You are going to find it very hard to find any timber that big in section. It’s normal to make it up from smaller pieces. You may find some oak sleepers work better than treated timber as it’s more durable when in contact with the ground.

I need to find treated timber 350mm x 100mm to replace a section of a raised bed/planter.

When you are doing anything like this the main thing to do is follow the manufacturer’s instructions otherwise you will void any warranty. So any advice I can give you should be taken under advisement.
If the instructions don’t specify that the tray needs to be bedded into mortar or mastic then you could put it straight onto a plywood base, it shouldn’t need a cement backer, as no water should get underneath. In fact that is the main goal in fitting a shower (stopping water getting underneath that is).
SBR is used to stop moisture being drawn into the board too quickly and aid tile adhesion, it is not a waterproofer. Unless you are planning to coat the ply or backer with adhesive there is no need for SBR.
Hope that helps.

I'm installing my shower tray on a marine ply base with cement backer board on top.

My question is should I seal the backer board with SBR?

Without seeing it it’s not possible to say but the quote sounds reasonable enough.

Hello,

I need some advice about replacing some dry verges on my bungalow.
I had some dry verges fitted to the front of my bungalow a couple of years ago and, recently, a couple of them have fallen off, as you can see on the photo. Since they were fitted, I have discovered that the roofer who fitted them was a rogue (he did other jobs that caused problems too) and, recently, another roofer came to give me advice and a quote about this. He said that the dry verges that were in place would need to be removed and replaced by new ones, because they couldn’t be re-used. He also said that the job would cost me about a thousand pounds in total if done properly, including materials, labour and putting up scaffolding.

What are peoples’ thoughts on this advice? Does it seem about right, or not?

woodsmith wrote on May 7^th, 2024, 8:01am:


Thanks for the reply! I never received an email motification about it, so I hadn’t realized that someone had replied to my post.
Anyway, I have had the job done now and I went fon the rebedding option. I realized that a dry ridge system would probably last longer but, as my solar panels will need to be taken down in about twenty years’ time, I thought that I might want to replace the whole roof at the same time and that would be a better time to get a dry ridge system installed. I didn’t want to get a dry ridge system fitted now if it was going to have to come down a couple of decades down the line.

This looks like a switch, possibly protruding through the light on the other side?

Sorry I can’t see from your photos how the glass is fixed. If they are just sealed in with a glazing silicon then you could really do with fixing them mechanically.

I wouldn’t just repoint. If the tiles are loose it would be a temporary fix at best, especially as global warming is making our weather more dramatic! If you can afford it I would go for the dry ridge system. This should give you many years of trouble free service no matter what the weather throws at it.

Hello,
I am posting here about some work needed to my roof. I was given three options by a roofer and I’m not sure which one to choose.
The problem is that a lot of my ridge tiles are loose. They are not broken though, except the central vent tile which is cracked. I have discussed with a local roofer who has good customer reviews, and he has given me three options: install a dry ridge system for £1,800, re-bed the ridge tiles for £1,500 or re-point them for £650 (these prices are inclusive of the replacement of the vent tile and of replacing a couple of other broken tiles on the side of my roof).
Are there experts on here who can advise me? Which of these options would be the most suitable in my circumstances? I attach a few photos, so you can see what the condition of my roof is like. This roof is old but in fairly good condition, and there doesn’t appear to be any leak inside the loft: I looked in there during a downpour and I couldn’t see any water leaking.
So, what is your advice?

Hi everyone, quick question. One of these panes has come out at the side of our balcony and I was wondering what is used to secure it into the frame? Looks like a type of glue or sealant? Cant find anything online. Thanks

Hi,
My wife has asked me to rewire an old lamp and I would like to know what is the part shown in the image and what's its purpose.
Many thanks,
Nic

Hello all,

I'm due to get solar panels and a battery system fitted to my house.  I'd like to know: is it possible to then set it up so that I can run my house mains off only the battery and solar panels, if there is a power cut?

I've been informed that normally, the system would switch off in a power cut.  But that a certain type of switch can be installed?  If anyone can tell me:
1) Is this possible?
2) Rough cost?
3) Can I hire an electrician to make the change after the solar panels and batteries have been installed?

Many thanks!  Alex.

Many thanks for the reply @woodsmith. I presumed they were something to do with damp but nothing conclusive came up on Google…
There are a few damp issues I found- as a complete novice I do have concerns it may be a money pit but there again may be an easy fix/ due to the fact that the house hasn’t been fully used and the owner doesn’t use the heating etc… will upload some further ‘issues’ when I have some time! Thanks

If they are equally spaced around the building then they are fitted as a form of damp proofing. The plastic covers normally cover the ends of a porous tube which, in theory, allows dampness in the wall to evaporate away. I have never used them and, from what I hear, are only marginally effective. They do get blocked up with salts over time, which can be cleaned out, and it looks like they have been partially painted over which won’t help.

I would suggest having a very careful look for any dampness in the property and get a good surveyor to have a look at it.

Hi,
First post…
If we buy the house we viewed yesterday I may be on here a LOT!

Saw these plastic plugs which seem to have foam around?

They are low down on the outside wall.
It is an old property around 1900
Thanks!
What are they and do they look OK…any issue?

Tile vents are great although they are a lot more work than just cutting a hole. One problem people find with them, because they run uphill, is condensation forming in the duct and then it running back into the fan. I put some insulation around the duct to keep it a bit warmer which seems to help. Best of luck with your project.

Thanks for your reply Woodsmith.  Apologies for the drawing error.  It's hard to work out exactly what's going on in the loft from the restricted view I can get of that area.  But I think you're right in that it's probably going to be best to have a tile vent rather than potentially disturb any asbestos in the soffit.

It not exactly clear from your photos but I don’t think your drawings are correct. Typically the ceiling joists and rafters rest on a wooden “wall plate” which runs on top of the internal wall, the outer wall would not normally have any timber on it at all. It’s possible that the wood you can see is the barge board which supports the tiles. If you Google wall plate and bargeboard you should find loads of images showing you the detail. If space is tight you could run the vent in rectangular section plastic ducting rather than risk cutting something you later regret.

Another thing to be wary of is that soffits are often asbestos and can cause a severe health risk if dust is inhaled. It would be wise to find out what it’s made of before you start cutting it and if it is asbestos then get a specialist firm to replace it.

Hi all.  I'm wanting to install a bathroom extractor and opting to run the duct through my loft space and out through a hole in the soffit with a new cowl on the exit point, directing the steam away from the house.  I can just access the inside of the soffit from the loft as shown here (at last, I assume this is the inside of the soffit  )...





So what I'm wondering is whether I can improve my access into the soffit by cutting a round notch in the horizontal wooden beam so I can get the ducting past it? So I've done two drawings - the first is the current view of the roof, and the second is showing my question of being able to cut a notch in the horizontal beam (please excuse my hastily drawn images!).  I wasn't sure if this would affect the integrity of the roof or impact any building regulations etc?  





Hope I've managed to get my question across with the help of these pics but if any more info is needed please let me know.  

Many thanks,
Lee

Thanks for letting me know how you got on, glad you got it sorted in the end.

Hi
I tried PTFE tape but it was almost impossible to get the tape up the thread far enough.  However, I tried and refitted the nut to the sinks underside. Result... Still leaking, but a lot less!  
So Ive taken the proverbal Bull by the Horns, ripped it all out, cleaned off all the silicon from the top and undersides of the sink and purchased a new Click Clack waste.  Re applied more silicon before fitting the new waste outlet and Bingo...  No leak!   I guess the former outlet was faulty in the thread area and just wouldn't seal 100%.
Thanks for the suggestions anyway.

As you’ve done such a thorough job on sealing round the washers the only option is the threads. I’ve had the very occasional leak this way, I think the thread is cut too loose allowing water to track down. PTFE tape should fix it.

woodsmith wrote on Oct 19^th, 2023, 8:23am:

Hard to say exactly where the leak is coming from as its almost impossible to see, but the thread is wet. Will try some PTFE tape on the thread and refit nut.     What I cant grasp is why its leaking in the first place, as there are two separate layers of Silicon mastic used, one under the rims washer around the bowls upper surface and the second underneath behind the thicker washer!

The ones I’ve fitted had a softer thicker washer at the top yours maybe different? Where exactly is it leaking? It’s possible it’s a faulty fitting and it’s leaking around the screw threads, in which case you could try winding PTFE tape around the threads to create a seal.

Hi
Thanks for the reply.
The wastes instructions (copied below) clearly show the thinner washer against the ceramic basin top and the thicker washer underneath against the basin underside and immediately behind the locking nut?

Unfortunately you’ve put the washers the wrong way round! The soft thicker one goes under the rim of the waste, the thin one goes between the nut and the sink. If the washers are ok then you shouldn’t need any sealant. If you do need to add sealant use it very sparingly and just smear a thin layer on each surface of the two washers. Some sinks are manufactured in a way that makes getting a good seal unreasonably difficult but using a lot of sealant is usually counterproductive.

Hi all,
I'm being driven made by a leaking click clack waste.  Originally a new waste was fitted to a sink wash basen and only the supplied two sealing washers were used. One thin one between sink top and waste undersides the other thicker washer to the sinks underside and the plastic fixing nut tightened onto this washer.  The fitting leaked!  
I removed the waste and applied a bead of white mastic to the sinks dried and cleaned waste hole and also around sinks underside. Then refitted the waste with the two washers. Left it for some 16 hours before testing with water and It Leaked!  
Should the two supplied washers be used? Or should the waste be seated top and bottom in just a fresh application of mastic?

Far too cheap!  You be looking at £105-145 around here for 2-3 hrs.