concrete

We are currently doing a theming project. Its a commercial application not domestic and we have had to build up rooms that are meant to look like an old prison. The walls are made from cls studwork and fireproof plasterboard. We need to do a cement render over to make the entire room(s) look...

Hi, Had a couple of questions on building the concrete floor base for my extension to my house. we have already built up to DPC level brickwork now so next going to add and compress hardcore and sand then pour concrete slab. 1) 150mm Hardcore - what is the difference between Loose Type1...

Hi there. We've got a small retaining wall on the boundary of our garden as the neighbours garden is higher than ours. It's perfectly functional but it's not very straight so I'd like to replace it as part of some landscaping we're doing. The problem I have is that it intersects with the...

Hi All, We have recently had outward opening french doors installed at the rear of our house. The installer let us know that we need to have an initial step of 1.2M level in front of the door to allow them to open. I am looking now at how best to achieve this. I could try and destroy what is...

Hi, We recently bought a 9ft kids slide from a well known catalogue/store retailer to be used in our garden. The instructions advise to dig two 35 x 35cm holes, fill them with concrete and fix the slide to them with plugs and screws. An alternative slide which was 10ft from another well known...

Hi All, We have recently had outward opening french doors installed at the rear of our house. The installer let us know that we need to have an initial step of 1.2M level in front of the door to allow them to open. I am looking now at how best to achieve this. I could try and destroy what is...

I'm looking to tile a concrete bathroom floor - what's the best way to insulate it prior to tiling?

Hello I’m planning to build a Pergola in a corner of my garden as a support for Wisteria and am considering how to fix it to the ground. It will be a free standing Pergola with 4 legs and about 8ft square in size. Obviously I could just concrete the legs into the ground like a fence but was...

Hi All, I have a couple of fairly large marble 'memorial stones' in my garden dating back from 1904 that I need to move and would like to remount on a brick wall. They are about 90cm X 50 each and a good 9-10cm thick. Probably weigh about 70-80 kilos each. My question is how would I go about...

Hey Guys. I have a garden that currently has wooden fencing. Over time, weathering and lack of maintenance have made a majority of it come down. I have decided to do a DIY job on it. I want to install a concrete posted fence with wood panels. Dimensions: Length 570 cm (between house and...

Hello any help would be really appreciated! Just bought a mid terrace Victorian approx 1900 Removed laminate flooring today and revealed damp concrete hearth, picture attached, the damp has spread out from it, possibly from being trapped under the laminate, and the floor board nearest the left...

another of my silly ideas. can i build fence posts using concrete blocks? the blocks would go vertically. their size is 440x215x100mm so if stacked as on the drawing i made, there would be a suitable gap for mortar. the desired height of the post is 2m so 5 layers to stack. please comment...

Hi I have been using a building company to clear the site where my extension is going and they have been good at what they have been doing, although I think they may be taking advantage a bit now so a little advice here would be great. They came and dug a trial hole to about 1.5m last week...

I'm looking for some advice on how to repair crumbling concreate around the frame of a single glazed window. My aim is to stabilise the area to allow for a new UPVC window to be installed making the outhouse water tight so I can fit it with utilities. The outhouse is brick built with a flat roof...

Hi, Looking for some advice. Having some treatment done on a concrete floor - was showing signs of damp. The builder had put down a surface DPC (see image) which to me doesn't look great. Any thoughts from anyone would be appreciated.

Good Afternoon All, Wondered if anyone might have some input on this, I've just replaced a short section of drain at the side of the house for the soil stack. The estate is circa 1930's onward combined sewer with original drains using VC pipe. This was the original situation, at some point in...

A local charity has asked my advice about new footings for a heavy iron swing gate on their depot that needs repaired. Due to a very sandy terrain (no rock or clay bed in the Netherlands) I am undecided whether a spread footing (reinforced slab and small upstand ) or two reinforced footing's...

Hi everyone, I am having a bit of a nightmare removing all dust from my concrete floor surface because the floor is bumpy I can't hoover. Below is pictures, I need to patch up the holes first before applying the self levelling compound. Please could anyone help me regarding the following...

Hi Guys, looking to tile my new kitchen floor, however, have come across a hickup, There is a very large hole in the concrete floor from wall to wall which has collapsed slightly. I don't know why this has happened though my suspicion is that the builder who did my extension years ago knew...

I'm going to insulate one wall of the mother-in-law's home (the outside wall of the living room). Plan is to strip the plaster, batten out and fill with 25mm insulation, then overlay that with 25mm insulation and cover with plasterboard/skim. Are there any special considerations to take into...