mike2016

But, does it match the shoes?!!! Just kidding - congrats and a great place to start when you're looking for a particular widget for a job....!

Hi, I'm looking at green things growing out of my gutters again. Time for a clean. I've a two story house and was looking at a product like Gutter Getters to help reduce the number of ladder moves. Also was thinking of buying those hedgehog gutter brushes you can lay to slow down leaves etc building up. So two questions for forum users: What tool do you use / recommend for cleaning gutters? Do you have any gutter guards installed and what's your experience of them, are they worth it? Thanks!

It was LSX I was using but to seal it all up after the fact, rather than on the threads itself. I'll check out the price and see which way to go, good option though thanks!

Thanks! I take it you use water hawk OR PTFE, not both? I did about a dozen wraps of PTFE, I'll clean it all up and try that jointing compound next.....Cheers..!

Well, I got the parts and put them together. Washlet working but I've a persistent leak. I've circled where it appears to originate from in the photo below. I've tried Fernox a few times and just can't shake it. My suspicion is that the piece labelled A is just a straight through screw piece to join the toilet cistern thread to the t-piece thread. There's nothing inside like a washer to press up against. The area I've circled just weeps constantly. My question is how do I seal this connection - the hose ends all have a washer and tighten up but the coupling A I've never faced before and apart from PTFE tape I've no idea what else to do there to make a good seal.....?!! Thanks!

Thanks - looks like I should've asked for a 1/2" BSP size. Lesson learnt!! Inside diameter it is...!!

Hmmm... Now it say's 3/4 inch thread on the invoice, it's marked 3/4 but the measuring tape says different. Did I get the wrong part or order the wrong thing?!

Hi, Just wondering what people are using to monitor their household electricity usage? Is there anything free to use which holds historical data? Thanks!

Thanks! Order on the way!!

Hi, I'm trying to figure out how to connect up a Conway BA13 washlet. The T connector they provided doesn't fit the flexible connector I have going into the cistern feed. I tried a few local plumbing suppliers but they didn't come up with anything other than compression fittings. I was hoping for something similar to the supplied t piece adapter I could just screw in myself. The flex hose connects via 3/4" screw in via a BSP thread - the washlet t piece top and bottom ends shown below are only 5/8" / 15mm though. I don't want to replace the flexihose as it has a valve in it, otherwise I'll have to drain the system....I could get some reducers to add to the t-piece? Thanks!

Thanks - looks like a good solar power one would suit me fine. That pump would be what I need also. I've in an urban environment, fairly flat so can't get more head pressure easily - would love a larger system but would most likely have to go underground....more pumps!! Just need to join the two butts together - are there any easy "saddle" connections to join the base of the butts as they are curved? That way they balance their capacity. Just want to know what to ask for in the plumbers shop! Thanks!

Thanks - was interested in drippers over sprayers. Found a few solar power units, not sure if I need a pump though....

Hi, I'm thinking of installing an irrigation system for my raised beds. This would take water from a pair of 210 litre water butts ideally rather than mains. I'm not sure the water pressure would be enough though. Is there a way to boost pressure, preferably using solar rather than mains?

There's a number of routes - open up the vent with a more purpose built duct that is acoustically shielded. That is only going to help so far. All the kitchen smells end up in my room and I'm living beside a main road, all inwards pressures on my air quality - see graphs attached. I was considering a more active air filter for my room to provide positive ventilation but again increasing road noise and attracting higher levels of PM2.5 from the road is a concern. Currently I'm looking at PIV unit in the attic to push G7 filtered air at positive pressure into the landing above the stairs, it's self install and cheaper than the single bedroom unit I was considering.

I've a semi detached, I'm in the room closest to the road. The gable end is 9 meters away from the road. Prevailing winds are to the front of the house. Sometimes they hit the gable. In the case of my bedroom I've the two worst walls, closest to the road and prevailing winds. A fitted wardrobe prevents me moving the vent further away from the road along the wall. I could run a duct to a soffit as far from the road as possible, that would prevent the need to knock a hole in the gable wall....not sure if I should go with a small MHRV unit then and do a few rooms upstairs or just get my bedroom sorted. It's not an airtight house as you might gather! But that's exactly the sidewards thinking I was hoping for here!!

Hi, I'm currently trying to figure out what level of noise I might experience if I install a unit to improve the air quality in my bedroom. Currently it has a fixed vent into which I installed an acoustic insert to dampen road noise outside (no, not newspaper which was there previously!). Most of the units I'm looking at such as the Mitsubishi VL-50S2 and Vent Axia units have a 100-120mm vent to the outside and I'm worried getting this installed will fix one problem but cause another! Has anyone experienced adding such a solution to their room / house? The specifications only relate to the noise from the unit / fan itself, not what's transferred from outside..... Thanks!

One video blog series worth checking out to get some details is purelivingforlive over in the USA on youtube. They built with ICF basement/garage, timber frame on top and SIP to close it up for 1st floor and roof. The SIP work in relation to sealing the roof, hot knifing and fixing details are all covered. They have a LOT of videos so pick wisely but you see how they prep each panel before it's craned into position. They found the first panel each side to be the worst, but once they knew how to trim it to get the best fit they accelerated from there....eye opening...

I hope my bedroom foobot is just badly calibrated!

I'd be worried about condensation in the ductwork intake contaminating the air coming into the house. Remember that German example where they buried the ductwork in the ground to get ground temperature warmth even when it was freezing outside but the ducts became contaminated and caused illness to the occupants. How are you going to inspect for this afterwards? I know you can insulate but it's a risk....

Hi, I installed fire rated downlights today below a bedroom. There was electrical wiring directly above the old fittings so I'd to move the hole to fit the new downlight unit. Now I've a gap on either side and I was wondering what's the appropriate way to seal this safely? I could cut out a section of plasterboard and reskim. I was thinking of using a small amount of fire rated foam and then smoothing over this & painting. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Yep, definitely an option. I'll probably hold the plot for a bit - I can extend another 5 years while I see how things develop. I like the idea of scaling back work and enjoying life more! Thanks - There are two routes to build, an expensive way with an appointed builder, or direct labour and less regulation which removes a lot of the cost overheads. I need cash to go the second route though. So I think I'll look at feathering my nest a bit and sit back and enjoy the next few years in the current house but keep an eye out for an opportunity to re-mortgage to build a shell and finish it over a year or two and then move in and sell the old house. Anyway, I've a roof over my head currently and there are some good grants to improve the comfort levels that I'm applying for.... It's a tricky one. We used a QS two years ago and I used an online one 6 months ago but nothing prepared me for the quotes I got back! I'm sure the Architect had other tender prices to hand and I was up front about my budget. It's a simple house but could be made cheaper if needed. I just needed to see what the range of prices was. Now I can go back to the cheapest bidder in 2-3 years and see where things are at. Failing that I've another opportunity in 7-9 years time to remortgage and build the shell and bypass some of the regulations driving up the price. Still, the state of building one off houses in Dublin has shocked me and those I've spoken to about it. Cheers, exactly the route I'm considering taking. I've met some great builders and am confident they can get me out of the ground and to a water tight shell before I take over and with some oversight finish the inside bringing in Professional help as required. Plus do it over a longer time. I've 17 years before I retire so I'll have to talk with the banks about re-mortgaging in 7 years time so I don't miss the window. I think the tender process was a risk but I've detailed building drawings I can use to good effect later on. Plus I've got accurate costs back from the builders who responded and can see where the breakdown is compared to QS figures. Definitely up for the challenge of doing this directly myself. But a lot can happen to the market in 7 years and my own circumstances so we'll see. Having thought about it over the last 24 hours I'm going to spend some money on the current house and set a timetable for accelerating the mortgage payments. I might contact the lowest bidder in 2-3 years to see how things look but in the meantime I'll be living in a much more comfortable and healthy house which was one of my goals. Then at the 7-8 year mark I might re-mortgage and start building before planning expires or sell the site at that point. In the meantime I can take on another lodger and boost my finances. Thanks all! One of the great things about Buildhub is the advice - both technical and personal. I've very grateful to all who helped me here over the years.

Background: I'm living in a house with a side garden I got planning permission on. Just purchased it a year ago so only 1 year down on the mortgage. Recap: I was going to wait a year to get my finances in order but the Architect talked me into going out to tender anyway to see what prices come back. We sent out 6 Tenders and 3 responded. I can go back to the cheapest one in a year they said and get it repriced accordingly. So i was rightly worried that prices in Dublin would be steep but didn't guess how steep! The prices I got back needed a bit of adjusting to add the banks 10% contingency to, plus development fees, professional fees, connection charges etc. I've reflected this in the figures below Tender #1 €466k Tender #2 €465k Tender #3 €390k The house on the open market in this area would be worth €350k and I'm ignoring the value of the land in my figures above which I own. Crazy, huh?! This is a 108 sq. meter house, box shape. My own max budget was €330k so way out! The bank won't lend me enough to get this off the ground. I wouldn't feel comfortable leveraging that much debt anyway. I'm glad I went to tender, the figures were an eye opener. But, where to go from here?! I'm mulling over my options: Stay in the current house and make myself comfortable. Get new windows and doors, external insulation upgrades over the next few years. Pay off mortgage a bit earlier by renting a room or two. Sell site next door before planning expires. Possibly move elsewhere at some stage... Reassess in 2 years - I'll have 15 years until I retire then so if I knock down the mortgage a bit, the market holds and I sell up, see if I can then pull off a build, IF the figures look any better. Save like crazy and in 8-10 years build the shell, get it watertight and finish over a few years. That's a longer bet and my figures say I'd need €200k to get to the shell, maybe more by then. I could sell the house and do a caravan and get a small mortgage to finish possibly. The gas thing is I'd be moving beds about 8 meters over if I pull off the build but the effort required...!!! So, on one hand I'm glad I've a reality check now and know exactly where I stand. I'm wondering about just paying off the current mortgage like mad to keep my options open or investing in the current house instead. There's probably some middle ground - I'd find it really difficult to sell the site right away and have someone else build on it but I'll get over that..... I'll mull it over the next few weeks.....

Got valuations done of side garden with planning, the house without the garden and the value of the proposed new house when it's finished. The main problem is I can only access 80% of the build cost / house value (whichever is the lower) with a new mortgage and I've no savings to speak of so rather tight to pursue a build at present. Give it a year and I'll have paid off the mortgage one more year and added a lump sum to that to reduce it further. I can split the folio at time of sale despite absent advice from one solicitor. So that's a runner. I've now gone out to tender and hope to have up to 6 builders quotes in by Xmas to consider. Currently though my finances aren't in a good place so am planning on switching banks to get a 1 year fixed rate and 2% cash back while deciding if I should sell and build and if that's possible in January or delay a year. I can always break the fixed rate early if necessary. So, let's wait and see! Maybe Santa will be nice to me!

Disappointing week. I've been waiting three months on a decision by the bank about splitting the property folio and allowing me to sell the old house but keep the side garden to build on. They are concerned if I don't sell the house they are taking a risk as the LTV would then exceeds the Central Bank limits. The reduced property value post split plus the fact I've only a year paid down on the mortgage plays into this. I thought they would hold the side garden as security but it doesn't work like that.... I've been talking to a few banks and my solicitor about options but the clearest to date is either to split the property at time of sale or wait a year, pay down the mortgage to get it below the 80% LTV threshold (depending on the valuation), then in a year ask the same question. I'm all ready to go to tender - have builders lined up and the tender package written but without the bank's approval I can't proceed. I'll wait to see if any other options emerge but getting access to the garden has been an issue from the start. I tried to buy directly off the previous owner but the banks didn't play ball, and now again I'm hitting institutions that we bailed out calling ME a risk! Anyway, rant over. Turns out nothing is simple. I can only ask the questions, the replies sometimes confound me! Let's see where we are in 12 months......

Hi, I've two different wall build up options and conflicting advice about which is more cost effective. The first is a twin stud, cellulose fill, with aquapanel & k-rend. The second is Climawool / timber frame / outer block leaf which is slightly thinner and claimed to be cheaper. Now, I know that's light on detail but any thoughts about cost: I would assume blockwork will take longer / need scaffolding longer vs aquapanel / k-rend cost so it's about even. Thanks.