Sparrowhawk

Welcome! I was new to DIY 2-3 years ago too; it's great fun gaining these skills.

Congratulations! At least it's warmer this time. I do like your stepped glazing in the doors.

Bumping this thread, as I'm considering Tecsound or Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV) this to finish off my soundproofed floor, which isn't quite there yet (for airborne sound). Words are now indistinct, but would be good to cut the rumble of voices further. Currently have 18mm chipboard, gaps sealed with acoustic sealant 50mm glass fibre soundstop Plasterboard (unknown thickness) Adding something on top before I lay laminate flooring would be significantly less hassle than adding a 2nd layer of plasterboard to the ceiling below.

I went to my local Transition Town group when I moved here as I thought they would be into retrofit and energy saving, and I'd get some ideas for what I can do. Not a chance. They went as far as install solar, then it was reuse, grow your own, wild flowers and "out there" theories (magnets on gas pipes and more).

On days where it becomes cooler outside than inside before we go to bed, we open a window either side of the house and turn one of these on: https://www.screwfix.com/p/essentials-18-industrial-floor-fan-220-240v/105rj That helps to temporarily cool down the room, but the building fabric can still radiate stored heat into the house. We have a cold roof setup and this year had more ventilation added to the loft. That has made a difference on hot days, because there's now less heat trapped in the roof space. We've also added external shading to the Velux windows and that helps too.

That's a good overview. And then to complicate things further you''ve got Siga's Hygrobrid technology in some of their membranes, which I think works like Goretex/eVent coat fabric to ensure moisture moves in a single direction. I came across it via this case study which says

Well, getting a Structural Engineer to visit was thoroughly worthwhile. He came today and passed all the lintels as fine, though said that with the slightly bowed one with a slightly twisted window on the landing, if it was his house he'd replace this one while the window was out - but it was up to us because the state of the window could be down to poor fitting. All cracking is thermal cracking and nothing large enough to be of concern. The biggest win was the outer leaf of the bay window base, which a builder told us would have to be taken down and rebuilt, including digging out new foundations. For this the structural engineer reckoned that replacing one or two courses of bricks at the top (the most water damaged), and adding more wall ties as there's only 3 would be all that's needed, even with the extra weight of triple glazing.

I'm sure they could have used something cheaper than a Tesla.

It looks like newer (and more expensive) drill models have an electronic anti-kickback feature (gyroscope + reverse current to motor?) which kicks in when the drill rotates quickly through 90 degrees. Seems a sensible addition.

After reading the thread below I went looking for how to properly hold a bigger drill. I'm sharing in case other beginners like me need to know how to safely hold a drill - and that a clutch won't kick in magically but needs you to provide resistance.

We knows that feeling While there, have you considered adding under-floor airtightness and insulation? /ducks

If on your property why did it need their permission for you to put some pipes in the water?

Strip it off and post photos on here before making a final decision on what to do. What insulation to use is going to depend on a lot of factors, like if there's a cavity, wall construction, any signs of damp etc. That's where vapour permeable insulation like @Redbeard's wood fibre insulation, vs @IGP's vapour impermeable insulation with a vapour control layer (VCL) is an important choice.

Structurally problematic cracking, or cosmetic cracking? I've got a structural engineer coming this Thursday to inspect 3 timber lintels in our 1920s house so I'll know more after that, but they don't always need replacing. As to the window, fit it himself. If he spends 30 minutes reading this forum he'll know more about good window fitting than your average window fitter. Do you mean 1 in the inner leaf and one in the outer leaf?

Hi @Stevieb12345 and welcome to the forum. You could drill holes in the panelling, fill with expanding foam and hope for the best - I have seen people do this. But given the risks that brings, what you've said about drafts and noise, what I can make out of the standard of window fitting, plus what I've found stripping back my 1920s wooden window surrounds, I agree with Redbeard. You're going to be surprised - and shocked - by what you find behind there. Yes it's a bigger job and disruptive to your living room but it will be worth it once done for improved comfort. A bonus is it'll let you strip the paint from the wood - including the layers of lead paint - somewhere that's not in your living room. Or send them away for stripping. Or (and this is my preference, which I'm doing here) replace with new 'clean' wood. Which also lets you adjust the dimensions to add a thicker layer of insulation behind it.

It's hard to find ladders with flat rungs now. Wrong shoes + square rungs = muscle pain. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

I've got a few places (up to 1m deep) where I can't lift the floor to fit acoustic insulation as stud walls and plant are already in place. The stuff I bought (Knauf Acoustic Roll) is too fluffy to be able to shove horizontally - it bends, tears and refuses to cooperate. What's going to be best to insert here? Rockwool Sound Insulation Slab or similar?

Yep. Smelly stuff, have the window open while painting.

I don't mind paying for the advice. I got a builder round (I don't have a "friendly" one) and he was happy to quote for new lintels and cavity drip trays, and got defensive when I asked if helical bars could be used to repair the brick arch over the front door. So I'd quite like a view from someone who doesn't have a financial motive in the work. Photos from the opening up I've done so far: Landing (has cracked external sill) I will have to strip off more plaster to see if the lintel has deflection, or only the original wooden window surround. Directly below it - original sash window under the stairs (gets damp in the cavity here - assuming due to cracked sill above?) I'll take photos of the front door arch tomorrow when I've taken the porch ceiling down.

We've got some 1920s timber lintels, and before replacing windows and doors I figured we should get them checked to see if any need replacing. One window frame is bowed at the top and there's cracks above another couple. We also have a bay window that I suspect is structurally unsound. Who should I ask to do this? A builder? (RICS) surveyor? Structural engineer?

We have just had our system replaced, switching from a vented to unvented cylinder (UVC). I was skeptical (and still am tbh) but everyone we got to quote wanted to do it, so we did. Our taps and showers were powerful enough before, but the showers were those electric pumped ones that suck water through from the hot water tank. The biggest difference with the UVC is how quiet a shower now is without that pump and the racket it caused in the pipes. That silence alone is almost worth the extra £1k an UVC setup cost us. I can't add anything about tank size as we replaced the gas boiler with another gas boiler and went for a smaller tank (180l) and a priority hot water setup and it isn't bath season yet, but the tank reheats quickly so I've no concerns. For winter baths I can always raise the tank temperature. One thing I'd do differently if doing it again is tank choice. I left it to the heating engineer and he provided a 'B' rated tank, and the heat loss is higher than I was hoping for. I'll fit extra insulation around it but would have been easier to have a more efficient tank to start with.

Getting to pipes underneath and replacing it would be my top reasons. Perhaps different if you have solid floors rather than suspended, as easy access for emergencies should be less needed.

If you can float the floor then do it rather than glue it down, for the sake of whoever has to lift it next. I've lifted a 3x2m engineered wood floor that was nailed every 10cm and the 40cm nearest each wall glued down. Absolute nightmare, and I've another 5x3m room to do that's the same.

Not an architect and slightly facetious, but: Your main entrance is on the other side of the house This runoff is in a corner next to a patio A climber or large potted plant will hide a short gutter from the patio As a bonus, without a parapet your grandchild gets a better view from the window It's not what you planned for, but it sounds like the easiest compromise at this stage. Plus it's easy to maintain.

Thanks all, I'm going to try a sledge hammer first and then hire a kango if that doesn't work.