FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

SPECIFICATION

Types of bases:

Durabase 50 – suitable for conservatories and premium garden rooms.

Durabase Plus 100 – suitable for ground floor single storey home extensions Building Regulations compliant for England and Wales
Durabase Plus 120 – suitable for ground floor single storey home extensions Building Regulations compliant for Scotland

Durabase Modular Walls – compatible with all Durabase bases and Building Regulations compliant across England, Wales and Scotland

Stroma Building Control is an inspection to ensure that your installations will meet and comply with Building Regulations. These are the standards which have been set to follow when creating a new building or when altering an already existing structure. This is to ensure your health, safety and welfare. It also considers the convenience of the people in and around your building. Please see our handy guide for more information.

  • Brick
  • External Render Board for Rendering by Others – see specification guides for render type and guidelines
  • Cement Particle Board for Cladding by Others

Any roof is able to be used alongside the Durabase system. Make sure you specify the roof type at order to ensure we have accounted for your requirements.

The Durabase system can be designed around a sloping garden up to 1.5m. The majority of jobs will not come close to this maximum.

It depends on the site conditions. If you have a drop of 150mm from your back door, you may require a small amount to be taken away. Some sites have a larger step down and do not need much excavation. If you are using ground screws, this can again reduce the amount of excavation in comparison to concrete pads.

It’s as warm as a traditional system. We have to pass the same thermal requirements as a traditional system, so Durabase has a great thermal rating.

Yes – the Durabase Plus 100 base meets Building Regulation requirements in England and Wales. The Durabase Plus 120 base meets Building Regulation requirements in Scotland. The Durabase modular wall meets Building Regulation requirements across England, Wales and Scotland.

We take pride in offering a brick finish that looks and feels remarkably close to traditional brickwork – most people can’t tell the difference, even up close. With a wide range of brick options available, we can match your existing property as closely as possible. Printed colour samples are as accurate as the printing techniques allow and are for guidance only. It should be noted that as materials used in the manufacture are from natural sources variations in shade, texture and dimensions can occur.

Yes! Please specify where you require a firewall on the quote form, and we will ensure the wall is constructed to the correct standard. Firewall is completed to Building Regulations standard with internal items purchased by the customer in line with our Firewall spec guide.

Durabase is a nationwide company based in Hereford. We deliver directly to site with either our wagons or a carrier company, depending on your location and our transport availability.

The key benefit of the Durabase system is that it is incredibly cost-effective and will significantly reduce the cost of installing a conservatory, premium garden room or ground floor single storey home extension.

Savings can be made in several key areas:

  • Site restoration work is minimised due to the minimal disruption caused.
  • Labour hours are drastically reduced
  • Soil and waste material disposal costs are minimised.
  • Reduced delays in the schedule of work due to bad weather etc.
  • Potentially avoid the need for expensive relocating of manholes and private drains.

The concrete pad stones get their strength from the type of concrete that is poured into the pocket holes; we recommend C40 is used for all of our bases. We also provide a padstone plan with each project confirming how many you need and their location.

  • For a Durabase 50, to suit a conservatory, the minimum recommended padstone size is 450mm x 450mm wide and at least 450mm deep, although the depth will depend on ground conditions.
  • When the Durabase 100 or 120 is used, for a project that is compliant to building regulations, the areas and depth of the pads will also depend on the ground conditions and your pad sizes should be confirmed with Building Control prior to starting the groundworks.

As an alternative to concrete padstones Durabase can also be supplied to suit Ground screws.

INSTALLATION

The Durabase arrives in individual lengths ready to be assembled on site. It has already been fully assembled in the factory to ensure everything is in working order. The modular walls come in small sections pre-bricked and ready to assemble – perfect for sites with limited access.

Durabase is the perfect solution for terrace houses and for sites with little or no garden access. The base and walls can be easily carried through a house, and the waste difference between digging our pads compared to traditional footing also makes the management of soil and rubble much easier practically and financially.

This depends on the installer’s experience and the size of the building. We have previously sold a base that was assembled and fitted before our delivery driver returned to the workshop! All bases and walls have extensive assembly instructions which will help to avoid any issues. A base with concrete pads / ground screws already prepared can be fitted in under one day. The walls and skirt can usually be done within a day.

If you’re confident with building or are an experienced DIYer, you should have no difficulty installing a Durabase system yourself. Our step-by-step instructions allow you to break the job down into manageable stages. However, if you have any doubts, we recommend consulting a local builder for advice and support.

You can use either concrete pads or ground screws alongside a Durabase.

Using a Durabase reduces the mess considerably in comparison to traditional methods.

Yes, we deliver directly to the site with either our wagons or a carrier company, depending on your location and our transport availability.

Yes – the base is a suspended floor system that requires a minimum of 150mm clearance from the top of the back cill. Not all jobs will require the ground to be dug out if they have clearance already.