We did it! Box frame steel is in - London Extension build Ep20

[@SunBlueSkyDIY]

I really like how complicated those engineering calculations are to find out how big the steel should be and then eventually rest them all on four bolts on each side.

[@jjudge8381]

Who's doing the wee wee in the garden 🤣

[@keithkench9432]

Thanks!

[@paulmcgeoch2603]

I thought the top and bottom steels would have been full length and the uprights fit in between? Just make more sense for the load. Thanks Darren. All the best

[@rkvohra70]

I totally agreed ,top and bottom beams should have been full and upright one should have been wedged in between Now basically the weight of WHOLE house would reply on the bolts Poor design by enggenier

[@tonyh4737]

@@rkvohra70 I also agree, the weight can then be directly transfered down through the upright (a bit like a lintol) things change i suppose

[@ltg1971]

It does make sense to put the steel on top. But the bolts are doing the same job. It’s not a bad design. That’s how you do it. Just look at a steel frame office block. The floor beams are bolted to the side of upright and the uprights are bolted together and so on. It’s just how it’s done.

[@macky0305]

The Egyptians have nothing on you guys, love your ingenuity. HSE might not be praising you, but sometimes you have to think outside the box to get things done. Nuff Respect! 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾

[@keithkench9432]

wanted to send more but it wouldnt let me, well done lads good old fashion get it done attitude.

[@shanicarter7637]

Congratulations!!! What magnificent work you have done. You have shown there is nothing you cannot do. Have a blessed weekend and stay safe.

[@mrddb4328]

Wow, you guys don't play. If there is a will there is a way. I'm impressed how you make it look easy. Well done guys.

[@gibbo4809]

I passed by your job on wednesday31st August 2022. I tooted my car horn and gave your apprentice a wave. I was tempted to park up and come in and say hello. great job guys keep up the good work.

[@mrddb4328]

If parked up, you have to help.... Lol

[@PAGEREFURBISHMENT]

I don’t understand why the top and bottom steels weren’t extended to the very end and the uprights holding it up… seems strange that all the weight of the house is being held by the bolts

[@j4ck888]

engineers have strange ways, just do what they designed lol

[@jjudge8381]

I thought the exact same thing, it looks like the horizontals should be the verticals, and the verticals should be horizontal. I've installed dozens of crossbars and box frames in my time, and I've never seen it this way. It would be good to see the drawings guys to help us understand why the SE has specified it in this way.

[@PAGEREFURBISHMENT]

@@jjudge8381 it’s a poor design by the se I get that those bolts have ridiculous sheer strength but it almost makes the uprights pointless… the weight should be transferred through the columns not the bolts

[@macky0305]

Good point, perhaps the joints are going to be welded. 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@JohnWatkinsUK]

I did wonder this too, and the bricks at each end will be floating over the open columns?

[@fhm3762]

Good work boys

[@goldenineke]

All I can say is well done. Mammoth task! Respect Darren, Mr A and MJ.

[@paulcowell7588]

This bloke is a truly resourceful guy..

[@kevinstanzl8189]

You guys really graft. What a job and great watching you make it happen as those steels are massive

[@daverichardson5861]

Good job your a workaholic. In place and moving on. Great job.

[@pearljam6191]

Well done

[@tomearnshaw8532]

Well done. Real world stuff.

[@woody9052]

Great job guys....happy days

[@waynejordan1409]

Have a great weekend guys! 👍🏻

[@leeedwards9994]

great job as always guys was a little concerened about the bearing on the two footings .. but i remember you saying the beam at the bottom is being encased in concrete so that will sort out that issue ..... well done dealing with a difficult job .....

[@MrGlenfraser]

Well done guys......good work

[@ukpipeline]

Great work, tough situation with a small team and site. Glad heavy bits are done…

[@eamonnkiely4964]

Well done guys. Excellent work as usual. 🙌🙌

[@EdithWeston]

👏👏 fantastic work guys -well done, you are all hard workers.

[@valstrong-gal3097]

Excellent 👏🏾👏🏾

[@JK-tr2mt]

Helluva job guys. Well done!

[@martynbuzzing3327]

I have to smile. Hard hats are good, but a beam that size wouldn't bounce off the top..lol good job guys. 👏

[@jmk1962]

Blimey, that's a relief to see it all in place. Am surprised the structural engineer didn't design the top steel to be wider and rest on the uprights. Hope he knows what he's doing but you have to work with what you've got. Great job getting it into place. Hopefully that's the hard work over and the rest should be easier from now on.

[@darrenthebuilder]

Yeh i thought so but i have seen it like this (online), but these design have to pass the council and im sure the engineers know what there doing so its all done a certain way for a reason. I personally have no idea lol

[@ORGPPL1]

Maybe it's designed that way to support the party wall and outside wall.

[@markr8604]

For what it’s worth, it’s to do with 2 items it seems - end bearing and also wind restraint - there’s no wall on the other side as it’s completely open - building regs.

[@megaman2016]

Genius team!

[@patterdalezipsuzilil]

Will you be tieing that gable end to the virticle steel on right hand side I presume it was corner tied with back brickwork

[@Recessio]

Great work with the steels, glad to see you being all safe with the crane and safety gear throughout. When you say "do the brickwork above the steel", does that include removing that wooden lintel beneath the right hand window? To me, that lintel and the two courses of brick above it don't look too healthy compared to the rest of the exterior

[@DRAINTVofficial]

What bolts did you use

[@yensabi]

Great job guys and it's not easy working with those monsters... Something tells me the engineer or the steel fabricators have read the drawings wrong because that ring looks upside down... Hope I'm wrong 👍

[@TheLuminousOne]

Your wish has come true.

[@frankyates7910]

my what a strange way of working with heavy streel beams.still you did it.

[@BeyondTP]

Looks fantastic guys great job. Genuine Question - at 7:45 - Is there a reason for the different patchwork of breezeblock and bricks on the lower level wall?

[@halstirrup]

How did you support the wall ? I can only see acros inside supporting the ceiling joists.

[@darrenthebuilder]

The acros and strong boys are supporting both skins. There is no cavity wall here.

[@jpjmortimer]

Amazing work! How much should I budget for something like that? Supply and fit

[@darrenthebuilder]

Thanks, these steels where huge so need to be craned to site so may be additionally deliver cost but I think the 4 steels cost around £4K. Suuply and fit expect around £8k up

[@jpjmortimer]

@@darrenthebuilder Ah OK thanks for the info. Pretty reasonable cost for what you gain. Cheers!!

[@kenantaylan3617]

Is first floor wall just supported on the strong boy?

[@darrenthebuilder]

Yes

[@andybrace4983]

Well done guy's not a easy job at all but thankfully its done .💪💪💪💪💪

[@markthomas9794]

How much are those steels costing

[@viankalobosvalenzuela7456]

Excelente trabajo 👊 💯 💪👌🏻

[@mikeandcheryl]

It would be interesting to know if you would do it that way again from a cost point of view. I'm thinking of 3 peoples wages for 2 full days plus the time doing shuttering etc. Would it have been cheaper getting it all ready and using a reach forklift to put the steels in

[@paulfreegard1271]

there is something wrong ..all the downward weight is on the screws surely the vertical steel ends should be on and under the horizontals

[@IrishBoy]

I have seen a steel bridge beams joined or bolted this way, i dont think its a design fault or a mistake

[@MrImATarget]

After this the rest will be easy peasy.

[@martynlawrence2365]

Someone certainly cocked-up with those steels! All the load-bearing properties are reliant on nothing more than eight bolts. Be surprised if that gets past inspection!

[@TheLuminousOne]

Be prepared to be surprised, nobody has 'cocked' anything up.

[@hamza-bq1in]

what was the cost for the calcs from the engineer on this?

[@darrenthebuilder]

HI sorry i don't know as i'm not involved in that part of the process.

[@paulmcgeoch2603]

Don’t worry about the haters Darren. You are better than that 😉

[@y.lelivelt2619]

Mr A was pretty tired after using the genie. But gladly the beams are in place. It's a totally different vieuw now to see.

[@jamiekent1970]

Hey , another great video btw, you fellas are illiterately on the google street view “ having lunch”

[@keithkench9432]

sorted have a beer.

[@tonymoloney3223]

You must of all had your weetabix 🤪

[@kimmy6439]

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@AndrewSmith-wh3lo]

I am no engineer but I know that engineers start their degrees already with A level maths/physics. They then study maths and physics for another three years. If Darren says the engineer approved this design, then I think the armchair critics, with their little bit of knowledge (and GCSE maths) should pipe down. As someone with only a tiny bit of knowledge in this area (and maths at a GCSE level), it looks like this steel design approved by an engineer would pull the frame in, under load. If the top steel were on top of the uprights, the frame under pressure might tend to go rhombus shaped and put pressure on the outside wall and push it out. The onlyl thing I know....is that I know nothing (Plato on Socrates)

[@alberttatlock5104]

Over kill.

[@donaloconnell5015]

Hi Darren I think you need to get the engineer to explain some of the questions raised about the design of the steel box if these videos are serious. I can see some weaknesses in the design and so do others. I am beginning to think that you are working under the instruction of an incompetent person and may never get paid for your work on this project. I may be wrong and I hope I am but surely the design of the box means that all the weight of the upper section of the steel and the upper part of the house are bearing down on the bolts rather than the steel uprights which would mean that the pads were a waste of time and money . Please ask the engineer to answer my questions and also why have building control not show an interest on the steel structure progress.

[@darrenthebuilder]

I don’t know the e engineer and that’s. Not reallly something that I would do. I wouldn’t feel comfortable questioning their expertise for The sake of my videos (no offence to you or anyone). Tbh I have seen this design plenty and many steel Arrangements are hung for from the bolts. From quick research these bolts probably can hold up Two of these. Houses soo im personally not worried. Building control Are interested but the process is they visit once the. Steels are in place. They will only check that we have installed the Steels based on the pre approved drawings. Obviously I will keep you updated on any inspection. Hope that makes sense. Peace

[@donaloconnell5015]

Thank you Darren for the prompt reply, I am not qualified to say that this is a weakness in the structure and I'm not saying that it is but I saw it as a possible one as did other unqualified people. I would be interested in understanding why it isn't the other way round because I'll be doing a smaller extension in the future requiring the same thing. I'm sure I will learn some more as the project continues so I will continue to watch your content and be a fan of yours and the team. Bless the work and I will talk again soon with you. Donal

[@TheLuminousOne]

Structural Engineer here. The 'weaknesses' you think you see in the design, in this instance, are not there. It's always healthy to see people question why something was done in a particular way. The bolts are largely acting in shear (with some tension) and if they're 4No. 8.8 M20s per connection (say) they'll be adequate to support the loads above. Provided they are tightened. 😊 The load on the beam's split and transferred to the columns, then onto the footpads and into the ground. Having done a quick calculation on this scheme with some basic assumptions, the design works. You can relax, now.

[@TheLuminousOne]

@@davebadger100 This answer may not satisfy you, but here goes. Specifying top and bottom beams to be of same type and dimensions may be favoured for it's 'simplicity'. There is also the benefit of having one less drawing detail to provide. Another may be, how the particular structural engineer envisages the build process within their mind, based upon their imagination/experience. Even what sometimes appear to be unintuitive designs have to be proven to work. Sometimes, there's just not one way of doing things. In this particular instance, i may have bolted the top beam to the top of the column heads via a bearing end-plate. At least in principle, this would be more structurally 'elegant' to my mind as the integrity of the structure would not be relying solely on the performance of the bolts. Either way, it is of little consequence, as it has been proven to work.

[@donaloconnell5015]

@@TheLuminousOne Thank you for the explanation it was appreciated and it was nice of you to share that knowledge.

[@c1peewee]

Man I which someone would say the black is lazy :: especially mr. E he is what a man looks like all of but he is older may Jesus Christ protect you all and watch your souls

[@villyou4809]

That struc des makes zero sense. Since the beginning of mankind's necessity to build up, verticals hold up horizontals. Be it wood, concrete and especially in this case, heavy duty steel, the formula never changes, 1 comes before 2 comes before 3 and so on. Welds, bolts, poor designers and even worse city council approvals be damn. I would NEVER put this in my house, let alone a customers, taken one step further, I would put this in my house BEFORE I put this in a customers because I would rather die than live with the guilt knowing I installed this hot mess. Bolts my a55. Welds and Bolts break EVERY SINGLE DAY!! This is outrageous and unacceptable.

[@darrenthebuilder]

Yep bolts on our car wheels are absolutely unacceptable

[@jp6975]

What may seem to be outrageous and unacceptable appears to be perfectly ok. There are a couple of structural engineers who have given their views to the many people questioning this design. Both have said it is perfectly fine and is a common way of doing things. One of the engineers has even stated that buildings far bigger than this are done in the same way. If a structural engineer says it is fine then I'll take that.

[@keithkench9432]

Thanks!

[@darrenthebuilder]

Thanks Keith :) Appreciated