MortarThePoint

I've been thinking of scabbing timber onto the side of my stair stringers, but fear it could stress concentrate. The scabbed on timber wouldn't quite be full length of the stringer due to brackets at the bottom. It would be 145x33 mm timber each side of the middle two stringers and on the nonvisible side of the outside stringer. The forth stringer is bolted to the blockwork wall. It's essentially a beam thickened up for most but not all of its span. It will reduce deflection, but am I introducing a problem by creating a stress contraction when the reinforcement ends. As it stands the stringers are good and stiff already, but it's tempting to belt and braces.

In the house I've fixed the windows with window straps subsequently covered by plasterboard during plastering. In the garage I have paint grade blocks and don't intend to plaster the walls. What's the best way to fit and finish around a window when not plastering? I could buzz screws through the frame into the blocks. I can fit a window board I guess. I'd like to cover the underside of the lintel with something.

Baypole screws may have a more discreet finish (smaller head). They have a finer thread so you'd need to check they're OK into timber I think lots of windows go in with Frame Anchor screws (7.5mm) so they're still an option.

Sounds like a practical solution to a tricky problem. How did the stringer attach to the steel? These screws may be of interest: https://youtu.be/63m5CL5G9Cg?si=ct5yEGvgZwwO34ZX

Do you add some mesh or something? Does that just rely on the jagged edge of the hole to grip the concrete? Wouldn't want it to fall through the hole 🤣

All the holes are 'from factory' so sanctioned by the HCF designer. The holes are quite large because of their minimum sized hole (200mm X 200mm) and in one case uncertainty as to final shower tray size. Annoyingly, for that larger one, I'm not even using the hole anymore. Sounds like you described sealing the hole accoustically, but I'm more worried about structural support of the shower tray

Another larger hole

I have some holes in the HCF for the shower waste pipe to pass through. I held back the screed a bit around the holes for obvious but potentially comedy reasons. This leaves me with a challenge supporting the shower tray corner as the HCF holes are large (min. 200mm per side). Bridging over the hole with a lintel would be nice, but the screed is only about 55-60mm deep. What have other HCFers done here? Where there is just a gap due to no screed, I figure I can just build up level with cut blocks and mortar.

Sorry, I do very much appreciate your help and am naturally inquisitive.

Hep2O Clipping Distances

@WWilts How did you sort this in the end? I have a similar challenge needing a balustrade along the top of a steel beam

It's a more general question of when you have a Hep2O pipe that leads to a basin and is coming up from floor level. Do you: make the Hep2O visible out of the floor and do the vertical all on the wall surface keep the Hep2O in the wall and then exit at a shallow angle part way up and then connect to a flexi adapter swap to copper in the wall and exit the wall in copper Here is a rough diagram of option 2 with the blockwork in grey and plaster in pink. The Hep2O is dark blue and then it's connected to the flexi. Just plastering round the pipe would make it hard to have a nice finish and also risk damaging the pipe. It's a common thing to do with radiator pipe and I have seen a number of products for 10mm pipe but also found this: https://www.manthorpebp.co.uk/air-leakage/radiator-pipe-guides-and-seals-–-increased-thermal-efficiency/grs-duo-15-15mm-radiator

@Nickfromwales You like to keep things tidy. What do you do when you have Hep2O in the plaster leading to a basin?

What would you recommend for the last bit of a water connection when using Hep2O? If I have a pipe going up a wall and ideally chased in, should I use an elbow to come out of the wall or keep going with the same bit of pipe and then use something like one of their flexible connectors? That would leave a potentially ugly to plaster around bit though. https://www.screwfix.com/p/hep2o-push-fit-flexible-tap-connectors-15mm-x-1-2-x-300mm-2-pack/1250f For showers I am swapping to copper which then sticks out of the wall. I have a stand alone bath as well which has taps on the less visible side. It still feels a bit funny to have Hep2O jutting out of the floor all the way to the taps, but I guess why not.

Given how hard it is to find Type F RCDs or RCBOs from sensible places I'm doubtful the majority of people are using them. CEF list a 40A type F RCD for £160+. That's about all I've found

The schematic of my ASHP system design calls for a "30mA Type F RCD". I think that's out of date now and would need to be an RCBO. What type of RCBO do I want to use for this? Type / Curve and how do I reflect the "Type F RCD" requirement? From Ecodan Installation Manual:

What do you do at reveals when doing sand and cement (S&C) plastering on walls? Do you line with plasterboard as normal and then skim over both the S&C and the plasterboard with MultiFinish?

The 6x2 of the landing against the wall was presumably in line with the stringer, so did you toenail it through the landing's front 6x2?

The picture hasn't uploaded for some reason

What type of metal bracket? A CAD drawing would really help if you are able to.

How did the it attach to the half landing?

I'm interested in how the right hand stringer is mated to the skirting board at the top. Do you have a close up of that?

I want to do the whole thing myself and have the satisfaction, but the newel to stringer m&t joint is intimidating.

It's the beginning of the end for a business when it expects it's customers to bear the price of its poor management. A well trodden path sadly.

Stairbox are much more like it. £2800. Do they have are mortice & tenon newel to stringer connection?