SilverShadow

Ps guys - we had a builder around the other day (just for advice, for now) His thoughts were: This wall was doomed to fail, due to: No drainage in the brickwork to allow water to escape The hollow block (he thinks) probably doesn't have adequate concrete/reinforcement His suggestion would be: Rebuild a similar replacement wall (hollow block), from foundations upwards Ensure that all hollow blocks are filled with concrete Plenty of drainage holes at regular intervals (the water would just drain out onto neightbours pathway - would this have any legal/building regs ramifications?) Adequate gravel in backfill, to allow proper drainage (i guess this would probably mitigate much of the above bullet point concerns) He mentioned something about Rebar - which i assume is the steel reinforcement our side? He also said the concrete & steel our side would be fine, as the weight of the soil above would help anchor everything down & keep it all rigid He didn't think the work was big/complex enough to warrant a structural engineers assessment Apologies if some of this is a bit vague - it's not my forte, so something i could only take mental note of at the time Cheers Shadow

Hey John - good questions I believe it's (most likely) our wall, as we're on the higher side & so it's retaining our land from encroaching on theirs. Looking at the title plan, it seems to be the boundary wall, and photo above would confirm this i'd imagine. Our land plot does seem to imply the ground was raised to make a level surface, which again suggests it'll be our duty to maintain. Ours is the newer house too (can't be sure, but it seems like it was rebuilt over an old house foundation)

Hey J90 - at the moment it's only leaning by about 5-10mm max, at the top. Tbh, it may be something we keep an eye on and potentially do later. But it's still good to get advice and impressions from the off There's no expansion joints i can see, or draining holes either. So it would make sense that years of excess water/frosts have eventually taken their toll on it. We'll need to add some sort of drainage on whatever solution we end up with, to ensure no further issues like this. However, the water will drain directly onto the neighbours pathway (unless we add some sort of 'guttering' or drainage on our side of the wall foundations?) I've enclosed pics of the wall in it's current state Wall 1 & 2 pics - cracks up to 1.4m high wall3 pic - view from our side down, showing retaining boundary wall & neighbours pathway

In response to Gus's comments earlier: a double check of the plans/register confirm there is no mention of ownership of the retaining boundary wall. Looking on various legal sites, it seems as though the responsibility lies with the owner who's land it being retained in place. Given that, then i think the onus is on us to maintain this

Many thanks, Gus. That was a very excellent & detailed response, which explains the soil mechanics aspect brilliantly 😁 I will have another scan of the deeds, in case it's something I've missed. Looking at the house from the street, the retaining wall is on the right hand side of the property. I'm not sure, but think there's some unspoken rule that left-side boundaries would usually be our responsibility? I could always ask our conveyancer- hopefully they could clarify without it costing much 🤞 The wall itself is fairly sturdy, but I noticed it has no drainage outlets, so I imagine the trapped water from excess rain & frosts have caused the swell over time, as you mentioned As a side note, does anyone recommend a type of wall construction (materials & design)? Additionally, is this something we should ask a structural engineer's advice on, or just trust a builder with retaining wall experience? Many thanks again Shadow

Hey all - another day, another quandary that I'd appreciate your guys awesome advice on please 😁 We recently moved into a house on a hill, and the boundary wall adjacent to the neighbouring property is also a retaining wall (approx 10m long and up to 1.5m high). Our property is the higher of the 2, so essentially the retaining wall keeps our land from spilling into theirs We introduced ourselves to the neighbours of this boundary (who seem a decent bunch) & they mentioned the wall has 2 big cracks in it. We'd like to ensure this is fixed, but realise it'll be costly (maybe £3k, maybe more???). Fixing it ensures no land slippage our side & keeps them from worrying The neighbours said our old owners built the wall, which suggests it's our responsibility. However, I've checked our deeds & there's no indication its our responsibility to maintain In some ways were happy to pay for fixing it ourselves. But likewise, this might then imply its our responsibility, when it may be shared. Especially when maintaining it in the future We'd ideally like to share the responsibility/cost with the neighbour, but don't want to suggest it if we're likely liable for it Does anyone have advice on what we could check & go from here please? Many thanks for your time as always 😁 Shadow

Great advice too - thanks Alan 😁 I was considering surface mount cables, but would prefer the neater look of them tucked away in the void. However, it'll really come down to how fiddly that is, so it's definitely one to consider when i get into it. I'll take a look at the Philips square LED lights for the ceiling - definitely worth a shout (the existing ones in there currently work for now) Thankfully the door/windows are already double glazed (upvc i'm fairly sure), which for sure could probably do with updating. However, money is fairly tight with just moving in to our house, so i don't think £2k or more on those would meet my budgetary remit (i could always do them later i guess) I'd love to keep the log burner, but i agree it'll be a lot of hassle to make it compliant - so likely it'll have to go. Thanks for the tip about the J Harris spready - this is definitely getting into the advanced side of things (which i may need). But it seems to be aimed more at satisfying building regs, rather than just a bog standard conversion, would you say? 🤔

Nice advice! 😁 From what i can remember, the cable runs around the top of the walls/ceiling, and drops down from there to each socket. If i cap redundant sockets, i probably want to trim back towards the ceiling (or remove the wire from each junction box, if possible). That way there is no danger of hitting a power line if anyone drills into the plasterboard 😅

Ahh, many thanks again buddy 😁 So, make the PIR one continuous layer all the way around and have the trunking in the PIR/plasterboard void 👍 I guess the tubular trunking could be held by plenty of tape to attach them to the PIR, rather than using more screws through the PIR (the easy fit knockout boxes should hold the outlet firmly to the plasterboard to prevent cable movement in the void). Plus, with a continuous layer of PIR, i probably wont need very much insulation foam i guess 🤔 Regarding sockets - yeah, the outbuilding was an old workshop, so has a double outlet every 2 metres around the internal perimeter. I guess i could cap 'every other/2 out 3' into boxes in the void, and only have the occasional outlet presented through the plasterboard for use. I probably also want to think about how i'm going to cap off the old burner chimney. Maybe keep the chimney on the outside (as its well sealed against the monocouche, and cut it down on the inside/fill with a couple of layers of PIR, cut to fit the vent profile (then PIR board over it) 👍

Incidentally, i was going to use these as my tape (for joining PIR & around screws/fixings) and fixings - obviously i'd need something like 125mm or more fixings for attaching the battens: https://www.screwfix.com/p/diall-insulation-board-tape-silver-45m-x-50mm/4806V?tc=KC4&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi5OtkKnviAMVapFQBh0nhAOoEAQYASABEgJxRPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds https://www.screwfix.com/p/timco-insulation-fixings-110mm-x-8mm-100-pack/405KF?tc=KC4&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlLaenKnviAMVmKRQBh3HrzE9EAQYASABEgJol_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Thanks again, Elite - some top tips in there 😁 In response to your response 😉 I think i'll go use fixings for the PIR and tape over - this way they're easier to remove, if i ever need to get in there later at some point for whatever reason Roger, roger - i think i'll do 75mm PIR minimum. With the electric heaters and it being in a sheltered spot, it should suffice Mechanical fixings sound best - i've read that taping around all 4 side of the batten where the screw fixings go through should minimise vapour escaping Great shout with the fast fix boxes - i would prefer this to needing extra wood behind the box to fix it in place I've made a quick sketch of what (i think) your solution will look like, below: breezeblock > PIR > batten gap > plasterboard Item 1 - batten gap between PIR and plasterboard. Using screws through PIR to fix batten, and wrapping tape around batten at points where screw goes through Item 2 - electrical trunking, with foam and and taping required. Screws for fixing PIR will be taped over Seems like a great approach for me to implement - much obliged 🍻

Sounds great, Canski 😁 Think using continuous PIR/foam/tape, then battens on top (for void), then plasterboard (as elite suggests) would be fairly straightforward. I've heard folks talk about leaving a gap at the bottom just above the floor - i presume this is is slide the floor PIR underneath? The devil's always in the detail with this sort of thing...

Great advice there, RB - many thanks 😁 Good point about the floor - i'd roughly guessed something like 25mm PIR and use Osb3 above it. Sounds like maybe adding another VCL layer between PIR and Osb would be your preferred method. Id thought about maybe 40mm battens, so i could sink the power outlets knockouts neatly into the plaster? I was confused (see other reply), about how these battens would be fixed above the PIR without piercing the VCL though....🤔 Another great point about the building regs, re keeping the log burner. I'll probably do away with it, if it requires building regs & stringent rules. Am i right in thinking i won't need building regs if i use a couple of wall mounted electric radiators? 🤷‍♂️ Thanks again Shadow

T Many thanks, Elite 😁 Probably a daft few questions incoming.... 🫣 Item 2 - would you dot n dab the PIR directly onto the painted breezeblocks? Item 2 - i could go all out and buy 100mm PIR, but hoping i could get away with 50mm or 75mm maybe and the heat not dissipate too quickly (seeing as budget is a big factor!) Item 3 - How would you fix the battens? I could use long screws for fixing the battens through the PIR into the wall, but seemed like making holes in the VCL could potentially cause vapour issues, so maybe adhesive grab is better Item 3 - presumably 25mm battens would be enough between the PIR and plasterboard? Saying that, I'd probably choose 40mm, so i could use 25mm socket knockout boxes with 15mm wood to fix the knockout boxes... 🤔 Most helpful buddy - definitely gives me a good insight into how to go about this Shadow

Apologies folks, if i'm causing more problems than ever, with these continual questions If it's easier: please feel free to point me to some diagrams/videos, that show how the PIR/battens/voids/vents/taping are all arranged and done for a similar sort of conversion (one without needing building regs, ideally) 👍

Thanks Elite - i wasn't sure at all about ventilation (where & what). Do you suggest having a void between the 2 layers of PIR, by way of using something like 70mm wood battens (to create a 20mm air gap between 50mm & 37.5mm boards)? I presume the 'reveals' are things like consumer unit and power sockets, etc? Apologies for the fundamental questions - this is probably quite obvious to the trained eye, but a big mystery to those without prior experience. All the videos on YouTube about conversion seem to conveniently skip this sort of consideration & many do it quite differently by the look of it. There doesn't seem to a generic agreed method/diagram for how to construct the layers 🙃

Hey Gus - tbh, it shouldn't need building regs (as it complies with rules exempting it). I'd not really considered it, as it felt like a lot of hassle for potentially little return. But i confess to being no expert, so don't really know how many hoops i'd need to go through and for what ££ benefit. I was aiming to use it primarily just as an office, rather than up the spec to something a person could sleep in (for example)

Hi there, I'm after more of your wonderful wisdom. Appreciate there's loads of similar threads floating around on, so apologies if this is stomping on well trodden paths... We'd like to convert our outbuilding at the bottom of the garden into an office, and wanted your sound advice on the type/approach of interior insulation, please. We've researched this a little so have a basic idea of what is required, but wanted to glean your knowledge if possible - the advice we're after is mostly for the walls, but any general advice is always more than welcome 😁 A little bit about the building:: 6m long x 3m wide x 2.5m high with metal sloping roof & solid concrete floor Appears to be single skin 100mm breeze-block with (i think) painted on the inside & with monocouche rendering on the outside. It has 3 upvc double glazed windows and upvc door Used to be a workshop (has plenty of power and it's own fuse box/consumer unit) From what i can see, the ceiling is already insulated (to an unknown depth), so our prime focus is walls & floor It has a wood burner with metal chimney leading to the outside A little about it's desired usage: Primarily an office - so used 8 hours or so during the day , throughout the year We'll add electric heating as required If at all possible we'd like to keep the log burner (if this isn't going to cause flammable issues with PIR/Insulation?) We'd like to be reasonably budget friendly, so get the most comfort/heat for whatever reasonable price we can afford Mock up of proposed wall insulation I've enclosed my initial plans for the wall insulation Vertical wooden battens 1.2m apart, using 50 x 50mm wood Item A- 50mm thick PIR boards (foil backed), sized 2.4m x 1.2m, arranged vertically Item B - 37.5mm thick PIR boards (25mm + 12.5mm plaster finish), sized 2.4m x 1.2m, arranged horizontally No air gaps between wall/item A or item A/item B Blue item - electrical tube trunking for sockets, cut between 50mm PIR boards cut through 37.5mm, where sockets will be As yet - unsure whether to install a damp proof membrane (if required with foil backed PIR?), and if so whether to insert for at 1 (between wall and 50mm PIR) or 2 (between 50mm & 37.5mm PIR) on the diagram? No idea what to do with the log burner (if it can stay without an undue fire risk, which i strongly doubt) This is something i'd really love to get to grips with in the new year, but realise it needs some strong advice to get off on the right footing Many thanks as always for your time Shadow

Hey all, I'm back once again, for more of your amazing advice please folks 😁 We purchased a property back in July 2024 and have since noted the adjacent retaining wall (to property below us) has a few large worrying cracks in it (see pics). The neighbours have said these have been there for decades, but seen some movement in the past few years. The wall is approx 8 meters long, 4-5ft high & made from concrete hollow blocks. Apparently our previous owner built it decades ago & reinforced it with posts/piles to make it sturdier. I've include pics of the cracks and view from our land above it (pics 1-3) As this feels slightly more specialised, we'd be grateful for any nuggets of help you guys can give... 1 - From recollection, i don't think this was picked up on our Lvl 3 survey. I'm not sure if this is a concern per se (something omitted by mistake), as the wall is not easily viewable 'down to the property side', but wasn't obstructed from view 2 - Our title deeds/plan don't show a 'T' for this boundary. However, i've read that it's generally assumed owners on the higher land side (and it's also right side boundary from street view) shoulder the responsibility for this. So probably not reasonable for us to ask neighbours to share repair costs for 3 - I'd imagine we'd get a structural engineer in 1st. But would anyone have a clue to whether repair or completely replace, yard stick costs m2 (prices vary wildly online - from £150-£300+ per m2, depending on material), suggestions for type of wall to consider? (interlocking blocks seem like a good option - as per pic 4) 4 - What would be a reasonable length of guarantee for this type of work (guess it depends on material used)? 5 - has anyone had similar experiences of this sort of scenario? Any hints/gotchya's to consider during this project Apologies for the verbose thread, but a lot to get through..... Many thanks as always for your time Mark

Hey again, Thought i'd pop by again to this great forum for more great advice 😁 I wondered if anyone would mind sharing their thoughts around home security, please. We're looking for a system that can cover the house & garage, along with a freestanding brick workshop at the bottom of the garden (some 10m away from the house). There are some great articles on the web reviewing devices, but you can't beat 1st hand experience from folks with this sort of setup at home. Our initial thoughts around requirements are: DIY self-installation preferred Battery powered (no need to connect to mains) Smart controlled via App (either bespoke or a free 3rd party app) Flexibility to plug in various add-ons (multiple sensors, doorbell, etc) Able to cover the house, garage & outbuilding (so either great wifi/ethernet connectivity, or able to connect separate control panels to 1 system in the app) Pet friendly (dog) No monthly subscription fees (or optional at least) / value for money Doesn't keep going off from 'false alarms' all the time We're total novices to this aspect, so apologies for the daft questions. Please feel free to share experiences of your own systems, if this helps determine what is/isn't suitable Many thanks for your time as always Shadow

Thanks guys - you're quite right: it's at the back of the house. The bit above the hole is a concrete beam, and above that is a raised pathway. I will take a look to see what's behind the loose bricks, but if nothing then just brick it back up Thanks for your input

Hello again, all you helpful folks out there 😁 Another question for you guys, if you wouldn't mind sparing 5 mins of your brilliance please.... As mentioned on another thread, we've recently bought a new house, and currently finding all the 'hidden joys' you typically do when starting to live there. In our back yard i recently came across this 'hole' in our wall, and wondered what the best way was for me to repair it. The concrete above is a thick beam, supporting a pathway above, so it makes sense to make this as structurally sound as possible. It's seems sturdy enough right now, but these things only become more precarious over time... What would be your guys thoughts for plugging this hole? My thought was just with good old bricks & mortar - starting at the bottom upwards. Then really pack in the cement for the last 2 levels and wedge the bricks into that, so it dries compact & able to support the load Many thanks for your help - very much appreciated 👍 Shadow

Hey all, Another day, another question - hopefully a nice easy one to ease into the weekend..... 😁 We've just recently moved into a new home, and noticed the central heating comes on whenever we want to heat the water via a gas boiler. Reading up on this it's pretty standard for gravity fed heating systems to do this. I've also read that installing a pump to the system will allow independent control of hot water & CH - very handy thing to have in this weather! 🥵 Looking at the boiler below, i'm pretty sure it's gravity fed (4 pipes in/out are a giveaway apparently?). However, am i right in thinking this system already has a pump attached to allow independent control? If so then perhaps it's the control panel that needs updating (a very old Horstmann Centaur44 🕸️), as this seems to only allow us to set hot water & CH combined My questions for you great guys are: 1 - can you tell from the pics if this seems to be gravity fed? 2 - if so, isn't that the required pump shown below to allow independent control? 3 - would getting a new control panel & pump (if not working) perhaps be the easiest way to achieve independent control? We will in time replace the antiquated system, once funds are a little more flowing and other jobs taken care of. Right now it's a shoestring budget approach to improving how it currently works. We will ofc get a qualified plumber out to look, but thought it good to be armed with some knowledge up front so we don't appear to be the duffers we really are! 😅 Many thanks for your time & help with this Shadow

Many thanks Marvin - seems fairly straightforward. I think we can definitely give this a try! 👍