru the small gaps inbetween the glued interfaces.
Have you ever left the pad stones to the end, and then laid the bricks on the beam and jacked it into position. Surerly easier to get a nice full bed of mortar, and then slipped in the pad stones a the end? Also do use synthetic slate for the consistency, or is a real slate the only thing.
Funny enough the way your describing is the way I have always inserted beams in. Lay a bed of muck on the top of the beam then jack the beam up , insert the pads after, this way there are no voids under the existing brickwork or plates.Good video through from someone whos been building for in excess of 50 years now.
@@miketaylor3503 This danger with this method is the mortar bed will shrink leading to settlement of the supported structure above, maybe only 1 or 2mm, but enough for cracks to occur - I've seen it many times. Dry packing (with a 3:1 sharp sand:cement mixed to 'damp earth' consistency that will from a firm ball when squeezed in the hand), on the other hand, with it's low water content suffers minimal shrinkage which, in combination with well packed slate, greatly reduces the risk of cracking. Dry packing is a pain to do well though. If using your mortar bed approach I'd want to use a non-shrink grout like Webber 5*, rather than standard mortar, it's excellent stuff.
Hi Robin, Great video. I have recently had a 2.5m steel put in place downstairs of my timber frame house. The steel was put in on a load bearing and wind ‘resisting’ (not sure if that’d the correct term!) wall. I have now noticed that upstairs - on the opposite side of the house and in other areas too, that there are 2-3mm cracks between the bottom of coving and top of plasterboard - and this spans the width of entire walls in some instances. Could this be as a result of the steel not being correctly installed, or could it also be as a result of the drilling which happened on area where the steel was installed. Basically, after the opening was created, there were bricks along the floor which needed to come out and I’m wondering if this heavy drilling might have been the cause of the cracks, or is it more likely that it’s the installation of the beam? Thanks 🙏
Hi I am Hasan my daughter, s structure engineer has suggested frame for steel beams and columns for kitchen extension size width 7.5m depth 4m. Please advice if you can suggest the type of steel beams and columns are required and also their sizes. Suggest if we can reduce number of beam and column by other secured method. Thank you.
Your daughter is correct. Due to the wall being removed you require a moment frame to be able to resist the wind load. The only exception is if you have wall returns either side of 655mm
Hi Robin how did you work out the existing load above (roof, floor, brickwork) etc so you knew how many acros to put in ? I always follow the BRE guildance note for this which works on distances between acrows.....i then consult with a temporary works coordinator for the needles load capacity..... Nice to see someone else using needles, our local structural enginer hates strong boys as there not really load approved and by using one it massively reduces the load capacity of the acrow..... needles are always safer
Hi Craig, I tend to work out how many square metres of materials are in the building and would affectively be supported, I make assumptions and also over calculate and come up with a figure, then I would add an amount per room for furniture etc I would then see where and how I can fit the props, needles and get divide the weight by the amount of supports, there are lots of variables and in the case of my job we had a large concentration of the load down the side of the bay into the middle of the new opening, this was evident when I removed the concrete lintel as it had a crack due to the loads over, I am a strong believer in more props the better, its about managing risk and health and safety Thanks for your comments mate
Thanks for sharing your knowledge, top man Just in case you ever need it the BRE good building guild is GBG 15 Its got all the loads for the acrows and needles pre worked out.
When a steel is specced it should come with it the load that it is to support and how it’s distributed along the beam. Likely over estimated by a good margin but a starting point no less?
Good day, could you please mention the dimensions of the Lintel and the thickness of the brick wall. It would have helped a lot if you had included a rough sketch of the wall, load / structure present above the Lintel. Regards, Sushil Adhikari... ( India 👍👍 )
Heard Robin say, " 9 inch wall." Which means two bricks and a 10mm joint. So, that can be two bricks and a morter joint or one running the length of the wall ( ==== ) like so, or running across the length of the wall, thus : |||||||| Depending on the bond.
Robin I've done a hell of a lot of DIY building work on my home over the years, but this is a the point where I finally call in a pro. Thanks.
Good one done a good few steels only difference is instead of the stud wall I'd put in a second line of props with scaffolding planks tying in the joist's .See you got your steel reinforce with a top plate . Always check your props first thing in the morning , might get about quarter turn . Lot of heavy work .👍🇮🇪🍀 Stay safe
Exactly the way I do it, only other thing I do is take some photos of the outside walls in case there’s any existing cracks etc that the client at the end try’s to say was you!
I do the same and also get my client to inspect with me, as you say this mitigates any issues later on, that is great advice to any other tradesmen out there, thanks Aidan
As an approved inspector I see a lot of people installing steels, and it certainly isn’t a job to be undertaken without prior thought. You explained the process well. A lot of people don’t go slow enough or do enough planning but I like your method. Great videos, keep them coming.
@Big Cock You obviously do!
Thanks for your comment, sorry about any offensive comments by others!!!
No worries Robin, there always one idiot. I look forward to seeing up coming videos. If you have an BC related questions I’d be happy to help.
@@BerkleyBuilds Thats great many thanks
Wow you actually know what you're doing! A rare find on youtube builder vids. Very useful, thanks!!
Did this on the back of an old Victorian property with 500mm width rubble filled stonework. There were 2 beams at 250kg each; one on the floor and one on the top with a steel post each side. The beams were dumped half a mile away as the lorry couldn’t get down the side streets (small Victorian roads). We had to get these beams through a 2ft basement window, through a kitchen, a lounge then into position. We had 5 blokes lumping them bit by bit. If anybody’s worked on old stonework you’ll know that the rubble falls out of the middle....
interesting job.
Didnt know you did this sort of work Robin. I guess when your in the trade you inevitably end up doing other work, not just your trade.
Cheers mate.
@Big Cock I’m not interested in bullshit. Been building for 20yrs and this was one of my more challenging jobs.
@@gdfggggg no point replying to that freak, if you look throughout the comments section of this upload you will see that freak registered just to be nasty, as sick people do.
Just place report and many folks probably will, he will get banned soon enough.
Respect. Random rubble stone. Any bit could move at any time. Been there. Well done.👍
@@willbee6785 thanks mate
Great to see a fellow builder doing things properly! Needles and supports galore!!
Technical as ever and lovely neat job as usual. Like you say used to do a lot of that type of work in England. Never knew what I was doing only how to do it. Thankfully never lost one. Where I am in Oz mostly tin roofs no weight to speak of. Not many brick homes. We cut openings with minimal support and small ones with none. Tie down to stop them blowing away is more of an issue than load in most cases. Different World and like learning a new trade.
Another top quality video love your vids I’m a landscaper and build a lot of timber products for customers and your carpentry skills have tought me a lot and got me out of some difficult situations keep the vids coming
I really enjoy watching all your vids, very informative and really good at explaining the reasoning behind everything you do, your methodology is sound. People often forget that there can be a lot of load carried on a back wall. Too many times I go to site and see strong boys holding up a back wall. There are some horror stories out there. Keep up the good vids.
Thank you very much!
The timber frame idea is perfect..peice of mind as safety comes first with any structural load.
Hi Robin, this is the type of video I would love to see more of, but I also love all your other vids as well!
More to come!
Hi Robin, great video and methodology used. I had an interesting one recently which was in an old building in Sydney city and was an old wool shearing shed near the old docks. There were two timber beams that looked like they were scavenged off an old timber ship, they were massive. There was two of them bolted together. The termites had gotten into the timber and eaten the majority of the inside of the beam. I had to remove it much like you did, section by section and then new lintels and brick it up bit by bit to take the loads above. The old bricks on that building were hand made by the original convicts sent here. I say variety to your work is key so you don't stagnate, I prefer this kind of work where it is like a game of chess, careful planning and execution otherwise one wrong move and it's check mate. Cheers 👍
Yes, its this type of varying work that makes the job more exciting, and the chess analogy is spot on!!! have a good week mate
Very well explained. I am taking a leap this year and starting my own internal renovations company. Been building flats for a decade now. 16 hour days project managing and it is robbing my soul. I need my freedom.
Well done for breaking away!! I'm sure you will enjoy it far more!!
Amazing, so you are a top builder and structural engineer on addition to all the woodworking skills. Great video.
The beam takes the triangle of wall above the beam, plus the floor loads and transfers them down to either side. That’s why it has to be on dense concrete pads often with engineering brick “nibs” to take the weight down the walls either side.
When I did mine, I put Acrow props on the inside to hold up the floor. Six more props (three inside and three outside) supported tubes cut through the wall which carried the weight of the wall.
The gap was filled with mortar and natural slate as packing.
Yes Robin at least I now know that we do it safely each time. Thank you
Not done this for years but we used to use longer needles and cut round the bearings and roll them big concrete boot lintels of and just concrete them in the oversite.
Nice work Robin (as always!), good to see you're using needles, I see so many builders these days using Strongboy type props for everything however big the load is.
Whats a maybe? My mate was always using them, never went to one of his sites though.
All those calculations makes you sound like an engineer that lost his way and became a chippy..... good sound advice for people to calculate on basics and apply some common sense... gold star.
Definitely not my favourite job to do but also one of the most satisfying when that steel gets in place and the acrow’s are under it so I’m looking forward to this just to see how you do it
It's a little known fact that Robin is an actor and there's an old guy called Ted who really does all the work.
😂
I am a bit late watching this one Robin, I really like the stud wall inside and particularly like the progressive supports for the steel as it you raise it. That is always a critical point.
Very few people prepare for worse case scenario. Excellent work.
Thanks Harvey, better late than never!!!😊
Great content, thanks a lot! It just gives so many safe guarding to prevent any fault/undesired situation.
Another interesting video. Thanks, Robin. Just one little point. The critical part of moving the steel while raised, into its final position (which I think is the most dangerous part of the operation) was fast forwarded. It would have been good to see that in real time. 😁
Robin 7:27 in the video - get some new boots ya tight git!!
Great job, it always brings a smile to my face when I see this kind of job being done properly, the old "arrr we will only need 2 needles and the old 2 acros will do that" so many excuses as to not do a proper job because they got away with it 10 years ago on a job. Gravity and mass is not to be messed with or guessed.
Keep the content coming!! Keep the hair short too it takes a whack off your perceived age!!? perhaps 42 at a push for this video :)
Thumbs up.
Brilliant work and a very impressive tutorial. Thanks Robin
you are welcome Daniel
Great video,
Love the idea of the timber safety props either end.
On some big knock throughs ie:installation of a portal frame or box frame we also run a scaffold tube through the lines of acro props to tie them together.
Exactly. Hope he stitch nailed the top & bottom of the acrows as well.
On more complex steel work I tie all the acros props together with a long scaffold pole. Helps me to stop me munching on my boxers.
Nicely explained and great safety built in. Thanks Robin.
Thanks for watching!
You are one fantastic builder! Thanks for the real quality info 🙏🏻
Hey Robin cracking video, great explanination and workmanship, my apologies if I talked to much on the live stream i have always held you in high regard, it’s your amazing talent with the pride and passion that you are a true master craftsman all the best Tony 👍
Thanks for being on the Stream mate it looks like we share many subs!!! I appreciate your input mate!! all the best to you too mate
Nice one Robin. Thanks for the video. Always look forward to your postings! Cheers
Thanks for sharing. I'm a structural engineer going into construction. Surprised the engineer didn't suggest a moment frame if the entire ground floor external wall is being knocked. One of the things building control moan about for the frame to resist wind loads.
Agreed, this must have passed through an asleep inspector. Needs stability!
You mean like a picture frame setup of steels?
Was this live?? I am just catching now! Great stuff as ever Robin. I am a 39r old seeking a carpentry apprentice in Ireland and wondering if its possible to learn the craft from anyone anywhere in the world that does their work as pristinely and meticulously as you!! Amazing stuff, a joy to have you explain and demonstrate! Maidhc in Cork, Ireland
Hi Robin you are a true master my friend love your energy and passion attention to everything!!was wondering i can't see in video the sides , what widths on the pillars .keep them coming
Great job, similar to how we do it but we get the inside skin in first dry pack it then take out outside skin then drop that steel in?
Instead of stud wall, couldn’t you just do a number of arco props with double scaffold boards top and board. Save you money?
Top job though?
Good job Robin I would like to see a follow up, to see how it turns out or another video on the progress of the build..
Great work again Robin. 👍🏽
Mr Robin, you are gifted
thank you Robin for sharing your knowhow, brilliant buildability wise
Always enjoy you & the skill build guys work 👍
Proper Craftsmanship 👏👏😉
Thanks 👍
Looking forward to this, should be very interesting. Cheers till later on Robin.
Hope you enjoy it!
Brilliant Robin! Looking forward to some more, keep up the good work 👍🏻
Thanks, will do!
Hi Robin, did you use the slate to force your deflection? Thought you might prefer a hard wood wedge. Great vid as always. Keep up the good work.
Nice one....Here in Victoria the building regs require demolition of this type to be engineered. Whilst this involves a cost I think it's worth it given it eliminates the guess work. Also id it goes arse up you can blame the engineer
I put the padstones in last. That way I am able to put a line of mortar on the top of the beam. I jack it up so I have a good bed for the wall..
Same here, guaranteed a full bed of mortar under the suspended brickwork then shutter for the pad stone
A bed of mortar will crack and crumble as the steel expands & contracts with heat over time. Solid packers like slate, engineering brick, or steel shims, set at intervals along the beam, will be better.
@@Benzknees, fair point well made, food for thought indeed
@@Benzknees or 1 to 1 dry mix.
this is why i love the comments. we can all improve and refine our skillsets.
Good idea removing the needles gradually me. 👌
Spot on, exactly as it should be.
Nice work 👍
Many thanks!
Really great, thank you Robin!
Amazing job as always
Thank you as ever!
Thanks Robin. Very informative.
My pleasure!
Great video.
How did you prepare the internal floor for all the acros and temporary stud wall?
scaffold planks
Or solid floor to bear off...
I used two 150 x 50 as a sole plate these where in the upright position resting on the joists and over the sleeper walls, the main acrows for the needles etc are taken through the floor onto spreaders on the existing concrete oversite
Very interesting and informative robin 👍
Thank you!
Hi Robin
I think the higher you can get these steels the better. Did you not think about taking it higher and having the joists run into the web of the steel in order to have the ceiling running level through.
We can do that but in most cases the steels are taller than the joists so you end up trashing all the rooms above, so although we can do it we give the customer the price either way and they decide
@@ukconstruction Thanks Robin. At least you give the client the option then let them decide. Like you say a lot more work and mess involved. Good luck.
thanks for this video, excellent work
Very good explanation 👍
Robin could you do a video on boxing in the steels, I always find this a labour intensive job, and wonder if you have any tricks. Enjoyed this one , hope your keeping well !
That's a good topic I will do that mate, hope your well too
Easy. Cut soldiers and hammer into the flange. Screw in 2x1 so you can get a fixing in from the bottom. Screw in plasterboard/ply/mdf
Really interesting, thanks Robin! Am I right in saying this is a solid wall, and if there was a cavity you'd require a steel for each skin? Cheers
Yes, exactly
Two lintels are easier to lift, but you do need to bolt them together .... however you can use a single wide one which can be cheaper and quicker, but need to have loading calculations to be sure
If you can see the joists, is it essential to remove the plasterboard before putting in the acrows?
So much knowledge
"Wedge and pinning" I was told a long time ago. No one knows what I am talking about nowadays. "Hope and a prayer" seems to be the order of the day when judging whether one has charged the new beam sufficiently enough with force to avoid a dreaded a second wave of forces causing more beam deflection and possible cracks to the masonry. How do you tell? Is it the sound the hammer makes when it is just right? "Overdesigning" cheap steel beams does help, but still, the crack risk must be a constant worry.
We I use a similar method to what your talking about, we have had jobs before where the engineer asked us to bolt a winch to the existing foundation below and pre stress the steel, its amazing how much these steels can flex too, the knowledge you have is being lost, anyone can call themselves a builder in the UK and there have been some horror stories in recent years!!! thanks for your comment
@@ukconstruction Pre-tensioning with a pulley and measuring the deflection to meet design criteria, sounds like a more scientific way of calibrating the beam deflection. But even that is not perfect as it is a point load, not a more realistic uniformly distributed load along the full length of the beam. So even structural engineers struggle to perfect a practical solution to a difficult situation. A compromise like a lot of building task, is inevitable. Thank you for that insight and I hope your good work is given full consideration by your clients.
Thanks just the instruction I needed.
great video. just wondering about the size of your needles. they look like 100 x 50 RHS ?
thank you so much , very informative video
Excellent video
What’s the recommended space between needles for an old Victorian house?
Genie lifts are okay but have there cons. There are special beam lifters about that are even better for most lifts. 👍
At the start of the video you can see the end grain of the rafter up against the brick work. They have been notched to sit on the ledger. Is this personal preference over joist hangers or does it depend on what the local authority want/say?
Awesome video as ever RC. May I ask how is the roof of the extension supported on the existing external wall? It looks like a substantial piece of timber has been fixed/screwed to the brickwork with the new extension joists notch cut and resting on it. If so, would that leave the timbers at risk of moisture that moves through brickwork? Cheers
Always remember to keep your acrows perfectly plum you be surprised how many people don't until they see one snap 🔨
Perfect Tip there
I’d keep them plumb instead of the fruit 🤣
@@oneflymanflies4924 🤦♂️ some of the one's I use are like 🍌😝
Great video
Glad you enjoyed it
An exemplary piece of temporary builderswork and way beyond any textbook method. Main Contractors that are governed by 'ealth and Safety wouldn't go to such lengths, let alone any small jobbing builder.
Rather than needling through, generally Acrow Strongbeam ends are used to support the wall from the inside. The beam is lifted into a 4 1/2" deep pocket on the outside and then the inner leaf is removed, including the RC lintel and the beam is slid into position with slate packers, keeping the be3am loaded at all times. This is a tried and tested, structural engineer approved method that requires only a fraction of the temporary builderswork shown.
The material to be supported by the new beam and therefore the temporary works is all the loads within a 60deg triangle above the beam that generally does not include any roof load. The exception to this is where there are windows and other openings in part or wholly within the triangle and then the loads will require individual assessment.
Thanks for your comment Clive appreciate it
Temporary works in construction are important, and are effectively a specialist skill...they are covered by mandatory requirements within the Construction Design and Management Regulations, which covers ‘all’ construction work, not just those works on ‘construction sites’... as for the cast in situ concrete pad stones for the steel beam, concrete can be ‘designed’, relating to cement/aggregate ratios and water content so it can be accurately ‘designed’ to meet or exceed load expectations (as assessed by laboratory concrete design mixes and testing to destruction under load), and provided it is mixed correctly in accordance e with the pre-determined mix design, cast well, and allowed to gain sufficient strength before being loaded, there is no reason to suspect it is an inferior method to others methods, using placing of pad stones etc.
Robin seems to have a thoroughly good job here, and no doubt he has been supported by a Structural Engineer, who has also probably actually designed the Temporary Works for the job, and probably provided RAMS for the work itself to ensure they were carried out effectively and safely.
@@stun9771 As you raised the CDM Regs, I trust Robin has supplied the client with the Contractors Health and Safety file as mandated by CDM Regs 2015? I have yet to see any small builder provide such a document to their client despite me reminding everyone of their duty. I also won't mention the PPE - helmet, safety glasses, gloves. I see he has safety footwear and ear defenders.
For beams of this load/length the engineers that I use all prefer to spec engineering brick pads as it takes out the difficulty of casting insitu pads that with on site mixing can be variable. Brick pads are much easier to install.
As I said, Robin's temporary works are exemplary and beyond the normal good practice. There is nothing wrong with going that extra mile so long as the consequences are acceptable.
@@stun9771 you're boring everyone now
Whilst you're getting all your paperwork together we'd gave got the beaming and brewed up. Box tickers everywhere.
Very good. Can I ask a question. I have an old house the beam was out in a long time ago. But opening up some dodgy hardboard round it. I found that there is wood what might have been a lintel from the old house but just bits. Can I leave it as the house hasn’t moved or the walls on the top cracked. So it seems fine. It should I have e it take out and a pad put in. Not sure about the other side of the beam supposed as not got to that bit.
Thanks.
What is premier for, never understood it. Can it just be a normal upload.
Just so it goes up at a set time. Sometime you try and upload and doesn’t always work right. This way everyone can get excited for Robin’s video with plenty of time to make a cuppa 🤔
Hi Robin, great video as usual. I would be interested to know how much load was being picked up in that situation? Thanks
probably a daft question....but why do I regularly see people fitting beams after the shell of the extension is up? It seems logical to install first whilst you have open access for moving the lifters and beam. Then build outwards and knock through last. I'm obviously missing something.
Top job mate👌
very nice apart from the stud work just how i was tort todo it.
Very thorough👍
Great video and information. Got my like and sub
Great video yet again Robin
Its great to see someone who is knowledgeable and passionate about what they do.
I have a question about how you got the calculations done for the beam and how you got away with just a single top beam and not a goal post system or a box frame. Just doing my house currently and had 3 engineers come around they all wanted an over the top set up. Its only a 5m beam in a two bed house just up the road from you in Westcott just outside of Dorking
In our case the existing foundations of the dwelling where really nice and the walls where super solid, we where also leaving enough brickwork as piers to justify not needing the frame set up, this is the first for a while that we have done that did not have the goal frame set up so that was great, its really tricky because an engineer has to cover him/herself and they also have to work on assumptions etc, maybe ask the question "can you make this work with a single beam?" say hi if you see me out and about!!!
@@ukconstruction
Thanks for the reply Robin
I certainly would say hi if I were to see you out and about. You actually shop in a timber merchant where my partner works but she's too shy to say anything to you. Keep up the great videos and sharing your knowledge its much appreciated
Hi. Re the steel beam, does it sit on damp proof membrane or do you use it at all re the beam.
is it ok for a size 2 prop to bend a little forward in the top section with a strong boy attached? the bottom is plumb and the top was at the start but bent slightly when wound up....
Yes
Hi thanks for video. Very well explained..
My question is , I’m removing load bearing wall for a patio door opening is 355cm and high is 230cm .. how many needles do I need ? It’s 9” wall. Thanks
Regards kaz
Hi Kaz, without seeing a picture or knowing what the structure above is its hard for me to say, but based on the dimensions you could do it easily with three needles so 1 in the centre and the others spaced equally from the centre to the edge of the opening, just make sure that the props have a good footing mate, good luck Robin
@@ukconstruction thanks for your reply.. how can I send you some photos? Thanks
Regards kaz
DM me on instagram
Cracking job
Hi mate, what mix do you use for the dry packing?
Great video. It looks as though you have inserted your needles on different courses in some places. Is there any particular reason for this?
How do you pressure the beam up against the overhead wall or is packing it enough after it sits on the pad stones. I've always wondered how one can minimize play once the pins are released.
The gap must be packed properly picked up, we use a combination of slate packing, dry packing sand and cement mix and also a strong pointing mix
@@ukconstruction thanks for the reply, very good video. Is it the same approach for putting in lintel for adding french doors or a window etc? A video on that when you get a chance would be great.
how much would cost fitting steel beam 6m long. roughly ? which part England your base is ?
Thanks for the video Robin, have you come across any good ideas for retaining loose fill cavity insulation? I’ve got to make an 2m wide opening through a gable wall of a bungalow, I wondered if drilling all round at regular spacing and squirting expanding foam in would work? Otherwise it’s a garden full of polystyrene beads🥴
The beads should be lightly glued together. I have them in my house, and when I opened up the wall to put in a new cavity tray I found only a small proportion came out. Although I was still finding those loose ones blowing around weeks later!
As you say you could use spray foam to retain them, but it effectively bridges the cavity (along the top of the foam) and could provide a route for moisture to run thru to the inside skin of the wall. Beads by comparison allow moisture to run thru the small gaps inbetween the glued interfaces.
Stuffing cavity batt in the gap worked for me.
Have you ever left the pad stones to the end, and then laid the bricks on the beam and jacked it into position. Surerly easier to get a nice full bed of mortar, and then slipped in the pad stones a the end? Also do use synthetic slate for the consistency, or is a real slate the only thing.
Funny enough the way your describing is the way I have always inserted beams in. Lay a bed of muck on the top of the beam then jack the beam up , insert the pads after, this way there are no voids under the existing brickwork or plates.Good video through from someone whos been building for in excess of 50 years now.
@@miketaylor3503 This danger with this method is the mortar bed will shrink leading to settlement of the supported structure above, maybe only 1 or 2mm, but enough for cracks to occur - I've seen it many times. Dry packing (with a 3:1 sharp sand:cement mixed to 'damp earth' consistency that will from a firm ball when squeezed in the hand), on the other hand, with it's low water content suffers minimal shrinkage which, in combination with well packed slate, greatly reduces the risk of cracking. Dry packing is a pain to do well though. If using your mortar bed approach I'd want to use a non-shrink grout like Webber 5*, rather than standard mortar, it's excellent stuff.
we need robin clevett outakes...lol
For some reason he reminds me of Mick Jagger!!
Hi Robin, Great video. I have recently had a 2.5m steel put in place downstairs of my timber frame house. The steel was put in on a load bearing and wind ‘resisting’ (not sure if that’d the correct term!) wall.
I have now noticed that upstairs - on the opposite side of the house and in other areas too, that there are 2-3mm cracks between the bottom of coving and top of plasterboard - and this spans the width of entire walls in some instances.
Could this be as a result of the steel not being correctly installed, or could it also be as a result of the drilling which happened on area where the steel was installed.
Basically, after the opening was created, there were bricks along the floor which needed to come out and I’m wondering if this heavy drilling might have been the cause of the cracks, or is it more likely that it’s the installation of the beam? Thanks 🙏
Hi Luke, DM some images to me via Instagram....
@@ukconstruction thank you very much Robin, will do 👍
Great work as always Robin. What size and thickness are the rectangular sections you're using as needles?
Hi I am Hasan my daughter, s structure engineer has suggested frame for steel beams and columns for kitchen extension size width 7.5m depth 4m. Please advice if you can suggest the type of steel beams and columns are required and also their sizes. Suggest if we can reduce number of beam and column by other secured method. Thank you.
I would say that trust your structural engineer and if in doubt about the sizes of beams specified then get a second opinion
Your daughter is correct. Due to the wall being removed you require a moment frame to be able to resist the wind load. The only exception is if you have wall returns either side of 655mm
Hi is there an alternative to using needles now
Hi Robin how did you work out the existing load above (roof, floor, brickwork) etc so you knew how many acros to put in ? I always follow the BRE guildance note for this which works on distances between acrows.....i then consult with a temporary works coordinator for the needles load capacity.....
Nice to see someone else using needles, our local structural enginer hates strong boys as there not really load approved and by using one it massively reduces the load capacity of the acrow..... needles are always safer
Hi Craig, I tend to work out how many square metres of materials are in the building and would affectively be supported, I make assumptions and also over calculate and come up with a figure, then I would add an amount per room for furniture etc I would then see where and how I can fit the props, needles and get divide the weight by the amount of supports, there are lots of variables and in the case of my job we had a large concentration of the load down the side of the bay into the middle of the new opening, this was evident when I removed the concrete lintel as it had a crack due to the loads over, I am a strong believer in more props the better, its about managing risk and health and safety
Thanks for your comments mate
Thanks for sharing your knowledge, top man
Just in case you ever need it the BRE good building guild is GBG 15
Its got all the loads for the acrows and needles pre worked out.
When a steel is specced it should come with it the load that it is to support and how it’s distributed along the beam. Likely over estimated by a good margin but a starting point no less?
@@craigsmith3954 Thanks Craig I will take a look
Belt braces & shoelaces wow
Good day, could you please mention the dimensions of the Lintel and the thickness of the brick wall.
It would have helped a lot if you had included a rough sketch of the wall, load / structure present above the Lintel.
Regards,
Sushil Adhikari...
( India 👍👍 )
Heard Robin say, " 9 inch wall." Which means two bricks and a 10mm joint. So, that can be two bricks and a morter joint or one running the length of the wall
( ==== ) like so, or running across the length of the wall, thus : ||||||||
Depending on the bond.
A nine inch wall means double brick solid wall. No cavity.