jayc89

Never quite understood Diathonite. Seems to be targeting the "vapour open" market, yet is made with NHL5, so might as well have been made with cement.

Unless spec'd by an Engineer BCO wouldn't sign that off.

Sorry to hijack the thread. @scol those house bricks look very similar to mine, which I've struggled to source replacements for. Have you, by any chance, had any look finding any?

Someone with a bit of skill should be able to sort that for you - try googling "ornate plasterer" or similar in your area. There are also a couple of decent Facebook groups focusing on restoration of older properties (and trade recommendations) - https://www.facebook.com/groups/youroldhouseuk/ is pretty good. Lime plaster, realistically, is only needed on external walls - you can get away with gypsum on internal walls and ceilings.

Same build up as I did. After I drilled through the battens and PIR into the brickwork, I squirted a glob of acrylic sealant into the holes before drilling the screw through to, hopefully, provide an airtight seal. internal wall joint - I used Pro Clima Contega PV which is a plaster-able tape - to provide an airtight joint between PIR and internal wall bottom of external wall - I used hemp lime plaster to bring the floor void flush with the PIR and taped again, opted for hemp lime for its breathability around the joist pockets into the brickwork. top of external walls - I pulled the ceilings down, stapled an airtight membrane to the bottom of the rafters and taped the PIR to that, then fitted a service void to the ceiling and plasterboard it external wall to intermediate 1st floor/ceiling - see "bottom of external wall"

Bit of a pie in the sky one but I thought it was quite novel, following on from a thread from a while ago; I wondered whether ChatGPT could help me out, so after a bit of back and forth, I asked it to come up with a Supporting Document for an Outline Planning Application. It came back with; I then asked it; And it responded with; Whether this would be reflective of reality, I'm not sure, but I found the level of detail it could come up with quite interesting. I mean it even came up with it's own conditions of approval! Oh and you may have noticed mention of "previous concerns" etc. Yeah, "Planning Consultant" ChatGPT battled it out with "Planning Officer" ChatGPT to reach an agreeable conclusion. Crazy.

I'd do some investigative work first. Are all the cavities filled with insulation? If so, what kind? Is the insulation dry or wet? On a windy day, or build yourself a DIY blower (from a car battery and fan), go around room by room and check for any draughts. Our house used to leak like a sieve and it was our biggest contributor to always feeling cold.

Assuming your limecrete floor is NHL5, you've lost (pretty much) all breathability already, so whatever you use as your adhesive won't really matter.

The first one we had delivered was similar, so I rejected it. A second one arrived and seems much better, albeit bowed when I fixed it down on a bed of adhesive. Some additional weight whilst it was setting seemed to sort that out though. These comments aren't sounding too promising though!

I had to send the first tray back because it was damaged around the drain. If it's not supported well from below I can see there being plenty of flex around it.

I did floor first in the downstairs W/C and it looks spot on. Not sure why they suggest doing walls first for a wet room...

Well that was my thoughts too, but the instructions explicitly say walls first for some reason... Floor it is.

I'm using one of these linear wet room trays - https://www.drawabath.co.uk/abacus-elements-1800-x-900mm-infinity-level-single-fall-wetroom-shower-tray-kit-1000mm-offset-linear-drain.html - in the instructions it recommends tiling the walls before the floor for better water run off. Do I need to do that for the entire room or just the wall behind the drain?

Our Cemfloor was bob-on level, could have been tiled onto directly. Our tiler at the time insisted on a mat, I think because that's what he knew. I'm not convinced it needed one.

Welcome, some pictures would go down a treat! Insulation on older properties is a minefield. There's no proven right or wrong approaches, but many people feel passionately over certain methods - good luck!

Applying damp proofing to a single skin construction is asking for trouble. No matter what you do moisture will find its way in eventually and ultimately cause damp. With cement on both sides of the wall you're basically trapping any water vapour that gets in there. You need to find the source of the damp and fix that, rather than trying to treat the symptoms. It's typically caused by: - cementitious materials on both sides of the wall - broken drains - broken gutters - high external ground levels

25mm void + your PB (min. 12.5mm) and use 35mm back boxes.

We have a 150 year old stair case that needs a bit of work, including the original rail. We've had a few joiners out to look at it and the stuff they were coming out with terrified me. It's a nightmare finding someone with a bit of skill rather than people who just want to hang doors, or fit kitchens. We tried speaking to a few carpenters and they're more interested in furniture.

My mate was a sparky at L&Gs failed attempt at modular residential builds. Their plan was to have a factory similar to the car industry where materials go in one end and houses come out the other. He said it was red tape galore and the management could arrange the proverbial in a brewery.

200mm concrete screws?

I'd go for a 90mm distribution box and use 90 -> 75 reducers where you need them.

I stud at 400 centres and nog every 600mm, belts and braces, but it gave a sturdy finish.

Presumably the void is/should be ventilated so the wind tight membrane will prevent cold air flowing through the insulation (as, again I assume, you'll only be taping the top of it). Airtight membrane on top to prevent warm, internal air going the other way. No reason some cheaper polythene, or suitable gauge wouldn't do the trick. I'd probably go for something like a DPM for the bottom and a thiner sheet above,

Eaves combs are your best bet, but you need to remove the first row of tiles/slates to fit them.

I'd still have a wind tight and airtight membranes at either side of the insulation. Doesn't need to be the expensive ones recommended by Ecological if you're going with PIR, but the benefits of both are still applicable. (So 2 and 3)