Mr Blobby

It looks like Sto Limited, the UK and Ireland distributors for Sto rend, and owned and controlled by Sto Germany, have gone bust. Which is not good. I tried to contact their support people today but have been informed that Sto Ltd is no longer answering support questions and the insolvency practitioners have installed new managers. Sounds like its not a happy arrangement 😕 and the workers have downed tools. It looks like other Sto resellers all go through Sto Ltd, so this is likely going to impact supply and support. Does anyone have any further info on this? Is this the end for Sto, or just the UK operation? If not Sto, then what other product should I use? KRend or Weber?

The problem is the windows are actually in place so cutting the outer leaf risks damaging the windows. I reckon I could cut a hole carefully with a grinder but perhaps the builder knows the bricklayer won't have my patience and will hack it with a stihl saw without much care for my windows. Also the windows are on first floor with rubber roofed porch underneath so more scope for damage from falling masonry. (I know, its a crap place to end up in but I can't turn the clock back😕) I'm also told that if we did insert a lintel and a course of block then the render would still be at risk of cracking anyway because its new block against old block (although I'm pretty sure this would be more stable than a timber stud bolted into the hole). Thank you @nod for your sage advice. So for a silicone based breathable waterproof render like sto, we should cover the front and underside of the timber stud with render board. Then do block wall render buildup as below, with reinforcement mesh across the join from timber to blockwork. Should I do anything else with the timber stud, like bitumin paint, or wrap in breather membrane? Would I need to leave a ventilation gap underneath like a timber frame build?

For reasons that make me use bad language, our block build house has a couple of window openings that need to be made smaller, but only on the outer leaf of a block cavity build. Window height must be reduced by about 300mm. The obvious thing to do is to insert a intel and a course of blocks, but that may be a little too destructive. Builder and joiners are suggesting a timber stud, to be built with ply across the face and then steel mesh across the front to render the timber stud to the blockwork. My concern here is the timber getting wet and rotting/warping and then render cracking. Breather membrane and bitumin paint on the ply has been suggested. What's the best approach here? Does the timber need to be ventilated? Would render board at the front be better than ply? Can mesh be nailed to render board?

I don't want to close the hole complete, there are cables to run through it. But if i chased the cables into the wall instead of coming all the way out, could I then cap the end of the hole somehow? I can see I'm not explaining this very well 🤦

We have a 2-inch pipe and a 4-inch pipe being used as conduit to run cables from house to attached garage. The cables emerge below the ceiling on the garage side, like this, the 2-inch pipe: We'll be putting scratch-coat onto the walls of the garage and all the cables are chased into the walls as on the picture. How do I finsh the open end of the pipe here? Do I stops the conduit 20mm below the blockwork and then exit cables out the side of the hole and chase into the wall up to the ceiling void? If so then how do I plaster over the hole? Some mesh over the end of the hole and then plaster over?

If you mean make it one big window and no opener (I don't think you do, but just in case), don't forget you need an opener for building regs requirement for fire escape.

Yes. Do the pour yourself, that is with good local groundworkers/builder. Don't rely on subcontractors to do it. Take great care with the door thresholds. Ours is a block cavity build. It may be different for timber frame, but our thresholds are recessed with, in theory, structural insulation under the door/window spanning the cavity, like this: This detail is great in theory but almost unworkable in practice. The issue is with the recess in the internal slab. Our contractor dismissed my suggestion to install timber during the pour at the recessed thresholds. He insisted the correct approach is to scrape away the concrete after the pour to create the recess. The result is a complete nightmare. We also have a 15mm height difference from one side of the kitchen to the other. 😕 The expert installers also joined the EPS blocks with clips on the top, under the DPC. This means that it is impossible to get the threshold level without cuttig the DPC and pulling out the clip. 🤷‍♂️ If I was doing it again I would avoid recessed thresholds altogether (they are probably inescapable if you have a slider) to be like this: Window fitters will completely ignore everything you say about this threshold detail. Full height windows are not worth the hassle. Ignore your architect.

Here's our big window with the joined frames as your image. Sorry abot the scaffold in the way, this is the best picture I have, but you can see the join and the fuill height opener, just about. The window is so big that you don't notice the join. One final comment on the windows, and not specific to internorm. Our fitters measured our windows with 10 mm clearance either side of the opening. They proceeded to fit the windows tight to the right hand reveal. Zero gap on the right and 20mm gap between window and left reveal. I think all the windows are the same. None are centered. I did not, in my wildest dreams, expect the windows to all be fitted off centre. It is extremely annoying because we now need to build out the LHS reveal for plastering. WTF would the fitters off-centre all the window? In the kitchen we have carefuly positioned the window so that full-height kitchen units will be installed tight to the reveal with worktop underneath. We can't build out that reveal so the off centre window here may need to be refitted in the centre. Do not leave window fitters unsupervised. One final, final point. If I was doing it again I probably wouldn't have full height windows. We have a poorly-poured kore slab and the thresholds are a nightmare. Much easier to install and functionally superior to have a few courses of block to lift the window off the floor.

If you are worried about frame width, then why the horizontal mullion? Get rid of it. Many suppliers don't do a full height opening window, hence the horizontal in your image. Did this come from another supplier? Internorm are one of the few supliers that can do a full height opener, thats what we have and one of the reasons for using internorm. Looks much cleaner. I'll try and post a picture later.

We have internorm KF410 windows with one large window in two sections, one fixed and one opening. This coupling is actually very good. It is invisible from the front of the window and our fitters actually fitted it correctly (although I am a little concerned it sticks out at the top) unlike our very expensive internorm entrance door to sidelights junction that is a very different design and fitted very badly. You big windows will be supplied without the glazing units installed. For the installation of the glazing units into the frame Internom supply a sealant type stuff, fix-o-round to be applied around the perimeter to supposedly improve stability and sound reduction/airtightness. Our fitters didn't use it (they used packers) hence we have a box of fix-o-round on site. Fitters claim the fix-o-round isnt necessary but I suspect they just couldn't be arsed.

.. but there is no mould on the treated grade 3 ply. Only the cheap substitute sheets. Which are not to the listed spec. I just find it intensely frustrating when trades substitute specified materials for cheaper alternatives to make a few quid at my expense.

Phantom braking, insurance : Agree with both of these, although I don't do long long motorway drives very often so the phantom braking is not a big deal for me. The rest are all things I like. I like the app-service-system, and the suspension feels just right, and I like no-buttons. I hired a Mercedes eq recently and hated the sea of buttons. I'm on my second model 3 and very happy. Although with Musk turning to the dark side this may be my last.

I've just done some basic maths from the builder's invoice for the ply and there is no way that he ordered enough Grade-3 ply to cover the whole roof. I am quite certain that there has been, for whatever reason, a bit of substition here. 🙄

Exactly this. If I was ordering windows again I would get supply only. Then get a few joiners to take several days to install them slowly and properly how you want them fitted.

Yes it is. I should add some context here. The builder ordered the ply and subbied the roofers. My guess is that the builder, as usual, ordered the absolute minimum amount of ply to try and maximise profit. I suspect he didn't order enough so the roofers ran out of material and, to get the job finished on the same day, got a couple of extra sheets from the local builders merchant. Which is less than a mile away. The pictures show just a small section. Only about 10-15% of the sheets look different. Oops, I just noticed the two pictures in my original post are actually the same affected area, so here is the other affected area on the other side of the garage. The mouldy sheets are much lighter in colour (where they are not mouldy!) Is this a big deal? The roof is watertight and so replacing the ply is not easy.