Just heard that there is concrete foundation underneath the whole building & lawn , will this rule out my trap door , or should there still be some space available for my trap door / storage compartment ?
Just heard that there is concrete foundation underneath the whole building & lawn , will this rule out my trap door , or should there still be some space available for my trap door / storage compartment ?
Depends on what type of floor the property has.
If it's poured/solid concrete, you'll struggle to get a batcave under there without major works.
If it's suspended concrete, it may be possible to remove a concrete block, but I wouldn't fancy doing that.
If it's suspended timber you may be able to get under it with relative ease. Floorboards are easily lifted.
What are you going to be keeping safe in the batcave? If it's small trinkets, a floor safe might be a better/easier option.
tepo (13-10-2015)
a floor safe is sort of what I had in mind , but ones I see are not really stealth but more like this
whereas what I needwould need to be more like this. but prob no bigger than 10 x 10 " for the trapdoor.
Here is another underside / upsides down view of my utopian vision ... all On PAINT !
not exactly to perfection , but you get the idea...I hope
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Last edited by tepo; 13-10-2015 at 08:59 PM.
It all depends on what floor you have to butcher and how much room you have beneath said floor.
Love the idea in the second video (despite hating the video!) and with your 1:1 scale professional blueprint above, I think you've got potential. Could you put a floor safe beneath the secret trapdoor? You've got stealth and security then.
Yeah the 2nd video is my preference too - just not the bloody awful music .. trouble is my joints are so bad i cant even do the basics to investigate whats there or I would ( the cheapest / only quote I got was 25 quid an hr )
Where the hell are all the cheap Foreign workers when you need them ??![]()
be careful about going through a ground bearing floor. You need to know whether it is a raft slab in which case it is part of the main foundation system, or whether it is simply a floor slab. Even in the latter case you will be breaching waterproofing, possibly insulation too. You could compromise the performance of the room above, and create a cold and damp problem. Forming any sort of excavation for permanent construction within 3m of a party wall or boundary requires notification under the Party Wall Act 1996, and you may need a party wall award. You will also need to notify building control and obtain building control approval. You may require planning consent - particularly if in the inner boroughs of London where increasing restrictions are being placed on people constructing into the ground.
NB also to check for any buried services - undertake a utility asset search and tracked CCTV drainage survey. Also CAT scan as a minimum before digging anything near to or under an existing building.
Edit - just saw the links above. That's so small it's very unlikely it would need Party Wall Award or the like, so long as you don't go too deep with it. Sorry, for some reason I thought you trying to build a cellar room.
Last edited by ik9000; 15-10-2015 at 01:26 PM.
Getting sued by disappointed clients if my recent experiences are anything to go by. 3 different projects, 3 different contractors, 3 different law suits. The old adage is true - pay peanuts, get monkeys. And it's only getting worse with CDM2015 now extending the regulations to include private domestic properties. Most small contractors don't have a clue what to do to comply with it, yet it is the client who can be held liable!
tepo (14-10-2015)
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