Arnold9801

Thank you for your replies. Arnold9801

I'm going to be fitting 10mm fascia boards on to 18mm ply tomorrow. What's the best spacing to aim for with the plastic capped nails? I was thinking of 2ft or is 3ft/1m best? Advice would be appreciated. Arnold9801

Can you send me details please?

Thanks for your replies. If I could have details please.

I'm up to the roofers starting with slating on a large new build at our existing home. Can anyone advise me where we could get insurance to cover the build in view of how much we've already spent on the project? Thank you.

I've morteted the wall plate last week and now it's time to fix the "L" shaped wall plate brackets. I was told to make sure they cover 3 courses of concrete blocks and the nearest are the straps measuring 1 metre long. My question is regarding the choice of the thinner ones at about 2 to 3 mm thick or the thicker 4 to 5mm ones? Advice appreciated.

Next week my brickie will be bedding the 4”x2” wall plate down on our new build. I’ll leave it a few days for the mortar to harden and then go about fixing it to the underlying concrete blocks. I like the “easy drive” countersunk bolts, but was wondering if it’s best to get 6” or 4”? If I use 4” then the depth of the mortar bed will mean there will be less than 2” of thread engaging the underlying concrete blocks, which is why I felt 6” maybe be best? I know it will have additional straps fitting it as well. Any advice please? Arnold9801

Thanks very much ..we are building our house ourselves, we just wonder how capital gain tax is worked out if we rented out the property for a few years then sold ..l guess it’s the value of the land and cost of the build minus the sale price which then leaves a profit which then would be subject to capital gains tax.

We're cracking on with our new build and are thinking of stair design. Has anyone found a good but reasonable supplier? I've just been quoted £450 per metre plus vat. We only want straight forward chrome stairails with 3 to 4 glass panels on one side of a basic straight wooden stairs. Nothing quite like you often see on "Grand Designs!" Advice would be appreciated. Arnold9801

We are currently building a house on our land alongside our existing house and was wondering if we were to let it out for holiday let for a few years how the investment property tax would be calculated. Would we have to get it professionally valued once built and then once sold would the investment property tax be calculated on the difference between the valuation once built and selling price. We were wondering as it maybe better to rent out our existing home instead as presumably the investment tax due on this once sold would only be due on the difference of the valuation at the time we rented out the property to the sale price and we would also get our vat back on the new build. Anybody had a similar situation?

No it's just for general insulation.

When I made wooden partition walls on our house 23 years ago, I used fibreglass insulation inside them and then covered the partitions with chipboard and plasterboard. I'm now doing a new build which will have a lot of wood partition walls upstairs. I would prefer to avoid using fibreglass insulation this time and was wondering about getting the gaps inside the walls filled with this paper fibre (if that's what it is?) Has anyone else used similar? Arnold9801

For our new build which is a concrete block dorma bungalow construction it's time to decide on lintels. Do I go 6 inch or 9 inch concrete lintels (reinforced with two rods) or do I go with Catnic metal ones or similar from IG Lintels? I think I'm doing right by eliminating the 6 inch concrete lintels just for peace of mind. Out of my two remaining options of 9 inch concrete or metal, could anyone offer me their advice please? I've had quotes and the 9 inch concrete and catnic are virtually the same. Your advice would be appreciated! Arnold9801

A good few years ago, a late friend of ours who was a plasterer, made us a tallow and lime paint for the outside of our newly tendered property. We need more but can't remember quantities etc. I know we had to buy pig fat (tallow) and a bag of lime chips which he put in a large metal bin mixed with water. It erupted furiously and he had to put a concrete block on the lid to stop it blowing off. Once cooled this becomes your concentrate which you dilute to use as the paint for the render. The results are amazing but after a number of years it needs redoing. If this process is familiar with anyone, could you please advise me. Many thanks. Arnold9801

I see some are recommending gas, but how about oil?

I’m glad I’ve made a few of you chuckle over my dappling bar! We could all do with a laugh! It’s just a flat bar/pipe with two arms that terminate with handles that is used for levelling mortar/cement flooring! It has nothing to do with the “misses!” The reason I’ve asked this question relates to me having to level 148m2 of cement next week on our new build as we’ve just come up to dpc. For what they are, they are pretty expensive to buy so was wondering if others have made their own? Arnold9801

Has anyone made their own? if so I’d love to see pics and what you used to make it. regards Arnold9801

We’ve just started our new build with our brickie just up to DPC. Could anyone advise us regading a NHBC certificate and who we contact to obtain one please? Also, who have you used to obtain one for your new build? Regards Arnold9801

We've recently bought and renovated our new house and I'm about to install our fourth toilet flush mechanism in the upstairs bathroom. The problem first appeared not long after I installed the toilet with it refusing to turn off and with it constantly overflowing. I explained to b&q and had a second flush. After a few days it happened again but this time I did note there was grit coming out of the bath tap alongside the loo in question. Again I went back to b&q and in fairness they gave me a third flush only for it to happen again a few days later! Then it dawned on me that its likely the grit is going up the cold inlet pipe into the loo itself and jamming the flush mechanism resulting in if not being able to turnn itself off. There is no grit coming out in any of the other taps in the downstairs kitchen, downstairs loo and upstairs bathroom sink. Its just in the cold bath tap and loo. I have a feeling I caused it by unknowingly letting debris fall down the open pipes after the old bath and loo were removed when I was recently renovating the bathroom. My question is, is there a mesh filter type connection I can incorporate between the insolator valve just down from the toilet baring in mind the pipe is standard 15mm copper? I just don't know when this will stop and a mesh filter maybe my only option if such a device is available? Any help advice would be appreciated. Arnold9801

Can anyone advise me on whether a normal external telephone cable will suffice for Broadband as well? Thank you.

Reason for the mesh was due to me having and old soak away trench going right across the new build. Building ctrl wanted me to dig all the way down to the bottom of these trenches where the foundations cross them. This caused the sides to cave in resulting on large holes 10 feet deep. I had to fill these up to just below the floor level of the trenches. The mesh had to go over the top of this concrete in fill and overlap by a foot the trench floor. Thanks for your reply.

I'm pouring up the foundations for our new build tomorrow with a c25 mix. I've had to put some reinforcing mesh in certain parts and have lifted them about 50mm above the floor. Is that ok?

I would like to build my new shed with a metal substructure/frame and then build off this with timber for fixing my metal profile sheets. Does anyone have details of suppliers of this framing and is there anyone who has made theirs in the same way? Arnold9801

It’s 25mm yellow.

Yes that would mean a welded connection.