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I am considering all my options for flue positioning on my single story flat roofed kitchen extension. i would like the boiler on the kitchen wall as high as possible above the worktop. this in turn wuld mean a horizontally exiting flue will also have too exit higher on the outside wall...

Most of the stone (sandstone) and lime mortar built houses around where I live have been repointed with a portland and sand mortar. I have read that this is not a good idea, and I have noticed on many of the houses the stone is spalding. I dont know if this is just natural due to the age or...

Im trying to find specs for standard UK acrow props. Im needing to calc how many I need for the job. Will use a No1 or 2 prop extended to 2.5m Total load is 95kN evenly distributed Need to know max load of these size acrows extended to 2.5m I found this table on an australian site but unsure...

While putting the socket back on the earth wire broke off one of the cables close to where it enters the metal box. Too much bending back and forth. What solutions do you guys have for this? I can think of three Leave it as its a ring circuit so there is still an earth connection from this...

Done some calcs to select an apropriate UB for replacing part of a supporting wall. Details Average 3 bed terrace Usual stuff upstairs span of opening 2.56m beam will sit against upstairs floor joists. evenly distributed load I used a few different UB profiles in the calcs and I kept...

Ive spent some time learning about the formula and calculations required for fitting a UB to partially replace a supporting wall. I have done the brain work and calculated what I'll need, beam size, block column size and materials and foundation etc. However my research has not been able to...

The water pipe to my home is an old lead pipe which comes from under my neighbours extension. A 15mm copper pipe comes off this lead pipe then splits in two in the ground just inside my kitchen. One branch feeds my house the other goes under my kitchen and supplies my other neighbour (terraced...

I have some old corregated roofing material in my garden that looks like asbestos but Ive been told that it could also be a type of fibrous cement material. Is there a simple test for asbestos? No quips about sniffing it and waiting 20 years :)

The composite slates on my roof stop slightly short of the gable end. The previous owner had just applied mortar over the end extending down over the gable end. It is breaking up and falling off and so I removed it. I want to finish this end of properly. I could put some upvc L section there...

My parents have a very old room stat on the wall, Drayton type RCT 6(2)A 200/250V. There is a cable, looks like a 1mm twin and earth going from it to where the old boiler was. They had a replacement boiler put in, itself now being quite old (optima 701 combi) and the room stat has never been...

I have a existing concrete (probably reinforced) lintel above the kitchen window opening. Its about 6ft long. I have noticed a few things that concern me. I would like to know what you guys think and possible solutions if any. A few details about the wall the lintel is in. Cavity wall (Unusual...

I have a wall that I am considering removing bar a couple of feet at each end or at least putting a double doorway through. All the supporting walls I have read about seem to continue unbroken up through the floors forming continuous walls up through the building. In my case the wall ends...

When I have done plumbing to now (radiator pipes) I have been able to route them under wooden floors. My new place has solid floors so I am looking for ways to hide the pipes. I dont want to cut into the floor to hard and messy. Upstairs is not a problem, for downstairs I can route the pipes in...

I wish to add loft insulation in an old terrace. The pitched roof is such that the lower part of the rafters forms part of the sloping ceilings in the bedrooms. See pic (first diagram). The roof has an old style non breathable bitumen type membrane. At the moment there is ventilation between the...

I have some 10mm twin and earth for my shower. When wiring it up to the shower, switch etc I found that the grey sheath is mostly fused to the sheaths of the conductors making it impossible to remove completely. Is this normal and if so whats the technique for stripping it, or have I bought from...

I need to build a retaining wall about 7-8ft high. There is an added complication of a spring letting out water in three places. It is a constant stream coming out from between the layers of sedimentry rock. I have a few questions about building this wall. Whats the best way to join it to the...

My timing belt went while driving down the motorway and engine died. I decided to take the cylinder head of to check the damage. Spent ages trying to get the right size bit that was also long enough to reach the head bolts. Finally got the spline bit to take off the head today (£24 with...

I have got to the stage in my house rewire where I am putting in an oven circuit. I dont know which oven to get yet and dont have the funds to get one. I have designed the circuit around a 7kw oven. So will have 30amp mcb, 6mm cable (about 20m long and taking into acount the route etc cable will...

I need to run a lighting circuit cable up a bedroom wall into the loft from CU on ground floor. For ease and minimising cable length I see two options. Shown by red lines in diagram. Questions are 1) In option 1 does the position of the window break the corner safe zone? 2) In option 2...

I was looking at the regs for fitting switches etc in bathrooms and can see that if one is placed behind a shower wall it has to be set back greater than 0.6m+ thickness of the wall otherwise it falls in zone 2. Does this ONLY apply to a shower wall within a bathroom, as my shower wall is the...