Recent content by ChrisKingston

I'm putting in a new inspection chamber where the main soil stack from three toilets goes into a combined sewer down a narrow side passage. Due to other pipework, am fitting one of the small 300mm diameter chambers like this...

Thanks the sleeper walls are not honeycombed but I might be able to knock a few bricks out here and there to make them better. I'm going to add 75mm Celotex on galvanised nails (joists are only 100mm deep), then tape over the top and seal round the sides. Would putting in more air bricks in...

Thanks. I haven't investigated the hearth fully although the beams feel quite solid there. Would you leave the solid timbers in place or replace all with new treated timber (with 5mm shims to make up to the same height as the old true 100mm 4x2" timber). I would only consider a fan under...

Thinking about it, I think blowing warm air from the house down into the subfloor would be a bad idea. The moisture in it would condense on the colder surfaces like underside of beams in the subfloor. Perhaps just a fan under the floor to circulate the air in that part furthest from the...

Thanks very much for that. Can you put an insulated plasterboard, attached with foam glue and with a vapour barrier, over Limelite? I have now found a slate damp course in the external walls. The sleeper walls also have some basic plastic damp-course. It is a semi-detached house and think no...

Think grey stuff is a different type of plaster, it's not multi-finish or the old original (probably lime) stuff. There was a dado rail yes, an old one, looks like they replastered up to it? But also about the height they do damp-proof render I think.

Just taken wallpaper off a house built about 1905. There is damp, probably rising in some of the house but not this room. Is the grey plaster up to about a metre off the floor special waterproof plaster from damp-proofing? I can't see any injection holes but guess they might be under this...

The sequencing of getting a structural engineer in at this stage is probably more my fault. But it has flushed out design decisions the architect took without consulting us, and which now look quite expensive. He is still trying to tell me that offsetting walls is cheaper and easier. I'm not...

Exactly

Yes thanks for those. I agree that having the dormer appear to be a bit recessed does look better, at least on the more visible sections of roof. I think with our setup could probably do false eaves, and there would have to be an equivalent structure over the top of the existing walls anyway...

Here are some rough sketches to try to show the difference. What the architect suggests: But could we do something like this instead? That would save all the steels, and get us about another 2sqm as well. Architect said if our existing roof eaves stuck out by 200mm or more then we could...

We're working with an architect and structural engineer to design a loft conversion. Suburban semi and pretty standard - keep front roof and dormer to rear. We are going for full planning application rather than permitted development. Surprise was that architect says new loft walls need to be...

Got a long run of lead pipe going from water meter on pavement outside house to kitchen at the rear. Have dug most of a trench for a new plastic pipe: But there is a big drain pipe blocking access to the water meter at normal water pipe depth of 750mm (marked 2 on this pic, also showing Water...

I put plenty of clips on. Does the pipe or bottom joint need any more support? should I cement them in? When I fill in the trench again, how much pea shingle should I put over the top of the new pipes? Only other thing that didn't seem quite right was the final piece with the vent, just push...

Thanks Hugh I've just had another go at it: I will fit an access point just above the adjustable bend. I tried to get out the concrete to get right down for a rest bend but it was really hard and grotty and kept nearly pinging the water pipe. Might leave trench open and have another go if I...