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gravel mixed with soil just behind the wall, the only sensible place for a dpc is above the highest soil line, and then it spoils the look of the wall. drain holes near the base are good, it would be a very clay soil to need every 500 mm. I have a sandy soil, and have never seen the drain holes...

3:1 is likely to be stronger than the concrete blocks, should also be quite waterproof. for an external wall where there is soil behind it, think long and hard about where the damp proof course should be, my 1.2m retaining wall has no damp-proof course, as they are usually polythene and could...

well cast iron is a shiny material when polished, the graphite within the iron helps it stay smooth, and when well buffed after applying it will not leave much free graphite on the surface. Look at the colour of a cast cam lobe in an engine, that is quite silvery.

the best thing is the black graphite, it polishes in and removes the rust spots, done correctly you get a shiny metal look to the iron. Use a wire brush on a drill to apply it initially then buff off the bits in corners by hand.

It gives a thicker bed without having to buy a new trowel. For a professional they would buy a new one, for diy it might not see any more use for quite a few years.

put adhesive on floor and on back of tile in the other direction, should bed down to the required thickness.

skimming with pollyfilla or gypsum will not go well on a lime wall, I had 1863 lime walls on a previous house, lots of little pock marks, filled them all carefully, let it set, sized the wall, then when I put on the first piece of lining paper all the little cones of filler just popped of as I...

I could be birds as well.

If it was compressed hardcore it would by liftable (slowly) with a garden fork, if it is mortar/concrete, then it will not be able to have pieces lifted out with a garden fork. Try using a wrecking bar pointed end first to see which it is, it will become obvious very quickly with one of those.

I think it means there is only 15mm below the glass, that means the beams are quite small, and aluminium has catastophic failure modes in overload, a timber beam would give visible bowing long before failure. Neither of us know for sure, the OP has to find out more about the structure of his...

Cross battening will help reduce the heat lost through the aluminium beams, but if they are only 15mm deep I am concerned if they will be strong enough to take the weight of the plasterboard, specially after you have added some holes for the screws that hold the cross battening.

I have a work surface coated with Osmo top oil matt, it does not change the colour of the timber really. And yes, filling holes and making them not show afterwards is difficult, needs a carefull choice of filler and subtle use of stain to make it try and match existing timber.

The point is that if you fit a rigid bit of wood on the inside and screw to it at the top and bottom of the wall, then the cabin will get unsettled over the first season. THAT is what you need to be carefull of. You need to have slotted holes in any timber (and large washers so that the screws...

Well celotex is impermeable, so no air circulation at all. and 15mm of kingspan/celotex will not make enough of a difference, Perhaps 15mm of celotex, then screw some dummy joists at across the aluminium with enough depth to hold say 100 mm of celotex, then plasterboard onto that, depends if the...

dont forget that log cabins grow and shrink with the seasons, but the insulated internal wood will not move as much, so if the inner and outer timbers are screwed together at top and bottom then you run the risk of gaps opening up between the logs and then allowing water in that way. The Tuin...

BLO gives quite a darkening to the wood, so not for all circumstances, also filler and stains make it difficult to keep an even colour after you are done...

Iso Propyl Alchohol will soften the glue, and it will evaporate after you are done.

well it has since been done properly, but our consevatory had quite deep timbers so i fitted celotex between the joists that held up the glass, I was able to fit 125mm celotex, then fitted plasterboard up that I screwed into the joists. On the outside I painted with aluminium primer, then white...

Well to fix to glass you need the surfaces spotless and grease free, so a wipe down with MEK or similar after you have cleaned it with anything else. Also araldite in tubes slowly gets weaker due to moisture getting in, it might need to be a fresh tube, or use a bubble pack of epoxy, those do a...

Lime is better from the humidity control it provides to the room inside.