Redbeard
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Everything posted by Redbeard
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It certainly isn't invisible, but I have seen far worse. My worry is that they have apparently chosen to site the joint well on your neighbour's side, so that if (as the neighbour seems to forecast) it does leak, your neighbour 'gets it'. Obviously not a great strategy for good neighbourly relations. Since the scaff has come down you are a little stumped in the short term. Long-term bargaining point could be for the roofer to return, make a tidier job of the joint (to your neighbour's satisfaction in particular) and make the joint on the boundary. Of course we cannot see the main joint behind and on the other elevation.
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Insurance for Build by Neighbour's Son
Redbeard replied to Spinny's topic in Party Wall & Property Legal Issues
Unless the son is doing the work entirely financially unrewarded there is an argument that a contract exists. If that is the case then, unless his insurer precludes work for family members, his insurance is probably valid for the work - if he has any. Don't worry much about him being a 'sole trader' as opposed to ltd co. Many, including me, have no wish to be more than a sole trader, and it's a perfectly acceptable business model if you don't feel the need to limit liability. -
Sealing and finishing around door & window frames
Redbeard replied to Spinny's topic in General Self Build & DIY Discussion
Possibly XPS-insulated tiling board. Seems to have reinforced (?)GRP on each side, made to take internal plaster, which would therefore happily take render. XPS is used outside in below-ground EWI (whether it needs to be or not - discuss - in another thread!) so no problem in this location. Sorted (?). Even better, just checked for vendor - Jackoboard is one, and they do varying thicknesses. Whooppee! Seems made for your job. -
Excellent news and very speedy service.
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Gov't Best Practice guide for rooms-in-roofs says 50mm ventilation gap between the insulation and the membrane. I realise yours is not but it sounds like the set-up is similar.
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Please do try to keep relevant content on here wherever possible, or summarise if you have an “Eureka!” moment, as solutions gained off air do not benefit the masses 🙏. Gratsi! Yep, did that for just that reason - replied on the open forum. Thanks for the reminder anyway.
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It's about thermal by-pass. If you do EWI and somehow cold air gets into the 'sandwich' inside of the EWI you just have a very expensive fat layer of render.
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Most on here would suggest filling the residual cavity if there is any suggestion whatsoever that the cavity may be less than 100 per cent free from air ingress. That could be a significant issue. You don't want to have a bunch of expensive insulation hanging on the outside looking pretty (only). NB I have not read all the thread, juts the 1st page or so, so I may have missed relevant stuff. Edit. Tried to send you a message, but 'EinTopaz cannot receive messages'. Do you or the moderators know why?
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Old Roof and Building Control Concerns
Redbeard replied to RobertG's topic in Roofing, Tiling & Slating
I want to add Larsen Trusses and 250mm+ of mainly flexi wood-fibre to my Victorian roof. 75mm rafters, 270mm purlins. He wrote me as report stating that given the reductions in weight by removal of exg ceilings etc and the commensurate increase by insulating would result in some net gain. However while he said that such timbers would not be approved in a new-build he is satisfied that it will take all built loads and the worst-case snow load. That will keep BCO happy. It sounds like you already have the 'ammunition' you need. -
Sensible reply as promised. I am really sorry you have had this issue. The manufacturer's info does not seem terribly comprehensive, and how does that 'high mortality seal' (what?!) at perimeters only deal with air-tightness? The instructions for bringing cables through the insulation make no mention of the need for air-tightness, or I may have missed it. Also one of the pictures seems to show (OK, may be my old eyes) a gap between sheets wider than I would wish (i.e. bigger than not a gap at all). There is ref to a condensation risk assessment in exposed areas. There should be one in any case but, as per @Iceverge's post, any 'failure' - quite possible at 100mm - might well attract a recommendation for a VCL from Glaser Method calcs. WUFI or similar may have different views. Edit: Like you, OP, I would be worried about the same firm doing the job again. One might argue that the reality of your installation may have shocked them so much that they will never do a job like that again, but an inescapable fact is that someone signed that off as OK. How confident could you be of 'second time lucky? This is hugely disappointing given that it was presumably done under the auspices of PAS 2035, which came out of the Bonfield Review into public funded retrofit after some spectacularly awful failures. Worrying too.
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I take it you are talking flexi WF? I found a handsaw and, as per @torre, compression, worked well. For rigid WF Pavatex sell a blade for a reciprocating saw but TBH it was not a success for me. Circular saw with dust extraction worked for rigid WF. 2 passes - one from each side - for thicker sheets.
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So, we've got (?) sub-75mm rafters and some Recticel. The current gov't standards recommend a 50mm ventilation gap with sufficient vents on each side. What thickness of Recticel did they use? I fear that problems may have been built in under that nice-looking roof. (and of course its failure to run off into gutters is at least one). I agree wholeheartedly with @Nickfromwales. They need to be invited back to tell you how they will make what they have done actually work in practice. (Of course we don't know the specifics of the 'contract'. It would certainly be useful to know, for example, is there was any 'you do this and I'll do that' agreement, which could alter the facts of what we appear to see).
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Has the roof been stuffed full of insulation? If so you could end up with condensation on the underside of the roof 'deck'. What did the installers tell you?
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Apparently it only works when you sit it on a 230V hot-plate.
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Installing suspended timber floor with PIR
Redbeard replied to tommyleestaples's topic in Heat Insulation
Are you doing this from the top or from below, with the boards in situ? I assume from the top as you refer to taping as VCL (on the warm side). Why not carefully cut joist-width slivers of 25mm PIR and glue to underside of joists, then when you slide the 125 PIR down it should meet at the bottom of that 'fillet'. Yes, the joint won't be tight as a duck's whatever, but an extra piece of softwood won't be very insulative either. -
I forgot to mention that. Maybe it's a basic H & S measure - glue your left glove to the stack with silicone while you use more of the same stuff to make a right mess just below...? (Remember not to take hand out of glove).
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Cold Air
Redbeard replied to Fiona Brick's topic in Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
Oh yes, poor insulation and a cold void will do it! (a) The supplier should come back and remedy that (unless insulation of ducting was specifically 'by others') and (b) What did they say/promise? I'm trying to establish whether they in effect gave you a 'performance specification'. If so, the 'actual' has not met that spec. You say that you did not expect the MVHR to provide for your full heat load, but not too far off. What did they tell you it *would* provide? -
Cold Air
Redbeard replied to Fiona Brick's topic in Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
Surely some sort of balancing issue? I would be asking the supplier exactly why they believe that a 10 degree difference in supply air temp is to be 'expected'. I would then expect them to point to design specifics if they are to explain why. -
Hmmm. I'd like them to show me it was roofing mastic designed for 'pointing' lead. I have never seen that in white. Even if it is not it may 'behave' OK but it is the wrong horse for the course. Is the scaff still there? Sad if not. It would take 30 mins max including climbing to sort it now. 99% of passers-by will not notice it but I suspect you will, and it will annoy you. Given that they appear to have used 'Leadmate' below I guess it may just be a case of having the wrong stuff in the gun and using it anyway. I am not a roofer, BTW.
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Welcome. If you have not already done so, please start a new topic under the relevant heading so that the replies go to that rather than in this intro section.
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Loft conversion - Realistic expectations
Redbeard replied to cloud91's topic in Lofts, Dormers & Loft Conversions
Looking back on previous posts I cannot be certain that your addition of timbers has actually increased structural strength. Have you got a designer? If your pic 2 went a bit higher then maybe you could avoid a sketch and simply annotate the pic. Critical issues are: How much will the floor come UP (assuming existing additions are not SE-specified) and How much does the roof come DOWN (assuming exg rafters 75mm and the need for an absolute min of 150 PIR, plus a min 50mm air-path above, and a 'plenum chamber' below the ridge). I have some concern re height under the dormer ceiling too. Let's see what it would look like with the same 150 insulation/50 air path and, perhaps (not mentioned for sloping roof, but needed) counter-battens for a Service Void. -
Loft conversion - Realistic expectations
Redbeard replied to cloud91's topic in Lofts, Dormers & Loft Conversions
Don't think pics show enough. Draw a quick floor plan so we can see where stairs might go. and a section to see if any bits of structure will 'impinge'. At 7'6" (just under 2.3m) its sounds like it is going to be really tight once you 'come down' with the requisite insulation and ventilation above that (assuming 'cold roof' constr'n). Again, lets see a section dwg with dimensions on. It can be as 'sketchy ' as you like, as long as dim'ns are there. -
Could have wished for your fully-installed prices, @JohnMo!
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I think it never makes sense. Keep the full one.😉
