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Well, now that you say it - that seems like a pretty obvious conclusion! But I'll admit it hadn't occurred to me. So maybe some sort of extension some decades ago... will look at other inner walls to see if there are clues hiding in there. Am also leaning towards breaking up the whole pad...

I've just got up the old carpets on our renovation project, and weirdly the kitchen floor is mostly quarry tiles, except for the back third of the room being concrete. Unfortunately the floor is level throughout, so we can't just put tiles on top of the concrete to fix it. I'm imagining we just...

Aye, I was aware of this, and had discussed with an SE - which is why I'd landed on french drain and deadman beams. But was hoping to get some sense from others who'd done this before what sorts of configurations had worked in actual practice... Is this choice of deadman beams just a bit...

I'm building a post and plank retaining wall retaining wall to shore up an existing slope and establish some parking spaces in front. The wall will be about 12.5m wide by 1.5m tall, with 3m tall 6" square beams in concrete spaced at 1.25m. I know that because the wall is just over 5' I need to...

Thanks for this @stem - really helpful info. I'm currently thinking I'll install a traditional hood over the range but only use this in exceptional circumstances and otherwise keep down the dampness in the room using one of those always on Vent Axia fans. I am wondering if there are useful ways...

I'm renovating a drafty old house (draughtproofing, interior wall insulation, new windows, etc.) and installing an ASHP to run radiators. I'm now looking towards the kitchen more specifically. I'm aware of the need to have good ventilation and air exchange in the kitchen, but am reluctant to...

Hi folks, I've done a bit of homework and have designed a retaining wall for our home, and thought I'd post the design here for constructive critique. Any feedback most welcome. The house is set back up on a slope, with a mostly flat 15m long front garden which then slopes down to a space full...

Thanks everyone for extremely useful feedback. So, to recap, I think my best plan is to run a relatively straight trench down 2-3' (600-900mm) deep at about 12" (300mm) wide. I'll be installing 2x 50mm outdoor-rated PVC pipes in 2 different colours with pullstrings inside (thanks @conny for...

Great - 50mm was what I was thinking. And I was also planning to double-up, for ethernet, fiber etc. Really grateful for tips re: depth, sand & hard fill. Should I try to route with the perimeter of the garden rather than a straight run so that I can more easily mark location?

I'm pulling out some unruly hedges and putting in a gravel driveway in front of the house, and this is the intended location for a new EV (probably a Renault Zoe). I know the charging station will require installation by a proper electrician (probably one of these: http://pod-point.com), but am...

They do seem to be the experts! Anyone in particular?

I'm putting in a completely new central heating system to feed radiators (150m2 of house across two floors - about 13 radiators) and provide hot water (1 shower, 4 sinks). For this, I'll be installing a Samsung 12kw Heat Pump and a 20tube solar thermal array (58mm hot tubes with alcohol fill)...

Very specific question here for folks who have owned / installed a Samsung EHS Monobloc heat pump. I'm looking to buy one myself in a month or two, but am scoping out possibilities of monitoring this appliance locally using a self-hosted platform (home assistant, for the curious). I am aware...

Thanks @tel765 and @cdbe for your insights here. I'm competent at joinery (have planer, various saws, etc) so the idea of replacing wall plate, joists and floorboards isn't too bad. And I'm already planning to take up all the floorboards as the rooms need to be rewired for electric and ethernet...

Fab - that's what I was wondering. Obviously a newbie @ plumbing here. Seems like it's time to go get some quotes on combi boilers...

Ah, ok! So new combi-boiler means that I can ditch that hot water tank. That seems sensible. But what about the cold water cistern above?

I'm renovating an 1880s semi-detached 5BR Victorian house. A bit of reading on the forum has relieved my initial despair after discovering that, in the cellar, the ends of floor joists seem to be in advanced stages of rotting. There is rising damp coming in from external walls, but I'm hoping...

I'm renovating an 1880s semi-terraced 5BR house. Much of it is still original, with some rooms lacking power outlets. One thing which has been "updated" has been the installation of radiators, and a combi-boiler (located in a back stairwell on the ground floor, see photo). However, there are...