Posted by Peter Brady on Wed 9th August 2006 at 08:00 AM, Filed in Construction

What Type of Floor do I Have?

Basically there are two different types of floor:

1. Direct to earth floors which touch the ground.

2. Suspended floors which have some clearance between them and the ground.

Upper storey floors are always suspended as are conversely basement floors are always direct to earth. Ground floors can be either.

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Posted by Peter Brady on Thu 3rd August 2006 at 08:00 AM, Filed in Construction

Chimney’s are often the source of many structural problems in the home.

Keeping them in tip top shape helps avoid expensive surprises down the road. Here are some simple preventative tips to keeping your chimney and your house in good condition.

1. Make sure the pointing on your chimney is sound and if not get it replaced or repaired ASAP.

2. Ensure that the chimney has lead flashing appropriately situated at the point of connection with the roof and that this is correctly sealed.

3. To stop water penetration gaining a foothold from within a disused chimney, it is essential that a cap is fitted. This most often comes in the form of a ceramic dish with ventialtion holes, but can just as easily be a stainlees steel version.

Follow these simple steps and your chimney should stay problem free.

Posted by Peter Brady on Wed 2nd August 2006 at 08:00 AM, Filed in Construction

Tackling a loft conversion is quite a serious undertaking and should only really be done by a professional or someone with a strong background in building. However, beyond the actual structural side there is plenty the amateur can get his hands dirty with.

For instance:

1. Laying the roof insulation.

It’s important to wear the appropriate protective clothing and mask as lagging fibres can be a nasty irritant. Aside from taking the necessary precautions, this is a very easy job.

2. Installing the floor boards.

Use floor boards with tongued and grooved edges that reduce scope for draughts. Chip board of a grade suitable for floors can be purchased which also has the appropriate draught resistant edges.

3. Creating simple partition walls.

Plasterboard can be used for lining the roof and partition walls.

4. Installing a bathroom.

This is not impossible, but the plumbing does present certain difficulties. Given that the cold water cistern is usually mounted on the floor joists, the water pressure will not be sufficient. Therefore you’re going to need a direct connection to the rising main. A pump will be required for the hot water. Building a shower presents less of a problem as they more often than not incorporate a pump.

Posted by Peter Brady on Tue 1st August 2006 at 08:00 AM, Filed in Construction

Condensation can be a real problem even with new window installations.

Tracking down the cause is often the key to resolving the problem. This largely involves identifying sources of humidity like cookers, washing machines, showers and baths, all of which can generate significant quantities of water vapour. Humidity emitted by these sources, dissipates out of the air onto cold surfaces such as windows. It is also worth noting that water vapour can also rise from the foundations of your home, but this is usually dealt with by a Damp Proof Membrane (DPM) which seals the lower part of supporting walls from rising water penetration (Check that your house has this and that it is in no way damaged or defunct). The principal solution to all of this is sufficient ventilation via extractor fans and air bricks in the areas where humidity levels are at there highest. 

If you have a pretty steadfast condensation problem then it’s important to keep tabs on the problem. This can be done with a hand held hygrometer which will enable you to track the peak times and worst affected locations. This will ultimately aid you in identifying the root cause of the problem.

Rotten timber windows can in themselves absorb lots of water, releasing humidity into the internal environment. The obvious remedy in this instance is good quality replacement windows, in particular double glazing which can help minimize condensation into the long term and also save energy costs to boot.

If all else fails it maybe worth asking a qualified damp and condensation expert to take a look, although you may kick yourself at the simplicity of the problem and solution. Taking note of the above points will help.

Posted by Peter Brady on Wed 19th July 2006 at 11:30 AM, Filed in Construction

Whether you’re building or reconfiguring, it’s always important to know the difference between cavity and solid brick walls:

Solid Brick Walls

Solid walls have layers of bricks laid in patterns known in the trade as bonds. Essentially all solid brick walls have headers or bricks positioned end on, which traverse through the wall providing intrinsic strength to the structure.

In terms of thickness a wall will be as thick as the length of a brick 8 1/2 inches (215 mm) and an additional margin of plaster internally and external rendering. If you need to specifics in terms of wall thickness you can of course measure accurately at a door or window.

Cavity Brick Walls

With cavity walls the long fascia of the bricks (stretchers) are visible if the house has cavity brickwork. Minimum wall thickness is 10 2/5 inches (255mm).  Two separated single brick walls or leaves each 4 inches (102.5mm) thick, spanned by a 2 inch (50mm) gap or cavity. This can be wider if the internal wall of the cavity is constructed of thicker blockwork.