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The 'expert' advice.

TheMitchells

Entry posted by TheMitchells

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We had our visit from our 'expert'; the ex - brother-in-law, who is an experienced renovator of old buildings as well as a building engineer to help guide us in the work that needs doing.  It was quite interesting and unexpected at times.  where to start?  Maybe the gable end.

P1090630.JPG   P1100074.JPG

We knew that the gable end wall needed to have the render removed and replaced as it was quite badly cracked.  we also had been told by the Surveyor that the top of the wall was bowing out slightly and needed to be repaired and possibly tied to the rafters to stop any further movement.  But when we examined the wall in the attic, the BIL pointed out that the twin brick wall stopped at the ceiling of the bedroom and continued as a single skin with two pillars onto which the attic purlins were sat.  the actual gable was single skin and does not appear to be attached to anything.  His advice was to take down the top of the gable which was bowing, and rebuild adding another pillar of double thickness bricks to the apex which could then be tied to the rafters. 

 

Regarding the outside gable wall, he thought it best to remove all the render and redo as trying to patch it would not work very well.  we have spoken to our friendly builder who we hope will get started in Sept to do this.  We have also asked him to repair and point the chimney which is in a poor state.

 

the roof overhang is a little dodgy with some areas devoid of any overhang.  He said to remove the first 2 or 3 tiles to make sure the battens behind were sound then replace the tiles, ensuring the correct overhang - all of which will help keep the gable wall damp free.

 

The other main area of concern is the beams- mostly in the cellar, under the front room.  He was not too concerned about most of them, although there were a few which hada damp ends and needed replacing. He said to remove some of the stone/brick below the beam and mortar in an engineering brick topped with some dpm wrapped around the end of the beam to make sure it does not get damp again. 

However, he did spot that to one side of the stairs, there is a main supporting beam which definately needs the end replaced.  whether we replace it all or just splice in a smaller piece, supported by an upright, is a decision to be made. 

 

There were a few other beams which we had been a little worried about but he did not think any of them would cause an issue, which was good news.

 

As well as the BIL, we also had the sister visiting too with her new partner. (Luckily they all get on.)  That was helpful as he is also very handy around the house and she is an interior designer.  While it is likely to be a while till we need her creative skills, they were ideal for bouncing ideas off, particularly about the location for the bathroom.  many positions were discussed with the BIL favouring the front bedroom and taking the stack outside and across the front of the house, connecting to the drain under the path.  We laid pieces of wood in the rear bedroom and agreed that to have the bathroom there would create too small a bedroom with wasted space for a corridor. 

 

The kitchen layout was designed with the bathroom gone completely, a cloakroom giving a slightly larger middle room or leaving it as it is.  we all agreed (well - those that count) that leaving a cloakroom was okay with the bathroom upstairs.   Now we just need to work out how/where to put it. still.

 

One of the other things we need to decide is whether to use the local building inspector for all the notifications or whether an independant inspector may be better.  We have quite a few things that we need to notify the council that we are doing; changing the electrics, replacing the boiler and central heating system, moving the bathroom (if we do), and probably a few more that we cant remember or know about.  My thought is to invite the Building Inspector round for a general viewing and to discuss all our plans before we got any further.  But I am not sure they'll do that. The OH would prefer to use an independant who he thinks is more likely to be flexible.  Has anyone had any experience or does it depend on personalities as to whether they are helpful or not? 

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jack

Interesting family dynamic. Glad it's working for you.

 

Suspect it depends on who you get. I've heard of great local BCOs, and absolute nightmares, even within the same council. We used an independent and he's been great.

 

I do get the feeling that if you want/need guidance, you'll get more from the local guys on average.

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PeterW

Local BC here will pretty much answer the phone without being paid but that's your lot - think "advice" is about £45 per hour ..!

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Nickfromwales

The council BCO's here are great. Very helpful and happy to get an emailed pic enquiry rather than drag their arses to site for something simple ( wasteful ) so I'd use them again. That's after spending the £300 odd quid for the sub £5k 'package', but you get your pound of flesh if you ask for it. 

They'd rather be involved early and IMHO that's better as the sooner you identify what's needed, and get the correct method to do so, the better it is all round. :)  

 

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Ferdinand

Here I have good experiences of BCOs and OK experiences of Planners.

 

We still have a "Duty Planner" and they are quite willing to answer reasonable questions if it can be a brief conversation.

 

@Nikc - what is the "sub 5k" package, please? Projects under £5k budget (eg putting a lintel in a widened doorway)?

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gravelld

Sounds like you've got some nice free expertise in the family!

 

I thought a general guideline for BC was that if over half a wall is being recovered it has to be upgraded to current building performance standards, e.g. U=0.3. How much insulation does the wall currently have?

 

I am also looking at renovating a house with render work in bad condition. I intend to live in it for 20+ years, so this might be different for you. But for me it seems an ideal time to upgrade the fabric to a higher standard. In your case, might you be able to avoid removing the render depending on an external insulation system? E.g. Larssen truss + blown insulation?

 

I suppose not much space down that alley way...

Edited by gravelld
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TheMitchells
11 hours ago, gravelld said:

I thought a general guideline for BC was that if over half a wall is being recovered it has to be upgraded to current building performance standards, e.g. U=0.3. How much insulation does the wall currently have?

 

I am also looking at renovating a house with render work in bad condition. I intend to live in it for 20+ years, so this might be different for you. But for me it seems an ideal time to upgrade the fabric to a higher standard. In your case, might you be able to avoid removing the render depending on an external insulation system? E.g. Larssen truss + blown insulation?

 

I suppose not much space down that alley way...

The current walls have no insulation and as we are doing up to sell, we dont want to spend lots on insulation that we'd be unlikely to get back when sold.  However, I would like to put some insulation on the internal gable wall - pre plastering. It seems the right thing to do and will save the new owners something on their heating bills. its not a huge house so hopefully not too much expense.  And maybe it will help with the report we'll have to do when we sell - EPC??

 

There just is not sufficient room for external insulation. 

 

I quite like ProDave's woodfibre with plaster on top.  but it does not seem a very airtight house (lots of draughts) will one side wall be worth doing. 

I was aware that if there is too much to replaster, BC will insist on insulation first.  So I am not taking any more plaster off, unless it looks like it is about to fall off.

 

I'll give the local BC officer a ring and see if they are happy to visit to discuss our 'needs'.  And if not, then we'll find an independant. 

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