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A friend has had a quote of £5700 to replace the hip and ridge tiles on her 1930s semi. No other work has been quoted for. This seems rather high to me as I thought a re-roof would be in the region of this price. It's within the M25 so understandably the cost may be slightly higher than...

Just been to look at a flat. The biggest issue I see with it is the fact that at the moment the only source of heating is the wall mounted air-con style ones, and hot water heated by an immersion heater in the tank. I can only imagine that will get very expensive at today’s prices. No gas...

Hi all. So I actually completed this a couple of years ago now, and never got around to uploading the details. As well as being a (sometimes) regular contributor on here, I also benefitted from a lot of advice during the construction phase. I designed the extension myself (architectural and...

A question that the architects / technicians might be able to answer. A colleague and I are having a debate regarding stairs to a non-compliant loft room. The room is currently used as an office but access is from a ladder. The question is, does the installation of a staircase require the...

The client is extending to the side of their property and access will be gained to the right hand side of the staircase (see photo - not the actual stairs but the principle is the same) I've suggested replacing the winder staircase with one with a flat landing off which access can be gained in...

I'm currently doing the structural design on the refurbishment of a 1700s cottage. The owners want to do a loft conversion and are happy to lose two of the three kingpost trusses. However, they want to retain as many of the original features as possible, and with that in mind they want to...

I am helping a friend out with a loft conversion. Currently just doing some plans for him but he asked me whether planning permission would be required. I said no, but then thought about the 50 cubic metre rule. This conversion will be a lot more than 50 cubic metres in total, so my first...

We've recently had a new boiler installed and due to removing rads etc the pressure has dropped to zero. I obviously need to repressurise the system but I can't work out how to do it. The manual just talks about a filling loop but I can't even work out where I would connect one. This is the...

I need to disconnect three Radiators but despite tightening the lock valve there is still water gushing out at high pressure when I undo the nut. The same thing happens on all of them. I have tried to get in touch with my plumber but he isn't available at the moment. I hope someone here can...

I've had my first quote for a new boiler installation and I nearly fell over when I read it. I will be getting more quotes but is this high or am I out of touch?? Flush heating system Remove existing boiler supply and install new primary heating pipework from current boiler position to new...

Will soon be at roof level on my self build extension and plan to use three rooflights. Obviously the most well know brand is Velux, but there are many others on the market, and some are a lot cheaper. Will I be in for a lot of hassle if i go for a cheaper brand? I've been looking at Sunlux...

Moving on with my self build extension and this weekend I plan to pour the concrete floor slab. This will be a finished floor over insulation so it has to be right. I plan to power float the floor, so looking for advice from people who have experience of this. the total area is around 40m2 and...

I've begun my extension project and have had to temporarily move my oil feed pipe to facilitate laying of the concrete slab to FFL. So that the pipe isn't in the way during future processes, I have run the pipe from the tank, up the wall, over the door head, and back down to the burner...

Working my way through my self build extension and am almost at the point where I pour my concrete slab (above insulation). My island is to have an induction hob and an oven. I believe that they will both need their own supply, so I plan to run two 20mm conduits under the slab, each with a...

Hi guys, Currently designing my own timber frame extension and have started to think about the running of the electric cables. I've read previous similar threads and the one below seems to be very similar to the issue that I have...

Hi all. Planning my extension and need some advice on how to reroute my drainage. (see attachment for existing drain runs) The extension is planned to be full width, and the house is terraced. I am aware that the sewer is public and that Thames Water will not approve an inspection chamber...

A friend of mine wants to know if he would be allowed to reduce the pitch of his garage roof (thinking about infilling the gap to the side). I'm assuming not as it's part of the front elevation but thought I would post here to get advice from people who know more than me on this subject. The...

Hi all, I've stupidly let my oil get too low and now I need to bleed the burner pipe. However, I can't work out which is the bleed valve. Photo attached, can someone tell me which valve it is? Cheers!

My 2006 Zafira B 1.6 seems to be overheating even on very short journeys. This model does not have a temp gauge, but even after journeys of a couple of miles the electric fan is cutting in and remaining on for several minutes after turning off the engine. The car has done 51000 miles. It has...

I've just moved house and the hot water and central heating run off oil. There is a programmable timer for both water and central heating in the airing cupboard. I would like to install a programmable room thermostat. I've installed one before on a combo boiler but how does it work where there...