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Okay so it sounds like liquid cork or regular cork is the solution here. Panic over!

So it has just occured to me that I may be about to make a terribly expensive mistake. For an engineered wooden floor it is recommended to have a min 15mm expansion gap around the whole floor. Personally I don't really understand that in the context of a floor that is glued down as surely it can't really more in any meanigful way without pulling itself up. That said if I want a flush threshold up to the back of the bifolds I can't leave a gap and I'm not aware of any flexible material that looks like wood that I can install around the edges to allow for this. Is this a problem that means I need to switch to tiles or is there a clever solution that I'm not thinking of? Good job I'm always thinking ahead Ordered the screed today as well.

Perfect, that is exactly what I need didn't realise I wanted, albeit not cheap.

Ha, it didn't occur to me to use gpt. That said I get scared by some of the technical answers it spits out in my field I like the IPA idea s that could be quite an easy one. I'll test on some scraps. Thanks.

Thanks. So a flush threshold from the inside is the goal. The bifolds open outward and don't impede on the internal space at all so think I can bring the floor all the way to the edge of the frame. I was told that what I have is appropriate for a flush threshold. The drawing extract from for the door comes from the manufacturer so hopefully I'm good on that front.

Hi All - Trying to figure out the best way to deal with the thermal bridge insulation around the bifold doors. Originally I was going to pull the 25mm PIR upstand around the whole floor including the bi-folds but the more I think about it the less I think it's the right way to go. For the rest of the room it will be lost behind the plasterboard and skirting but for the bifolds the floor will run all the way up to the edge and because its a herringbone pattern floor I am not sure about sticking down onto PIR and whether there is a risk of compression over time. Would appreciate any views on how best to approach this. I've sketched out the way I thought I was going to do this originally against alternatively just allowing the foam strip to go up to the bifolds. My preference now would be option 2 but not sure if I am going to give myself issues with thermal bridging Thanks, Paul

Does anyone happen to know how to remove newly applied patination oil? I've just bought the G1 cleaner only to realise it specifcally says it doesn't remove the oil and refers to somewhere that doesn't seem to exist anymore. My new lead cappings are showing water stains quite badly even though they were all oiled before going on. Pic below was taken the day after the first rain since installing 2 days prior. The lead guy has reoiled them several times now and says he's never seen it before. He has suggested cleaning them off and reapplying the calder patination oll as opposed to the bond-it one I gave him because the calder order was delayed. The lead is all code 5 calder. No signs of any stains or damage when delivered. Thanks, Paul

Thanks both. I have been round with lasers and a level to check the level across the frames. There is a 5mm delta between them which I am not overly concerned with. My bigger issue now is going to be that my transition from the main house to the extension is slightly off from what was planned based on the frame heights which means I am going to have to try and do something clever, I'll do a separate post for that though.

So they agreed to provide a better finish for everything which they have now done (pics below). However, -- and I didn't realise they had changed it until the last day of fitting -- because my retaining wall is in the way of the doors opening at the original position they moved the whole frame and cill further back into the aperture. The result of this is that the cill and drainage slot no longer projects beyond the outer leaf. From what I am told the only water that will exit through this cill drip is what gets inside the frame through the gaskets which should be very little. I am planning a weathered threshold so the entire cill will be completely covered anyway with an aco slot drain. That said I was still expecting the drainage from the cill to have to go beyond the wall. The company have told they really don't think its an issue, that the frame is sealed and there is a dpm on the inside. I am not sure that is really the point, I don't think I want any water getting in at all if it can be helped. It just feels like building in a flaw. The BI had no interest whatsoever and I am struggling to find something to push back at them to say it has to be done or not. They had a surveyor come out to measure so I would argue this is on them and they should have proposed a wider cill or more smaller doors. If anyone has a view on why this is or isn't acceptable I would appreciate it. Thanks, Paul

Well I want to take the view that the cladding that I'll be adding is purely an asthetic facade and in no way is intended to replace the weatherproof finish that I am expecting them to leave in place. So basically if I never added the cladding the frames would remain weathertight indefintely against the blockwork. I've been reading through the FENSA guide and found te below. ..."A suitable backing material such as closed cell foam or PU foam should be used in the gap between the window and wall to ensure the external sealant is set to the correct depth and will therefore adhere to the frame and aperture (but not the backing foam) when applied. Suitable external sealant should be applied to cover and form a water resistant joint between the frame and wall"... I hadn't given this much thought, tbh, I'd assumed that by paying for a professional install it would be done right. I should have learnt this lesson by now.

Thanks. I'll definitely do the trim thing then.

Hi All - I have someone installing the glazing for me at the moment (I was on the fence about doing it myself and thought it better to get some kind of warranty). Is a lot of expanding foam around the whole frame the norm nowadays? There are some pretty heafty gaps of 20-30mm in places which seems a lot. I appreciate that it helps with cold bridging but it seems to be the only thing other than the timber cladding I'll be installing that will be holding back the weather. I had kind of anticipated some kind of trim that was sealed to the block with mastic or just something else. I've used foam for other external bodges around the house until I get to it later but after a while they start to look weathered and like it wouldn't hold up long term. Maybe just a newb worry over nothing. Could anyone point me to a reference guide on what is right / wrong for installing doors and windows? Thanks, Paul

This is what I've done for now. I've left the other drain in place just in case this doesn't work out. I've gone through a couple of calculators and I think the two outlets can handle it but will try and be sure. There have been a couple of mega downpours lately so next time I'll go up and watch how it works.

#3. I'm pretty confident that the gutter/drain can take it and the ditch is no issue. I do need to figure out how the calcs however. it is really more the BR/planning side. I found this under Part H. 1.9 Where a rainwater pipe discharges onto a lower roof or paved area, a pipe shoe should be fitted to divert water away from the building. Where rainwater from a roof with an effective area greater than 25m² discharges through a single downpipe onto a lower roof, a distributor pipe should be fitted to the shoe to ensure that the flow width at the receiving gutter is sufficient so that it does not over-top the gutter. This kind would indicate a yes I think.

So mostly from a planning/BR perspective. I mean I can do this and no one will ever really know (unless the calcs are off) but equally I am trying to do things the right way. The new build extension I am working on at the moment is circa 55m2. I have two drain outlets (65x100) through the parapet that are going into a new dedicated run of 110mm to a ditch. The area of the roof I would be adding is 2/3 of the main house so roughly another 30m2. I have a straight run with a good fall (1:60) and no obstacles to reach the outlet on the flat roof. I need to find a calculator but wanted to see if it was in principle something I could do without being a thing.