Recent content by andyd

Hello, The upstairs of my house never seems to get warm. The insulation does need improving which I am about to carry out. According to various heat loss calculators I have used, the upstairs radiators are under size even with improved insulation and a design temperature of 18 deg C for the...

Thanks for the advice. I'm fitting foil backed and will stagger as recommended.

Thanks, it did cross my mind that staggering would make scrimming a pain. I've never staggered one before and not had one crack yet so perhaps I won't bother.

Yes it's well ventilated. It's a kitchen extension which was pretty cold and the old ceiling had cracked along the joints. I also needed to get behind the ceiling to run a load if cables, so down it came. Now insulated with Celotex. My plasterer told me to stagger the joints when boarding out...

I am replacing a ceiling having up-graded the insulation of a flat roof and have been told that I should stagger the plasterboard joints. What I don't know however is should it be the joints which run across the joists which are staggered or should it be the joints which run along the joists ...

I'm planning to replace the tired hardwood cladding on my dormers with a layer of 9mm waterproof plywood, a layer of breathable felt and then a layer of UPVC Shiplap cladding. While doing this I want to insulate between skins as there is none at all. Is Kingspan or similar the best thing to use...

Please could someone give ma a very rough idea how much it costs to recover a flat roof 3.5m x 2.6m assuming that all existing timber is OK and its just the felt that needs changing. I'm not asking for exact pounds, shillings and pence but just something to go off. I'm in the process of buying a...

Please can someone tell me the correct amount to knock off the dimensions of a brick opening to get the size for a UPVC window frame. I've heard several opinions ranging from 2mm each side to 12mm overall. Is it normal to just give the manufacturer the size of the opening and let them determine...

Thanks for the advice guys. I did consider a concrete slab Masona but I really wanted something with an insulated cavity as I want to use it as a workshop so I don't want everything rusting. I suppose I could baton out the inside and then insulate and dry line with ply or something but as I'm...

I am hoping to move house soon and if so will want to replace the old wooden garage at the property with a new one. I want the new garage to double up as a workshop and be around 1.5 x width of a standard single garage. I am hoping for some advice with regards to materials to help me work out a...

Thanks, I'll try that. When I replaced the water main a few years ago I found the ground to be very heavy clay when you get a few inches down. I also had a problem with the top water drain which was causing all the rainwater from the roof to flow straight onto the lawn but this has been...

I have a very small front lawn roughly 6ft x 8ft. It is constantly full of moss which no matter how much feed & weed I use always seems to return. I think this was originally caused by a drain problem which is now repaired but the moss has got hold. Where I have managed to kill it & rake it out...

No problem. 10 sq mm cable is rated up to 63A depending on its installation method so you should be fine.

When MCB's "melt" it is usually because one of the connections has become loose causing a high resistance resulting in a large amount of heat to be generated. I often see this in industrial applications where there is excessive vibration but I have seen it in domestic situations too. The shower...

Sounds exactly like a problem I had when gas contractors kindly excavated my water main. :( Grit and stones from the 100 metre trench which subsequently filled with water were washed into my main and when the supply was restored, distributed to every appliance in the house. :evil: Basically...