Can you (would you) DIY an RSJ installation?

ChasingtheWelshdream

Thanks for all your help and comments, it’s given me a lot to think about. We’re going to contact the builder again in a week or so like he said, and if he is then in a position to carry out the work we’ve budgeted and are happy to go with it.

If not, a lot to think about. 

As always, you’ve been really helpful 🙂

Jeepers_Creepers

stuart45 said:

It's always hard to be sure without being on site, but according to the plans the joists are running parallel to the spine wall, and also the wall does not carry the wall above in that position as it is offset by 400mm. 
I would guess that if this is the case the UC is there to take the rest of the brickwork up to the floor void.  This is probably because if you look at the plans the wall needs to connect properly to the piers each side, otherwise the spine wall would lose some of it's stability.
If for example the brickwork was removed up to the ceiling height the piers each side would get a bit lonely. 

Blimey, if that's the reason for all this malarkey being required. Never occurred to me, but what a hassle.

Mickey666

stuart45 said:

When doing this kind of work on older properties I've often had to rebuild the ends of the walls with engineering bricks, as the old walls built in lime mortar were not really sound enough for the pad stones and steel.

  Nothing wrong with lime mortar . . . . it was good enough for the Romans and many of their buildings seemed to have lasted quite well

stuart45

Not just about the mortar, the interior bricks were usually a poorer quality than face bricks back then.   The quality of lime mortar varies quite a lot. On a lot of the older Victorian terraces some of it is fine, and on others is really poor. 
But it usually comes down to what the SE wants. If it's a nib or pier built with engineering bricks then that's what is done.

Mickey666

stuart45 said:

Not just about the mortar, the interior bricks were usually a poorer quality than face bricks back then.   The quality of lime mortar varies quite a lot. On a lot of the older Victorian terraces some of it is fine, and on others is really poor. 
But it usually comes down to what the SE wants. If it's a nib or pier built with engineering bricks then that's what is done.

Of course, because that's what the SE was taught to specify and that's what BC will sign off.  Makes one wonder how we used to build anything before engineering bricks and steels, etc were invented