Linto
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Everything posted by Linto
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Cheers for the advice guys. R_sole I know what you mean, he's ok with the warm roof in the living area but doesn't see the point in doing the warm roof for the eaves. Gav_p I wish I had that option, this the short list from approaching about 15. ZacP I'm leaning your way as I think a positive working relationship is potentially more important even if it means extra oversight. Decisions, decisions. Thanks for helping me get my thinking in order guys
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So, having finally managed to get some quotes from builders for my loft conversion I've got to decide between them. 1st builder is highly rated but seems quite skeptical of some of the design choices (too much insulation, doesn't like warm roofs, amongst other things) he's quite old school and seemingly set in his ways. I can see me butting heads with him about some details but getting a good result by the end. 2nd builder not as good a reputation (some good to middling feedback from past customers) he seems keen and wants to learn. But the feedback has me thinking that to get the end result we want will require a bit more monitoring/ guidance. He seems like somebody I can work with. Price wise there is very little between them so I guess the question is should I go with old, set in his ways but knowledgeable or keen but needs more monitoring and input from me?
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It has a side window which is where the width loss will be, otherwise you're right I'd have a fair bit of dieting to do!
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To accommodate the planned ewi I need to make the current front door opening smaller by about 180mm on each side. What is the best way to do this? I was thinking of a simple stud wall made with 4x2 and clad with cement board externally, some mineral insulation and plaster board internal. I'd attach the stud wall to the existing masonary with frame fixings. Will this be robust enough to deal with a front doors traffic and door banging? Will I need to use treated timber or just normal? Is this the best way to achieve this or is there a better one? Cheers
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Unfortunately we need to remove the trusses as the old roof will need to be removed to build the new one.
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I'm after some ideas on how to keep the house dry whilst the roof is off and being built up. I'm aware that I can have one done with scaffolding but it will cost. I doubt tarps will be effective as we're on the Cumbrian coast so wind driven rain is a certainty so are there any alternatives? Or will it be more cost effective to do what we can and just accept the inevitable water damage and repair if needed?
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Planning said no to eaves windows unless obscured and the boss doesn't like obscured glass so it's a no go. I appreciate all the questions and ideas though it's giving us lots to think about and rethink our original thoughts which is good.
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I had a look at fire door prices ? and fd20s seem pretty rare, most places seem to just do 30s, probably for ease of fitting as you mention.
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Am I right in thinking that we only need to have a protected route which goes any way out or does it have to go to the front door as to route it to the back door (through the kitchen then utility) would mean a lot fewer fire doors. The windows can't go any lower unfortunately.
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The down stairs layout is quite a compromise, caused by a historic badly designed extension that we can't do much about. I hadn't picked up in the fire doors, I'll query it. But I think it because of the height of the windows so they can't be used for escape. The stairs are contained in the room to change them to end facing the front door we'll have to go through a supporting wall so more disruption than the boss can handle. Cheers for the advice
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Good point, but he's on holiday for a week now and I was hoping to get it done over the weekend. All I need to do is remove the plaster covering it, I think, but I don't want to take off more than I have too as my patching skills are considerably less than my making a mess ones.
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As part of my lift conversion I, well the SE, need to examine an existing lintel to check that it's up to the job of supporting part of the new floor. The house has been extended in the past (late 90s) so the lintel is part of the original exterior wall and is now an interior double door. So what's the best way of doing this? Just go at it with my hammer drill with a chisel bit or something a bit more refined? Where about on the span should I expose it? on part of the span or at an end? Which side, underneath or does it not matter? Any advice you could give would be appreciated. Linto
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So, I've got the designs through from the designer for the loft conversion, I've noticed a few issues with the insulation and what I'm after but as far as I can tell everything else seems ok. But I've very little knowledge about this and I always appreciate others will see things that I don't, especially since I'm as far from being an expert about this as can be. So if you could take a look and any advice, suggestions would be appreciated especially as this is a big investment for us so if you can see any cheaper ways of achieving similar results I'd like to hear them! Linto
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Thanks Ferdinand, I can insulate the underfloor as it's largely soil with a decent crawl space below the floor boards so I should be able to do it myself with 100mm of mineral wool. It will just be awkward to get everything though the small hatch. Does anybody have any ideas on what can I do to reduce what will be a large unsightly step from the EWI to the wall?
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Hi, I'm wondering if it's worth putting EWI (150mm) under the DPC on my walls or should I just improve the underfloor insulation and just accept a massive ledge at the dpc level when I install it above the EWI. If I do extend the EWI below the dpc would I need to keep the subfloor airbricks open? As in my mind it would make the point of the EWI below the dpc pointless if they remained open? I've read about people extending the EWI all the way down to the foundations but this isn't really financially viable all the way round with having to install French drains etc but I will be looking to move the drains out so that the gutters run straight down and end the EWI at ground level. I hope the attached picture helps provide some idea of what I'm talking about.
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Hi, After lurking for a long time I thought I'd bite the bullet and join. Hopefully I'll be able to pick your brains and expertise over the next year or so that the works will take to fully plan and start. The project itself is a loft conversion - we need to raise the ridge height to achieve this, planning has gone in and likely to pass. The house is a detached 60s ish bungalow in in deepest darkest coastal Cumbria. But as well as the loft conversion we are looking to increase the efficiency of the house all round. So we'll be putting insulation under the suspended floors, 150mm of EWI and plenty in the new roof. If the budget allows we want to put new window's in too. For all that I'd love to do as much as I can, the boss has said I've got to get people who know what they're doing to do most of the work! So you'll have plenty of posts from me in the near future!
