kaye

it's difficult to say how long it takes to appear and its so infrequent. it was chucking it down all afternoon yesterday from about 2pm but i only noticed it after 5pm. It doesnt have to be heavy rain to appear either, just the wind direction.

hi dave. I stuck some tape on the bits of the ledge i thought could possibly be the reason, this was after the last time the window people came out and we had a leak back in march last year. I have since had the balcony decking up and had the joiner fix some leaks in there that were dripping down through the bottom, which seems to have done the trick on that bit. I am thinking i need someone who really knows what they are looking for while i am squirting this water in, else i will make a whole load of mess and not have a definitive answer. I need a brainy builder or a surveyor you think?

The timber frame engineer said he thought it was a good chance it was from the balcony. They asked if there were cavity trays on the balcony. We do have those but i am not 100% confident in the job there. The timber frame is wrapped then there is render board and render on top so i struggle to think where it could go in as its a sort of envelope The window folks sealed up the windows on the ground floor and the ledge of the windows above. They have been back at least 3 times to check this and re-do it. This stuff makes you lose confidence in just about everything i think. I will see what decent photos i have of the outside during construction.

hi Kelvin, thanks for the reply. The windows that were in originally were only here for a couple of months during the build and boarded up as they were too small for the aperture.it was pre-render. We werent in the house then but I didnt see any leaks then but as it happens so infrequently its not that conclusive. I have attached a photo of the front of the house. The water is coming in above the downstairs lower triple panes in the left of the photo, and appearing somewhere in the middle of the 3 and towards the corner nearest the balcony. You can see the balcony is on the right alongside this. You are so right about water travelling. Do you think surveyors have these little cameras, i would have thought it would be in their tool kit?

Hi all, i am seeking advice on the best course of action to track down the cause of water ingress into my house. Its a timber frame, nearly 3 years old, triple glazed rational windows. We have large ceiling height windows in the hall at the front of the house. When the wind drives into the front of the house (v infrequently but last night it did) we end up with water coming in through the ceiling above the windows. I have had the window company back a number of times, who have sealed stuff up further to no avail and the timber frame company think it may be coming from the balcony at the side of this ceiling. As a bit of background the timber fame airtight test was done with different windows in this space as the original windows they delivered were incorrect. Hence me suspecting the windows at fault, though the airtight test taped up all the windows and doors. I am wanting someone to come and investigate and wondering what profession would be the best. I am thinking perhaps little cameras up through the light fitting in the ceiling to see if we can see any gaps? does anyone have any suggestions. Is it a job for a surveyor? I didnt have a main contractor on this job so the things that fall between the trades is down to me unfortunately. I am getting a bit desperate now as it happens very infrequently (this is the first time since a storm last march) but is v annoying when it does as i end up catastrophising every time it happens. I would be very grateful for any advice/suggestions from the forum. Thanks all.

hi flossy, exciting times for you? i havent come across solo or timber frame it so cant comment on them. Flemming,scotframe and MBC i did look at. I can send you my spreadsheet if you drop me your email address. we have been in our house for 2 and a half years now - so its over 3 years since i did the evaluation so bear that in mind. I chose MBC because they covered more of the build, they now seem to be doing windows too - which would be a major headache removed in my view. I think its the most common cause of things not quite working (we have all watched grand deigns havent we?). Drop me you address and i am happy to provide anything i discovered over to you. K

i was going to use private inspection companies but spoke to the LA head of building inspection. He reassured me that he understood what i was doing (passive house/timber frame) and what he didnt have experience of he would learn. So i opted for them and was very impressed at the speed at which they reacted, their advice and help so i would suggest getting hold of your LA first and see what you think after. If you want a warranty though it can be tricky if you are not using private.

I tried to get a retro building warranty but found it prohibitively expensive. We were trying to raise some money on our new build to build a barn and same as you, we never intended to sell it so didnt get a warranty at the time. The other thing that was a barrier to getting a retro warranty was that we used local authority for building regs. None of the warranty companies would entertain us because of that. I did find some of the mortgage companies accepted architect certificates but not many. In the end we gave up on the mortgage so i cant provide a solution (sorry).

Has anyone managed to get a retrospective building warranty? I had the local authority act as our building control and didnt bother with a warranty at the time. I am trying to raise a small amount of money on mortgage against the property for a barn in our field and struggling as all building societies seem to require a warranty. I have tried a couple of companies and they wont issue a warranty unless i used someone from an authorised list of inspectors for our building control. As if raising money on a timber frame wasnt hard enough this is another hurdle. We are only looking for a tiny amount in comparison with our house value. I would be really grateful of any advice from anyone who has managed this hurdle.

HI All. I hope this is allowed. We used some spacetherm super thin insulation blanket for insulating the steels internally in our passive build. I have a few meters of a roll left if anyone can make use of it. I know its quite expensive and don't want to tip it before i check if any of you self builders can make use of it. Message me if anyone is interested and can come pick it up from lovely north wales.

HI Rae, sorry only just spotted this. Do you still need my spreadie or are you sorted? I have got my frame up now and am living in the house. Happy to share what i know if you want to drop me your email i can send it over.

Manthorpe Continuous Soffit Vent (10,000mm2) - 2.44m White | Roofing Superstore® we used soffit vents - you can get them in different colours though you dont see them anyhow, cheap as chips and easily attached and cut down

This was my thought also - and any issues with the job that appear subsequently! These people just cant ship out halfway through a job without any implications for them can they? Trading standards must be a last resort but i am pretty sure its a breach of contract if its a fixed price agreement while they are still trading.

This is interesting as i am in the same boat. Mine has done my house, with a couple of snagging items that need attention and done first fix on our garage/annex and is now saying he is too busy. As a consequence of the way he has structure the payments i am not clear how much i have already paid for but clear on what the final bill should have been. IN fairness he has suggested his sidekick complete the work (which i would be happy about) but my fixed price contract is with him, so i am suggesting he sub contracts to his sidekick and i pay him, else i am on a hiding to nowhere methinks trying to get someone unfamiliar to pick it up. If i encounter issues i am considering trading standards as a last resort? anyone have any suggestions? strange times at the moment as they seem to be able to pick and chose work, reputation must be important for these folks though?

we had a lot of these ash trees that we had to clear - we refer to them as weed trees as they sprout up anywhere as Billt says above. we cut them down as low as we could then painted on SBK stump killer on the stump, that seems to do it, else you are fighting a losing battle with the pesky things. I dont think roundup would work TBH, i dont find that very effective, though it may signify my lack of patience!

It turned out a tad ugly, i did start dry stone walling the external walls but that looked pants (also the corners around the door were to tricky for me). My renderers have now promised to krend it to match the house while they are there. Fingers crossed it looks less naff then!

I built a brick hut, separate from the house and garage and situated the 2 meters in there as i needed both gas and electric to the house and garage/annex and situated them centrally between on the advice of the plumber and electrician. Have attached a photo. I had a groundsworker excavate the trenches, and placed the ducting inside, i then paid the utility companies to drop their supplies through the ducting. The hut needs to be watertight and lockable and have a concrete foundation though you can buy specific cabinets to fix to walls. The Utilities will do the digging but charge more so better to do it yourself. The utility com costs were c£850 for electric (NB from a pole around 60m away in the field) and the gas cost £450. Im not sure the utility companies get out of bed for much less than 400 tbh. The energy suppliers are a bit clueless about this stuff so you need to approach the infrastructure supplier for info e.g. for me it was SP networks for the electric. Hope this helps, if you need the spec i provided to SP networks give me a shout.

Thanks Simon, will keep a close eye.

Thanks Dan - i do hope so. There is nothing above the membrane except the warmcell insulation (about 350mm minimum as i remember). The loft is partially boarded though, not sure if that would make any difference. lets hope it magically disappears!

natural slate. and yes it was this membrane.

thanks tony, we kept the loft hatches closed to help keep it snug to dry the plaster, this is a good idea

Thanks Dan - they used this in our build too. Not sure if the actual roof is vented tbh, i dont think so, its not something i was aware of as required. .