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can anyone confirm if there is any reason the boiler condensate pipe can't be run inside the house? I've just been told it should go outside but that seems dumb as it involves 6ft run along the outside wall to the nearest drain, while there is a machine waste about 1.5ft directly below it inside :/

An old friend of mine, who's been a carpenter for 50 odd years now, tells me he'd never use anything other than vegetable oil on his worktops, exactly as he uses on bowls he's turned on the lathe. (as in, from the same bottle he pours into his frying pan...) Never heard of it being used...

I know the leaf flashing along the top of the lean-to roof goes into a slot cut in the wall, down the wall a bit then dressed over the tiles, but how do you do the flashing down the side of the slop if the roof is in a corner? Looking at neighbours, I can see the lead flashing going into similar...

Can you get LV downlighters that don't have specific wiring lengths between the fitting and the unit? I'd like to fit a total of 9 downlighters, and have a convenient point to put the converters, in a boxed in area that I could fit a small access panel to for when it fails - but it's 4m from...

My BCO has told me I can install a new circuit and he sign me off as competent if I complete the above forms - he suggested asking local electrical contractors if they had some but not having much luck that route - anyone know where I could either download some or get hold of some? Many Thanks

I need to start planning the electrics for our extension but wondered if there are any regulations I should be aware of with regards to how you split a place into zones for separate ring mains. Can I zone by rooms? So say have bed 1, bed 2, lounge, kitchen and hallways on ring 1 (the existing...

What's the general consensus on Eaves guards - do you go for a rigid PVC type tray, or a roll of wide DPC tacked under the edge of the felt? I have enough DPC to do the job sitting here free and am somewhat loathed to shell out £50 on some flimsy bits of plastic unless really necessary!

Anyone here heard of Rhofelt Plus? I have a fairly large roll of it here, unused, but can't find out anything about it other than it's "the breathable anti-slide screen". It came from a (now defunct) merchants several years back for a different project, just trying to ensure if I use it...

Got the chippies putting the roof up on my extension so thought I ought to think about getting some felt / baton and tiles! Couple of questions - firstly, is there a "standard" size tile baton? Chippies have obviously gauged something to get the new part to meet the old, but they are away for...

Sorry, this is probably going to sound really dense... Concrete floor drying time I've seen quoted in several places as 1 inch per month - meaning that the 3 inches of concrete we have in our floor should take 3 months to dry. Is that dry in terms of "water leaving the mixture" or dry as...

Due to my architect being somewhere between stupid and useless, I now have a lovely blockwork extension with walls all finished, but the need to entirely re-design the roof. :roll: So... Where can I find info on what sort of timbers will do what sort of span, and what sort of sizes are...

Just got back to find all brickwork completed up to render level, awaiting start of blocks. Overall I'm happy, he's done a good job compared to a lot of brickies I've seen! Only minor problem is the door aperture for the back door - the plans show it as 900mm wide (I know, I drew them...) and...

Due to time running out on my build I've had to face facts and get a bricky in to do the brick and block work. Just paying him a fixed price on labour to get me up to plate level. Question is - do I need, or is it advisable, to get some form of indemnity insurance in case he does something...

I'd like to propose a double garage attaching to our house to the planning peeps, but not sure on how / method of /construction (which they'd like to see due to various factors). Basically it needs to be as light as possible, have as small a foundation as possible, but also tie in with the...

While I was getting various quotes in, one of the builders mentioned an "advanced" render in place of cement that was self coloured and didn't crack like cement render - only the piece of paper with it written on has gone astray. Any idea's what he might have been referring to? Want to check...

got a couple of questions on my floor... First off, the system I'm using calls for 75mm screed using "C25 concrete with 50mm slump reinforced with polypropylene fibre tamped and floated". 2 companies I've contacted have said they can't do it because of the material used - is C25 with 50mm...

Got a floor that is a: at the wrong level and b: not level. Oh and c: really needs a DPM of some sort. Original dims were taken at one end of the floor and it was presumed to be reasonably level (stupid mistake, I know) Now it turns out that it isn't - one end is 50mm below correct level...

where do I get some? None of the builders merchants have it, which might explain why the brickies haven't heard of it being used in a standard build and I've not seen it before! Seeing as the technical chaps at the block manufacturer recommended it a couple of courses below openings I...

As my house is rendered and rather exposed on a steep slope, to up the insulation factor and ease the build (no access, period! long walk with blocks) both the bricky and a supplier I use suggested doing both leaves of the cavity wall with thermalite (or equivelant), which the BCO has accepted...

Had foundations concrete pumped today. As I didn't want to tackle this all by myself in a deep trench the builder who will be doing the blockwork said he'd come out with a labourer to help. Pump arrived, but the mix was so dry that even with the (large!) poker going full pelt it would hardly...