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And so should @Oz07. There are overturning loads to consider, and how to fix them down. I have no idea how to fix them to an ICF.

Definitely readily available, find your local metal fabricator or order direct on line. As for span tables they must be out there, I however relied on the professional help of an SE (Gus Potter of this Parish in my case) to do those calculations for me.

We used to have several of these in Brighton, back in the day when stripped pine was in fashion. They would certainly be OK for doors and frames but I imagine the beams have to be done in situ. I would stick to the paint stripper. Work out what area you can do in, say, 2 hours. As least you will be able to estimate total time needed and progress, which might make the job seem more manageable.

How about CO2 paint stripping? For example: https://iceblasters.co.uk/

Vaporizing lead & paint with a laser seems like a very bad idea. Apart from protecting the operator, the vapour is going to condense and deposit lead & paint dust wherever air movement takes it - don't underestimate how dangerous that can be. You'd need to confine it using negative pressure & clean every surface afterwards using a vacuum with HEPA filters, for starters. See also: HSE: Control of lead at work If you're finding the stripping too much, there are specialist lead paint removal contractors out there with all the necessary gear. For doors and other items that can be removed, there are (or were) paint stripping services who submerge the object in a stripping tank.

Maybe let's get back to the subject of UK oil and gas reserves relative to consumption and leave discussions of local recycling politics behind us.

Thats a good idea are they readily available? Is there span tables anywhere?

this is exactly what you and bebub are doing --just making pointless and demeaning posts at everyone every one last time I post on anything but build topics to get abused by the likes of you who obviously get some sort of perverted feeling of superiority from it

So I have most of my LVT down now only another 15 sqm to do. However as I feared there is another undulation/raised area within the floor leveller applied on the remaining floor area. The bulk of the floor area is between 0mm and +3mm of target. However there is a ridge/raised area where part of the floor rises to +5mm or +5.5mm and then back down again. Rising from say an acceptable +2-3mm to the peak of +5.5mm and back down to +2mm again over about a 1.4m distance. 500mm rising from +2mm to +5mm, then flatish for 400mm, thenback down to +2mm over 500mm. You can rock a spirit level on the ridge and measure up to a 3-5mm gap under the end of a 1.8m spirit level. There was 1 other smaller area on the floor now laid that had a 'hill' and I asked for it to be reduced as thet said it could be sanded down. However the sanding/grinding process did leave some fine ridges in the floor surface - basically like marks from a sanding/grinding disc. And now the LVT has been layed over that area, these marking suprisingly show through. When viewed into the light at the right angle you can see the markings in the LVT itself, which seems to have conformed itself to any lack of total smoothness in the floor surface. So should I not have my other 'hill' sanded down, as 'messing with it' may reduce the hill/ridge, but end up with the floor perhaps looking worse because the working marks will show through in the LVT surface ? Should I live with a lack of levelness in a decently smooth surface - or risk having a flatter but unsmooth surface by having the flooring contractor work on it ? See photos... The hill is where the darker pour area is on the floor - now with levels marked on tape by me. The closer photo of the other LVT laid floor area shows how you can see small arcs in the LVT in glancing light from the open door way. This is where the other high spot was sanded/ground down.

Any advice welcome please , awaiting SE survey. House has 2 storey extension to rear. Surveyor think undersized beam used and caused deflection but can’t be sure not ground level. Issues - vertical crack full length of house outside at the junction of extension and house inc through damp proof. Internal cracks same location downstairs and up. Further diagonal cracking in 2 places at rear thought to be from deflection - sloping of ceiling rear bedroom and bathroom. Awaiting SE but trying to understand how much potentially to allow for replacement beam and works If required and movement junction being installed at junction. Cheers

I have a friend who has fixed and mobile laser cleaning equipment, most of his work is car parts with the fixed equipment in a dedicated booth but occasionally canal boats and iron ballustrades with the mobile kit - I would expect pulse control will be important for cleaning wood to avoid damage, also surfaces with nooks and crannies are time consuming to get a good result (same with sand/bead blasting). It is critical to have the right PPE for the operator (not just glasses matched to the laser wavelength), also screens to protect anyone else in the vicinity and really good ventilation keeping the fumes away from the operator. I would be very cautious & be doing lots of research if considering going this route DIY with equipment from China. Good luck

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/laser-radiation-safety-advice/laser-radiation-safety-advice

We've, well my wife, has been trying to strip lead paint from old beams and it's a difficult, time consuming and expensive process using chemicals and clingfilm. So we were considering hiring someone to sand blast the beams clean. While talking to a publican about their half striped beam we learned they'd been trying the same process but were considering laser paint stripping instead as this is much easier and less messy, but they hadn't tried it yet. Searching I don't see this on the forum, but machines are available to buy from China for a little under £3k which also claim to be able to remove rust and so on. As owner of a narrow boat this is becoming an even more interesting option, if perhaps with H&S issues especially if being used outside. Anyway, returning to stripping oak beams, old doors and doorframes etc, do folk here have experience of using, hiring or buying these tools and any guidance for the over enthusiastic DIY types like us? I understands the nature of lasers, but have no experience of them in this application.

Where is the water currently discharging to?

I made a very boring video detailing this. https://youtu.be/sI98d1R3ntQ?is=z8mp6B7uVoDurT7o

I would be slow to expose the external stone. These walls were often not designed to have exposed stone work. Hit these points and you'll be ok. 1. Stop bulk water. Good pointing/external render. Good gutters and chutes. Take care of external water table (French drain) . 2. Excellent internal airtightness via a parge coat, variable membrane, tapes and airtight paint where needed. This really is massively important. 3. Continuous mechanical ventilation in the house to remove damp something like dMEV, MVHR, PIV. 4. Internal insulation build up from only materials of higher vapour permability. Something like wood fiber, mineral wool, plasterboard, cheap trade contract paint are all fine. Nothing to trap the moisture in the wall. That rules out PIR, plastic membranes, vinyl paint. Foil back PIR plasterboard is certainly not a good idea. For maximum bang for your buck, excellent airtightness with 50mm of mineral wool everywhere will massively outperform 100mm PIR here and there with no attention to air sealing.

Ah - that was to address the issue raised by @Onoff at the top here and not have the groove running through switch as it is relatively small - I think the double sockets work with the groove running through. I could double the switch faceplate as all the switches in the house are on the mini grid system. So I could use blanks in the remaining slots as I only need three switches.

Patio looks to above the damp course level. Your next issue will be damp internal walls etc. it is more normal to have the ground level 150mm below this, so your patio is way too high.

Get a consaw and cut the patio back 400mm from the wall. Like redbeard says, Assuming you have a lower level to drain to, I would install a french drain. As deep as you can get the water to flow away from. Back fill with something like 20mm chip to a level no higher than 150mm below the bottom of the vent. Alternatively assuming that you can't drain to a lower plane I would look into something like an external periscope vent. The wall will remain damp unfortunately though in this instance.

Does the building suffer from damp? The render was probably added to reduce moisture getting through the wall and I would expect it to get damp when this is removed. For IWI, have a look at CharlieDIYTE. I like this method. https://charliediyte.co.uk/blog/blog/the-best-wall-insulation-for-old-properties

I used galvanised C section joist and timber firings for my almost flat garage roof. Maximum width of 7m reducing to 5m.

Which should also include persons that think they know better. I think it is like driving. We have rules and laws, and experience teaches us behaviour, then you get the twats that think they know better and cause mayhem all over the place. They often only do such minor damage that it is not, in their eyes a problem, occasionally though, it has long lasting effects.

It will 😀 and thanks

Yes

Not so. If well run they can be efficient and their decisions can be very positive. If badly run then you are right. If controlled by persons with personal interests then they can do harm.. which is why new councillors are needed.