saveasteading

I'm going to look for the screed manufacturer's info on this. I noticed that they had about 8 products and they will all have different absorption properties. We are currently measuring the air humidity in the enclosed space of the testing box. That must be an approximation. A probe will be another approximation as the free moisture content must be linked to the amount of impermeable aggregate in it. The only real test is to take a core and heat it and measure the water evaporated off it. That isn't going to happen. The floor will be engineered timber, and the manufacturer has nothing to say on the matter. The contractor changes his requirements when challenged, as in the initial post. Wants to seal the screed or charge an abort cost, so I have no trust in them. I will be there on the day and the poor chap may have a hard time if he plays at being technical. What I don't want is them walking off because the scam hasn't worked.

I've always found that they give the correct advice and don't sell for the sake of it. That's good business too as they started with just the one passionate inventor: was it 25 years ago?

So we found a moisture meter and set it up. currently saying 53%. I just know it can't be any drier than it is now, but it will be interesting to observe any changes with time or temperature. AI says 50% max for flooring on anhydrite. Other sites give very different numbers. But I came across this erudite site. Perhaps in the toilets. I'd take their site even more seriously if the page headline didn't use the word Moiture. Rhymes with voiture?

5% on a conversion. One big advantage of that is that the builder can own or hire equipment and it falls within he one invoice. VAT reclaims do not otherwise allow tool hire or purchase. But otherwise...NO. There is nothing to stop you buying materials, and the only downsides might be if you get it late, or if there is a problem with quantities/ waste.

Although I'm qualified I still engage expert SEs because I can't keep up to speed on all aspects. I might 'know' that something will work but have lost the calculating skills and haven't kept up with the changes to codes. It is normally prudent to engage a local practice because they know the ground, the local preferences, and are available for site visits. Equally an Engineer doesn't usually want work far from home, for the same reasons. That can change if the work is purely academic as in the analysis of a beam or truss. But that will be an unuusual case. So we can rest assured that Chartered Engineers are not going to use BH to tout for business, and free advice should normally be received as well intended and without any strings .... with the unstated subscript that the project has not been visited or examined in detail and no liability can be inferred. Which leads me to emphasise that a concerned owner might not be noticing the underlying problem or cause*, and a site inspection is recommended in mot instances. *That's why we ask so many questions which can annoy some correspondents who simply want an easy answer. Gus is not touting for business, but his advice is rounded and pragmatic and up to date.

I liked someone's advice in a prev discussion. Buy a German or German approved one. The quality will be good and safety thought through.

That all seems sudden. I know we discussed it on here a few months ago, but I've not seen anything in mainsream media. So perhaps HMG follow BH for balanced and knowledgable advice.

The issue is the height. That's 6m so needs a cherry picker. What's that £350? We will have one there but not fir a few weeks and I'd like good wifi on site and the camera working. As long as an attempt at a plug doesn't do any harm I'd like to go for it. If that's no good then we need a new cable and to fit it when the mast goes back on. What I haven't said so far is that we will also move the mast 3m to the left, as there is an office there. Where it is was to suit the scaffolding at the time. I guess it would be prudent to buy a ready made cable.

No we will have the cladder remove and refix it. Fyi the cladding is composite pir double skin on timber battens. Then behind there is the timber structure you see there. Vandalism? I don't think so.. plain ignorance probably with plasterboarders either damaging it or cutting off for easy threading. And further enquiry would very definitely find that it was Mr Nobody. The main concern now is that I might get a plug on it and it still doesn't work.

It's very high indeed so the cable isn't being changed. I've exposed the wires, and damaged one, thus demonstrating that a stanley knife is to be avoided. Amazon do a kit of a multitool (strip and crimp) plus some pass through terminals, For £22 so that may be the way forward. There's plenty of cable so if I fail then a proper person can still do it. We've lots of similar cables fof doing fancy things i'm not much involved in so someone will do it.

All my fault. I was just thinking we could turn the gas turbines off. But don't you agree that is a way ahead for water?

Thanks I'll check these references. I need easy. The cable is built into the wall and it's lucky that one person thought to make it accessible at all. Btw I think the cameras perhaps won us 20 mins production per day. "Of course we trust you but it is security."

So this? I find it hard to believe this is so cheap. That's for 10! They are half that price each by the hundred. Yes it's recent and was working well until someone decided to cut the end off. (That we have cameras is disliked by some. Perhaps that's why it's been accidentally damaged and no rush to resolve. So it has to be diy.) Do the wires just push in? I expect the colour positions are easy to research.Such tiny wires though: I can see me losing some copper along with the plastic. Is it a stanley knife or wire stripper job?

Repoint and monitor is the likely advice. Are there trees nearby?

For whatever reason, the terminal has been cut off the starlink mast, or extended with a wire. So we just have this bare cable. Any advice on how to fix a usb plug on it? I can try harder on focus if necessary.

I remember helping my dad make stuff. The drills were manual. For big stuff it was like a car starting handle, with a wooden end tucked in the oxter (haven't used that word for a long time.) Just imagine using that while balancing on a roof. For small stuff the drill was like a whisk. When power drills arrived there was no regret for old times, but occasionally the manual ones were preferred... I'm thinking it allowed 'feel' for furniture etc.

Interesting points of view. Timber houses is the standard in Scotland and whether kits or stick built makes little difference to the design. I've got a how to do it book which is US and ultra practical, but explains it all well and is common sense. We've worked to that for the principles and it sits on the Architect's desk. The chippies know most, but not all, of the principles. Bco walks past the work, presumably looking at some details and principles. I've also got a very complex text book on designing in timber....I haven't looked in it for years, but let @Gus Potter and his ilk do the specialist stuff. So, I say go for timber if you want. Ludicrous energy prices? That's the only way the public will take notice. Yes it should be tweaked but that will happen over time. Water is about £2/m3 if I remember. That's not enough to change habits which looks like being essential. in Spain it is 70c.... ludicrous. Me? I'd lower elec prices for the average essential use, then raise the tariff on an exponential. Thus hot tub, swimming pool, aircon people pay much more. Water similar. In Spain 20 years ago there was no insulation in Med areas. Now it's 50mm or so. Up in the cold north I expect, but don't know, that it is much more. Scotland's insulation requirement is slightly greater than England's. But for av 3°C difference that makes sense.

It's often the strongest bit. Everything moves, and it's a question of how much. How long has the crack been there?

Insurers generally want a 5 lever mortice. So as long as you dont leave it within reach through letter box or broken window, they wont be able to use it. I like to have a 'yale' too just for night time security and ease, but use the mortice when going out.

I clicked 'send' too early and have now said much more. I don't trust them to use a meter properly.

I'm just sharing today's annoyance. Perhaps it will help someone else. We will be using engineered timber over a large area and have it in storage because it was a bargain. We recently got a reference to a contractor to lay it. The price was ok so we said go. Now they are saying that we need to prove that the screed is dry enough. It is, and will be beyond dry come September when it is to be done. Even when we use the ludicrously conservative 1mm/ day we have double that time since it was laid, and the wind has been whistling through at 25 to 30 C. Having told them that, they now say (without reference) that it must be 19C all the time and actually 0.5mm/ day is correct. Even that means that it is dry. So they are either charlatans, or ignorant. From long experience I know floorers always try this because they want to sell an upgrade of sealing and even over-screeding, and/or lose any liability in case of any future problem. so 1. we explain why it is dry. Very civilly quoting the material used and the time it's been down. 2. we then emphasise that their sudden doubling of the time required isn't relevant. 3. Now they say that if they turn up and test the screed in September and it isn't to their dryness satisfaction then they will refuse to do it and charge £500 aborted visit. I'm thinking this is perhaps all they do... turn up, charge £500 and go away. It would appear that they are used to getting this extra pay, and are somewhat annoyed that we are daring to answer back. Obv I don't trust them at all and would like to tell them to go cheat elsewhere. But maybe they are just ignorant. They only do one thing, so they should not be ignorant and thus I suspect the other option. If you cheat in one way, you are cheats generally, so who knows if they are any good. That they were recommended by a well known supplier bothers me. Maybe it's all too easy for them. In the past I've presumably convinced the floorers that there is no issue and just to get on with it. I may have signed papers to that effect. But this is on a different level. It's about 250m2 of flooring , so a nice job for someone.

the jagged one following the mortar. ie not what is prob F That is a common effect. In your case i'm thinking that the wall to the left has moved by these few mm. If that has been there for years then it prob just needs repointing. If new then it could be this recent drought causing sinking. could we see that wall from further back? Damp at chimneys is very common. Rain can come down the chimney if there is no cap. Or can creep through from the brick of the chimney itself. Is it just staining or can you se dampness?

Crack E is significant. Is the window in the original house? Any chance of a wider shot? Is the damp on the inside of an external wall? The cavity ties should be fine.

You are right to resolve if it is a big deal or toutine. The majority of such issues I've looked at over decades have needed attention but only maintenance. A boss once used this as standard advice to worried owners.... can you get a pound coin into the gap? No, don't worry but it needs attention. Yes, let's have a look and sort the cause. A 1910 house doesn't usually have good damp resistance. They had fires indoors, opened lots of windows and lived with it. Again, tell more.

Cracks may require SE but may be routine.. How extensive and how wide? Pictures would be helpful. Damp probably not SE.... it's usually a maintenance issue ... gutters, ground levels.. pics again and descriptions. and maybe we can point you in the right direction at no cost.