Rufus77

I’m hoping someone out there can give us some advice on our house refurb. We’ve moved into a house which needs a lot of work doing but as complete beginners, we don’t really know where to start. We’re currently trying to decide whether or not it would be a good idea to hire a contractor to just oversee the whole project or whether we should manage it ourselves. What are the pros and cons of hiring a contractor and can anyone give us a rough idea of how much they charge (percentage-wise on top of the actual work cost)? If we went it alone, what order should we do the following jobs in?: Some roof work (we think the rear elevation of the roof might need to be replaced) Fascias, soffits and guttering New windows and doors Electrics - rewire New boiler and possibly radiators Damp proofing Plastering New kitchen New bathroom Any tips and advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks. Do they not work then?

We've had the chimney repointed. Would painting it with a breathable brick sealant be a good idea?

No there's no gap. I think it's just the photo.

Thanks for the replies. By period, I mean it's an old farmhouse (1930s). The existing fascias are wooden but there's no real detail in them. We'd be looking to switch to plastic (possibly wood effect) so I just wondered what type of company would be best.

The title says it all really. We need to replace our soffits and fascias on a period property. Having looked around, it seems that both roofing companies and double glazing companies offer replacement services but which ones are best? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Last year we noticed a growing damp patch on the inside of a gable end wall next to the chimney breast in an upstairs room. It eventually got so damp that part of the ceiling collapsed. We hired a roofer to fix the leak but despite having a new roof on half of the house and having the chimney repointed and reflashed, the internal wall and ceiling are still damp. We’ve had a dehumidifier on full every day but it just isn’t drying out. There is some cracking to the rendering on the external wall although it’s not exactly where the internal damp problem is. We’re also aware that we have a lack of ventilation in our loft space but could either of these things be causing such damage? I’ve attached some photos. Can anyone please advise what could be causing the problem and how we can fix it. Many thanks.

Thank you! Are they standard sizes do you know?

Can anyone tell me what type of chimney cowls we need? The chimney is in use for log fires. I've attached a mock up photo with approximate sizes on. Thanks.

We have a very low pitch on the roof so we can't really get into the loft to see. One of the roofers did crawl through and said it was lacking ventilation but it wasn't evident where the water was getting in. Now that the roof has been re-done and the chimney re-flashed, we think it's probably getting in through the chimney somehow unless it's possible that the external rendering could cause this extent of damage?!?! I've attached a photo of the damage from the inside and you can see that the chimney breast and the adjacent wall are very damp!

We do use it yes so we wouldn't be able to get rid of it unfortunately.

Our roofer didn't mention the pointing but the second guy we had round (the one who took the photos for us) did say that the chimney needed pointing. There are two chimney pots which have bird mesh over them but they don't have actual cowls. Apparently the cement flaunching was cracked too but the roofer says he redid this when he was up there this most recent time. I've attached a photo although it's not very clear. When we've had a few dry days, the damp readings do go down yes, but as soon as it rains, they go back up again.?

So the roofer came back and has redone the flashing, replaced and repointed the ridge tile and cleared up the debris. He didn't change the dry verge. Unfortunately, it still doesn't seem to have fixed the leak. We bought a damp meter and have had a dehumidifier on all day every day but the internal wall just isn't drying out. We are thinking of asking someone to repoint the chimney and then paint it with a breathable sealant. Does this seem like a sensible next step thing to do? Or could the problem be down to the rendering on the external gable wall and nothing to do with the chimney? I guess I'm just looking for suggestions as to what to try next really. I have 2 young children and have had a damp, mouldy wall for almost a year now. I just want to get it sorted. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you for taking the Thank you for taking the time to reply! ?

We have We have no way of getting up there to take more photos but the ridge tile with the big gap in the mortar is the one next to the chimney stack and is directly above where the ceiling has collapsed. The third photo above showing the "sticky flashing and the black plastic trim" is the gable end wall on the opposite side of the same chimney stack. This is the wall which is damp both inside and out. In summary the damp wall and collapsed ceiling are below this chimney stack which sits about 1 foot in from the gable end. I hope that makes sense! ?

He did only re-roof the front elevation (as you can see in the last but one photo) but yes, the photos of the cracks, gaps, flashing and black plastic trim are how the roof is currently, after he 'fixed'it!

Last year we had a leak in our house which caused significant damp on the inside and outside of a gable end wall. The ceiling also collapsed in the upstairs room next to the gable end and chimney breast from the leak. We hired a roofer in May to fix the leak. He said we needed the front elevation of the roof to be replaced so we had this done and paid him £8k for the job. Unfortunately this did not fix the leak and despite him coming back on 2 occasions to check the leak and replace cracked tiles and flashing, we still have the leak 8 months later. We have asked someone else to take a look at the roof and take some photos and we are shocked at the state the roof has been left in. I'm no expert but I can see several cracks and gaps on the tiles and the flashing. There are also huge gaps where a the black plastic trim (don't know what it's called) meets the tiles on the verge of the gable end. I've attached some photos. Are there any experts out there who can tell us: 1) whether his work is an acceptable standard? 2) what we need to do to fix the leak? 3) give a rough idea of how much this is likely to cost? Any other advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!