MAB

I split the steel 'goal post' wide opening for my folding/sliding doors in two with a central brick clad steel pillar and two sets of identical doors (mirror image) to avoid the deflection problems I have seen very wide openings suffer from (it is also a double story extension above). In practice it works well as most times it is only one set of doors that we open, apart from on very hot days or for family gatherings, etc. Smaller folding door panels i find are also an advantage for less weight and bulk for stacking up each side when fully open. A slight disadvantage when all our doors are opened up wide and the room briefly unattended has been the occasional pigeon flying inside and making a mess where it has landed....and a local tame fox which once casually wandered in and out after sniffing out food our cat had left in his bowl in the kitchen ! ?

Apart from the extra fees involved, re-newing an existing planning application after 3 years is not guaranteed, as a different set of planning officials may be involved, conditions for developments in the area may have changed and new nearby neighbours may come up with new reasons to object. I would at least get foundations in, filled and inspected then pause work for as long as you wish. If Building Regs change during the period of the build the inspections continue to be based on what was in force when the B.Reg plans were originally submitted and passed.

This below is what defined 'Commencement' with my local council planning dept. 5 or 6 years ago for a rear extension. I put in the foundations at the 3 year 'about to expire point' and used the base as a temporary patio until I was ready to continue. Building Control were quite happy with the long gaps between inspections and said that time frame was not unusual with 'DIY' projects, mine took over 2 years to final completion certificate! Planning permission is normally limited to a period of three years from the date of the decision notice, after which the permission or consent will expire, unless it can be shown that the development has commenced. Commencement of development is taken to be initiated if any material operation or change of use comprised in the development is carried out. Any work of construction in the course of erection of a building; Any work of demolition of the building; The digging of a trench which is to contain the foundations, or part of the foundations of any building; The laying of any underground main pipe to the foundations or part of the foundations of a building, or to any such trench mentioned in bullet point 3 above; Any operation in the course of laying out or constructing a road or part of a road; Any change in the use of the land which constitutes material development.

Construction Materials Shortage Continues Amid Ongoing Price Rises https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/news/construction-materials-shortage

Need more time to work on your house? "This summer sit back and let the grass grow, as a new campaign called No Mow May encourages gardeners to leave their mowers in the shed and transform their lawns into havens of biodiversity." https://www.gardensillustrated.com/feature/lawn-mowing-when-flowers-may/

Keep us informed if possible, its on my list of things to do/try......it can only be better than the existing 'cold' external solid walls and the reviews seem good, as long as you don't expect to match the levels achieved with 50+mm of Celotex insulation!

Not yet.....my neighbour who has a similar 'period' house to mine, which would be difficult to insulate to modern Building Regs requirements without ruining internal or external 'period features,' is currently giving it a try and is impressed with the results so far....but he really needs to go through a full winter season to confirm that it at least improves comfort levels of the rooms with 'cold' solid brick external walls.

Yes I read the reviews so used ordinary kiln sand in the end at half the price, just posted it for reference....but some people rate the weed resistant stuff.

I went for close fitting blocks with sharpish edges and very small gaps for weeds or debris to collect. The blocks with larger edge chamfers or a cobbled look tend to leave wider joints where moss and debris can take hold. Marshalls 'Savanna' is an example of a close fitting concrete block, but after laying take care to make sure the very narrow joints are filled with kiln dried sand with a soft brush on a dry day, I found it took a couple of weeks to top up the joints as it slowly settled down:- https://www.marshalls.co.uk/gardens-and-driveways/product/drivesett-savanna-block-paving You can also get more expensive weed resistant block paving sand:- https://www.wickes.co.uk/Dansand-No-Grow-Block-Paving-Sand---20kg/p/119555

Any recommendations for good quality reliable 15mm Full-Bore Isolators, the type with a screw driver slot? Screwfix stock these unbranded which look better than the cheapo ones which soon seize up in a short time or leak through the screw when turned which rather defeats the object of fitting them. https://www.screwfix.com/p/full-bore-isolating-valve-15mm/46860 Pegler make good quality full-bore 'lever type' isolating valves but their compact 15mm screwdriver slot isolator does not seem to be available as a full-bore type. https://www.screwfix.com/p/pegler-isolating-valve-15mm/18796 Is the only way to stop them seizing up in hard water areas to remember to turn them on/off regularly? I usually forget and then when I do remember much later decide to avoid touching them for fear of just starting a new leak....

Anybody used this or any similar 'Wallrock' wall lining products for use in rooms in older housed with cold exterior walls? The reviews in link below seem good and one of my neighbours has used it recently with good results. Seems a good compromise where installing thicker insulated plasterboard would involve removing/damaging original 'period' features of an older house like skirtings, etc, and much better than the old polystyrene wall lining rolls my dad tried back in the 1970's, which was not very robust with us as kids in the house..... Product description Wallrock Klimatec KV600 Thermal Liner – put simply, ‘The Big Brother of Wallrock Thermal Liner’ is a new and improved thermal lining paper that draws on all of the successes of Erfurt Mav’s Wallrock Thermal Liner, but provides even greater insulation benefits. The most effective place to place any thermal barrier is on the inside of the coldest walls which is why we have developed this product especially for use on the inside of your home. It is especially effective on external walls by which we mean walls that are open to the elements on the other side. When a room has been lined with Wallrock Thermal Liner it separates the cold mass of the wall from the room environment and reduces both the cooling effect of the wall and cold air currents in the room created by the differential temperature zones within a room. Therefore, the maximum amount of heat is available to heat up the room air. Rooms thus become warm and cosy up to 65% more quickly and energy consumption is reduced by up to 35%. Any room will benefit from the use of thermal liner, the biggest benefits however are in older houses with solid wall construction. https://www.gowallpaper.co.uk/erfurt-mav-wallrock-kv600-thermal-liner.html Wallrock Thermal Liner https://www.gowallpaper.co.uk/erfurt-mav-wallrock-thermal-liner.html Wallrock range:- https://www.gowallpaper.co.uk/wallrock-range.html

Welcome! Looks an interesting project, can you show us the plans for your build?

For me it was just 'belt and braces' really for the small extra cost, just in case any tiling grout or sealant joint failed/leaked in the future the cement board backing would remain intact. I had tiling grout fail in a tiled over plasterboard shower enclosure in the past and by the time the leak was noticed the wet plasterboard behind had to be replaced which turned a small job into a major job. Maybe not essential in the upper wall areas of the shower which don't get very wet. Only drawback I can see is water resistant cement board is not as easy to cut and work with as plasterboard but the extra time and cost involved is not such an issue if you are installing DIY.

I went with green moisture resistant plasterboard in my ensuite and Aquapanel/Hardiebacker cement board (tiled) around the walk-in shower area and also laid the tray using the 'Nickfromwales' bomb proof method.

1930's timber is often slow grown and in suprisingly good condition even if the paintwork is a bit flaky, are they in poor condition as plastic can look out of place on older properties? I would not use a large national double glazing type company under any circumstances, use a local installer who has recommendations and examples of many satisfied customers.

Professional Electrician & Installer magazine have a regular feature called - Caught on Camera, of something shocking, funny or surprising seen by electricians while out on a job. Scroll down in the links below sent in each month to be shocked....? https://professional-electrician.com/caughtoncamera/10th-march-2021/ You can also view an archive of PDF versions of the full magazine here: https://professional-electrician.com/magazines/

You might find some of the info on constructing gravel driveways on the Paving Expert website below useful. Construction of Gravel surfaces:- https://www.pavingexpert.com/gravel01 Cellular Gravel Ground Reinforcement Systems:- https://www.pavingexpert.com/cellpav1

Thanks for your thoughts, I will pass on and report back. I think due to covid restrictions no 'more technically' minded family member has been able to visit to investigate further and removing a screw to investigate (which is what I would do) is not something non-technical safety minded people do if they think something is electrical. Looked like a skirting board to me too but I will check if it is on the ceiling!

A friends daughter has just bought a newish flat and has sent a photo asking what these are? Apparently there is one of these in each room near to the ceiling in the middle of the wall? Thanks in advance....

Incinerating Toilet? "These are suitable for any and remote location or mobile unit from log cabins to boats, incinerating liquid and solid waste."

Linear Slot Drainage channels look better than the standard wide gratings available but do they block up with debris easily and how exactly do you clean out the channel below in a concrete block driveway? https://www.drainagesuperstore.co.uk/product/aco-brickslot-hexdrain-threshold-channel-drain-1m-x-125mm-x-148mm-a15.html

Local council planning and building control will normally give you copies of any existing plan drawings on file for a fee, more recent plans are usually available online and your house purchase solictor will also normally search for signed off plans for any extensions. Even with a worst case that small extension is unlikely to fall down in the next few years, if you like the house and plot and can maybe get a suitable price reduction it would not be a deal breaker for me but like many members on here I am ok with 'hands on' building work. How much do neighbouring houses go for without the extension? As others have said if you get it for a good price, monitor the crack over time (is the house on clay ground?) and decide in years to come whether to repair/underpin or demolish and start again probably with a bigger extension footprint anyway. If you have plans for a brand new expensive new kitchen refit in the near future then that may also affect your plans..... (Note: It is standard practice not to tooth in new to old brickwork on extensions these days as the stainless steel starter wall fixers are used to allow old house to new extension foundations and walls to move up and down slightly without causing a vertical crack. Suitable flexible material and mastic is used to weatherseal the joint).

The last tin of Dulux trade white satin I used said on the tin it was oil based and would eventually yellow especially if used in dark areas of rooms with limited exposure to sunlight. Dulux recommend water based to stay white. The trade paint coverage was better than standard Dulux but within a year I noticed it had already started to yellow when compared to some areas that I had to touch in. I have since used Zinisser water based white 'All Coat' which is highly recommended by trade and diy users on Screwfix feedback. It can be painted on wood, metal, plastic, needs no undercoat or rubbing down of gloss surfaces, dries tough in an hour or less but as with most water based paints needs some speed and skill to minimise brush marks. Says exterior on the tin but seems fine also for interior use and on the Zinisser website. https://www.screwfix.com/p/zinsser-all-coat-exterior-paint-white-1ltr/5946g

McAlpine in link below do a space saving 90 degree bend and also a straight telescopic extension which combined together might help:- https://mcalpineplumbing.com/wc-connectors/rigid-wc-connectors Straight telescopic extension:- https://mcalpineplumbing.com/wc-connectors/rigid-wc-connectors/wc-con-ext-straight-telescopic-wc-socket-extension 90° Bend Adjustable Length Rigid WC Connector:- https://mcalpineplumbing.com/wc-connectors/rigid-wc-connectors/wc-con8c-90deg-bend-adjustable-length-rigid-wc-connector 90° Space Saving Bend Adjustable Length Rigid WC Connector:- https://mcalpineplumbing.com/wc-connectors/rigid-wc-connectors/wc-conqc-4110mm-90deg-space-saving-bend-adjustable-length-rigid-wc-connector 90° Bend Adjustable Length Extended Inlet Rigid WC Connector:- https://mcalpineplumbing.com/wc-connectors/rigid-wc-connectors/wc-con8e-90deg-bend-adjustable-length-extended-inlet-rigid-wc-connector