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Just build a temporary stair unit that can be moved out of the way when you move or access is required.

Similarly, I would bring the 4" drainage to top of concrete, then connect into that with an adapter. Then the drainage is flexible for adding new connections or even a toilet in the future ! If whole thing is under the floor level, I'd even be tempted to take the 4" into the room where the...

Onto base plaster usually 2 coats. A skim coat onto plaster board they only do one coat. About 3mm I would say. Usually you stud out the wall, bang in the casings, overhang ends up being 2 to 5mm. If a slight gap is left after plastering and architrave, just caulk around the edge. Its more...

I had the same type of outhouse / WC with a flat concrete roof. It did not have a roof above it though. There was a danger of it pushing the walls over or damaging the neighbours ajoining outhouse if removed in an unbalanced way, so I propped it from underneath in several places and sliced the...

Anyone remember the classic "Some Mother Do 'Ave 'Em" where Frank Spencer went into his loft to fix a water tank or something, and ended up falling through the neighbours bedroom ceiling ! Simon.

The BCO was happy for me to dig alongside the neighbours foundations (a single storey party wall) to create a cavity wall against it. I actually had to dig some way below. I dug out the whole trench in one, which was OK since the ground was hard clay and showed no signs of movement. BCO...

Bonded screed on concrete - approx 40mm minimum with sand / cement or down to 15mm with SBR added in various amounts - see SBR data sheet. Unbonded screed (e.g. over DPM) min 50mm thickness. Over insulation - min 60mm and probably with fibres added. So he could do 25mm with SBR over...

A continuous bonding surface ? No builder would do that ! Blobs around the edge, about every foot in a square grid over the wall, blobs where you might want to fix items. Chuck the blobs off the end of a trowel. Then offer up the board and push it against the blobs with a long spirit level to...

Put up some plywood in front of the kingspan, you can hang anything off that. Screw through insulation to the wall at intervals. Simon.

Just sharp sand / cement, ratio 3:1 or 4:1. You don't have to do it in one go. You can add SBR if you want the screed itself to be fully waterproof. Buy bags of cement as required (B&Q is cheap) Hire a cement mixer for the day. As for the amount of sand, others may be able to help. I always...

Then you will need a non-standard door ! Surely you would get a door made to measure or cut down a wooden door to size ? Simon.

Oh come on. Not all regs have the same value. There may be circumstances when part M requirements are silly. If a house is built in a location where disabled access will never be suitable, what is the point in loads of wide corridors, switches in silly positions, unwanted downstairs toilets etc...

The cavity closers I got from screwfix were cheapish. Just a strip of celotex / polystyrene with a DPM strip glued on (for wood windows). For uPVC dont even need the DPM. Just cut some celotex / polystyrene and push it in tight. How cheap do you want ? Simon.

You need to look and see what is moving. What sort of sound exactly ? It could be some vapour membrane flapping against something else, but its hard to say without more info. Simon.

Why don't you go for a "vaulted" (although not much of a vault at 15deg !) ceiling ? In other words, the ceiling slopes with the roof ? You can put fibreglass between the joists and a layer of celotex below (leave 50mm vent gap above insulation). Then no separate ceiling joists. Since its a...

Sorry, no idea what you mean. Thats probably why you have no replies. Simon.

You should stretch a string line and level to that. Then little shims under the joists may be required just to tighten things up. Also, its easier to use concrete blocks layed flat rather than bricks. Or just concrete posts into the ground and cut them off afterwards. Simon.

I would not mix aircrete in with dense blocks in the same wall (except to use some dense blocks in aircrete for padstones). I would keep dense blocks internally between rooms for their better sound proofing properties. Use some bricks in with the dense blocks if needbe, or pack under joists...

What about some artificial grass. It seems to be getting popular ? Simon.

In that situation, I overpoured my foundation (overlap the neighbour's) about 4" higher and the BCO was happy with that. This effectively locks the foundations together. I then built a new inner skin to form a cavity wall (their's was solid wall). Also, you should be able to build right up to...