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  1. lostinfens

    DPM options for new garage on slab foundation

    Given a lack of time??? wtf are you talking about? If time is of the essence , then get a builder in. If your doing-it-yourself then time must be a secondary consideration. It may come as a shock to you but most builders are on a time limit by virtue of the price which they offer - more often...
  2. lostinfens

    damp problems

    When you say 5-6" thick, then it sounds like a single skin of brickwork. This suggests an attached outer building, shed or w.c. which has been magically transformed into a living area. Even were it so, then I'd be very surprised if there was no dpc. Check your outer wall to the house and see if...
  3. lostinfens

    damp problems

    When you say you moved into a "new house" , you don't mean that it's a new build? How old is it? You say the wall isnt very thick, how thick is it & how high is the outside ground compared to the internal floor - ie is it below?
  4. lostinfens

    DPM options for new garage on slab foundation

    Nose says it all - why on earth go to all the faff when a strip found is a doddle. Gives a lot more leeway, allows for membrane & insulation & is probably quicker in the long run.
  5. lostinfens

    Mushrooms

    I think if anyone should be spraying under the floors, then it should be your upstairs neighbour. They can do this obviously from above & without chopping holes in your ceiling.
  6. lostinfens

    wallplate help for garage

    Absolutely, 10mm is nowt (don't use cms in building trade), I was 15mm out across front to back on a bungalow couple of years ago, over a 10 mt length & the joiner gave me some grief. Had to explain that the torrential rain we were suffering had adverse affect on blockwork, cut no ice though :oops:
  7. lostinfens

    Lintel Removal

    Do your joists above sit on the wall you want to remove? If so then thats how to prop the wall, as you said with acrows & a scaffold board or similar, then needles through the external brickwork & away you go. This would mean that any steel would naturally sit under the joists. It is possible to...
  8. lostinfens

    wallplate help for garage

    Tear it down & start again !! :(
  9. lostinfens

    Is This a Fool Proof Way to Get Building Work? Advice Wanted

    I did flyers when I lived outside London, the return rate was 1 out of several hundred, but definetely worth it. Newspapers were & still are to me a major waste of time & money.
  10. lostinfens

    Is This a Fool Proof Way to Get Building Work? Advice Wanted

    Never tried it meself, but what harm can it do? If you don't ask you won't get. Alright some people will bin your approach, but look at the junk mail going around, there has to be a result in it or they wouldn't waste all that cash. What part of Cheshire are you?
  11. lostinfens

    Brick choice

    Possibly a bad batch, or just like Nose said strong mix /weak bricks. I don't say that they are Giscol, but have a strong resemblance, and some of them are soft. I know this, I built my own garage from then & some have spalled. I assure you I don't use a strong mix & the duff bricks aren't...
  12. lostinfens

    Mushrooms

    It looks more like condensation, there appears no obvious staining, but this could be offset if the ceiling is foil backed or double boarded, but I'd still expecy some evidence. Is there any other mould obvious in the room, or is it just this one spot?
  13. lostinfens

    wallplate help for garage

    Wall plate bedding was always a Saturday morning skive on site, gave it the weekend to go off. Know what you mean as regards renovation etc, needs must and all that. But as I said earlier, I found that it just wasn't necessary on new work, particularly on blockwork, just welt a few nails...
  14. lostinfens

    Mushrooms

    Couldn't see them photos :?
  15. lostinfens

    Brick choice

    It does look like moisture/frost damage from here, no other reason springs to mind, the coping doesn't overhang by a mile does it. The bricks bear a resemblance to Giscol "Scotch Commons", which is odd because I've never seen them spall that badly. What part of Lancs are you from? I used them...
  16. lostinfens

    wallplate help for garage

    I gave up bedding wallplates years ago, just made sure the top course was good & straight(as it should be ) & fixed directly onto it. Assuming that the top course of blocks/bricks is reasonable, then the bed is superfluous & can break up under the tender mercies of a Joiner. This time of year...
  17. lostinfens

    Mushrooms

    Cut off the offending mushrooms & fry with bacon. :) Actually this does not sound good at all, you're on the ground floor & the roof 2 storeys higher is defective? Do any of the above tenants have a problem? Does your "upstairs" have a bath/shower/kitchen above where they are appearing & have...
  18. lostinfens

    Lintel Removal

    I'm assuming that the existing opening to the extension is a door then? Is this correct, & what height/width is the existing lintol, also what is the height then to the ceiling? Dependent on how & where your joists above sit or how the extension roof is built it is difficult to give an...
  19. lostinfens

    Big difference in building quotes...

    d'ohhh - never noticed the date :D
  20. lostinfens

    My Bungalow

    Bricklaying is EASY!! & I should know been doing it for nearly 40 years. First off don't use Febmix, use Fairy(not Happy Shoppers, but Fairy) in your mix. Get a small electric mixer, about 10-12 shovels sand & half a bag cement-dont forget the Fairy- then drink TEA lots of it. Get used to...
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