building

First of all - thanks for reading. I'm an amateur DIYer so please forgive me if I use the wrong terms or just generally sound like I don't have a clue... I basically don't :LOL: I bought a (brand new) new-built house in September 2024 and have had numerous issues with the company - fobbing me...

I'm a builder and have just been out to a family members house about an aco Drain that keeps getting blocked. They've recently had the garden done by someone else and they installed an aco drain along the back of the house. It keeps getting blocked to the point where it's overflowing and causing...

Hi all, just created a page to ask a question! We have just bought our first home and are very happy. However the neighbour has told us that the bath fell through into the kitchen a while ago and that was the reason they renovated to the standard it's at now. There is a brand new kitchen and...

Hi All, I wondered if you guys could shed some light on this one for me. I have a 5x4m garden room made from block with 100mm cavity wall. Nothing too fancy just an extra storage space / sun room in the garden. My question is, can the roof rafters sit on top of the inner block wall using...

I am planing on constructing a garden room (2.5 x 4m) at the back of my garden in an existing paved area. The room is a timber kit from Garden Buildings Direct. I am going back and forth on what to do about the base - the proposed area has existing paving which is not completely level as...

Hi, Can anyone tell me the name of the brickwork feature shown below? The best I can come up with is a "corner pier", but searching for examples yields few results. Image source: https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/51942-how-would-you-model-this-corner-pier/ Thank you in...

I’m hoping someone can help or offer advice. We have recently had an extension built on the back of our house (1940s). French doors were removed to open it up to the extension (they used to lead to outside). When the old doors were removed to reveal the cavity, concrete had been used to fill...

Hello all! We bought our house with the garage already converted many years prior to our purchase in 2018. The garage was originally a double garage, half of the garage was converted to a room in 2003. Room is 5.46m by 2.55m The partition wall looks like breeze block, out side normal red...

I have a problem with the drainage on my concrete base. It wasn't built with correct drainage slope. The damage inside is getting worse. I need to stop the water soon. With a quick look online, I've found few solutions but not sure what would be the best considering the surface material...

I'm keen to hear your views on removing the stubborn salt on bricks. I've left it unattended for year and it has become an ugly scene. Would you recommend I use Muriatic acid , £55 for 5 litre Scrub https://universealsealants.co.uk/shop/outdoors/efflor-treat-efflorescence-remover/# (I...

Hi All - I'll try & keep it as sort and sweet as possible as our journey has been long and very uneasy! Long and short of it is we were granted full planning permission to convert one of my husbands old farm sheds. The conversion was like for like in size etc so no different in terms of...

Hi all, Sure this is a standard-practice bit of info but I’m at a loss after searching online and YouTube for exactly what I need. We have a corner in a room that’s out by anything between 5-10cm, and we’ll soon be installing some base units against one of those walls. The dishwasher needs to...

Good afternoon all. We have recently moved in to a 1950s house in SE London and have two upcoming jobs. 1. Boiler has just packed up so replacing this which will also mean replacing the flue 2. There is already a reasonable sized hole in the same wall which I would love to make good For this...

The previous rendered plinth was swollen and has been removed. It appears the ground has been raised with concrete by previous owners to create a slope away from the house and the original victorian DPC (some sort of tar) is now only about 2 inches above the ground. There is no particular damp...

Hi, We're converting our airing cupboard space into an enclosed shower. We currently have headroom inside it (floor board to ceiling) of 1900mm. We want to bring this up to 2000 or even 2100 if possible. We cannot move the ceiling upwards since joist in the loft run right above it. So we...

I cannot get my head around how I’m going to do this! Ideally I want the wall plate sat back so it isn’t exposed too low. Structural engineer said I can do it either way, sit on top of shorter beam coming out of extension or sat on the post, I can’t see how it would work on picture one? Can...

Looking for some advice on a property. Cracks in render are where extension (circa. 1970s/1980s) meets original building (circa. 1920s). Survey came back to say there’s potential progressive movement. There are no render cracks on the ground elevation, damp cause is fine and there’s no rising or...

Single story extension is leaking in heavy rain - we have a flat ceiling inside and in heavy rain both spotlights are dripping heavily with water. One towards the back of the extension wall and one towards the front. We’ve also got 2 other wet patches. We’ve been on the roof and inspected the...

Hello, I’m currently in the process of redecorating a property I’ve had for less than 6 months and decided to tackle the lounge. One of the outside-facing walls has a partition made and after I’ve painted it white I’ve noticed that the studs behind seem to be pushing through and causing the...

Been cleaning/restoring our uPVC window frames. Noticed that the sill was loose so removed it to give it a proper clean. Underneath is a gap in the capping whcih doesn’t look right to me. Imagined that this should run right underneath. The seams of the window frames/seals were sealed with...