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  1. M

    Engineered wood on UFH overlay panels… 90 degrees? 45 degrees?

    Well yes, but the floor warranty isn’t the issue here. They have no opinion on whether the floor is laid parallel, perpendicular or at 45 degrees to the pipe runs. The original post wasn’t really about floor warranty it was about the guidelines from the UFH companies that produce these overlay...
  2. M

    Engineered wood on UFH overlay panels… 90 degrees? 45 degrees?

    We are literally just about to crack on with this - and we are laying herringbone style direct onto the overlay panels (with 3mm underlay) Having spoke to various people at the UFH supplier, I think the reality is that the guidance about needing to pour 10mm compound when laying herringbone is...
  3. M

    “Silicone enhanced” vs “full silicone” render

    Hi all, Does anyone have any knowledge on the fundamental differences between ‘silicone enhanced’ and ‘full silicone’ renders? Renderer recommended Johnstones, who do both silicone enhanced and full silicone. I thought I’d been clear with the builder that we were expecting full silicone, but...
  4. M

    Buying house with loft conversion w/o regs

    I shared my experience as there are some parallels that I thought might be useful. Then i asked the OP if they are able to find out when the work was done. It might be an important detail. Sorry for trying to contribute.
  5. M

    Buying house with loft conversion w/o regs

    We moved house a year ago into a property with a loft conversion done in 1980. Surveyor flagged a load of things that weren’t compliant with current regs. But, the fact that it doesn’t comply with current regs is not a problem - it complied with the regs at the time it was built, which is what...
  6. M

    Engineered wood on UFH overlay panels… 90 degrees? 45 degrees?

    I’m preparing to install wet UFH throughout the ground floor using an overlay panel system (xps400). The manufacturer has advised (as they all seem to) that engineered wood can be laid directly onto the panels (with a few mm of underlay), but that we should lay the planks at 90 degrees to the...
  7. M

    Removing ground floor chimney breast - ventilation required or not?

    Thanks all - helpful responses. It won’t be a botch - we’ve got a steel going in rather than brackets bolted to the wall. We want to retain it in the first floor bedroom as it has a striking period fire place and generous room proportions work well with a chimney breast. We also can’t remove it...
  8. M

    Taping and tanking backer board (and niche)

    Hi, I’ve spent hours trawling through previous posts, here and elsewhere, about taping and tanking backer boards and I’m left feeling a bit bamboozled. Different products, different combinations of products, different contexts, different opinions… Builders have done the shower room in a new...
  9. M

    Removing ground floor chimney breast - ventilation required or not?

    I’ve got builders about to commence with removing the ground floor chimney breast from our 1890 semi-detached house. It’s on an external wall rather than party wall. We are retaining the chimney breast in first floor and above (though it won’t be used). The steel and associated structural work...
  10. M

    Drilling air holes through a joist…

    Perhaps helpful to add the joists are 150mm deep. This particular joist is about 1m wide and rests on a bearer wall at both ends.
  11. M

    Drilling air holes through a joist…

    I’ve currently got all the floorboards up in our Victorian semi and I’m attending to a few things while I’ve got the chance. I’ve posted a few times about related queries and here is the next one… The hallway currently has no direct ventilation. I’ve knocked out a couple of bricks below joist...
  12. M

    Solid walls below subfloor - no airflow!

    No, it’s suspended timber throughout. There is a small section within the kitchen which has a brick structure which looks like it has been knocked out and replaced with timber bearers and joists at some point, but no solid floor (except the outdoors toilet)
  13. M

    Solid walls below subfloor - no airflow!

    No… we moved in at the start of July and are renovating (it’s a proper doer-upper) There are no signs that the limited airflow have been a problem thus far and it’s been that way for over 100 years… but we are insulating between the joists and will then seal with an airtight membrane before...
  14. M

    Solid walls below subfloor - no airflow!

    I’ve got all the floorboards up throughout my Victorian semi, and have discovered that although the bearer walls are honeycombed, the main supporting walls that divide the rooms on the ground floor are completely solid with no airflow from one space to another. This means that the two rooms...
  15. M

    18mm ply flooring… structural softwood?

    Prices for T&G are higher than square edge 18mm structural ply. There’s obviously a reason for that, but I’m trying to bring it in on a tight budget. I can’t install noggins because there is insulation slung between joists, so I’m planning to lay 18mm structural ply across the joists (ie...
  16. M

    18mm ply flooring… structural softwood?

    Before I can instal my overlay UFH, I either need to lay 6mm ply on top of my Victorian floorboards, or replace the floorboards with plywood (or chipboard, but I’m reluctant to do that!) I think I’m leaning towards going with 18mm structural ply throughout - it frees up the planks to go...
  17. M

    Insulating suspended timber floors - bearers?!

    Ah that looks like a great option. I’ll double check how much honeycombing there is in the bearer wall but may do the ducting as well just for belt and braces - we’ll be fitting an overlay UFH system on top so this is the one time I intend to be dealing with the subfloor! Thanks for tip on...
  18. M

    Insulating suspended timber floors - bearers?!

    Should’ve said - the bearer wall below the bearers has good spacing to allow airflow through the wall.
  19. M

    Insulating suspended timber floors - bearers?!

    After hours of trawling posts here and elsewhere, I’ve decided to insulate the suspended timber floors of my Victorian semi by slinging breathable membrane between joists and laying 120mm of rockwool batts in between. I understand the various pros and cons of this compared to using PIR - I’m...
  20. M

    Wiring help - replacing salus rt500rf with honeywell cm927

    Hi, I have a Potterton Suprima boiler and a Center CH/HW programmer. I previously had a wired thermostat. This was replaced a few months ago (not by me) with a salus rt500rf. This has now failed (when the thermostat unit calls for heat, the receiver green light flashes on and then off...
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