Recent content by mrrusty

Be aware that all plastics have a fairly huge thermal rate of expansion. If your floor is exposed to areas where the sun can beat down on it, be very careful. Also make sure whoever fits it adheres to the manufacturers guidelines for installation temperatures. Installing in winter is risky...

We inherited a conservatory at the last house. One solid wall and the rest glass and dwarf wall. However, whoever had built it had used 5 ply polycarb on the roof, and it was really not that bad - it was also connected to the heating (I know) and was a very usable space. Having said that, I...

Time to pull it all out and start again. In my experience, once water is behind the tiles, and if it's a 1980's house most likely tiled on to plasterboard, it'll be soggy and soft. My process, that I've used a few times, is to have some 18mm ply under the shower to help stop flex, cement board...

Small area like that you can probably end up with a decent job if you skim it yourself. I do my own, and I'm getting better. However, there is some investment in tools (whisk, trowel, hawk), so unless you can see a future use it's prob better to get someone in.

If it's internal more likely it just takes a very long time to heat up. Stonework will have a huge heat capacity and although the room air will warm quickly, the wall will stay cold until enough heat energy is available for it to warm, then it will stay warm long after the room has cooled down -...

no, it'll be fine. Still air isn't a problem.

reading the SWIP design and installation guide, it is obvious that the success of this relies totally on the air-tightness of the insulation layer and preventing room air getting to the wall fabric. But what about through the ceilings and joist ends? or through the floor and behind the...

The one on the back kitchen wall never freezes because the copper conducts enough heat. I have isolated when we have been away. The one on the outbuilding gets turned off and isolated in winter and the tap left open

Agree completely with @^woody^ Unless the room air is completely and absolutely sealed from the wall fabric (which it is very unlikely to be), there will be a temperature gradient between the inside and outside, and somewhere along that gradient is the dew point of the internal air, where room...

More likely it's getting past the ply. I would seal it up top and bottom. You certainly don't want warm humid room air continually going in to a cold loft space.

We haven't had any issues, but I take the point. I would certainly take your suggestions on board (!) next time I do something similar. always interesting to hear thoughts from the more experienced people... :)

I would seriously think about this. When we IWI our small cavity wall, I discussed with our BCO about his view on interstitial condensation. We both came to the conclusion that when it occurred the ventilation in the cavity would evaporate it. Our cavity is very well ventilated. And so it has...

When we did our 1902 with a 50mm ventilated cavity we dabbed the insulated PB (72.5mm) straight to the brick. We don't have many electrics on external walls but where there were some, the PB went straight over the top with the sparky's approval. That was 7 years ago. It's been 100% fine since...

Not so fast! Just about all new doors, except very expensive ones, are laminated over engineered wood cores. They can be OK, but in exposed conditions, no matter how much care you take with paint and sealer, risk delamination. If that door is solid wood, and otherwise decent quality, I would...

The treads and risers need replacing. You need access underneath. It's DIYable (I've rebuilt our own staircase) - the timber is fairly inexpensive but needs to be installed correctly with wedges, or find a decent old-school chippy