Lincolnshire Ian

Thanks Russell, that's super-helpful!

Hi Folks Our build is progressing and it's nice to be thinking about room echo rather than whether our timber frame will fit on the foundations! We have a kitchen/diner which is roughly 5m x 8m and a 6m vaulted ceiling. We have tiled floors and a half-glazed gable end. The room is empty at the moment awaiting the kitchen install, but even so we anticipate a pretty monumental echo. The room will have a dining room table, small settee and a few other bits of furniture. We have underfloor heating so are wary of putting down too many rugs etc. We have been looking at acoustic panelling, this could be an option. How have others "tamed" the echo in large rooms? Thanks

Hi folks We've bought Deanta pre-finished oak internal doors for our new build. We would like to try and get a close match for the staircase handrail which will also be oak. Could anyone suggest a good match of wax/lacquer/varnish/stain to get as close as possible to the Deanta colour. Many thanks

Thank you, perfect 👌

Hi folks I was wondering if anyone has any experience of whether HMRC take a Council Tax Completion Notice into consideration when the clock starts ticking for the 6 month VAT reclaim. Our council will start charging us council tax 3 months after the plasterboard has gone up regardless of whether the house is finished (it won't be) and we have a Building Control Completion Certificate. Any information greatly received. Thank you.

Your scenario is also ours. Can you remember what size joists and spacing? Thanks

Hi folks Thanks for your previous help with designing our staircase. Our stairs have a half landing. I think from a building control perspective this is classed as a structural element. Does anyone have any tips/designs they could share to help us build a solid half landing? Thanks

Just been to Stairbox in Stoke. Long drive, but worth it. Looked at lots of design options in their showroom and an expert on hand to help us design the stairs. We haven't taken delivery yet (two week lead time), but so far so good.

We've got a trusted joiner who has done a brilliant job so far with cladding, plasterboarding etc who is going to fit the stairs. Having tried the online staircase builders (TK and Stairbox), I've found that I really want to talk to someone face-to-face to discuss tolerances, the spacing between the stringers for a staircase with a half-landing, attachment details for the balustrade to the stringer, etc. The best option I have found so far is Stairbox - they have a showroom attached to their factory and someone available to help with the design.

Hi We are looking at staircase design and would appreciate some advice. Having used the staircase design tools for Stairbox and TK Stairs I am lacking the confidence to place an order for my stairs with a half landing without visiting a showroom and sitting down with someone who understands this stuff. I understand that Stairbox have a showroom and I'm planning a visit. It seems that TK Stairs don't have a showroom. Are there any other staircase manufacturers with showrooms I could visit? We are in Lincolnshire, but prepared to travel. Thanks

Thanks for the responses everyone. The break wasn't clean, lots of little bits which are dispersed in the scaffold mat. Gluing isn't an option. I have a new piece being delivered on Monday.

Hi folks I need to replace a cast stone window cill following an accident with a scaffolding plank (see picture). As the wall is rendered I clearly need to do whatever needs doing very carefully. To remove the cill I am planning to protect the surrounding area with plastic sheeting to avoid getting dust on the render. Then use a combination of drill and grinder to remove the damaged unit as carefully as possible. Can anyone think of a way to improve upon my approach? Many thanks

Update on the render mess all over the scaffolding. As suggested, the scaffolders were pretty chilled. I helped things along with a pack of beer each and everyone was happy 😊

I love the capital NOT 😊. We'll just leave it.

Hi We are dismantling the scaffolding next week and are a little worried that we will be charged a "cleaning free". This hasn't been mentioned anywhere in our agreement with the scaffolding company, but our renderers have left a residue on many of the boards. We will do our best to clean the boards ourselves, but we don't want to get too vigorous and splash our lovely new render. If I get a fee, fair everything, but just wondering whether anyone else has encountered this. Thanks

Absolutely. I was fuming when the guy who put in the fascia, soffit and guttering used random screws he had in his pockets rather than the stainless steel screws of various sizes we supplied. Too lazy to walk down the scaffolding to replenish his supply. We had to check and swap every mild steel screw! Needless to say, he won't be doing the downpipes!

Hi folks We are in the unfortunate position of rendering during January. It's being done my a company that only renders and they are using K Rend Monocouche silicon render, so despite being sub-optimal timing hopefully we will be OK. Post render we are hoping to get the guttering downpipes installed whilst the scaffolding is in place. How long should we leave the render before we drill the wall to install downpipes? Many thanks

Price isn't necessarily (within reason) a major consideration. Could you point me towards a brand please?

Around 65mm. Picture for context.

This sort of lintel. With hindsight we should have raised the lintel course enough to make room for render boards - we didn't, so we want to make the best possible job of painting the lintel.

Hi folks We need to paint the steel lintels above our windows. My go-to for painting external metal would usually be hammerite, but I have been using this stuff for decades and thinking there could be a better alternative now. We are looking for a good finish, but just as importantly durability so that it doesn't need repainting too often. Thanks

Thanks everyone

three

Hi everyone The plasterboard is starting to go up and I have been thinking about the gap we need to leave to accommodate the shower tray. I am thinking that from plastered wall to plastered wall we need the width of the shower tray + 10mm at either end to allow for manoeuvring the tray into place. This gap will then be filled by the width of our tiles which will sit on the tray. Does this logic work or am I missing something? Thanks

Thank you everyone