Recent content by TheCyclingProgrammer

Interesting discussion here that sounds like it might be relevant: http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=6165&Focus=89740 It seems safest to assume the membrane under the render is not breathable. So the suggestion above is to fix battens against the felt, fit...

So we finished the job of removing the laths and nails and clearing up today and now have a clearer picture of the state of the timber. Probably 95% of it is sound. The black membrane looks to me like some kind of bituminous roofing felt and looks the same as the roofing felt in our roof which...

Thanks, I guess I will need to see if the plasterers or builder can identify the membrane. I'm going to have a second layer of 12mm celotex inside the studs to minimise cold bridging and take up the extra depth so I'm not sure why I'd need a separate VCL as the taped joints between the celotex...

Made some progress removing the plaster today, which came off in fairly big chunks. Removing the laths was not fun. I've still got the clearing up and nail removal to do! Here's a picture: From what I can tell, I think at some point in the past the outside must have been rendered onto the...

Like I said, the render certainly needs some repairs but there's no signs of any water penetration internally. Once the wall is opened up I'll be sure to thoroughly inspect the timbers. Here's a photo of the front of the house, you can see a few patches of render that need repairing and how it...

There's no insulation in the floor and from what I can tell none in the wall either. The house is about 80 years old. I can certainly see the benefit of putting some insulation in the floor where it overhangs the bay but not all of the floor is external as its not a box bay. This should make it...

Thanks for the reply. From what I can tell the external render is weatherproof - there are no signs of penetrating dampness on the internal surfaces. I'll have a much better idea when the plaster is removed and I can inspect the timbers and vapour barrier. From up in the loft, where there is no...

I'm hoping somebody could give me some advice on the best approach to insulating our bedroom wall. The reason I'm asking is because we're in the process of refurbishing the room - we're basically gutting it and starting it from scratch. All skirting/architraves have been removed and the room is...

I'm still here.

Maybe a better photo. You can just make out the yellow patches. The wall doesn't feel or smell damp.

We are about to have a lot of replastering done on our house. We moved in a month ago. I'm a bit concerned about some yellow stains on the chimney breast in my daughters bedroom. We are going to have the walls skimmed but I'm worried that the stains will keep coming through. I've tried to...

We have plasterers coming in to do the whole of pur downstairs in a few weeks. We've never used the guys before but they were working down the road so I got a chance to see their work and they gave me a good price. They seem like pretty experienced pros. With this in mind, I've taken the...