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relative had same problem and gone for wall hanging inset fire - looks the business and miles more space. the surround "mantle" is not needed. the backing is needed to seal the fire to it and in the case of a wall hanging fire to mount it.

there are quite a few posts on "sealing" driveways. i do not use any sealer and until a recent post had tended to live with the problems ie i use cat litter to remove oil stains. as a result of the most recent post i now use a weed killer "sodium chlorate" obtained from Wilkinson’s and it...

it really is advisable to get the corgi man in upfront. he should not mind u doing the prep work. if he does find another. by getting him in upfront will remove all potential problems before they become expensive. the steps then are 1) make sure the chimney flue is suitable (most brick...

the insulation would be well worth it in terms of heat saving (for most houses there is not enough depth to get underneath to fit and taking up the floorboards is too much hard work). the insulation won't affect the risk of dampness in the joists (as long as u don't cover it say with plastic...

apologies chessspy & Hooo - i've not been clear enough - i was referring to the other vent than the one i think your referring to - the one described as "The inner skin is just continuous brick over the airbrick" i don't think it matters i think our collective advise is put a new sleeve in...

i'd go along with chessspy's advice too - if it's not broke don't fix it it must have been intended to ventilate the cavity only. i know when coal fires existed a lot of rooms had internal vents but all that i've seen were sleeved so i don't feel it has anything to do with that.

you'll get us in trouble Deluks. hope the capital of culture is doing ok - not been in 08 yet. i worked with Americans for a while and i think that helps a little - not to upset them or Raynamdu but they are all very much more direct than the UK.

i do like the idea of using expanding foam - i'm just not sure that it would give the required amount of support. the foam tends not to recover well when pressed in too firmly. i would go for some form of rubber or anti vibration strip sat between the joists and the floor boarding. i know...

i guess the grout around the tiles must be cracking. if so then filling the gaps with caulk or silicon might just work (worth trying a small area). if not then it’s likely that water has got in and the sub floor started to deteriorate. in this case i don't see any real alternative to ripping...

sounds like you are lucky in one respect - the joists the air vents to the under floor are normally crucial. it does depend on how much moisture there is (they are intended to stop the wood getting above 20% saturation for more than 8 wks). i've not come across an "old" house with wood floor...

i would try to get a sheet of DPM underneath the new mortar. butter the existing base and walls 1st so that the DPM is unlikely to tear. alternative is a liquid DPM - aquaproof or epoxy resin

as long as there is a clear air gap (say 100mm) between the external walls ie yours and the garage then i would not expect this to be the source. just because the garage appears dry does not mean it's not the problem though - there is high ventilation in a garage which would hide the...

not done uPVC on a bay. when i do on the roof line i just nail (special st st with plastic head) the uPVC onto the existing wood (i just make sure the wood is sound 1st). in terms of bays - a real damp nightmare - they are only single skin - definitely put a dpm in. i use clear silicon to...

Andy, one last thought. supply and demand is vital for me. on damp proofing the supply is drying up - they just don't make em like they used to - that dam plastic sheet between the bricks is a right evil. really - all of my work is in old houses - those built before dpc and dpc works a...

thanks for pics - adds clarity to the nightmare for sure. i presume the builder has move the rubble away the blocked up doorway (pic 1 RHS) since the incident. the volume of water from the gutter will be enormous and for sure will as you say have resulted in a lot of damp - the outlet should...

Andy, just thinking about this a bit more - plastering inc rendering is a big part of the job - u really need to be able to do this yourself otherwise paying somebody else is not ideal particularly trying to get job timing aligned to when it's needed. get some plastering experience 1st...

i'm afraid that's building control for u – they are there to see that the regs are complied with not sort domestic problems - they are generally pretty good though and as long as you keep at them nicely u should be able to fix up to meet with him and get his views. the reason for the...

joe-90 there are some and i include u and me who live and work in the real world. there are many who like to advise. when the time comes for them to put their neck "wallet" on the block u won't see them for dust. leave them to use words to their hearts content - they are simply failed...

there's a lot in this and it's potentially a loose loose situation. in answer to the drying out question - it's a surprisingly long time - i work on 1 month per inch of concrete depth so potentially say 4 months. what is of concern is that certain areas keep getting damp - this clearly...

if the surface of the 1 1/2" strip along the party wall is in good condition - not loose/crumbly put an expoxy DPM down overlapping inwards to the room say 300 mm passed the existing plastic sheet. if it's not then i would dig out and put plastic DPM in and refill fill with concrete...