saveasteading

Take that edging all the way, with gravel behind, and it will completely remove splash whereas Aco will still splash where water hits the metal bits.. Sorry Aco, you've lost a sale. You need to weed it occasionally, and clean the gravel every few years.

You're right and a bit of cracking is likely whatever you do. If you build this with the 10mm gap I'm sure a solution will present itself as it's a tiny gap to bridge with an oversailing board or trim.

If the beam is simply supporting a wall and perhaps a floor onto the wall, then most of the load is already on it and it has already deflected. Only a bit more might result from people jumping on the floor, severe wind, snow if its a flat roof. The deflection head is still sensible but i woudn't fret over a few mm reduction if it helps, then fill with mastic or painters mait.

The aco is to catch water running towards the building. Can you slope the paving away from it?

Slates do more than look traditional. They will catch 99% of the rain and the wind. Ghen your underlay jusg takes some dribbles. Plus the weight holds ig alll down in thd worsf of gales. Can you make them fit back over the available depth?

How refreshing to have this simple explanation that you want to improve your own work. 35 years isn't too bad. It isn't a big roof so you'd be as well to strip it and redo, i think. You could probably rebuild it in modern materials and reslate over to preserve the appearance.

Sorry no. But its not an idea, it's good practice. Dig hole around air brick and 100 below it. Build 300 x 200 ish brick u shape, to level at least 20mm above proposed paving level. Gravel up to bottom of air brick. Pave up to brick. The dpc level should be a concern.

@Mr Punteris correct. Unless there is any obvious reason for a detour, such as a tree, rockery etc it will be the easiest route. Either 90° to the road or the shortest route to your internal stopcock. What depth is the inside of the meter box? Dig that deep and a bit. Carefully.

I would never cover an air brick. Apart from reducing air flow you are encouraging, indeed perhaps causing, water ingress to the void. Form a boxout using bricks or your blocks to above paving level (a tiny kerb) so that water stays out and the air brick is exposed. That's all assuming you have a raised floor and it hasn't previously been rebuilt. Surfacing up go this level is a concern in itself. Where is the dpc?

There are instances of consultants being sued for errors by the contractor or one of the other consultants when measurable and exreme damsge was caused. Seldom though.

Yes Iv'e got the wrong thing. I will go to JDP though, as they will fetch the correct part and don't need me to fill a number in from a vague description.

On a lighter note. I was searching for Aquaflow's website to see details (none found). But I came across this from a similarly named business who are remarkably frank about their products. Aquaflowproducts.co.uk we are a wholesale distribution company who are involved in the distribution of spurious shower and water pump spare parts / spares

yes that's right. and I think you are right about it being unusual. I now think I've got the wrong thing, and it is for connecting to internal copper or plastic plumbing. it read properly in the TS catalogue but i think a thinner skinned pipe would push in further. I will go to a proper shop (JDP) and they will give me the right thing. Fortunately I first put a stopcock on the branch so there is no panic.

Ok. I remain surprised at the vagueness. I wonder if any have blown away this last week.

I've repaired the mains leak. now i need to reconnect the outside tap, so I've got one of these, in the reducing size. The left hand fits no bother. what is shown here is the complete thing. The right hand part though, which is the smaller end, has 3 bits inside it, a rubber seal washer, a hard plastic washer and a serrated metal washer. Or it did until they fell out in random order. I've tried 3 different ways and there is no seal (the water comes out of the end.) From what i have tried, the pipe simply goes in the hole until it stops, and there is no 'second push', to slot in a precise hole. I have only hand tightened so far, but believe it was tight enough. which order for these parts please? I also see conflicting views on putting ptfe on the thread. that doesn't seem to be the issue though.

Do they quote any particular spec for the screw? This does need proper calculation, for pullout resistance and for tensile failure.

presumably they would lose their accreditation. More seriously they, and anyone else who has not been supervising properly, could be sued for the reduction in value in the property.

Likewise, and i'm so grateful you got me to look into that. The vast majority of my projects were using a highly superior system. either they ensured the strips were added by kingspan, and others, or the spec has diminished and it is now optional, Well, that is fraud isn't it? I did detect t that from one tester. Casually asking what number i was hoping for. Architects like pretty. Other peoples money.

my 120m2 basement cost £100k in 2015 so no more expensive, But there would be no windows, and various other simplifications. If it's a garage or plant room, of course it is plainer. The muckaway cost itself could be very high ( location) , but is possibly shown elsewhere as site prep. 120m2 x 3m x 1.3 bulking. say 500m3 or 25 lorries to load, transport and tip.

No. an actual test must be done. However I have doubts about the ethics of some testers...and contractors. Alternatively you can elect for no test but must apply a very onerous number (15) to the SBEM. It is a rather different setup though if the building is 50m x 20m x 10m, for example. @ProDaves car fan and cardboard wouldn't do it. I always had foam strips ready fitted. I'm shocked to now see on Kingspan site that this is optional. Other suppliers also had them as standard. perhaps this is a race to the bottom. Optional factory-applied side lap seals just a thought. Some industrial units are built to unheated standards then converted (sometimes without planning) to 'ancillary office' use. Or occupiers install space heaters.

Double the cost of the whole building. Treble the cost of any one storey. Plus I, as a contractor, would add risk money. Anything that could be a problem is multiplied. That also assumes a clever and practical design. I was looking into a hole while on holiday (as I do). This was a deep excavation for a basement. But a it was in a dry area of Spain, with no water table concerns, and self supporting sides, they just dug a hole and used clay block-work for the walls, and the usual concrete frame holding it all up. That will still cost more than an upper floor, but not much. In central London, dig a basement. Perhaps central Edinburgh where it isn't rock. Elsewhere, no. I've done one. Not good value but the client owned the site and wanted more space. Plant and kitchens went in there. It was a pain throughout, especially as it, being watertight, held the rain in.

They have an interlocking joint with foam strip so the long edges are not a problem. Therefore it fails the air test, and badly. But you are right then that somebody, or many parties, must be turning a blind eye..or worse. I was getting a building pressure washed yesterday. I supervised a lot of the construction (14 years ago) When it got a decent air test result. Yet there was water coming in at window heads. Not a lot but some. I have no idea whether this is a good comparison, as perhaps the jet broke a seal. That applies to all construction, and all manufacture. Who is responsible I wonder, for what you are seeing. I should say for clarity, we used Polish then Hungarian cladders. Because of quality, not cost. They are no longer available. There are some good UK ones too.

Report back please. I didn't know these existed.

Photos! Faces pixellated of course.

Evenn If its asbestos, I can imagine you were breathing it in, any more than with plasterboard dust. Mist of it us cement, and that type of asbestos is low risk. Damp cloths to pick up and remains. And relax. Do get the test done.