Simba_ali

Hey, So an update after the first storm here since the last leak. After 7 constant hours of 50mph winds and rain there is no new water staining on the ceiling so I thought that it was all good until I used an inspection camera to look in the roof space and noticed a small about of water (probably 10 drips worth) The sealant seems to have drastically reduced the leak but not eliminated it totally. Summer is going to be very busy with alterations!

I did think about the tiles breaking and to be honest I'm not really bothered about matching tiles. I was thinking of buying plain black tiles with the same measurements to go around the bottom so I don't have to change the entire wall. From what I understand the tray has 4 upstands so the tiles sit on top of the tray with a cm gap. I was looking more in the region of £500-600 to replace this tray (the Labour) unless any additional work is required such as replacing any wet subfloor etc which will obviously push the price up. Does this sound reasonable? Also what do you mean by "the damage in doing so is unknown?"

Hello, Can anyone give a rough idea of how much it would cost for a like for like replacement of this shower tray? It's 900x900 , the bottom tiles would need removing and replacing (5 tiles) and the tray is hopefully a like for like in terms of size and waste trap location. I was quoted £1000 which I thought was abit steep...the property is in the South east so I know it's properly abit more but it still seems high. I would be supplying the tray so it would be just a labour cost.

Would that leave it visible through the paint? It's only crappy builders paint so rubs off easy.

Yes exactly like that. The reason I am asking is because i can see the outline of something through my painted ceiling. I recently found a picture from When the plastering was being done and it has one of these patches where I can see the outline.... I'm trying to rule out water damage and that maybe I can see where this was painted over.

Hey, This may seem a really random question but sometimes you see that during plastering and painting etc the Walls are white with patches of pinkish/purple areas. What causes this? Say the whole ceiling was white but you had a square of pink in the middle. Why would this happen?

So its normal building sand?

So you guys reckon it's a grey sand rather than a yellow? How can you tell it doesn't have sharp sand? Not doubting you, just curious!

Sorry do you mean 4,5,6 and 1 as in sand to cement ratio? Judging by the photos should I start testing with a darker sand? Or normal yellow?

Hello, I've decided to try and patch point a small area of a wall. I need some advice of the best way of colour matching mortar. I've attached a photo of the type of colour which is a coarse sandy grey colour. Someone recommend 4 parts yellow sand, 1 part sharp sand and 1 part master Crete cement, does this seem about right?

It's not crumbling everywhere, just in the areas of missing mortar. If its cause by a weak mortar mix nhbc apparently offer raking out to depth of 10-20 mm and repointing to protect the mix behind. The only option other than this is to rebuild the entire wall which would be an absolute nightmare as half the house is under this wall. I take everyone's point though that mortar shouldnt be this worn after 4-5 years...I hope repointing can fix this

So Ive had someone have a look at the wall offering pretty much what you guys suggest, either patch point missing mortar or do the whole wall but he suggested waiting until spring/summer if i choose to do the whole wall as the weather is starting to turn? Is this correct? He also mentioned the mortar is quite crumbly suggesting the mix is abit off but can't be sure . Some of the holes you can push half way in with a small pin suggesting it was tip pointed on the perps? Or they are the holes where the polelines were.. I've got another builder coming to offer a second opinion soon. Must admit I was tempted to just use bostik express mortar (sealant tube style) to fill existing holes until people said it was crap ?

It's in Swindon...so south East/south West? I'm never sure lol

Yea it's abit annoying but I didn't even think to inspect brickwork mortar... Do you think from the looks of it that it just needs repointing? Not tearing down the wall or anything?

It is a share buy property through a housing association which i visited once prior to completion. I am passed the 2 year builders warranty but can still claim on the structual side of the warranty. it might be worth mentioning rain has been battering this wall for 2 days straight so the top of the wall is drenched and the bottom half seems drier

Those holes are located where the red circle is in the photo. the entire wall is about 4 meters long and you have about 1.5 m on each side on the door roughly..

ah ok i understand, thanks for explaining that for me. here is another photo showing the area they are concentrated in.. I'm considering contacting the new build warranty provider as my first thought was that this is weak mortar and is showing considerable weathering for only 4 years old. This wall is 3 stories high and does get pretty soaked during the winter but none of the other walls are showing this amount of wear. Ive also heard these holes could be frost damage? but in all honesty i have no idea. Does this look like its bad enough to need repointing? providing the mortar is sound obviously

sorry whats a line pin hole? I'm a novice when it comes to brick work etc

Hey i managed to get a photo of the strange holes appearing. Any idea why this could be happening? At the moment there seems to be about 5 of these all around one area but one or two in totally different areas. The hole is around 1cm - 1.5 cm deep and then i hit something solid which im guessing is mortar Regards

Thanks for the replies. Its a new build about 4 years old. Not one of the bigger developers but still a typical cheap new build from my experience. What i can't tell is if this is just bad brickwork and has been like this from day one or if its getting worse. I've also notice small holes on the vertical joints on one edge of the brick. I will try and upload some pics soon thats shows this. It rarely gets driving rain but when it does, the wall seems to dry out very quickly. What is also strange is the bottom half of the wall is of much better quality than the top half and has none of these problems. Its like 2 different people did the work!

So i have done a little test on a section and my idea was to apply sealant to the entire bead of mortar and onto the brick for a couple of months and when the work is ready to be done just peel off the sealant. I've attached a photo. Dont judge the terrible sealing...i've literally done it on a 10 cm section just to see if it holds ? The other option was to get a tube of stormdry cement sealer and apply to cover the gap. Will the sealant idea likely cause any issues? Many thanks

"them" is the Housing association. Basically they just say I'm responsible for full repairs /maintenance but I must get permission to undertake any alterations from them. In this case work must be carried out by a professional as it's classed as structural So from my understanding I must find a roofer to replace the mortar and have proof it's been undertaken by a qualified roofer. If this ends up being more that the excess for the new build warranty im able to claim back the amount over the excess. Like I said previously I'm finding it difficult to get this work done quickly so have placed sealant over the existing mortar as a temporary/desperate short term fix. Whether this works I dunno but my water tests since show no signs of the water coming through.

PeterW I totally agree, I'm trying to explain to them how leaving it longer could possibly cause more problems..it's like talking to a brick wall.

I've spoken to 5 builders, all booked out for months apparently because of covid. As long as they are insured im pretty sure they can do it.

I thought about flashband but that's my last resort if I cannot get anyone to do it before winter or the silicone doesn't work. As always if in doubt just dump loads of sealant onto it ?