Recent content by Barkas

Hi There. Can anyone here help me with this problem I have up on the roof. From March to May, crows (Rooks) are gathering on my ridge tiles and using their powerful beaks to dig the mortar out between the ridge tiles and edges where the ridge tiles and the slates meet. Last year the roof and...

Hi all. I have just cut a 6 inch a hole through my cavity wall and installed a cooker hood vent kit, all went well except that afterwards I found a wall tie in the rubble. I would like to fit a single or 2 remedial wall ties one either side in its place, is there a small kit with fixing tool I...

I want to render an external wall a sandy or tan colour, if I use portland cement with sand in a 5 to 1 mix, it is grey, how do I get a tan or sandy colour that is more common on the stone houses around here. Thanks for any help.

Hi All. I am laying a 2 sq metre x 15 cm deep concrete base, , its to sit a 1000 litre oil tank on, I am putting plastic sheeting down under the rubble and using reinforcing steel rods for added strength. I have bought 5 litres of waterproofer for another job but thought i would add some to the...

Hi All. I need to lay a concrete base at the top of my garden, it will be laid on soil, it will be 4 sq metres X 15cm thick. I will be putting my new bunded 1000 litre heating oil tank on it. Will a 5 to 1 mix be suitable?, shall I put in an additive?, and should I lay anything on the soil...

hi All. Im gona lay a 4 sq metre, 6 inch thick concrete pad onto soil, its a base on which to sit my new bunded 1000 litre heating oil tank. Should I add any additives the the mix, and should I lay anything on the soil before concreting like plastic sheeting , gravel or steel netting to...

Hi all. I want to do some pointing on my cottage, its 200 years old built with soft sandstone. I have read and agree that I best use a lime based mortar, will this be hydraulic or hydrated lime mortar, it seems to me to be hydrated Lime, BUT, I have had 2 builders merchants in Carlisle tell me...

Thanks for all the replies to this. I got a local plasterer in today to look at the gable end, he was recommended by a good roofer I used a few years ago. He says he will erect scaffolding,scrape off all the loose rendering, leaving any thats firmly attached if any, clean the revealed base...

Hi all. The soft red sandstone North West facing wall on my house is suffering from wind,rain and frost damage, the surface is washing off during heavy rain leaving sand on the paths after ever shower, about 1 inch has washed off the stonework in places. The house was built...

Hi all. I wanna replace my heating oil tank, at present I have a round shaped 1350 ltr plastic single skin tank, as my tank is near a drain and the property is built next to an ancient monument I want to purchase a tall thin bunded 1000 ltr tank in its place. I have looked at lots of suitable...

Hi all. I want to replace old bath taps. I have a stop cock under the sink and a oil combi boiler which pumps the hot water upstairs on demand, to stop all water, do I just turn off the stop cock and switch the electric supply to the boiler off.

Hi All. I want some advice please. The rendering on My small gable end on my cottage is coming off, there are 2 layers of rendering, the top layer is 70% off and the rest of the top layer is loose so I am going to scrape it off, the base layer which is onto concrete block is good and sound, the...

Packed out the flue seal with fire cement and thats has set hard and sealed nicely, but i still have the prob of the flame going out as soon as I shut the door, Looking along the full length of the circular exhaust flue pipe inside the square intake flue...., the seam in the stainless steel ex...

I am looking for some aluminium tape to wrap around a flue pipe join on my oil fired boiler flue, theres none locally so I will have to purchase online as my nearest shops are 95 miles away. Theres lots for sale on Ebay listed as "Aluminium Duct tape with a max heat resistance of 180 degrees" I...

Thanks for that, started a new thread cos the last one is 2 pages long and working its way down the list and as such is less likely to catch the eye as an "older" thread. I am going to rake out the loose powdery old fire cement, I will see if a rope seal has been fitted as I clean down to it...