Recent content by mrrusty

If you are prepared to plan and are handy, then a it is possible to achieve good results without being a professional builder. These are my two latest projects - garage is single skin block with piers, trusses, and cement board cladding on a raft and the garden room is SIPs on a wood sub frame...

I agree with @ree - it's not a deal breaker if you otherwise like the house, but it's a good negotiating point. It's obviously dropped a bit, and more than likely when the windows were replaced. It may or may not have proper supporting bay poles within the frame. I'd probably be thinking of...

Is there a reason why you don't want to go for planning to go a bit higher? It typically costs £350 all in, and you'll save that with not digging. Keep it >1m from boundary and <30sqm internal and there's no building regs required.

Personally I think if you know you can do a good job, dealing with the "hassle" when you sell is the least worst option, which can be dealt with using an indemnity insurance. Or just put in a building control application for the window replacement, buy properly specced windows, and get it signed...

LVT is supposed to be laid warm - read the manufacturers instructions! - the risk with LVT is that if laid cold it then expands in the sun and wrinkles up. For plastics you should allow 0.05-0.07mm/degree/m so a 5m room between freezing and under hot sun (say 30 degrees) will expand/contract up...

That opens up a whole new line of thought - there must be a balance point where the cooling effect of too much ventilation outweighs the benefits of the drying effect on internal condensation that would otherwise compromise insulation. The size of the optimum ventilation holes would vary...

@stuart45 yes, that makes perfect sense; a ventilated cavity wall with only a 2" cavity is likely to have worse insulation than a solid 9", but that focuses on insulation comparison of a dry wall. IMHO the cause of much reported damp and cold walls is caused by condensation. The more we keep our...

whatever - you have to get to page 5 I take the point the OP has CWI, and if it's a victorian property IMHO he would be best to get it removed... I repeat that at the end of the 19th C beginning of the 20th cavities were for damp control not insulation. I'll stick to my opinion backed up by...

You are mixing up two completely different things. Airbricks sleeved right through are for void ventilation - like underfloor. The conversation is irrelevant to new builds - construction methods are different. In Victorian/edwardian houses, the cavities were NOT part of the wall insulation...

@ree - I see you are showing as California - this is a UK site dedicated to UK situations. IMO this is 100% wrong advice for the UK with our damp climate. My house built in 1902 was built with ventilated cavities - several brick sized airbricks that don't go all the way through the wall The...

You will definitely need a building notice (or regs drawings + BR application) the extension will have to meet all the latest regs. My opinion is that if you have permitted development rights (i.e. not been withdrawn, not listed, not conservation area) then that's a PD extension, but only my...

I agree, but it's a much bigger job....

buy some suitable profiled beading and fix it to the top of the skirt. Nice mitred corner and a bit of filler and would look fine.

NFU - they quite likely have a local office where you can talk to real people about aspects of the policies. This is ours https://www.nfumutual.co.uk/agent-offices/preston/

Just do it if you are capable.