Before removing a single brick you ought to have a structural engineer inspect the integrity of the building and the adequacy of the current temporary supports then have him submit remedial structural drawings and a detailed schedule of works necessary to ensure the whole thing doesn't come crashing down on you, especially the 'free floating' chimney! Good luck and be careful

my suggestion is once the trees are gone, clear the place out completely as it looks like a war zone right now. Put in some concrete footings to support the house. Once the house is properly supported, demo everything and start from fresh. I would not even want to figure if the current foundation is worth it or not. You've already seen the mess that's there. Do the work your way from start to finish. You will sleep better at nights, knowing everything's right.

You’ve got heart of a lion. Lucky customer having you.

you really are a credit to your profession. If all builders where as 1/2 as good as you the world would be a better place.

You should be awarded an MBE when complete for resolving this mess. If you have to put new foundations, imperative that the structural engineer signs off on the plan of action. Recasting them in 1m-2m sections with adequate gaps to prevent cave in will important, especially if underpinning needed on original structure. You can then use resin with steel to tie the foundation blocks all together. Perhaps installing brick stitching bars at the top floors may help contain any movement. And don’t skimp on acros / strong boys. Try and get some HSE support and document the risks beforehand as it would be very sad for your client or yourself to do experience harm. Best of luck and this one will be super interesting! Thanks for sharing. Alberto

Please engage a structural engineer to inspect the building and prepare new drawings. Make sure the client is aware of the potential cost before you start.

The cost of removing all that bad work, skips galore, new drawings and foundations must be many thousands even before a brick is laid. This is going to be an expensive situation to make right. Kudos for taking it on. 🍺

Hope they are paying you what you and the job is worth

A brave man indeed...super builder. That brick column looks like cemented jaffa cakes...

You have balls of steel and the heart of a lion to take that project on but it will turn out amazing i'm sure

Those cavity lintels look like they are the wrong way round as well. You are a very brave man taking on that job. I have been in the building trade for 30 year and that looks like a nightmare job.

I'm so looking forward to watching this series. Your a real pro man. The owner is lucky to have found you.

Good luck Darren, think carefully before you ‘do’! Should hate anything silly to happen to you all. I am sure the end product will be brill if time/care is taken. Stay well.

You’re a brave man taking on that unknown quantity. Good of you to help those people out though.

First ensure the main building is properly supported. Secondly, remove old footings to extension and supply new. Well done to you: Don't forget priorities - House, Extension, Garden remedial.

You are a brave man, 90 percent would run a mile from that abomination . A good engineer is the key here. Good luck man , they are lucky to have you sorting this mess

Great comments below. Can I suggest you use Needle Beams with an Acro either side of the footing to support the existing house (two floors).. Place the Needles above the steels so they can be removed. I used them on a recent project with great success.

This one will be very interesting - good project!. A thorough structural report is paramount and I'd go overkill on props!

You are the only person who would take on the magnitude of this job. I hope there is some agency where you can report this horrible work and cite the builder so to spare any other homeowner from this experience. And I agree with all the comments, and an MBE would suffice. This will make you famous in London, for sure!

Brave man Darran, all the best with it remember stay safe at all times go slow and steady mate... we are cheering you on and the boys

Just came across your channel and im really loving your videos and, how knowledgeable you are about things, plus the fact youre asking for opinions of others shows that you want to do the absolute best you can for your clients, unlike the morons who left the house in that state. You are a brave man but i can tell that you want to fix things for the customer which is really nice, i hope it goes smoothly and will ge keeping up with videos about it. I have had so many cowboys out to give quotes for stuff when we bought our house which was in a total mess, but fortunately we managed to avoid employing any of them as i have a wee bit of knowledge due to my dad being in the building trade (he could yave done the work but it was a new kitchen, bathroom, plastering, new floors, ceilings ect so it was way too much for him). Weve done a lot outselves too. Cant wait to see this sorted out, youre a gem for taking that on and im sure once completed the customer will be indebted to you 😊

Good luck Darren, I am looking forward to your latest project for this one. May the force be with you and stay safe.

The intro music made me think I was watching an Arako video. Love the video and glad you took the job. Cowboy builders are a cancer to the trade.

love your videos, you will sort this mess out, you got a great positive can do attitude.

Just hope it works out and that the structural integrity of the building is not compromised any more than it currently is.

God bless you Darren and your team your building work is absolutely immense you are the number 1 builder god bless

Massive undertaking. If anyone can do it you can Darren!

Yesssssssir! This rags to riches renovation is gonna be the one! Given the scope of this project, I’d consider employing a videographer to document this whole series!

Your views on the cowboy builder job are going through the roof!

You’ve got some cojones fella! Makes my self build look like an operating theatre 😂, seriously, good luck 👊🏼

Get Dion Dublin in. This needs to be on national TV.

First job is to tell the neighbours you are taking on the job. Apologise in advance for the disruption, but assure them it will all done properly. Getting them on side will help. Particularly the neighbours in the adjoining property. No doubt they will be thinking how the disruption to the original buildings integrity might have affected them. You said the house had shifted a bit. Then sort out your skip permits, you’re going to need dozens!

Brave man like the song goes Rip it out and start again Best of luck

I think you are partly crazy for taking this on 🤣 but also it will be great for your CV! Good luck!

Oh, what a nightmare. I'm looking forward to watching the series. Be safe.

Leave well alone I wouldn't touch this no matter how much they are willing to pay ,your a brave man taking this on mate best of luck

You might want to get some to look at that chimney first all sorts of problems there potentially as well as being liable to falling on anyone bellow. Well done for taking it on and helping client.

Fair play taking that job on. Some builders just want the easy life so good for you.

😊well you have some job I would remove the roof first and clean up the site before you start good luck set each of your men tasks as some times they are standing about watching you do all the work Robert

got your work cut out here Daz, look forward to see how this turns out.

This is 1 hell of a job, this will test your skills and some

First thing is have a site safety point in the garden, get a tone more acro supports in I see one missing which is a worry, all staff should wear high visibility jackets and hard hats at all times for safety and sadly no music on site as communication is going to be important! After this next thing would be to remove the roof I noticed in the last video where the roof is rotting that a lot of bricks are missing on the outside wall of the original house so they will need filling in before any work if you can get a structural engineer to take a look and see if they can give you any advice, I'm not a builder but could you not build a concrete block wall under the whole of the steals to support the house while you remove all outer walls might cost more but having concrete block walls supporting the house and steals ( effectively rebuilding the original walls) while you open the space up might be a good idea then agian I'm not a exspert but you are doing the right thing in seeking advice as this isn't a normal job but safety is important at all times I would also advice that the owners do not live in the house while work is being carried out for safety it's just too risky to have them living in the house while risky structural work is being done, good luck with the job and hopefully some builder KZfaq channels might come and give you a hand and some advice

I would put as many Acrows under those metal beams as you can fit before you touch anything, in the hope of stopping any more sagging of the upper floors. I would get some sort of no blame contract with the client, as you have no idea what's going to happen once you start poking around those footing's. You mentioned the metal is not up to spec is it possible to add more steel to bring it up to spec rather than going down the route of removing what's already there. I wish you well for this job and have subscribed to follow your progress.

You're a brave man. I don't know the circumstances and how the owner ended up with this job. Considering there are so many things you can't see I'm surprised you're not taking the whole thing down and starting from scratch.

Wow. Removing the existing steels is going to be a real challenge. Surely it will need a temporary rigid steel frame designed by a SI not just more acrows. You already have movement in the building above so compromised stability before you have even started

You are very brave taking that job on.

Loving the amount of videos being posted lately 👍

You have some big balls taking that job on 👍👍

Start point check Building Control / Approved Inspector has signed off foundation - report should have pictures to gauge if foundation are proper. Lack of weep vents also means there’s probably no cavity trays. Best take all that crappy brickwork down and start over - render finish would save client money over brick. You seem to have a good grip of the footings / under-pinning required to support the steels / goalposts etc. Just appoint an S.Eng to design and provide calcs to cover yourself. Prop everything inc that floating chimney stack - gravity means it could collapse anytime damaging the adjacent property/ party wall. If the first floor of the existing house is empty I would needle prop instead of using strong boys to reinforce the existing masonry structure. Make removing that undersized steel easier. Needles will also bridge over the footings if you need to grub all the old foundation out. Good luck. Subbed as it looks like an interesting project to follow

Take lots of pictures pal, this job will be great for your CV if you go ahead.

Tough job, but great content. Good luck!

Good luck with that one my friend.

As the builder, you can be held personally liable if any structural decisions you make go wrong. Therefore, always let the engineers, owners, architects etc make the decisions, and have them in signed writing.

Well done young man. I really do not think you need any advice at all - you have your head screwed on. I will just make one comment - if you are going to be taking the overall responsibility for this job - do not get involved in the physical work. You need to be standing well back so that you can indeed see the ‘wood for the trees’. Good luck.

Surely you can get on to the local building control. They should have inspected the foundations prior to any walls being built. If they have signed off any work that doesn't conform - get compensation from them.

Access looks like a bloody nightmare too. Just wide enough for a knuckle scrapping barrow.

Def get in a structural engineer as it good be a minefield when it comes to foundations and load bearing sections at least they can map out a plan of action but still your amazing at what you do im sure you will sort it out 👍

Looking forward to this series 👍

Hi mate ...wow what a job....I once saw a job where a builder put pins (pieces of RSJ ) in pre prepared holes, at about 600mm apart, at the base of the corner of the existing first floor. Through the holes each pin was supported by 2 accro props. Once in and tight you have free access to the base of the upstairs wall and this gives you free access to remove the old steels and fit new ones in place. Once the new ones are in and you have accro props under them you can then be sure the corner of the house aint going nowhere.....I wish you good luck sir...and if in doubt get an structural engineer.....Like the videos... keep it up!!!!

Fair play to you mate nothing worse than taking someone else's job id just nock it all down stay safe buddy

Gonna be interesting to follow this one

If anyone can sort it it's you and your crew softly, softly good luck there lucky to get u

You could try all cement/concrete yards in the local area to see if they still have records of how much concrete was poured at this address and this could give you an idea of the depth . I'm just assuming that the 'builders' used a local firm. I suppose it's possible that they mixed their own, but the house owner should be able to confirm either way.

Can’t wait for this series going to be a cracker, good luck

If the foundations r correct leave the right side wall for the neighbour standing or repair if possible without taking it all down. If not take it down last to ensure the steel is supported.

What a ball ache. Logical step by step thinking. Above all, make sure the house remains intact 😅.

I can't believe the chimney is not supported and removed. That just increases the danger and reduces integrity of the building. Have a tidy up inside, over support the floors above. Get the owner to get the back garden tidied and cleared up. As the tree surgeon would work more efficiently in a easier accessible and open environment. Gives you more space to plan and prepare material without being inside. I'm very keen to learn how you sample test; if the footings are adequate. If not, how do you rip out the current footings, can you get a micro digger in the back garden?

This is gonna be interestimg to watch.

Are the owners going to live in the uppers whilst you do the work? If I were you I would suggest they move out for a few weeks until you have fully secured the structure. Has building control been appointed? This feels like one for the council. By the book!

I am a mere diyer. Firstly, you are very brave! This is going to be very interesting for me as there is lots to learn so thanks for posting. How the heck do you price a job like that! I wonder how they have the money or energy to bother with a garden room at this stage. I would want to sort out the present mess first. That kind of worries me in itself. I would be sure to get regular payments. I do worry about the liability. I would check the contract and make sure you have someone to blame! Under the supervision of an architect and structural engineer so if it goes wrong you can push the liability onto their insurance.Check your insurance very carefully! They did not follow the provisions of the Party Wall Act originally. I wonder if they should do so now in a retrospective manner. A can of worms they may not want to open I suspect.

Has a structural engineer now calculated the weight of the existing property that the Acrow props are supporting? I mentioned previously that a standard Acrow can support 4300kg so obviously a naive estimate could be obtained by multiplying this figure by the number of Acrows to say that you know the building isn't going to fall down with this amount of support but I don't think that is a method anyone could rely on.

If the beams are under sized, they may possibly still be used with some adaptations, stiffeners braces ect..I would be wary of tackling anything without fixing the structural issues first...looks mighty dangerous. RC columns may be an option for beams supports, giving some permanent structural support for beams with minimal demo on the out side walls.

No weep vents, that is ridiculous 😂. Just subbed, good luck with this one

I'd say look at your workforce first. How much can you tackle in any one stage. With this in mind create a Building/project works plan. Include in this fixed payments for each stage. Then look at making the site safe. That will include a structural engineer to advise. At this point you can discuss the Chimney being supported ,probable, or possibly taken down. This may not be a structural possibility though. Clear the site and allocate material and equipment areas. In terms of the build I'd second the idea of taking it all down. Clean canvas. A lot of work I know but there is enough to suggest what has been done isn't right. A good point already made below involve the neighbours and make yourself or the owners approachable. This is going to be noisy and messy. Good Luck.

I hoped you would do this Darren.

Great video. What are your qualifications. Are you a bricky or carpenter? Just to assess and understand my advice to you.

Has the owner's insured their house to cover the works? Are you and your workers all insured for such a remedial job as that? Make sure everyone fully wears PPE at all times, especially hard hats and toe capped boots, etc. Stay safe and good luck.

Invest in a skip company for all that rubbish, you are certainly going to need some skips. I put bigger steels in for my extension and I was only supporting an 8 x 3 tiled roof. Luckily I worked at a structural company at the time and fabricated it myself in my own time before galvanising. Pity the owners didn’t come across you before John Wayne did. I’d certainly have the weight off first. Good luck and be careful.

Make sure your insurance covers you comprehensively on this one. I'd make sure your life insurance was paid up too. You are a braver man than me, taking this job on. I'd have run a mile

How long do you think this is going to take?

Monster of a job

FIRST THING MUST BE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY

Hey Darren. Once the trees are removed, I'd reduce dig the garden, get your footingd in for the Garden Room, and lay type1 over the test and compact. This will give you space and a solid base to start with. Get a Structural Engineer to inspect the job and give you some advice. That chimney stack would need immediate attention. Lastly PLEASE get your men PPE. Hard hats are a must on a job like this... All the best. Al

Hi, are you happy the back of the house has enough support before you remove the new roof and walls…!

Definitely need mr A back. 😅

Be interesting to see what a structural engineer's report looks like and how much it costs.

How far in advance are you booked up till?

Wondering how you're gonna tackle the chimney and the air gap behind the wall

From the time I walk in and see acrows holding steels I am ducking 🤣🤣

Trouble.....run its going to end in tears ££££££

That brickwork is shocking

How did you even price this job up? I love watch a video on that

wow !

Gonna be a massive job that and alot of frustration is alleyway only access to the back or can u come in wer fence is at the back cuz hiw can u get a mini digger in ther

You're a braver man than me.. if you want my advice you should run away laughing. But good luck

Where I live all those trees would have a TPO on them and fines can be heavy if someone gets rumbled cutting them down without approval. I was even told that approval must be sought for cutting any branch greater than one inch diameter (yes seriously).

my god what a mess at least the right team are on the job .got to be 6 months to sort that grap out

I know you're going to get a structural engineer you're that sort of builder. For me clear the garden get rid of the trees. Agree a plan with the structural of how the main house is to be supported. Do that work first as far as possible. Then take all of that crap down and start again from fresh. I also meant does the original house need underpinning first. I know it's expensive I'd want the rear of the house brickwork rebuilt. Before the extension is added. I know you can use the bars. It's just me the damage has been done no it has to be rebuilt.

My thoughts as client and builder would be, as it appears everything shown is incorrect, is anything not visible correct. Any work done will always be reliant on previous works, so consider raising to the ground and rebuild knowing it is correct.

Not a builder so sorry if my question is silly. The brickwork at the main entrance at the back above the doorway, are the bricks ok placed like they are not overlapping at the halfway points. Seems random on each layer of brickwork.