saveasteading

I've read some statements that are either total guff or a wind-up as you suggest. Many are clearly generic. My test would be The applicant loves nature especially birdies and bunnies and likes pretty trees too. That might creep through.

Your council should have a policy statement on what they mean. But generally, bat boxes etc are a plus, but only small. Hedges are good though, You need to think about ponds, copses, meadows. Such that this plot is genuinely better for nature than it is now. Where does your rainwater go? A soakaway satisfies building reg's but doesn't aid nature so have a pond. Barrels first, overflowing to a designed pond. Your meadow needs a strategy too. Look into it. You're right that you could abandon it all in future, but you won't and at least it is possible to keep it with pride. Search the LA planning website for similar projects. The diversity statements will be full of waffle but the fundamentals will apply.

I've got one that looks the same. Must be 25 years old, and is primitive. 25 years ago we expected smoke. The door seals are a likely source of smoke, but are easily changed. The air adjusters are not sealed, and I don't think can be.

How big are the trees? I think the ground is usually clay round your way but you or someone else local may know. Big trees on clay can be a problem. This sounds like subsidence from trees sucking water from clay ground and the hot summer combined, which shrinks the clay. But it's odd that external walls are not affected. Maybe they are but you can't see it. Are they brick? I'm pretty sure this is not because the slab has failed, so insurance should cover it. You must get this looked at by an SE.

Because it would resist heat from rising into the room. Like putting a blanket over a radiator. If the pipes are fixed down to an uninsulated slab then it would send heat the wrong way. It would still offer some insulation to the room for whatever heat was there. So rule it out for any UFH use, which is the most common use for a thin screed. I admit to not having looked past the first page of the product but that gives all the wrong vibes so I expect the rest to be vague at best. Now let's guess. If concrete costs £120/m3, and pumped screed costs $150/m3. Is polystyrene cheaper than aggregate by volume? About the same I think. so there should be no extra cost for this product....let's see.

Can we see photos of the walls where the damage is? Do you think the walls are loadbearing (supporting upstairs rooms) ? Were they there when you moved in? Generally 100 years ago it would be brick construction on concrete trench footings. and would have moved before now if it was going to. Also for the internal walls to subside but not the externals is unusual. Any big trees nearby? Does the floor appear to have moved?

That's the answer. sound doesn't go round corners unless bouncing repeatedly. Make a plenum of plywood at the entrance to your ducting, with your maze within it, and line it with insulating board (rockwool sort of thing. or carpet_ and that should sort it. Keep it bigger than the duct and that won't reduce airflow either.

Celcon blocks are 0.22. so its much better than that.

I have a fleet of Einhell battery tools (started as a prize from Wickes) . Pleased with it all although sometimes I need heavier duty mains tools too. So I just got a leaf blower to add to the fleet. i'm very impressed with it. But the reason for posting is that for sales of this and other products until 12th??? Einhell will send a battery and charger later IF you claim it in time. I have 5 batteries, and the small, lighter, ones don't last so long, so another is a bonus. you'd have to hurry, and I'd check the small print first from the vendor and from einhell in case there are exclusions.

It would have to be very grotty indeed. PIR will follow the dips and compress over lumps. then the top screed takes it to level. My best use seems to be simply for a new surface in a workshop being converted to a workshop. Upgrade everything by whatever means to scrape the U value required.

ahhh. Not rocket science then, and at end of life this is contaminated concrete, and the eps can't be recovered. I don't know the mix, but guessing 20% eps. so a 100mm pour of this would have the same amount of eps as a 20mm board below 80mm screed. But the board would work better as it is continuous. Doesn't begin to compare favourably with the typical 100mm pir with a screed over. My hunch says this is a gimmick or of very limited use. Marketing will say otherwise. I'm trying to think of a good use. Upgrading a grotty existing slab in a workshop or office perhaps, where headroom and budget are limited. and where a slightly insulated floor rather than none is of some value. Just seen @Nickfromwales further comments. It is world leading insulation only for concrete. from the density it is half eps. So 50mm eps with 50mm screed above would be better insulation at .. what cost?

what is the cost? Obv it isn't appropriate for encasing UFH pipes. below it, PIR is presumably cheaper. If the existing floor is rough then maybe use this.

No I only meant to put about 20mm stuck over the end of the beam. Glue or screw. The cavity remains, and the small amount of restriction shouldn't matter. Probably best to fix small pieces into the recesses at either side of the beam then another over the face. Or carving a shape out of a thicker piece would be tidy. What thickness is Spacetherm? I think of it being in a roll and about 8mm thick but could be misremembering I'd paint bitumen over the exposed steel first just because you can and its something else to be certain of.

For which add to cost but have more certainty. Total diy to turnkey must be 40% or so dearer. At that cost level it may not be worth any more than it cost, so needs some other benefit. That is therefore your biggest decision.

You have a cavity so could easily fit pir, orceps or mineral wool over the face of the beam. Forget calculations: just do it and live with some tiny heat loss. Edit, don't use any absorbent material.

@JoanneP Welcome. We are here to reduce overwhelmed to whelmed. I do this because I hate to see people having unnecessary problems, but only on a few subjects. I follow some of the regulars because they know other stuff I can learn from. IT IS NOT EASY. My head is going round in circles on just one design decision at the moment... an element looks like costing more than we had anticipated but can I find a perfect solution??? That's what I've been doing for decades so don't assume it ever just drops into position, but do remember that most of it has been done before. Tell us more. That is a special job in itself. I was an Estimator for several years. Specialist contractors submitting formal quotations for the same project, and the quotes can be 10% apart for exactly the same thing. Bring in a choice of design and that becomes 100%.

1. No. That is nonsense. But If there is more wording than that then please tell us all. Then when /if you hear more too. 2. Do you have any construction drawings to show the SE? That can help speed things along. 3. Insurance clerks are generally not remotely knowledgeable on construction. Some companies reject almost everything to see if that gets rid of the claim. I met one insurance senior manager of a big company, who bragged how little they paid out... It seems to be a published % comparing insurance companies as a money making exercise, not any sort of service ethos. What age is the house?

Unless you are a fast worker, small batches should suffice. I am pleased within the plastic mixing tray I bought (Wickes?) that lets you mix easily by trowel or shovel and no mess or waste. It also cleans easily, and doubles as a plant potting tray. I have a drum mixer but might still use shovel on this for what you are doing.

'Just' isn't the appropriate word. How are you going to support the roof while removing the timber ridge? Insulating any steel will be the easy part. Can you discuss this with the SE and ask for any alternative suggestions? Often you find that the decisions pass down the line, as serial decisions. You ask for an extension design, Architect sketches in a beam, notices a headroom issue and so suggests taking out the timber, SE is asked to design a beam as drawn, you pay for the work. If asked, the SE may have better ideas, but possibly has not been asked. We can't suggest anything now, because we don't know the context. eg layout, spans , headroom constraint.

Even if glue would be suitable strong (I don't know) it would be relying on the paint to steel adhesion.... that doesn't inspire confidence.

Drilling and then using self tapping screws will be neater on the inside, and the thread tends to be grippier. A dob of mastic in the drilled hole of on the spot before self tapping will seal the hole. Tape mastic may be better than tube. But lining up screw to hole may be tricky. You have a very good point though. If screwing thin metal to metal, the washer on a classy screw doesn't just cover the hole but winds down the thread. For thicker stuff we used double beaded mastic tape. I wonder how solar panels etc are fixed. I'm worrying now for all of you with solar on metal roofs, where the fitters perhaps didn't think this through.

You won't be digging up the slab. Put a pencil line round the damp, and let's look at it again later. Condensation seems likely but have a look outside for signs of splashing or puddles .

You are misguided on this. Read other discussions on BH to confirm. It is highly competitive and skilled, with some useless people of course. The diy stores have the same timber quality unless someone has already been sorting through it and bought all the best timbers...... it's only dead trees after all. I do like that phrase and will use it But it is actually. I had a long chat with some surgeons once and we found a lot of similarities between the professions. Anyway, I've said my bit. You think you are being cheated. You're cleverer than the industry so I'll leave you to it.

No. I suggest you visit a builders merchant, see what they have, and ask for the manufacturers installation details. That will refer you back to previous advice. Explain please?

How close to the corner? Of course a wall with a bit missing is not as strong as a whole one. I wouldn't want a hole in the corner 'brick and a half' zone. But a neat hole further away is fine. Think of the load going down through the wall and half of each brick loading the one on either side, and so on. the loads goes around the hole and returns to being spread. V ery near the corner doesn't. If it is a cavity wall then you wont get through right at the corner anyway. allow this. If it is very close can we see a picture?