Rob Griffiths wrote:

A difficult one ...

The light-well to my cellar is currently capped with a steel plate and
concrete.

The level of the path (which incorporates this capping) is too high for
the damp course so I'm having it dug up and having clay pavers laid at a
lower level.

It seems to me a wasted opportunity not to install some sort of
'pavement light' into the new path to provide natural light for the
cellar below (I'll add more air bricks for ventilation).

Limitations:

The pavement light needs to be flush with the block paving and able to
bear the weight of someone walking obliquely over it because it's very
close to an outward opening door (having an inward opening door is not
part of the solution space!)

________________________
| | -- kitchen door
| well |
|__________|
|
|
|
|

The void to be spanned is about 3' * 4' and I've been quoted £90 a
square foot for a reinforced concrete solution that incorporates glass
blocks - that's over a thousand squid.

DIY concrete solution:

Put in shuttering from below,
Two layers of rebar (?) mesh separated by spacers
Place waisted glass blocks in the spaces within the mesh matrix
Pour concrete, cross fingers, and wait a couple of weeks

Questions:

What diameter do the rods that comprise the mesh need to be?
What is the cost of such mesh?
For very light pedestrian traffic is two layers of mesh overkill?
How thick does the concrete need to be (obviously as thick as the glass
blocks)?
Is this a dumb idea?
Is there a better solution?

Lots of questions I know :-)

Best wishes,

Rob

]

Whatever you do, painting the sides of the glass blocks white before
embedding them will increase your light level.


NT