dpc

Hi Guys, Any issues with placing 50mm xps insulation slabs externally in the trench below dpc/ground level before backfill? To help with insulating the building? Please see pics.

Hi Guys, I will be filling my cavity as per title over the weekend prior to backfilling and compacting the ground. I know i need to use 8 part balast to 1 part cement gfor the mix...but i have read conflicting messages about the consistency of the mix....should it be wet or dry? Also i have...

Hi All, We have had someone round to check an opening for PVCu doors and he recommended we take the course of bricks down a level. The builder has responded that he can’t go down a course of bricks as this would mean he is below the damp course of the building. However, this means there is a...

Good evening I am after a bit of advice regarding patio replacement and ground level if anyone would be kind enough to share their thoughts. I have owned this place for a couple of years now and I knew it was a project! Constructed in late 1970s and sold on 3 or 4 times. The original builders...

Single leaf breeze (not supporting). I dug a 100sq test hole in the ctr and found conc. below the screed so I figure using conc. blocks will be ok. Do internal walls require a dpc? I'm assuming it would be good practice to dig out a channel in the screed and block up off the concrete below...

The airbricks (2) at the front of the house are sightly above ground level. When it rains heavily it smells slightly musty in living room by the window (where the airbricks are). Wondering if rain is going under the house. if they're too low, what methods should be used to rectify it? Please see...

Hello I'm hoping to get any advice on new patio level and the DPC As shown in pictures the existing concrete patio sits 17cm below the DPC. I'm hoping to lay sandstone and a border of block paving on top of the existing concrete as shown below , patio has a slope running away from the...

Hi, I'm a new member but have been reading a lot of the great advice on here. I'm struggling to find information to help me move forward with my project...... I'm totally redesigning our back garden and have taken down a concrete garage, lifted a large block paving driveway and removed large...

Please, please help, clever and knowledgeable people. Sorry for the long story..in brief: Can you lower block and beam around an extension built on the block and beam? Can you remove the block and beam on the outside of a building built over the block and beam? In Oct 2018, builder built a...

My first question is, my architect has not included a level threshold detail for my bifold doors. Can I differ from the drawing without having it approved? Can my BCI just approve a method? can someone explain or show me the detail for a level threshold? (Beam and block floor) I would’ve...

We are converting our garage into a living space, the floor construction is DPC, 2inch insulation and 10inch slab. We need to make up the floor level by 160mm. We are told we can just skim over with self-leveling as the floor isn't that bad, directly lay 120mm Kingspan, then lay directly ontop...

I’m building a rear extension on my bungalow. The block and beam floor has been designed so that the beams run parallel with the rear facing wall. So i understand that usually if they were running perpendicular, the beams would key into the existing wall and be supported by the load bearing...

Is a cavity required below a bifold door? My architect has sent me drawings and it’s showing a cavity tray with weep holes below the bifold, I’m presuming it may be there to send any water that goes through the frame/sill to the outside (he’s currently away) here’s the part of the drawing...

Good evening all! I'm shortly looking to put up a new fence *above an existing wall* in our front garden. -BACKGROUND INFO- The (single brick) wall is not in a great state and the intermediary pillars are on the neighbour's side, but she has asked us to put a fence up in order to hide our...

Hi all, My home has an issue that during its many years of life, number of very questionable building choices have prior to my moving there The worse of which is the lack of ventilation of the space beneath the ground floor. On top of that, the back of the house has a concrete floor...

Hi all, I've got to lower the ground level of my stone walled house to below the DPC. Digging out itself is relatively trivial - most of it is just topsoil - but are there any surprises I should watch out for? I'll have to be careful around the soil stack, obviously. Anything else people have...

Hi there all, I bought a semi detached 1930s house about 1 y and a half ago. In the living r room there used to be a fireplace breast on the party wall which was removed years ago. The first floor breast and stack are still there. When i was buying the house there was a damp in the area and The...

I've dug out a hearth and would like some advice on installing some joists. Please see photos. As you can see the hearth has left a gap. The front wall of the hearth supports the cross joist. I propose the following 1. Keep the cross joist and leave all existing joists as they are 2. Add...

I would like some advice about mould coming through a newly laid laminate flooring. The house was built in the 1920s. We have undertaken some major renovation. Taking each room back to the brick. The dining room floor had a laminate laid which we lifted. The floor underneath was concrete with...

As you can see from this first picture, we are having a massive infiltration problem around the chimney breast. To give some general information, we are at the ground floor of a two storey Victorian house. To the right of the picture there is the external wall. We have been living in the...