SilverShadow

Many thanks for the advice, guys Sounds like a combi is the way to go. I've heard good things about Valiant, although read they use aluminium heat exchangers (apparently steel is best) Something else we might take a look at, is a heat pump. Given there's a £7.5k UK grant, if we can get a decent one fitted for <£9k it might make sense. It'd have to be fitted in the garage though (which i've read conflicting reports as to whether it's viable)

Thanks guys - the boiler is probably another topic in itself For the record, it's a fairly small detached house (probably 8 or 9 radiators, once we've reconfig'd the house), 1 bathroom & only 2 of us here. The boiler's prime use would be heating a few hours a day, morning showers & the occasional bath. We don't have any solar, & a heat pump likely to be way too bulky/expensive for our needs. Perhaps i'm wrong, but a full system boiler with tank feels a bit excessive & a combi would be the ideal solution?

Thanks NfW - very useful. Yeah, i'd thought reusing the pipes might be feasible (with a lot of cleaning out!). From what i can see, none of pipework is microbore (at least, the pipes connecting the rads aren't!) I wasn't sure how 30-40 year old soldered joints would stand up to the rigmarole of being yanked and dragged about when reconnecting/relaying the new pipework. Given that (afaik) combi systems are higher pressure than old gravity-fed, i just wondered about any minor leaks as a result. Realise there's never any guarantees anyway, but i'd assumed soldered joints would be just fine

I'd assume it's a system one, as it has cylinder & expansion tank

Hey folks I'm sure this question gets asked 1000 times, so apologies in advance if it has...... We're looking to replace our CH system in the next year (install a new combi-boiler, to replace the old gravity-fed boiler that seems to come from the steam-locomotive age! 🤪). This will likely involve moving the boiler location & hence alter the pipe layout As part of this, i was originally planning to replace all the existing copper pipes. However, an old skool plumber mate of mine said it was just waste/way for plumber to maximise profits. Tbh, it's not as though copper 'wears out', but i'd imagine it'll be clogged with sludge Is he correct on his assumption it's ok to reuse the pipes? If we kept the old pipes, i presume they'll need flushing out thoroughly? A newer combi-boiler CH uses a higher pressure, so i wasn't sure if the old joints (soldered i'd presume) would stand up to this? (I'd bet the old gravity system is at least 30+ years old) Any thoughts or ideas on this most gratefully received 👍 Shadow

Mamy thanks, Eric - exactly what I was after 😀

Indeed - we recently had EPS (not EPC, as i mistyped! 🙃) retro-fitted to our house & it's made a huge difference. The process is fairly quick (albeit noisy & potentially a bit messy), and involves drilling holes though the exterior brickwork cement, at intervals, to blast in the beads (which have an adhesive coating). I can't be sure of costs, n terms of your extension. We had ours done as part of the GBIS gov't scheme, which should help pay for costs. I don't know if an extension would qualify for that scheme (or ECO4, is another govt scheme) Ideally, (as others have mentioned) you really want this to be fixed by the original builder - but if all else fails, options like this could prove viable

PS - do you mind me confirming: does the 'clear' one dry to an opaque colour, please? I think white will be too harsh in some areas. Likewise, clear (if it cures as 'fully clear') can also be unsightly

Hi there, Sorry to hear about the shoddy way you've been treated. Out of all the trades, i've always found builders to be the ones to be most-wary of I'm sure many on here will have much more sound advice than me (i'm usually the one asking for advice), but this article may be helpful in terms of next steps: https://www.checkatrade.com/blog/ask-a-trade/how-to-deal-with-cowboy-builders/ You can also get insulation retro-fitted into the cavity wall, as a last resort (EPC beads, for example) Apologies i can't give anything more specific - i hope you manage to resolve this

Brilliant - many thanks, Eric

Hi there, Hopefully a quick and easy Q, for you guys in the know! I'm looking for a decent translucent sealant, and wondered if anyone could recommend something please? A few basic details, if this helps: For exterior use (mostly around window frames) Translucent (definitely not 'clear' or white) - i prefer the 'opaque' look where possible, as it'll be used against various materials and gives the most consistent finish Silicone based, unless anyone thinks a caulk is superior? Preferably something readily available (eg: Toolstation/Screwfix, etc) This seems to be in with a good shout 🤔 https://bonditgroup.com/products/gp200-general-purpose-silicone Many thanks, as always Shadow

Thanks, man I did look around, but all the prefab concrete products i could see were either too thick, too wide, or i needed to bulk buy. If i can find something 40mm x 40mm up to 1m long from a national retailer (eg: Travis Perkins) then that would be easiest. If not then i'm happy to try casting one as a project/experiment - the idea is to pour into a wooden cast it & let it solidify, take the doorframe out & lay it in place, then put the frame back (rather than try to slide into place or make it in-situ). Sounds like good advice for how to make it 👍

Many thanks 😁 Alas i don't have any pics to hand, but i'll try and get some soon It's basically a Upvc door to an outbuilding, about 10-15mm above concrete slabs outside & a solid concrete floor inside the outbuilding. The only way to fit floor insulation/board inside the outbuilding is to lift the door frame 40-50mm & fit something weather proof between the frame and concrete floor

I did consider timber, but around the doorway is bound to be damp for large periods of time (as it's exposed to the elements) - so i really want something weatherproof that won't rot. It really needs minimal to no water absorption, so it doesn't invade into the flooring of the outbuilding

Hey Joe - i need to raise the existing door frame about 40 or 50mm (so the door is high enough to open while allowing for floor insulation/boards for an outbuilding). So essentially i need something to fill the void it leaves. There'll be no load on this (other than door, which the frame will be screwed into the wall anyway) It'll be a trip hazard, but that's inevitable i'm afraid. All i'm after is something the width of the frame, about 40mm thick and say 70-80mm wide to fill the void

Thanks guys I was considering cutting blocks via angle grinder to this, but was intrigued by my mates idea. I'll have a look to see what blocks /slips there are around 40mm thick - but the only concrete ones i've seen were too wide As i need it around 70mm width, then i could chop the concrete every 70mm to make smaller blocks and lay those. Way more preferable than trying to cut 70mm along the whole length 👍 On saying that, i've seen some recycled plastic edging that might do also do the trick, if i can find the right size

Hey all, Bit of a random one, but hopefully one or more of your guys might be in the know 😁 I'm looking to fill a small gap under a upvc door frame (between the concrete floor and base of the frame). I was struggling to find something suitable of the right dimensions. A mate of mine suggested doing a 'concrete-pour' & making my own beam. After i'd stopped chuckling & picked myself off the floor, i realised he was serious, and so wondered what you guys thought to his plan. Don't have exact measurements to hand, but lets assume about 850mm long x 75mm wide x 50mm depth Has anyone made their own beam before? I was thinking of creating a wooden-frame cast & lining it If lining the frame what would be the best option, so it doesn't stick (my friend suggestion oiling the wood)? What mix of sand/cement/aggregate would you guys suggest? It's not taking any real structural load, just needs to be reasonably weatherpoof (with some water seal applied afterwards) Would you use any rebar? I wasn't sure whether to add 1 or 2 6mm bars - more for helping with it's longevity, than for support Many thanks for your time, all - be great to hear how you'd approach this undertaking BR Shadow

Hi again, folks Firstly, apologies if this is already well trodden paths. I'm sure something as generic as this probably gets resurrected more times than a boybands career! 😁 However, if not then please read on... We'd be looking to have our home's cavity walls insulated, and after your guys high level advice/experiences. I have some basic questions, but please feel free to add anything you feel of value 👍 The house walls are outer brick/inner block. I'm not sure of the cavity gap/condition, but for the purposes of this convo: lets assume it's suitable for any approach.... My questions are: What is your preferred insulation material(s)? - i've heard good things about EPS and foam (tho both have pros and cons). I'm leaning towards EPS (due to cost), but happy to find out more What to look for with companies providing the service - plenty have reasonable reviews on Checkatrade/etc, but some are likely better than others. So are there any accreditations/memberships to really look out for? Quoting for cost - dumb question (my specialty 🤪), but costs i've read online are by m2. I assume the reputable companies factor in window/doors into their quote, and don't just crudely estimate based on rough wall dimension? (i'm not sure if this is a good yardstick to measure if estimates are realistic tho? 🤔) Guarantees - am i right in thinking all work guarantees (some i've seen are 25 yrs) should be insurance backed? GBIS - does anyone know if GBIS companies are any better/worse than anyone else? I've occasionally seen online non-funded jobs (eg: private) are sometimes completed badly Anything else - eg: building regs signoff, that may be required? Many thanks as always for your sage suggestions Shadow

Hey guys Firstly, apologies, as this is duplicating a thread I posted earlier. But i've also posted in here, as it's brickwork related We've recently had a lintel installed above a window & I'm a bit underwhelmed by the workmanship, tbh Taking other aspects aside, would you expect the replaced bricks to be fairly flush (steel L lintel installed into a cavity wall)? It seems quite uneven imo (replaced bricks protruding out as a bulge by up to 6 or 7mm in places, as shown by the mortar in pic 2). I suspect the builder rushed and didn't take time to align anything. But likewise dunno if this can be typical when fitting lintels... Would you guys expect the finish to be more flush & even? Apologies again - I've posted as I'm in a quandary about calling the builder back before paying Many thanks for your time as always Shadow

Thanks Russell - as regards the 1st points I'm not sure. All I know is it looked like a steel L lintel, which had a black protective paint layer to it I'm also thinking the lintel wasn't a perfect fit, possibly due to the steelwork protruding from the inner concrete block 🤔 Bricks are slightly bigger 73mm ones, but that shouldn't matter, tbh. I'm not sure how far back the lintel should be set. But it seems to be around 15mm back from the face (see pic) I'd have thought this would be enough depth recess to reset the bricks in line with the existing wall? 🤷‍♂️

Hey guys, Sounds like a bit of a daft question, but is it fairly common to have slight brick face protrusion after relaying brickwork to fit in an L shaped steel lintel? I've enclosed some pics, which don't really do it justice. It's something we can live with, but the perfectionist makes me think the lintel wasn't set deep enough?? 🤔 If it helps, the wall is cavity - outer Brickwork, inner concrete block. I did notice what looked like steel ties/anchors protruding from the inner block into the cavity, so I guess these may have limited how far back they could recess the lintel Thought I'd mention while the work is still in progress, in case it's something we should ask to be remedied Many thanks as always Mark

Hey all, Been a few weeks since i last posted, so thought it was about time I recently noticed a few cracks in one of the concrete beams below our rear garden pathway. Tbh, it's probably been there for quite a while - but once seen it's one of those things you can't un-see. It's something i plan to monitor over time.... However, if the need arises to fix this, then i'd really appreciate your advice on this, please. A little bit of info which might be useful to you guys: the cracks are part of a load bearing concrete beam, which certainly seems in general good repair. It's exposed to the elements, so any repairs would need to stand up to rain, frost and shine Questions: What would you recommend to use please? (assuming you guys probably recommend some sort of filler, of course!) - feel free to list any products you've used Would you angle-grind a shallow trench in the concrete to improve application of any filler? Am i right in thinking there are some fillers that also offer some level of structural benefit? Many thanks for your time as always Shadow

Hey Dave - it was probably me 😅👍 I'd posted about it a while back, but it was probably a bit too badly worded. Thankfully, i've got some fantastic advice on here now though 👍

Great response again, mate! Yeah, i think gravel in the backfill is what he suggested. I'm not sure, but i don't think the guy can get a mini-digger down there - the neighbours side is down some steps and no more than 1m wide. So if anything he'd probably use one our side for the top section, and then hand-dig the rest out Looking at a few websites - it reckons up to £300/m2 for this type of wall. So it's likely it'll be circa £4k or more for a 10m * 1.3m high - in which case it can definitely wait!

Thanks J90 - if anything, we thought leaving the cracks there might be slightly useful, as make-do drainage outlets. I guess as we've recently moved in & just seen these whacking-great crack/the amount of soil being propped up, then we panicked a bit. The neighbour said these cracks have been slowly growing the past 20 years (tho accelerated slightly the past few years) It may be something we put off for now. But likewise great to get this feedback & determine the risk/urgency a little better