Recent content by jimjamjak

The rear part of my Victorian house is built of brick. Regrettably, some years ago someone decided to smear it with concrete slurry (0-3mm) and paint over the top. It then went pretty green with algae. Prior to selling to me, the owner repainted in a plastic masonry paint, which has more or...

I have a 10-year-old combi boiler in my kitchen which I would like to box in because it's quite ugly. I looked in the manual and found the following diagram. There is a warning in the Service Clearances section that I should "...not restrict this space with the addition of cupboards, shelves...

Many thanks, stuart45. Most appreciated. By chance, I found I had one last original squint lying at the back of the house, still in good enough condition to serve as a replacement! Once I've replaced it, I'll post a photo. I think it's very likely some others will fail over the coming years, as...

Thanks stuart45. Any good tips on who provides such a service? Or do you mean getting a brickie to just make some up? I have no idea how easy it is to find truly matching bricks (in terms of the material/colour etc.)

Thanks very much, mrrusty. Are squint bricks always of the same dimensions/angles? Or should I expect to need them reshaped? Many thanks!

Hi, I recently bought a late Victorian house in North Cornwall. The prevailing wind has been racing in off the Atlantic and has for years been stripping away at the brickwork on the front elevation. The brickwork around the bay windows is particularly badly spalled. In a couple of places, the...