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  1. J

    oak beam or RSJ

    The advantage of an engineer is that he can calculate the correct size for you and you then have the advantage of his professional Indemnity Insurance should it fail. What would he charge? £200 max. Money well spent.
  2. J

    Flat Roof Work

    Roof joists size depends on the span and the expected loading. Is this to be a warm roof or a cold roof. Insulation and ventilation vary on the method used. More info please
  3. J

    Bottle Well

    No easy way I'm afraid. I've done a few over the years, quickest way is to have a bucket on a rope with one man in the well and one on the surface. Fill the bucket, pull it up, empty it, lower the bucket.................. The deepest one I've come across was about 3.6 metres deep (12 feet...
  4. J

    Plaster retarders

    You're possibly using the wrong plaster type for the background you're plastering? High suction backgrounds need Hardwall or Browning whereas low suction backgrounds need something like Bonding. (Top coat is the same regardless of the background, try Multi Finish) If you're using Bonding...
  5. J

    bathroom ventilation

    I've always understood it to be minimum 10mm
  6. J

    Part P costs - I think I've got to the bottom of this!

    From what I have been told, Building Control is one of the most profitable parts of the Council. All 'profit' goes into the central pot and is used to run the local community. By 'not for profit' organisation I'm sure he meant that all 'profit' is spent back into the community. This doesn't...
  7. J

    Extension permission?

    Same thing just happened to me. I built my current house in 1981 to 1983 and recently got planning permission to raise part of the roof and add another floor to part of the rear (over existing single storey). Got planning and regs ok but regs asked to "see the foundations". I phoned them up...
  8. J

    Fire insulation between loft spaces - Fireboard or wall?

    Speak to your local council Building Control. They are the ones who will make the decision on this firewall. Pretty much everything comes under Building Regs nowadays, loft conversions definately do!
  9. J

    Plasterboard Query

    There are more mistakes on the site, they shouldn't be allowed to publish misleading stuff.
  10. J

    Tips for filling in around back boxes

    We use the Box Sinker sometimes, very useful (and quick) in the right situation (soft blocks/existing plastered wall). We also use it for new work box sinking (prior to plastering). The dust it makes can be controlled by holding a Vax hose under it while drilling. I reckon I could drill out...
  11. J

    Framework and nails showing through plasterboard & paint

    If this is an outside wall then this is most likely caused by cold bridging. I've noticed on drawings we get nowadays, that there is more and more requirement for 25mm Cellotex over the timberwork of external framing (in addition to between the timbers) and also to the ceilings of flat roof...
  12. J

    Silly brickwork question.......

    It's impossible to tell the strength of the mortar mix on your house without analysis. The colour is not a reliable measure. Our local builders merchant sell two types of building sand, one is pale and the other is orangey. Mix two batches using the same amount of cement and the pale sand...
  13. J

    Support work

    I would go no more than 900mm wide without support, preferably 750mm max. It all depends how 'solid' the brickwork is.
  14. J

    Support work

    That's a perfectly acceptable way to do it, quite common too. Just minimise the damage to the face brickwork, this makes it easier to make good later.
  15. J

    What Happens Here On P-Day?

    Most of the leccy work that DIY'ers do won't get reported to the Council for inspection will it! Why would any DIY'er (who has saved a few quid doing it himself) then pay the Council £230 to come and check it? Worse still if the inspection shows up something that does not comply with the...
  16. J

    Lights, sparks, inaction

    The arcing from your original attempt may have melted through the live feed cable. If the fuse didn't blow there's a chance your house has a bad earth, high resistance, causing sparking instead of a quick blown fuse. Get an electrician in who can test this. Another thought, could this...
  17. J

    Joists on centre distance ?

    You can never be sure where the joists are! No matter what centers are 'supposed' to be used, the chippies will have put the joists where convenient (but keeping to 400mm or thereabouts centers). So the spacing could be 300 in places then suddenly 390, then 412 and so on. It all depends on...
  18. J

    Staircase stringer on board?

    Fixing screws go through the plasterboard, so leave it on.
  19. J

    OVERLOADING

    I assume you want to know if the cable and fuse/mcb are correct for this 9.5kw shower? This shower will pull just over 41 amps. Therefore you need a cable rated to more than 41 amps. 6mm cable is pushing it and not really suitable but 10mm cable is ok. Now you need a fuse/mcb rated...
  20. J

    MCBs

    see this thread: //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16923
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