OldieNewbie

Hi all, On an old latted ceiling, what would be the distance between the timber lathes? Is the distance the same as what the thickness would be? So if the timbers are 5mm, are they installed 5mm apart? Thanks

Hi all, I was walking past a house in my locality that is having renovation work done. The back of the house has several red pieces of steel passing through the back wall. What is the purpose of these? Is it to hold the wall and internal walls in place? (I have attached a file picture for better explanation) Who would decide the location of these? Is it down to the contractor or the architect? Is there rules of thumb in regard to the steel being used, i.e steel should be a certain grade and twice the width of the wall it’s carrying etc? Cheers,

Hi all, How often should an expansion joint appear in block work? Would it be after 8 blocks? Or would that be determined by an engineer? I regularly see long lengths of old block work with no expansion joints and the walls are in good condition. Are they really that important? What if you were putting another run or 2 of blocks on an existing wall that didn’t have expansion joints, would you include them in the new runs of blocks?

Hi all, how are you? I worked on building sites in the past and have a keen interest in all things construction, despite not being involved in the industry. I am inquisitive and when passing construction sites of all types and I always enjoy looking in, when safe and possible, to see what’s going on. I also love any construction or restoration shows on TV. I will probably have you all bored senseless with what seems like silly questions, but there’s no such thing as a silly question, right? 😂 But apologies in advance 🫣 Enjoy your day.