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I've bought myself 50M^2 of filled travertine 600 x 400 and am gearing up to fit. I haven't laid tiles this big before. Any comments on the following would be appreciated. Concrete base, screed is 6 months old, slab 1 year. I may pour a little SLC in places, but mostly it's OK. I am not...

I have got here a nice old sink tap with ceramic hot/cold indicator. I need to replace the gland packing but can't get the ceramic button off the top. Small screwdriver is applied gently all round but it's not budging. Any more force will definitely crack the ceramic which would spoil it...

I need to cut a floor channel in screed (inhabited house). I have an adequate 9" grinder and diamond wheel. I am considering asking Mrs Skyblob to squirt water on the advancing blade side as I cut. Electrics and water notwithstanding, am I likely to reduce the dust problem this way? Any...

I have 3 new rads to fit in what will be a new system. These are 300mm wide, 1500 tall, vertical tubes, double. It's such a short distance across the 300 width, I can't help wondering if the hot water will all go up as it should, or some might shoot straight across to the return, and reduce the...

Close to finishing extension job. Needing removal of original front door+sidelight (now internal) to open up. 1972 standard brick house. Having just taken the frame out, I was shocked to see no external lintel has been fitted! Door frame was holding up the external brickwork and was built in...

Single storey kitchen extension where a new open vent boiler is planned for the outside wall. (Old 1970's boiler in centre of house has no drain, and inappropriate concrete flue inside wall, so will be abandoned) I want to stick with open vent system. Am planning to put pump and S plan...

For a lean-to polycarb car-port type roof, (allowed by planners in my case), running with timber sizes from Trada span tables for snow loading (1KNM^2 in my case) ends up with enormous timbers because of the big spans required. - Much bigger for instance than one would "normally" extect to see...

I've just installed a set of wooden slide/fold doors. It's Bank Holiday so I can't call the manufacturers. Installation guidelines for glazing call for glazing tape to be lubricated on the glass side so as to allow the glass to move. - I thought that glazing tape is normally double sided...

I'm needing to install over blockwork (behind dot and dab plaster) in a number of areas which are outside the 522.66(v) zones. That galvanized pressed steel channelling which fixes over wires. I'd guess it classifies as "have earthed armouring"?(or does it not?) - But getting a reliable...

And another one. Does 150mm zone at top of a wall/ceiling angle from reg 522.6.6, also apply if the junction of wall/ceiling isn't horizontal? Does it include for example the 150mm of space at the top of a gable wall where it meets a sloping ceiling? "It does say either horizontally...

Hi. A questions for the forum I'll be installing a ring in a new extension. (So far I'm taking lots of care with IEE wiring regs. I need to get it right, and anyway my Building Control officer will need to organize my Building Completion Certificate under Part P sections 1.24..1.27). So...

Hi. My builder has last week completed some roofing work on an extension and I'm not happy with the quality of the weathering. All the rain this week has been a blessing in disguise since it's showing stuff up. One area is detail where a tile hung (plain tile) gable timber wall upstand joins a...

Hi. Doors I am ordering (timber laminated/insulated from Russell Timbertech), have a narrow alloy "stormguard" as they call it cill. They will be mounted at DPC level - which is flush with internal FFL. The alloy cill ptovided is not wide enough to reach over the edge of the brickwork. I...

What's the best way to find a electrician to sign off (AKA "Commission") my wiring? Are you professional types all going to give me grief for wanting to save money and wire up my new-build extension? I have done loads of wiring through the 80's and 90's. I have re-wired a complete house...

Hi. My Local Authority needs calcs for a steel corner support column I'm proposing in my extension. It will be approx 2.2M tall, 80x80mm square x 5mm wall. Axial loading (dead load + imposed load from snow) will be maximum of (from a rough calc) 2.4KN. I have no access to BS5950 without...

I'm considering getting ~2KW electric chainsaw to cut logs for my woodburner. Last season I did the entire woodshed with a sharp bowsaw. - I'll be the first to say how good bowsaws are, but I'm thinking of taking a break from that one this time. A relatively cheap £100 chainsaw is only about...

New extension with 125mm EPS foam under slab, joins existing solid concrete floor circa 1974. If I ceramic tile right across regardless, do I expect tiles to crack on the joint? Opinions?

OK. Question from planninportal.gov.uk. I'm trying to figure out how to build my eaves. (PIR foam between and under rafters, wall cavity partial fill, unventilated roof, open interior roof space). This guideline (pic from UK planning portal), seems to fit the bill. I'm supposing rafters would...

Hi. Does anyone know of a source of independent test reports for any of the limescale inhibitors on the market? Yes, they do work to varying degrees, (I'll vouch for that having used them in the past), but we have no way of knowing whether (or why) a £30 electronic one may be any different...

Hi. Having just installed my woodburner, and used factory twin wall flue (Poujoulat T1), I'm a little unsure about one final detail. Is there a view on the following? Stockists of metal chimneys parts say the twin wall flue MUST be boxed in (at recommended clearance) where it goes through...