building

I have removed a chimney breast from ground and first floor and wondering what to do next (and yes, it has been properly supported in the loft). House is end of terrace as is the wall where said chimney once stood so my plan is: - use some expanding foam to block the flues at the top, perhaps...

Hi everyone, I work for a company called Solar Plants, a Solar PV installer based in Port Talbot, South Wales. We are looking to get into contact with somebody who is in the process of building their own house, with planning permission and building plans, but that has not yet started the...

this isn't exactly related but I need help, I have a friend who is a girl and into music and likes to watch movies but for Christmas said she wanted a surprise and something interesting, I could use some building ideas, no limit on money or tools, I can even weld so no boundaries

Hi all, We are in the process of building a new garage and a brickie is going to face our block walls and build pillars and apex etc.. we have left three 500x900 gaps for Windows on the block wall immediately below the roof plate. There is to be no cavity as such between the block and brick...

Hello, I’m just about to fit some steels on my self build extension extension and I have the following questions- Do I need to use any kind of dry pack mortar or can I bolt straight down onto the pad foundation I have laid. It’s pretty flat as I levelled and smoothed it of after pouring...

Hi All, i am just looking for some guidance on insulation of the rafters in my loft. I have done some reading around and people recommend insulation boards as they are thinner for a high level of insulation. The only downside I have noticed with our rafters is whoever built them way-back-when...

Hi all, we are in the process of getting a structural engineer to do some calculations for steel supports as we are going to be knocking out supporting walls (hopefully) Any advice on what we should be asking the structural engineer? Qualifications, insurance etc? We know what walls we would...

Hi all, I currently have a terraced house with a 3 x 2m kitchen extension in the rear yard. This extension is estimated to be around 25 years old, is of a solid 9 inch red brick wall construction with concrete floor, flat roof and with concrete render externally and plaster internally that has...

Good afternoon all, I'm looking for a little advice on whether planning permission would be required to convert a Dormer flat roof into a pitched roof. Our property the red brick one shown below, the current idea is to build up the gable ends of the property and extend the Dormer roof the...

Ooops put this in the wrong forum area.... Me and the missus are in the process of buying a house (well a bungalow that had the roof converted to bedrooms/bathrooms) that is also a bit of a project too. We will have the following work that needs to be done and wondered if anyone had any...

Me and the missus are about to buy a house (well a bungalow that had the roof converted to bedrooms/bathrooms) that is also a bit of a project too. We will have the following work that needs to be done and wondered if anyone had any experience of how much these would likely cost (won't be doing...

Hello all, Thank you in advance for any advice provided, here goes. We have recently purchased an 1870 Herefordshire red brick cottage which was extended from 2 to 4 bedrooms in about 1977. As part of the extention they removed the pitched roof at the rear of the property and increased the...

I am having a room re-plastered in a house I am renovating for rental. The plaster is old and has been taken back to brick. The exposed brickwork now shows an unusual arrangement around the window. To my untrained eye, it looks like a previous owner has attempted to reduce the size of the frame...

Hi Everyone, New to the forum and about to buy my first house. This house has a conservatory with no seperation from the main house. So the whole of the ground floor back wall has been removed. Anyway, one side of the conservatory is a dwarf wall and uPVC DG windows which look out onto the...

Hi all, I'm an established gas engineer/plumber and have recently gone into business with the only decent builder I have worked with. We have a decent volume of work but we're looking to expand, and want to get a number of crews on the go at once. As such, we need to get a decent amount of...

Hi, I'm renovating my house and decided to replace the floor joists as they were bouncing. They were also rotten in my other room. I'm going to insulate in between them all and relay new floorboards. There was a lot of debris (sand, rubble etc) below the floor with I have cleared out. All the...

Hi All I have a quick question and I would like to hear your thoughts! Is there a good way to fix this issue / patch it up, rather than removing the drywall and replacing? The previous owners tried to fit a net curtain. Unfortunately the top part of the plasterboard failed. The top corner...

Help! Been in my house for 6 months now, guy that owned it before knocked out a supporting wall down stairs to open it up, stuck an RSJ in to support wall above, BUT he's put one rsj full width of the house, but hes sat it on another RSJ thats sitting on both the chimney stacks! Making both...

Hi Can anyone give me any idea what would be best to change a door to a window. Its a old concrete house old pit house and the door is approx 3ft the old door was wood. Do I clover the gap with wood or brick with cavity?

Sorry to bother, I found your names on other threads relating to the same topic. I would like to convert my plot of land with 3 garages into a 2 or 3 bedroom house. However, I have I think a covenant from the seller which would not allow me to build. it states that one cannot use it for any...