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My timber cladding is arriving this week, with thousands of nails. But first prep still to do including holding down straps to my timber stud panels, rodent mesh to the bottom of the cavity, and fixing of intumescent fire cavity barriers. As my wall construction is timber stud panels with OSB sheathing and membrane, 50 mm cavity, then horizontal timber cladding on vertical 50 x 50mm battens, i am needing to maintain ventilation of the cavity for the back of the cladding from dpc to eaves. But i need to install ventilated cavity fire barrier horizontally at mid floor to compartmentalise, and possibly elsewhere. Does anyone have experience in which barrier to use? I'm supposing intumescent as it allows ventilation of the cavity, but the strips are really expensive, £20+/m

Hi, walls are all done, roof on, windows all fitted and I've just realised the brickies didn't carry the cavity wall insulation (PIR board) 150mm below the DPC. Stressing out a bit as too late to change it but about to put down floor insulation in prep for UFH and screed. I'll be putting perimeter insulation before the screed but very concerned about cold bridging now. Are there any options for blown insulation into the bottom of the cavity? I still have access in spots where door and window cils not yet installed. Am I worried over nothing or is this a big oversight and will leak heat unless resolved? Thanks.

The outer leaf for most of the house's cavity walls are going to be flemish bond. We'll cut bricks in half to make 'header' part of the bond as you'd expect. What I was wondering is whether we should widen the cavity slightly to make the laying easier. Half a standard brick is 215 / 2 = 107.5mm whereas the standard brick width is 102.5mm. The blade of the grinder will take a bit off, but it's enough work to cut bricks in half let alone cut a slither off. The cavity is to be 100mm mineral wall. Should we tweak the cavity width to say 105mm to make life easier or could that create it's own issues? I discussed it with a pair of brickies, one said no as he likes a 'tight cavity' whereas the other said yes and the compromise was to go with 102.5mm, but I wanted to see what others thought.

So it seems I have missed the fine detail on my vehicle garage doors. Brickies have constructed the reveal with a cavity and closed it by returning block with insulation strip and dpc in the same manner as a window. The other day I was gazing in thought at the house and realised the sectional garage doors will be fixed internally to the inside blockwork skin. What then would I do with the reveal:- - leave as is and plaster over to internal skin (door face) with the dpc in place. Would dpc still be effective? - remove insulation and dpc and close cavity completely with block, what then do I do for dpc to stop damp spread internally with a 215 mm internal leaf. Some pics to help hopefully. Thanks in advance.

This is picture of my floor to ceiling window where it meets the floor. I am about to lay the insulation boards for below the ufh(example board cut in photo) but I am unsure how to finish off this area from the floor across to the window. Should I just leave as is per photo and just run the concrete screed straight across from here to meet the cavity insulation board? Alternatively do I knock that last course of brick out and run the insulation right through to meet the cavity insulation therefore all ufh within the insulation. Also I am using paper backed insulation boards rather than foil with a standard concrete screed. Do I need to a plastic sheet over the top of this prior to screed going down or tape the joins? thanks Stephen

Hi All, I previously removed an exterior brick wall in order to extend lounge. Where my new slab extension meets the old bungalow cavity wall, I need to decide what to do with the cavity that goes down to a depth of approx. 800mm to the footings before I lay down my new floor slab. The old bungalow floor has been dug up in order to install 300mm EPS with UFH in 100mm meshed concrete. The attached pic shows the new extension to the right of the cavity with sand blinded hardcore floor of bungalow to the left. My options as I see it: 1) Leave cavity as it is and just cover the cavity with 300mm EPS. 2) Fill cavity (with gravel / concrete) 3) Fill with EPS beads I have plenty of beads at my disposal, so I am tempted to go with option 3. TIA! OB

Hi guys I've removed the plasterboard, window board, adhesive etc from my garage window reveal (this will be done to all my windows but using the garage as a test). The garage (on side of house and has an internal door to my utlity room) window reveal has no cavity closers, I do know most if not all my house window reveals do have them though. For this reveal should I get some cavity closers or use pir board and foam the board into place. I was planning to do the following: If I use pir board should I get the right thickness for the cavity and have the reflective backing so it faces the outer brick and the inner block or get whatever thickness I want and cut the right thickness and have the reflective lining facing me as I fit it or does it matter? I can do this on the left, right and under the window board. I was then going to get 12mm (maybe even 24mm) pir board and line the reveals completely across the blockwork over the cavity closers or make shift cavity closers, under the window board and covering the lintel. Should I use normal expanding foam as an adhesive or buy some actual foam adhesive for this part of the task? I plan to get a joiner to make up some birch ply linings for the reveals as I like the ply edge which will face into the room for a contemporary look and paint the reveal linings, these will be mechanically fixed into the block work, I'd like to foam/glue them in but not sure how to make them stay in place and solid but we will see. Before all the insulation is added, the gaps between windows and brick work will be foamed and I planned to tape up over the this too. Yes it may unnecessary but I'm going to do this properly. If I use tape should I tape between window and cavity closer or tape before adding the closers in? I will be adding new cavity batts where they are missing (you can see this in the pics below). I will also foam the gaps where the existing plasterboard has been dot/dabbed. Pictures are below of current garage reveal thanks James

My walls comprise 145mm studs with OSB outside, and I will be fully filling this with mineral or glass wool, with an unbroken PIR layer inside of that. I assume that I need to use cavity wall batts as ordinary rolled insulation would slump too much. However everything I have found online is only 455mm wide- my studs are at 600mm centres so the gap is 555mm.