Search results

I don’t think my old house is made that way, unfortunately. From outside, there are rafters sticking about 30cm Out of the wall. On top of the rafters (so far as they stick out beyond the wall) is a wooden board, then felt, then the roof tiles. The rafters meet and go through the solid wall...

Thanks Dogget, I appreciate your time and advice. What I have in mind should allow at least the air to go up and over the celotex between the rafters, through the 25mm gap between the celotex and the roof (though the celotex would be tight against the side of the rafters). The sketch attempts to...

Final question about the (lack of) eaves ventilation. Is it worth drilling a hole in the exterior wall between the rafters (so that there is a hole into the void where the celotex would go, making sure at least some of the hole would be above the top of the celotex)? This would be like...

Sorry- I’m figuring this out as I go, and hadn’t initially realised that soffit vents were part of the reason why the gap between the celotex and roof is useful. The Structure of the roof suggests that there never has been soffits of any kind, really. I am going to fit a couple of vent tiles...

Thanks. Just to check - do you mean that leaving the gap you mention between top of celotex and breathable felt should do the job in terms of ventilation, even though there is no soffit/eaves ventilation? And in case it makes a difference, the rafters are only 75mm, so 50mm of celotex is prob...

Great, thanks!

Yep, we are on to all of that (I am investigating vent roof tiles or those flat lap “easyvent” things, and the loft is fully insulated) but we have been recommended to seal up any gaps in the ceiling around pipes and cables. As it should be an easy fix I’m willing to give it a go; but I take...

I want to seal around the electrical cables coming through the ceiling in our bedrooms and bathroom to limit the moist air getting into the loft (where we have a minor condensation problem). What’s the best material to use? Caulk? Silicone? Something else? Thanks.

Thanks for the reply. I don’t know anyone with an IR thermometer, but I’ll look into it. Taking the sloping ceiling down isn’t an option - the room’s been redecorated recently, and some of it is the original lathe and plaster which I’d prefer to keep. It is possible to shove the insulation down...

Vaulted ceiling

The original part of my house is around 170 years old. The rooms on the first floor have a flat ceiling which slopes down along with the pitch of the roof as it gets closer to the walls. Above the flat part of the ceiling there is about 300mm of normal, glass wool, Knauf roll out insulation...

Thanks for the replies to this. I thought I’d add an update. I decided to do as Blagard said and sort out all the drainage. It was a fairly big job in the end as we needed to dig across a tarmac path, round a corner and into a part of the lawn, which was dug out and a herringbone series of...

I've thought about this a bit more since posting. I'd be grateful for any thoughts on anything in my above post, but I think it boils down to this- Can I use a half or full perforated pipe along the bottom of the French drain AND have two downpipes connect to that pipe? If so, should I get a...

Hi, On one side of my 1850s house, the exterior ground level is higher than the internal floor level. So, there was a flowerbed full of damp stone and soil sitting against the first 60cm of the wall. As damp problems are materialising internally, I am in the process of digging this flowerbed...

Thanks!

Ok, thanks. Sounds like you are saying the flaunching isn't an issue-it's just untidy and that's it. And that it's not a major issue that a cement mix was used (which Woody agrees with), even if lime would have been better. And as a result it probably isn't worth talking to the bricklayer again...

The whole chimney was taken down and rebuilt, for sure. Admittedly I wasn't around when it was done but I can tell, having seen how it was before. The pot on the right of the photo isn't doing brilliantly, you are right; it probably should have been replaced as part of the rebuild, and I...

Thanks for your reply. The untidy flaunching bothers me only if it could undermine the watertightness or could cause any other problem. Another roofer (a member of my family, not looking for work) said it could be an issue On the other point, I'm worried that mortar mix will cause problems in...

Hi, I live in an old house, mid 19th Century. Last summer, as part of roofing work, I had the two chimneys rebuilt (one was leaning, and in the other the pointing had failed so badly that a rebuild was advised). One chimney is in use with a wood-burning stove, and we had it lined. The other...