ab12

Excellent. Thank you Mike.

What's the maximum thickness of mortar that's sensible for facing bricks which will stand the test of time? Thanks

Thank you everyone for your advice. After much deliberation the penny has dropped, I was clearly over thinking, over engineering and couldn't see the wood from the trees. Will follow TonyL and Torrer's approach. Quick question the fact the wall ties will be slanted will this affect the structural integrity of the building, single store extension approx 5.8 m by 4m. Are level wall ties better than those place slightly slanted?

If wall ties are place at a bit of slant so inner leaf blocks are 20mm higher than outer leaf bricks when the wall ties are placed at 450mm centres and so wall ties slant downwards from the inner block to outer brickwork does this compromise the structural integrity of single storey extension measuring approx 5.8m by 4m? Essentially is it best to get both inner blocks and outer bricks level so wall ties can be placed level OR is the scenario mentioned above OK as well? Thank you for your help.

Excellent suggestions. Much appreciated. Have settled on Bahco insulation saw and also will be ordering the saw sharpener at the same time and Hultafors mineral knife. As primarily will be cutting Knauf Dritherm 32 insulation slabs I think the above will suffice. Next topic is choice of PPE to protect the lungs. Need something that'll allow for protection + ventilation at the same time. Have started a new thread.

Can you please provide any recommendations for face mask when working in very dusty atmospheres e.g. when taking down old plaster or generally working in old houses doing clean ups etc Ideally looking for something which allows for ventilation at the same time e.g. with some sort of respirator. Looking for something that's going to last and doesn't need replacing every few days. Much appreciated https://www.powertoolsdirect.com/dewalt-respiration-p3-half-mask-respirator-large-dxir1hmlp3?_gl=1*146yk5b*_up*MQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqLvp1-HCjAMVR49QBh0J2iLmEAQYAyABEgKB4fD_BwE Is this any good? Will this be needing filter replacement often?

What is the recommended saw/knife for cutting Knauf dri-therm insulation slabs or Woodfibre/Hemp fibre insulation slabs? And do these require regular sharpening? Thanks

1 other option crossed my mind what if we do 5 layers of 73mm brick with 13 mm mortar giving 86*5= 430mm for outer leaf so for inner leaf 1 lock at 215mm and other block at other 195mm with 2 layers of 10mm mortar giving 215 + 195+ 10 + 10= 430mm Can this be made to work aswell? Thanks

Thank you for this, Mr Punter. Much appreciated Will it compromise the overall build up of the wall or the structural integrity of the wall if the wall ties are not at 450mm centre's vertically? So for context its a rear single storey extension measuring 5.9m by 4.1m outer leaf with 150mm cavity I've already purchased Dri-Therm 32 batts , the spec is 455mm height, 1200 mm length and 150mm thickness.

Also which insulation saw would you recommend for cutting the insulation batts- Dri therm 32. Brickie will be installing the insulation. Are there any special instructions I need to issue? Thanks

Thank you for the input. So essentially with this set up the insulation will be cut into a triangular/slanted shape at the top end after the first installation but then every additional insulation batt piled vertically on the base batt will be cut into a triangular/slanted shape at both top and bottom end to achieve a continuous layer of insulation? Bit like in the diagram shown

This idea is interesting. Can I just that this will satisfy this setup? Mansfield 215 x 100 x 40mm OPC Brick Slip 20N Calcs: 6 course of 73= 438, 5 layers of 13 mm mortar thickness gives 65mm Total outer skin 503mm 2 course of 215 blocks ann 1 course of 40mm brick slip = 470mm, needs 2 layers of mortar which is usually 10mm each so total 490mm leaves shortfall of 13mm Other option is cut the blocks into 53mm heights and use these instead of 40mm brick slips which means outer and inner leafs will equal 503mm 1 other consideration recommendations for wall ties is every 450mm centered vertically but in the above setup they'll be every 503mm centered vertically. Is that going to cause an issue? Thank your guidance

Hi all Can you please advise on the following scenario: Outer leaf of extension will be imperial brick dimension 73mm height * 105mm width * about 225mm length (although the stated length is 228mm). Brick is called classic weathered orange brick, main distributor is Classic Brick Company and retailers such as Jewsons and EH Smith supply it. Inner leaf of extension will be blocks standard height of 215mm. 5 courses of brick with 13 mm mortar joint gives 417mm and 2 course of block with 10mm mortar joint gives 440mm which leaves a difference of 23mm See diagram The reason for doing 13mm joint is to match with old Victorian bricks of 76mm height. Now that means wall ties will be angled down from block to brick and Dritherm 32 cavity blocks (150mm width) will not sit flush with each other when piled up vertically leaving a small gap between adjacent cavity slabs So I'm thinking will this not compromise the insulation effect in parts where there will be small gaps between the 2 slabs piled vertically and cause cold bridging? How do we overcome this scenario? thank you in advance

To provide some compensation for the loss of insulation the architect advised adding 25mm XPS insulation on the outer side of the concrete blockwork under the bifold. The ground level outside is going to be made up with hardcore and a patio to be level with the bifold track, so the XPS insulation will be underground when complete. I am in the UK at about the same latitude as London. My questions are: 4/ Given the XPS insulation will be to a depth of 300mm (maybe 400mm) and this insulation will complicate the patio construction - will this give me a worthwhile heating benefit or should I just forget the XPS altogether ? Am I reading this correct. XPS upstands will will be added to the external blockwork i.ef those facing garden/patio rather than the internal leaf of blockwork. That is definitiely a new one on my (although I am a novice) just never heard of external insulation especially beneath ground level although there is no reason why it cant be used I suppose. Let wait for the experienced members to respond.

Did a soft fill in the cavity between engineers and inner block leaf consisting of 1 cement to 8 ballast after some google research. Is this the right mix? Know have done further research and the recommendations are to use 1:3:6 ratio of cement:sand: 20mm stone to make C10/M10/Gen1 (all 3 are equivalent) grade of concrete for the soft fill. Is this equivalent to 1 cement:8 ballast? Also what is the ratio of sand to stone in ballast, cant seem to find the answer on the net. Finally what type of read mix do I need for the floor please above sand blinding layer. Is it C20/Gen3/ST1 (all 3 are equivalent).? Many thanks