Recent content by RazzyRascal

Cheers Wayners. I can only access one side of the blocks so I guess all i can do is carefully rake out part way and repoint from the inside?! I'm hoping the ties are intact, not sure ive got an easy way of telling.

Hi all, I have an 8m x 3m detached garage, its block and brick construction with open gables. It has a small loft within the pitch of the roof and at the far end is an external loft hatch - part decorative / part practical. The hatch has seen better days and i was up there at the weekend...

Makes sense. I've plumbed for C24 timber anyway - i'm not overly concerned about moisture shedding for the structure above ground and instead will concentrate my efforts on the decking sub frame and pergola footings. Thanks for everyones input, following feedback from a structural engineer i've...

Thanks Tiger. Yes, no posts on garage only the two main support joists. There won't be a pitch to this, unless its an ergonomic requirement? I know that its popular to pitch the cross members downward away from buildings for aesthetics (and runoff?!) but mine will be parallel so its not been a...

Thanks for the response Steve (y)

Hi All, Thanks for stopping by. I'm soon to be building a 4m x 3m lean-to pergola in my garden which I will affix to a masonry wall. This wall is the end of my detached garage which i have converted into garden room with patio doors opening onto a deck and is approached side-on. The idea is...

Air flow and the roof spaces ability to vent air properly is my key concern. My neighbour is a roofer and has offered his services as a quid-pro-quo so costs would be minimal and i expect there shouldn't be any damage other than the usual few tiles, of which i have a stockpile. Thanks for...

This statement is wholly incorrect

As a general philosophy I agree. However, i would like to regulate the heat as there are a few areas where the gable ends are so low i can't insulate the room below - These rooms get especially hot in the summer from the radiant heat in the loft. I'm also concerned about the long term effects...

Hi All, A quick question which i hope has a straightforward answer. We have a cold/open/vented loft. Air comes in via the soffits below the rafers at floor level. I've insulated the floor to recommended standards and boarded, being careful to leave adequate space around the edges so...

Hi all, I need to replace a 3/4" union valve lockshield with a 1/2" on a bathroom heat leak radiator. Usually I bung the header tank, release pressure, and quickly swap the valves over. However, as its an old school heat leak setup I'm unsure if I need to adopt a different approach due to the...

Its tempting Datarebal. If they just burnt seasoned wood then that would be fine but he's one of these old boys that wears a boiler suit all day and treats his plot like some kind of junk yard full of rubbish. People are constantly dropping over old fences, old painted doors, treated wood...

Thanks for the suggestion Bernard. My understanding is this was an issue in the 90's but it was rebuilt so i'd be surprised. Our local sweep does camera inspections so perhaps i'll ask him to take a look when we next have him over, preferably when the Rayburn is lit next door. Cheers Mottie, I...

Cheers Conny, We have looked into the pillows and actually have one on order for the hearth that we rarely use...but that ones not got any issues with smoke downdraught as its at the other side of our house away from the neighbours chimney. For the other two hearths, these are blocked up now...

Hi Bourbon, We get on well with our neighbours and don't think environmental health is the right approach, especially as anecdotal research tells me there's not really anything illegal about what he's doing as we aren't in a 'clean air zone'. The best they could do is ask him to burn clean fuel...