eandg

Should we use moisture board throughout or just on walls with normal plasterboard on ceilings? Bathrooms are vaulted.

Our MVHR install finishes tomorrow but the design (by BPC) does not allow for an extract in our vaulted upstairs hallway, which is at the top of a large open stairwell (6m2 floorspace and 7m high. Slight but possibly uninformed concern is that we'll have a lot of stale hot air sitting under the ridge - should we order and fit another extract at the top of the stairs?

I'm now looking at this - I've watched the install video for roofing but not sure the method is as applicable for this function. What did you do?

Not meaning to sound unsympathetic but your contract is struck based on you accepting their written offer when you sign on the dotted line/part with your cash. We've had a couple of relatively minor, similar, issues with suppliers and they've all been caused by wee oversights on my part where I've not fully checked the small print and that's really on me - unless there's something significant which breaches the supplier's duty of reasonable care/professional competency then I don't see you having much of a leg to stand on if you've not got approved drawings/a schedule setting out a list of agreed sizes.

My only experience with this is from speaking with a couple - Fleming Homes and Scotframe - in the early stages of our project development. Both said they rarely manufacture their bog standard designs (everyone puts at least a wee twist on it) and they were happy to work with what we had planned. I didn't get the impression that they'd do an awful lot of work on the design though (and they wouldn't visit and consider things like orientation) - but at a couple of grand their design costs were cheaper or equivalent to any architectural technician who'd just do the same, so the question is whether you'd prefer to pay an extra 5-20 grand for an architect to do that job for you. Both of those companies just do supply and erect the kit (with some provision of follow-on materials but you need to DIY/organise trades).

Long time since I heard that though unfortunately not that long since I've experienced some chancers in this area - some of the spec/quotes for solar and ASHP from Scottish suppliers has been wild. We've ended up with a 7kW system but one guy specced 13.2kW and wanted 16 grand for it.

We did 120mm Diall drywall screws through 100mm PIR. Battens then on with 150mm Timcos which we're hoping will hold the plasterboard when it goes on - if not there's a job redoing it with longer screws! 120mm drywall screws best/cheapest from B&Q (limited stock though so I bought up every box at 3 separate stores) and I found Sitebox cheapest for 150s.

We have an open staircase but I reckon I'd struggle to lift too many 15mm boards up the ladders myself for handing over. Idea would be to have lifter bringing boards up to first floor height and being offloaded by hand there.

Has anyone ever used something like this to lift OSB and plasterboard upstairs? We have c.250 sheets to get upstairs and it's a very slow process using our plasterboard lifter so looking for alternatives to get the job done quickly.

Ah okay - so if there's any prospect of contact basically buffer with ply so that takes the moisture from the screed?

Not 100% sure what you mean? It's a sips kit with the load bearing ground floor walls already in and sheathed/will be in advance of screed. Thanks. Thanks @Conor @Mr Punter

Looking at programming/trades availability and it would work out best for us to sheet on the ground floor in advance of getting screed poured (would be looking at c.20mm between bottom of plasterboard and top of screed but could cut boards shorter if required). Is this a bad idea?

Nails quicker and cheaper, screws more forgiving and easier to remove. Like with everything else in self-build, it's a trade-off.

Thanks Jamie - sounds like bodging the gap is about the best you can do. Will follow your advice so lets hope it works!

Hi, starting to batten for board on board larch cladding tomorrow and hit on a bit of an unforeseen issue. I had intended to fit insect mesh as per the video below (from 50 seconds in), with 100mm mesh lapped over my counterbattens. Boards are 150mm wide, 22mm deep with 90mm gaps between back boards. This would mean that there's a gap between the batten and the top board for insects to get in. Any advice for how to deal with?

Would that not only an issue if you were inviting the local professional basketball team around?

Definitely - a case in point of sweating the small stuff - well done if you've got to this stage and this is what's worrying you.

Thanks - can manage the expanding foam alright.

Any thoughts on sealing pipe penetrations that are a bit big for sealant/caulk?

On our load bearing walls we have OSB sheathing on one side and are required to put some up on the other side in any case, so I'm hoping that does the job. On our non-load bearing walls I am planning on doing as Mike says below and erecting the wardrobes between the walls. There's one room which is a partition between a bedroom and bathroom and I think I'll put plywood up on both sides for fixings. Do you mean a second stud? How good/necessary are acoustic caulks for at plasterboard junctions?

Is there an easy way of calculating sound reduction - do you just add up each of the 'db reduction' figures in the product sheets? We're not far off implementing current plans which are for 12.5mm plasterboard on 9mm OSB either side of studs filled with 50mm acoustic roll for walls and for floors some wood fibre underlay, 100mm acoustic roll in joists and then 15mm plasterboard on ceilings, potentially with resilient bars. My initial googling for a ready reckoner does not find anything my wee brain can cope with.

I'm not sure I'd still be pals with your 'mate' after that quote - absolutely wild stuff. Get some additional quotes and see where you are from there - but don't tell them you paid an architect 50k to draw up some plans for you.

The TTF guidance says you should never nail/screw through an underside board - did you manage to avoid doing so in that arrangement or did it prove impossible to avoid? Not sure if it's much to get worried about.

So did you have the 'on board' sections (with full boards/other) butting against the reveals? I have lots of openings on a fully timber clad elevation and they're all a bit out of kilter (with first floor openings not meeting ground floor ones) and now wishing I'd thought of the detailing at the outset!

Any restrictions on this - i.e. should you be aiming to have your external board butted against/not against window reveals and should this be consistent across the board, is it better to rip top board or to reduce gaps between them where they're not working in?