Steel just put in my loft look WRONG - if you have a floor suspended from steels please come calm me down

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

Steels went in today,builders gone, I gone up for sneaky peek and they look higher than I thought they would be going in. Much higher! I can't make head nor tail of the drawings so that doesn't help me.

So, can you calm me down and answer this question for me?

Does the floor rest on top of the steels, or hang from the metal hangy things attached inside the steels? The steels run along the sides of the room and appear to provide the 'edging' of the room shape, if that makes sense.

anyone? I am a bit stressed and I can't call the builder at 8:40pm!

Pav - I can't remember and dh is out til late. I would ring the builder. I really would.

Thinking of you - I know how stressful it all is - it is still very raw in my mind

Also play on the hormones - I was 5 mths pregnant when they started and ds3 was 2 weeks old when they left - I was very very hormonal

Thanks Ooggs! I shall not ring him. DH says not to be so daft! He is back first thing and I am not at work until 10am so I will collar him when he gets here before i make his tea!

I am sure its right, he knows we want the ceiling as low as possible as we want to try to keep the number of treads on the stairs down, and he has said he will do what he can to get a cm here and there for us, but maybe her forgot .

Any other advice re the steels?

dh says they could hang from the middle

but there are different kinds

no help I know sorry

Gecko - ok, could you ask your dh what the metal hangy things attached to the steels might be for, if not to hang the floor on? They are on wood, which is drilled into the steel? about 30 of them at a guess, on each steel, equal distance apart. And he says they could hang the floor from them, but are they likely to? I knew I should not have gone and looked

In our loft conversion, the floor rests on the steels. We can't see the steels at all.

wrong answer !

We were hoping he might be hanging the floor from the steels, as this will mean the floor wont be as high as it looks like it is going to be . The steels won't be visible even if he does this, as they run parallel with the edge of the room on both sides, so will be hidden on the other side of the eves to the room itself.

no-one said it was going to be easy (apart from the builder

We were a bit shocked when the steels went in, and we mourned the potential extra headroom.

However, we don't hear anything when the elephants boys are thudding around. The extra sound insulation is a good thing.

phew. I have scoured the internet for pictures to show what I mean, and I have found what I think the builder is doing. gecko does that seem right to your DH?

This company is the rival company and we went with our builder as he undercut this company by £2k . I am sure he does the steel work in the same manner, and the metal and wood fitted to the steel up there looks the same as this does, but minus the new floor joists.

If this is the case, it makes sense. I could not visualise it, and it would have made the loft so much smaller .

I will clarify with him in the morning to make sure though, as at this rate we wont be able to stand up in it otherwise!

and he has been using the words 'suspended ceiling' all along.

DOH - look at slide show number 10. Thats what I think hope he is doing.

Oh and number 12, thats a better one.

Just seen your post and bugger, DP (builder) has shot off to work.

We can see our steel in the living room - it's a feature - it's covered and plastered but we've used it as a visual divide into the dining area. You can chose to cover the steel though - but I doubt if your builder has just not got round to that part yet!

The 30 steel things sound like 'the strappings' - these are the things the building inspector admired in dp's build (geek!) The strappings(about 30 on a decent size beam) are extra protection - stop sagging and keep steel firmly in place. I can only think that's what they are. These are usually left exposed until the building inspector has seen and passed it off.

Let us know how you get on!

I have just spoken to the builder. The floorbeams will be hung from the steels, rather than placed on top - in the the 'strappings' and will sit about half way down the steels, then the floorboards will be laid on top of that, the final finished floor finishing just below the steel line. There will be no steel visible as it will be forming the base of the side walls.

I was worried that the floor would go on top, and thus removing even more headroom. I know DH and I are short and all, but still we are not that^ small!

So, I am now calm again, and I am reassured.

I also overheard boss man talking to the elctrician when he came this morning, and said he does not want to move the wall in DDs room if at all possible (for the stairs) so is doing what he can to get a few inches back here and there, which means he would not be putting the steels any higher than they have to go.

panic over, for now.

Inspector came last week, not much to see, so I think he is coming back around this week after steels are in. So, fingers crossed as he is a mean one apparantly

sounds like your builder is doing exactly as they did in the slides - so pretty normal technique probably (most builders aren't very innovative ).

Just a comment about visible steels - they should never be visible - they should always have at least a double layer or plaster board over them - this is because the plaster board shields the steel in the event of a fire - steel becomes unstable and bends at high temperatures - which is not good if it is holding a house up ! Apparently plaster boards can with stand higher temperatures than the steel.

Ah yes, when I said 'visable' I meant the shape was easily seen. Yes, Throckenholt is right, the plasterboard they're covered with is fireproof stuff (tech speak!) well, it was pink! Steels get so hot they need extra protection.

bumping for my records.

Oh yes pav, I remember this is where it all started. I can't believe the shit has been going on so long. You must be so, so emotionally drained.

Emotionally drained up to this week - an understatement - now i am so fucking angry about the whole thing. I am going to take him to the cleaners. He has pushed us too far. He has destroyed what should have been a precious time for my family. Took it, stamped on it, walked away and dared to tell me i owe him money. He will not get away with it, regardless of me being pregnant, or with a newborn.

But i am on the edge, i flit between positivity at it finally being finished by a competent builder, anger at what he has done, fear of what else might be uncovered and absolute stupidity that we let it go so far. We should have fired him when he screwed the floor up.

Don't beat yourselves up Pavlov. It really could have happened to anyone. Our builder once said to me "bullshit baffles brains", and it does. At times you believe their bullshit because you just daren't believe that it can be as bad as you have an inkling it is.

I hope you are able to take some to yourself over the next few weeks, alone, resting, clearing some headspace.

And then screw the bastard senseless in court.

That is exactly it, we did not want to believe someone would do that, that it could possibly be as bad as it turned out to be. Exactly right.

But, I feel much more relaxed now we have a proper builder in to finish/remedy the damage (as much as he can without starting over!).

Also feel better as DH had just shaved my legs for me as I can no longer reach them .

In a year, it will all be a memory. I hope