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Hi all I'm a (part-time) landlord with a couple of houses that (unsurprisingly) have an upper floor! I understand that windows need to comply with fire safety regs (i.e. minimum openings) above ground floor: but does this apply to existing installations, or only when you replace the...

Ok thanks all. I am going to contact a professional window fitter for help fitting!

I think I'll look to put restrictor hinges on one of them. I'm still not clear on the fire regs for upstairs rooms though: it's all so confusing, isn't a wide opening that's fire safe ALSO a hazard for falling out?!

Hi all Am just refurbing a 3-bed terraced house in London. The upstairs windows are double-glazed and still have some life left in them, so I don't want to replace 'em! However before I get tenants in, I'm concerned that the lower section of the windows are large and open out quite wide...

Hi all We have a Class 1 sewer running through our back garden: I believe it's a private sewer transferred to the water company's ownership in 2011. Any idea how deep these typically run? Trying to get my head round potential single-storey extension headaches, to build within 3 metres but...

Hi all I have a mid-terrace Victorian in London, we're currently building a single-storey extension. To avoid party wall issues, we will build a brick pier out to support the required RSJ, rather than tamper with the party wall. However I now understand that my works may still come under...

Thanks mate. My SE is being a bit of an arse and refusing to answer these questions saying his calcs are enough for an experienced builder to follow. My builder is pretty trust worthy but he's not that experienced! Hence why I'm being so careful. Gonna ask the SE to come down on Saturday...

Thanks Ronny. I've gone back to the SE with my questions. See below pic for how I understand things should be done currently. I realise now I was being dense re plate on top of steel post: it's quite simple, with welded plate on top. Now this IS an issue. We have timber floor joists and...

Hi Guys So I got some structural engineer calcs done: I sent photos and measurements, he did it remotely. He specified a 2m RSJ (152 x 152 x 23 UC) with bearing plates of 250 x 100 x 15, and a "10 mm plate on top". Given the thin internal wall and existing lintel, he also specified a...

Hi all Yep there's timber joists above, then a floor above and then the roof (it's a Victorian mid-terrace, two floors). So irrespective of lateral load and loads above, the internal wall could take all the weight, if the area under the lintel & RSJ was built out into a suitable pier? Ta

So: I described the situation to BC on the phone and that's what they said. Re more like a 'sorta' 4m opening: I'm not sure how the patio door opening (i.e. extending not as high as a 'full' opening) factors into the load on that 10cm internal wall. Not sure cost of belt and braces route...

Thanks guys. The structural engineer (well one in particular!) said I need 225mm bearings either side, and need to run the beam all the way over the patio doors/lintel too, making it more like 4 metres! That's overkill right? Building control said for a 2m opening, they weren't so worried...

Hi all I'm taking out (or rather my builder is!) part of the ground floor rear wall of a Victorian terrace in London, to create an opening to our new kitchen extension. Opening will be just under 2m wide. RSJ to be put in above new opening. The issue is what's to the right of the opening...

Hi all We recently bought a Victorian mid-terrace in London and the single-storey kitchen extension has an old chimney stack, below which the chimney breasts have been removed. So have taken pictures (below) of what's left of the chimney stack, above the ceiling. It has what looks like an...