Recent content by DIYRalph

In the process of buying a house that need remdial wall ties, and has retrofit cavity wall insulation it it. Reading now that isolating the old wall ties/drilling in new ones leaves a load of mortar/brick fragments etc..in the cavity which will case bridging and cold spots in the cavity wall...

Fair point but I wasn't able to take the photos myself as I dont own the house yet, they are enlarged from photos that were on the estate agents website.

Hi all, House I am in the process of buying has a detached garage conversion to an office in the back garden which has what I believe is termed an 'aco drain' along it (see photo below). This is the first I've heard about these kinds of drains and I'm reading mixed reports about them regarding...

Discussion on radiators under windows: "It’s more efficient. Hot air rises and causes a circular convection up one side of the room and down the other side. If you heat by the window; you are directly transforming the cold air into warm air for rising and circulating around the room. If you...

Hmm....the room has two radiators as far as I can see, at the far ends and under each window...here's the bay one: https://ibb.co/Tcs5ZBB

Yes I was wondering about cladding it - the front where they took the garage door away is just plain concrete which looks a bit harsh - could cladding be put on concrete?

Yes I was thinking the external wall would add to the problem - cold northern wind blowing down the external wall and the big bay window.

Sorry, I am an idiot. I meant north/west - so it basically never gets direct sun.

Buying a house at the moment, and paying a bit over the odds I think. What attracted me to it was the brick garage that had been converted into a nice big office/studio room - though small enough not to need building regs. They bricked up the garage door and put a big window in and then cement...

I am in the process of buying a house that faces north, well north-east really, and I am getting more concerned that I might be buying an ice-box duting the winter. I have only recently found out that north facing rooms can be colder and darker (yep I know but its my first time buying a house)...

See photo above - does that look like a wood burner?

Had to google that, had never heard of a stench pipe.... ....I don't think/hope it isn't that; here's where I think its coming from relative to the large kitchen extension: https://ibb.co/HPcJT8r

I have just spotted (don't ask me how I missed it until now) that the extension next door to the house I am in the process of buying has a massive boiler flue coming out of it: https://ibb.co/rHVQqRs The flue is: 2 meters from boundary wall between houses 8 meters from back bedroom, bathroom...

This is maybe a silly question but can you not see dots in the brick where the new ties were drilled in?

Unfortunately I am in a part of the UK that was traiditonally cheaper than other parts which means that prices are still shooting up as people escape the expensive parts to move here.