Hi All (sorry for the repost but i think i had it in the wrong area to start, its been a long week......) Sure this has been done before but id like anyone's fresh ideas if poss. I did drop a note to Building Control and it looks like they want the job done under building regs, which i don't have an issue with but I'm not paying them £350 just to come and look at a DIY job. My wife and I own an old Victorian Semi-Detached cottage (not listed) and I am proposing to insulate between the... Read more ..read more

Not sure if this is in the correct section...as it's technically not DIY.. When I moved into my property my carport had a trifold door (see pic). It's approx 2.5m wide. The carport is 8m long There was a bit of wood cladding above the door which fell off a few weeks ago (rotten wood). Now the beam supporting the door across the top has come lose (the door was open when the wind blew it shut!) Anyhow, I live in a leasehold property, and cannot build a proper structure where the carport is... Read more ..read more

Hi everyone, I've got a groundscrew foundation which was laid by a company with a timber frame above ground level however we quickly realised upon completion that it was significantly higher than we had hoped due to the ground in the garden sloping and the frame being deeper than we had thought it would be. We're trying to keep within permitted development and as the structure we're adding is 2.49m tall the only option we've come up with is to remove the frame and dig down the appropriate... Read more ..read more

I'll shortly be fitting a bifold onto a sips threshold, and I"m worried the timber at the front edge of the sip, closing off the panel is a bit narrow. The 'shed' is going to be counter battened for cladding. Can I move the door forward an inch into the batten space, to ensure the threshold screws go into meaty timber. (the sides and lintel are fine) Thanks ..read more

I have a garden room that will span 4.5 x 5.5m. Currently going through PP to try and get up to 3m height. If that fails I'll make do with the 2.5m allowed height but would like to run a steel beam across the 4.5m width to halve the 5.5m length and use smaller timbers. I've been told a 6 inch I Beam should be good with my flat cold roof. However I've been looking and obviously there are different gauges. Anyone have an idea what would be a sufficient sized steel TIA ..read more

I've got a 1870's house with a 1990's extension. Helpfully when they did the extension, they put down solid floors, and blocked up the air bricks at the back of the house. I have two air bricks in the living room, and one in the garage which isn't heated, so I think the living room floor is okay (I've pulled some of it up previously to repair and it was dry down there). Our problem is the hall floor is clearly rotting, and sagging and bouncing in the back left corner (where I assume another... Read more ..read more

It's been a long time since I bought from TP but I'd like a quote as this is for a big job. These days your account and prices are online. But the prices are terrible. So does anyone know if the online account price takes into account your trade discount ..read more

Driveway almost complete Any driveway professionals on this forum who can advice please What’s wrong with this driveway it looks very high to the right of drive it’s so high I can’t walk on to my turf Will the concrete on sides hold up the driveway for years to come or not Any suggestions please Is it too late to fit a retainer wall This guy who had all His lads from Watford to fit the driveway says he is an engineer but did no work himself ..read more

We have a low wall (about 1m) in our front garden between us and our neighbour, which is in dire need of repair. It's a single skin of what looks like block pavers (!) butted up to the house and joined with a line of mortar. I'm planning to replace it with rendered blockwork, but it's the first time I've done anything like this so had a few questions: 1. The new wall will be 660mm H to match the front of the house. I'm planning to use 440 x 215 x 100 blocks. Can I get away with a... Read more ..read more

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