Speaker A
So today's job is a really small job. It's a small porch build. Now, if you watch this video here, you'll see us dig the foundations for this job.
Watch a detailed porch build under 3 sqm with no planning permission needed, covering foundation, brickwork, and blockwork steps.
Ask about this video. Answers come from its transcript only — with the timestamp, so you can check them.
Generated from the transcript and can be wrong — check the timestamp.
Key Takeaways
- Porch builds under 3 sqm can avoid planning permission and most building regulations except electrics.
- Precise measurement and planning are critical to stay within legal size limits and meet client needs.
- Brickwork and blockwork require careful bonding and cavity adjustments for structural integrity and aesthetics.
- Team coordination and adapting to site conditions (e.g., weather, material quality) are important for smooth progress.
- The project demonstrates a start-to-finish porch build with clear milestones and trade scheduling.
What the video covers
- The video documents a small porch build project under 3 square meters, which does not require planning permission.
- Foundations were dug and measurements carefully calculated to stay within the 3 sqm limit.
- The build includes face brickwork and internal blockwork with a 50 mm cavity.
- Adjustments were made to dimensions to accommodate client furniture and structural pillars.
- The brick bond and blockwork layout were planned and executed with attention to detail.
- Work progressed through laying bricks, setting blockwork courses, and preparing for lintel installation.
- The video features interactions with team members and discusses challenges like hot weather and material quality.
- The porch build reached near lintel height by the end of the day, with plans for electrical and roofing work next week.
- Floor preparation included sand and DPM application to protect the structure.
- The project wraps up with the gable finished and preparations for next phase trades.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction and foundation overview
- 02:19Dimension planning and client requirements
- 03:30Brickwork layout and cavity adjustments
- 04:39Setting out and bonding brickwork
- 07:38Window and door sizing discussions
- 13:48Blockwork progress and challenges
- 16:23End of day summary and next steps
- 25:43Floor preparation and project wrap-up
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
Interestingly, because this is less than 3 square meters, it doesn't need planning permission. It doesn't need really any building regulations apart from the electrics. So today, I'll be able to get it up to DPC course and the job itself is actually really small. So
Speaker A
we're going to get everything set out. This little line here is going to be our face brickwork. And our internal blockwork needs to finish here. So I think that requires us having a 50 mm cavity.
Speaker A
[snorts] There we go. They're not terrible. You got these like little speckles in. That's not too terrible.
Speaker A
We're currently trying to figure out the dimensions [gasps] of this job. We are dictated by this pillar here and this pillar here. Now, what the client is after is our blockwork to finish flush with this. So when this
Speaker A
gets dot and dabbed or plaster boarded out, it will finish roughly in line with this window border, but we don't cut off the pretty windows themselves. Canon a plum line all the way down to my footing. So this square off these blues
Speaker A
represent my face blockwork which is going to be dot and dabbed 2 m and 135 mm.
Speaker A
We are 10 mm 10 square m away from being on the limit. So this entire porch needs to be less than 3 square m. And that's how close we are to that measurement. With the measurements we are using, I can
Speaker A
only come out 1.4 this side without going over the 3 square meter mark. By the time I've got a 50 mm cavity and a block on the back internally, we'll have 1.150 Then the client has some furniture come
Speaker A
in which is 1 m and 50 mm. So 1050. By the time we've got an inch and a half dab on this and inch and a half dab on this stonework, we are going to be at our limit. So the main thing is we get
Speaker A
this 1 m piece of furniture in this porch area once everything's dot and dabbed while still adhering to the three square meters which is really difficult.
Speaker A
So to do that I've had to close up these cavities and bring this brickwork in.
Speaker A
Oh, look at this handsome handsome boy. How you doing? Yeah, good, mate. Just uh setting this up.
Speaker A
Yeah, um bore lake. Absolute bore lake. Yeah, you know how we said we wanted at 2.1.
Speaker A
Yes, like face to face brickwork. Like face brickwork. Face brickwork. Yes, that doesn't work at all. I don't know what we missed or someone missed. But if we did 2.1 man, like our internal blockwork would have been like over here and
Speaker A
over here. So I've had to just tweak a load of stuff. Right. Okay. 21 145 2135 and 1.4 at gives us a square meterage of 2989.
Speaker A
So we are just within the 3 m thing. 1.4. Lovely. Uh, something else we need to figure out is the like the actual bond of this brickwork.
Speaker A
I think I traced out really roughly and it doesn't work in the slightest. So, we're going to have like a 3/4 or something I reckon in it. Um, spotboards. I think there's one round the back covering the hole. You can
Speaker A
always use that. You don't really need to worry about wetting up the spot because of how hot it's going to be today.
Speaker A
Oh, that's so annoying. What have we got here? I reckon it's going to be a 3/4. Luckily, we've only got 3/4 blues shown. I think roughly 50 mm. I reckon I could probably open up a little bit more.
Speaker A
Open up. And then we'll figure out some heights as well in a minute. Oh, that is so irritating.
Speaker A
I go half 3/4. I'll make it a nice 3/460. Okay, there's that one. Two.
Speaker A
Probably open them up ever so slightly. Two. Three. Again, that's going to be a 3/4 as well.
Speaker A
Yeah. Like I say, it's only two course scene. That's not terrible. Lovely stuff. Right. Let's get my tel and let's actually have a go at doing doing a bit of laying. Not laid brick in ages.
Speaker A
You know, you got that little level anyway. That's fine cuz that that's really nice to lay with anyway and to work with. So, I'm totally fine with that.
Speaker A
[snorts] Quality of these blues is absolutely shocking today. Morning men. How are we? Great stuff.
Speaker A
Are they? You got uh you got sun cream on you? Yeah. Let me know if you need me to lather you up.
Speaker A
[music] That's nice. Are you having fun up there? I said, "Are you having fun?
Speaker A
I thought you would be. Bless him. So, I just need to find out that I bet that'll be Charlie now with the window size.
Speaker A
It it it certainly is. Mr. Slide, how the devil are you? All right. I'm all right. You know what you said? How big is the window and say the window were 300 or 200 mm? What does that mean?
Speaker A
Uh, it means like you know where we're having the front door. Yeah, I know you had a B. So, I just spoke to him and he said minimum 1,500.
Speaker A
So, if you do it at like 1,550. Yeah. No, I get that. All right. Well, listen, you enjoy the rest of your holiday, mate. And uh Jake and I are just really holding this ship together here.
Speaker A
Yeah. I just didn't know what you meant when you said 200. I know you mean that.
Speaker A
But yeah, no less than 1500. If you can get bigger, get bigger. Do you know what I mean?
Speaker A
Sound. All right, leave it with me, mate. And um I'm just finishing off setting the blues out and then I'll be setting the blockwork out anyway.
Speaker A
Right. 1550 window roughly. 2135 213 ah 21330. Divide that by two. 1 m 65. So that's our center.
Speaker A
1 m 65, which is bang there. Okay, check it on that side. 1 m 65.
Speaker A
Bang on. So if we're having a 1550 window, divide that by two. 775 77.
Speaker A
Is that correct? 775. Yeah. 775, which is about there. That's such a small pillar.
Speaker A
Ah, it's not bad. 775 there. Everything works [clears throat] really in line. So, that's quite good.
Speaker A
We'll sort it. [snorts] Yeah. Passenger door for some reason. I'm loving the cowboy hat. So good.
Speaker A
You'll have to get one. Yeah, you have to. Honestly, you really will. Couple of cowboys rocking up to a job.
Speaker A
It's not great for a builder to rock a cowboy hat, but that's all right. You have to apologize.
Speaker A
Just don't do it again. So, we've just sent this blockwork up to eight courses. Almost ready for lintel, but the it's a bit wobbly. It's a little bit wobbly cuz it's not backed in yet. We got Jake around the corner.
Speaker A
He's just pointing everything up for us. I'm going to make a start on this little bit of blockwork. It's so hot though, ain't it?
Speaker A
It's really hot. So, I'm just going to start pulling this little leg through here. It shouldn't take too long.
Speaker A
There's just a lot of cutting. Every course has like three cuts of blocks in it. So, it's a bit of a faf, but no bother. So, we're going to get stuck in on this side. Shouldn't take too long.
Speaker A
Make me [music] work. Make me sweat. Make me feel like I'm alive. Take this hurt lady. Throw it in my face. [singing] Don't let these He [music] might be a true [music] like it makes Yeah. You take my number [music] and
Speaker A
then I'll have it then I two just save it as really handsome bad Britain.
Speaker A
[music] What a handsome boy. Oh, it's not a terrible cup. Surreners [laughter] quite a lot.
Speaker A
[music and singing] Yes. Really good stuff. How are you? [music] Yeah. All right. You look wet. You look sweaty. Good. Well done, mate. I haven't looked at the photos. You should be very [music] proud of yourself. What you
Speaker A
panicking about? 3 2 1 Oh, wow. That's killer. I'm going to pass this one to you, Jake.
Speaker A
[music] Did you like that, Jack? You got it. He's coming in. Nice. I might have to pass you a hammer to tap that down.
Speaker A
Nice. Right, there we [music] go. That is pretty much where we're leaving it for today. Blockwork went up to nine courses. So, one common, one blue.
Speaker A
Tomorrow will take us to 2100 lintel height which will probably also be our soffit height. Um bit of a slow start this morning setting out all the blues but it's not terrible. It's like wow it was half three already. It's it was
Speaker A
really hot today was it really hot. So all we have to do tomorrow is lay 70 odd blocks inside. Get all that sorted. Set out all the cavity and then we'll be back on sorting out the actual garage
Speaker A
conversion. So we'll catch you tomorrow when we're setting out all of the internal blockwork. So yes
Speaker A
Just set this up to our finished floor level, which is there. All I'm doing is just bedding on a tray skirt, which is just going to stick to the DPM when we fill in all of this floor. So,
Speaker A
this floor is all going to be concrete. So, we're going to stick this on. And then if you imagine we'll have another one of these once we've poured our subbaseote and then another tanking system.
Speaker A
Everything will connect onto this so it's all nice and watertight. [snorts] Though we don't have much of a cavity, we've still got our nice tray detail here to do. So that should work perfect.
Speaker A
There we go. Because I've not been able to put a starter pack on this wall here.
Speaker A
I put ties out every course to catch this block work. So, that should work pretty well.
Speaker A
[music] [music] [music] [music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] [music] Uh, right. So, we've just pretty much got to 2100, which is our lintil height.
Speaker A
We need to dub on these brickets here. And then we've got our 1,850 mil wide cavity lintil to go on. So, we'll do these brickheads on. I was looking at the drawings earlier, and I reckon our wall plate is going to sit on top of
Speaker A
this block. What do you reckon, boys? Sounds like [laughter] Yeah. What do you reckon, Jack?
Speaker A
[laughter] [snorts] I tell you what, one of you can actually give me a lift on with this lintil in a second. Okay.
Speaker A
We'll get the lid on. It's extremely hot. Works a lot more common. like over the front of it. Anyway, it's really hard to tell. The drawings are very skeptical.
Speaker A
Yeah, I don't give much away. Right [sighs] you take that side, good sir. Nice.
Speaker A
Wicked. Thank you very much for your assistance there, Jack. Nothing but a pleasure. Oh, is that our skip?
Speaker A
Oh, it certainly is. I know. That was really quick. Right. So, that is the lintilon. I reckon one course of brick all the way around just to take us to 100 on the outside skin and then wall plate sat on top of that block
Speaker A
there. Yeah. Sounds right. I'll go sort this Marty man out. Heat. [music] Heat. Wow. I [music] can't get over how intense the heat is.
Speaker A
It's What did you say it was yesterday? No. No. What was that word you used?
Speaker A
Barbaric. Barbaric. Barbaric. Great word. It is. It's It does describe what we're going through quite quite tremendously really.
Speaker A
Yeah, just leave it down there. I'll grab it in a bit or I'll cut it while I'm down there.
Speaker A
Be nice to finally get that wall plate on though. Overwhel [music] Yeah. Yeah. My gym's not got AC either, so it'll be very hot in there.
Speaker A
True. I gotity pulling me under. [snorts] We not laid a brick yet. You've made many a block, aren't you?
Speaker A
Ah, mate. Next time we're [music] on brick work, you're laying bricks for me all day.
Speaker A
1215. Right. Two lengths of wall plate. It's actually quite straight. Let me flip it to you. Come cast your eye down that. It's not terrible.
Speaker A
It's much better than that one. Yeah. So much much better. Right. So, we're just getting the wall plate cut for the garage. Now the drawings say that we can't go higher than 3 m, but that's 3 m from finished ground level,
Speaker A
not finished floor level. So when the joiner comes to do his roof, we need to make sure that the pitch is shallow enough so the top of this ridge isn't over that 3 m mark. And to get that measurement, I've roughly measured
Speaker A
[snorts] three blues down up. And then hopefully I'm just picturing where everything's going to go.
Speaker A
It's you know all about the girth. Right. That's the wall plate. We'll get this bedded on. [snorts] level across it.
Speaker A
Wall plate. Wall plate. Tom wall plate. Boxed off. Box off. Dumb. That's a lot for a pound, brother.
Speaker A
Mint. Sad. No, they've not gained loads of space. No, they've gained 200 uh 200 mil.
Speaker A
Sort out. Right, we're doing the floor prep today really quickly. Uh we've just greeted the floor with a bit of sand. So, we're going to put our DPM on that. Sand is just so nothing pierces the DPM.
Speaker A
That's to go on. Then some insulation. 150 mil worth of concrete. Two DPMs down. Um this one to stop any damp coming up through the floor. Then we had our insulation and then our second DPM. So we're just going to get all the concrete
Speaker A
poured. You ready to start mixing up like a madman? Of course he is. We are almost [music] wrapped up on this job. It's been a couple weeks since I've been here and the joiners have been put all their facial and set on and the roof
Speaker A
on. So the only thing remaining on this porch to get wrapped up finally for renderous is to put the outside skin off block work on. So we got to do that very shortly. But overall not taking too long. So we're going to crack on with
Speaker A
this and get wrapped up for the day. Right, there we go. That is this little job totally wrapped up. We finished the gable today. Sparkies are coming next week to put in all of their lights and down lights. Roofers are coming as well
Speaker A
to put all the tiles on. Going to be back to do the driveway at a later date and then we'll be able to show you what it all looks like once it's all fully rendered.
Speaker A
The concrete floor is so level. [music] Right, there we go. We have finally wrapped up this extension fully and the driveway is absolutely pissing it down.
Speaker A
But yeah, was able to wrap up the driveway fully today. So that is the full job completed. [music]
Topics:porch buildconstructionbrickworkblockworkfoundationplanning permissionbuilding regulationsDIY constructionsmall buildhome improvement
