SilverShadow

thanks guys - plenty for us to consider

Thanks Stu & Conor 👍 A little more context might help explain my thought process.... The existing porch had concrete foundations >1m deep, so we'd assumed good enough to build on Our biggest desire: to make the upstairs room a little larger (ground floor generally ok) So we thought rather than pay for 2 floor extension to just build above the existing porch Seller (worked in the building trade) mentioned about a huge 'u shaped' concrete piece of the structure, to hold it rigid with the house (if that makes any sense) For the record, it's quite probable we'd do a rear extension. But wondered whether the porch would be an option (if cheaper than 2 floor extension and wasn't going to be a total nightmare for PP, etc) Sounds like the small front extension is a no-goer

Hey guys - move this to this forum, as my question seems trickier than i first realised 🤔 I'm just here to gather a few thoughts and opinions from anyone with some prior knowledge in these kinda things..... We're looking to purchase a house, and with a front porch extension (which is approx 5m2 and had PP granted). The house itself is a 1960's detached 2 story building, with 'pyramid' shaped pitched roof, set back 8m from front boundary, with 2 story houses either side and ample space between each property A few basics: Existing porch is 2 x 2.5m (looks to have been built in last 20 years) Porch has a concrete floor from what i can see Porch materials are brick, with sloping tiled roof Porch exterior is mostly glass (door and 4 x windows), with brick corners (1ft by 1ft) and a brick wall over 0.5m high for walls under windows Due to the house layout, we were wondering if it'd be feasible for us to build a 2nd 2 x 2.5m floor above the porch (in the same style of brick/roof, etc)? We realise front elevation changes need planning permission, so any thoughts from you guys as to advice is most welcome My 1st mistake: assuming build above a porch to same height/style as rest of the house would be relatively straightforward PP, if it has been granted in the past & no change to footprint 🙃 Huge thanks for your time Shadow

Thanks guys - obviously come to the right place 😁 That was my first mistake - i thought the front-elevation encroachment bit related to changing the footprint. I'd assumed (wrongly) that because were just building upwards 1 floor (to the same height as the rest of the house), and with the same footprint profile that we'd be ok (ie: covered by the previous PP to build the porch) Sounds like this would be trickier than we 1st thought then 🫠

Thanks for the reply 😁 A little more info I've since gleaned. The vendor confirmed the original porch (we"re considering to build above) did indeed receive PP My theory is (if anyone can verify): We're building over an existing extension that was previously PP. So my assumption was a 2nd floor extension of 2 x 2.5m above the porch would not need PP, as the house footprint remains unchanged & it won't encroach forwards of the front elevation The porch foundations are deep: >1m depth of concrete was poured,apparently Obviously all responses are not binding in any way, & we'd conduct further due diligence. Just initial thoughts & opinions we're after 👍

Hey there, Thanks for all your help with my previous queries. I have a new one for all you budding builders....😁 This one regards building above a front porchway (for a property we're looking to buy). I only have scant details i'm afraid, but we were wondering if it'd be possible to extend above the porch to make another room of the 1st floor? A few basics: Existing porch is 2 x 2.5m (looks to have been built in last 20 years) Porch has a concrete floor from what i can see Porch materials are brick, with sloping tiled roof Porch exterior is mostly glass (door and 4 x windows), with brick corners (1ft by 1ft) and a brick wall over 0.5m high for walls under windows Apologies if these are daft questions, but i wondered if: Anyone had experience of building over porches & things to consider (eg: foundation depths)? Presumably we'd need concrete or steel lintels to support above the door & windows, to build the upper floor with? Presumably this would not need planning permission? But it would need to meet building regs/been signed off? We'd prefer a pitched roof above it, to join to the existing roof Any yardstick idea of cost/m2? (i've read around £2-3k/m2 when extending both stories, so possibly up to £2k/m2 maybe) Many thanks for your time and help Shadow

Thanks guy - looks like I'll get some of those 👍

Ps - thanks for the dust removal tips 👍

Thanks Stu - that was my original concern. I had wondered whether Coach screws would be a feasible alternative to studs 🤔 Apologies for so many daft questions - I'm just exploring whether its possible to use coach screws, to be able to insert/remove later once the resin had set around the rawplug

Thanks again guys 😀 My plan is to clean the new deeper holes of dust, then put some resin in 1st (half fill the drill holes), then push in the raw plugs & let it set, before adding the screws later This way I can screw in afterwards, and check the mountings are aligned and level, then finish off with more resin once I'm happy the radiator fits back on correctly Does this seem sensible? If not then will I be able to remove the screws later (if added at the time of applying the resin) and adjust/rescrew if needed? 🤔

Thanks again guys 😁 I'll look at getting some 80 or 100mm screws & drill the existing holes deeper. The wall is indeed solid brick with 20mm plaster I have these 50mm × 10mm Rawlplugs, & was wondering if they will do the job nicely if pushed down to brick level? Combined with using resin it should hopefully be enough. Or should I try those mesh rawlplugs down to 80 or 100mm as required? Thanks for all your expertise 👍 Shadow

Many thanks guys just to clarify if I may. I presume the resin solution comes as a kit with rawplugs & screws, so no need to use my existing replacement rawpligs, or old screws? For fitting, I assume I'd fit the raw plug, fill with resin, cut down the screwed rod to say 60 or 70mm then insert, then add more resin to fill the last 20mm wider hole almost back to wall surface? Then leave to dry of course Many thanks again 👍 Shadow

Hey all, Back once again to pick to pick your builders brains and gather sage suggestions Over time the factory provided screws & rawplugs have worn loose, to the point i had to remove the radiator for fear of it falling! The screws provided were 60mm long and solid enough for the job. But the old brickwork/plasterwork is incredibly crumbly and left me with huge holes (see pic below) - i could literally pull them out the wall in the end. the radiator is 46kg weight (i'd assume empty), and has 4 mountings with 2 screws in each - that leave the holes in the pic for each mounting So my conundrum is what to do next. I already have some 10mm wide/60ml long sturdy rawplug replacements, but i can see the 1st 20mm into the hole is just dust & wont hold up Would you guys consider any of the following: Buy 80mm (or longer) screws & drill deeper Fill the 1st 20mm with standard masonry filler (add some sort of rock hard adhesive perhaps?). Any brands/suggestions? Use rawplug resin filler & add the original screws/rawplug replacements into the wall, then cake up around it the 20mm layer with resin when it situ? Use rawplug filler pads that line the hole & bond to that? Make fresh holes 10cm along? Something else? Apologies if it's been asked a dozen times before - i couldn't find it on the forum Many thanks for your time Shadow

Many thanks for your sound advice 😀 We opted against oil filled in case of leaks & preferred to avoid free standing units. We're hoping to sell the house later this year - we wanted something sturdier than just a free wheel oil radiator, but didn't want to break the bank either. Electric rads seemed like the best choice. Great to get your input to help with the decision making 👍 Shadow

Am guessing, but contemporary for £300-£350 might be a bit tricky 😉 Tbf, its not space age, but still a long way from the old cast iron rads of yester-century Was there something specific that would meet the price range & just be a wall mountable unit with simple installation? 🤔

Thanks for that. I think I will probably opt for this one - heats a room 50% bigger than ours, so should be fine: https://store.rioheating.com/products/rio-eco-1500w?variant=36968783446080&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwoeemBhCfARIsADR2QCsk1DSYaPooFAGu1PzBzgWtPk8fd9hSeesXyYozzuGJX1t-3hHtnMAaAiIXEALw_wcB

Thanks for that - guess I'll need to invest! 😉 I wasn't sure if an angle grinder would be too ferocious for such a small tile. Best get some strong clamps for the tiles while I'm at it I guess 😀

Good call with cloud services. I know some folks control their heating/lighting with generic 3rd party apps. So was hoping I could use similar

Thanks for that - guess I'll need to invest! 😉 I wasn't sure if an angle grinder would be too ferocious, but I guess the diamon blade will keep cuts nice & clean

Hello again all, As part of our ongoing home renovation I'm looking to tile the kitchen. I bought some funky small hexagonal porcelain tiles (about 50mm in size) on a matted sheet. They're about 5mm thick I've been trying to cut them, but having no luck using a tile scorer and manual tile cutting tool. Unfortunately I'm just getting cracked and chipped tiles (see pic). I've tried the old score & press down over a pencil, but they're pretty tough suckers I don't have an angle grinder or wet tile cutter to hand, & a jigsaw tile blade did nothing much to it Im guesing tile nippers like in the 2nd pic is the way forward, provided i've scored deeply enough 1st? Keen to try and find the right tool before I end up with a porcelain rubble heap 😉 Many thanks for reading Shadow

Hey there - thanks for replying Don't really have anything specific in mind yet, but these seemed to fit the bill https://www.heatershop.co.uk/dimplex-q-rad-qrad100e-electric-radiator-1000w?cat=6170 https://www.heatershop.co.uk/harmoni-lugo-hs1100-electric-radiator-1100w-wifi?cat=5980 From what i can gather, something around 1kw+ should be enough for the room I was considering adding an element like you mentioned. But was hoping for something with a decent display/programme options & controllable by WiFi (not sure what there is)

Hey all, Back once again, for more sage suggestions from you savvy bunch We have an attic room that we'd like to add an electric radiator to. Can anyone recommend a decent one around the £300-£350 Mark please? Seen a few by Rointe, Harmoni, Haverland, Dimplex, etc & they all look great. But I know in real life some are better than others in terms of build quality/reliability, etc A little about what it's for: ● Attic room, 3.5 × 2.5m2 ● 1 double glazed Velux window ● Minimal insulation between sloping roof part of room ● Part of a terrace A little about what we'd like: ● Wall mountable ● Around 1kw I'd guess? ● Decent warranty ● modernish design (to match our house look) ● if possible, also controlled by WiFi (tho we'd prefer a 'non subscription' based app/solution for that) I also wondered how easy it'd be to buy/fit a decent controller with WiFi to this, as it matches the other radiators we have: https://www.bestheating.com/milano-aruba-electric-white-horizontal-designer-radiator-single-panel-635mm-tall-choice-of-width-91838 Anything I've missed please feel free to ask Many thanks for your time 😀 Shadow

Cheers guys I've added pics - if that helps give a better idea

Hey again Thought i'd drop a line to you guys - see if i can gather a bit more of your expertise Our house is an old 1930's terrace, which has what i'd call 'smooth faced' (not porous) brickwork. Over time this has become marked, and i wondered what ideas you might have to reduce some of the marks to make it a little more aesthetically pleasing. I've enclosed a pic (not our brickwork) to give you an idea of what 'smooth faced' is referring to.... The marks we'd like to remove/reduce are: Scratches - folks have etched into the brickwork (the scratches are a bright terracotta & stand out a mile), so anything we could do to reduce the contrast of the scratches (maybe something we can apply/rub in) Other bricks have old masonry paint / window sealant everywhere, which looks very messy - i think there are masonry paint removers, so wasn't sure if anyone could recommend a reasonably priced brand or alternative method of removal? Happy to add any further details if required Many thanks for your time Mark

Hey there, handyman heroes (and of course the handywomen out there too 😀) I was wondering if anyone knew any online kitchen worktop companies (or places around East Mids) that sometimes sell off offcuts for worktops? I'm looking for a 300mm × 100mm solid wood beech strip offcut, and places only seem interested in selling it by the full length (ends up at >£200 for needing a flimsy bit less than a foot square! 😂) I'm sure these places must have damaged tops they'd consider selling a tiny piece for £20 or so. After all, they sell plenty of smaller samples 🤔 If not I guess maybe some Woodward mill might know, or worse still make the bit out of a beech choosing board 😛 Thanks for your time Shadow