Rich

Hi Brad I'm in I.T too, so I know what its like trying to run cables, but its actually fairly easy to do. If you cut out a chunk of plasterboard, wide enough to get a drill into, the length of the cable run, say about 10" wide, you can then easily repair the ceiling once the cables are in place, or, even better, instead of running cables directly through the joists, fit some round trunking pipe in the joists that come out where needed, you will never have to tear down the ceiling again, just push/pull the cables in/out as needed. I did this once when I learned to repair holes plasterboard, its really easy. Even big holes can be repaired easily, just cut the board back to half way across the joist each side, and install a new peice of an exact fit, and re-skim that little peice :-) Even getting a plasterer to re-skim a tiny peice, to blend it into the ceiling wont cost a lot at all.

Hmm, polypipe is seriously tough pipe, often used for incoming mains water, the thick walled blue stuff right? I cant imagine why it would need to be pressurised during screeding, you can drive over that stuff and it wont collapse... Still, you loose nothing by keeping it pressurised, regardless of manufacturer..

Hiya Mark Personally, if it was me, and the builders gave any signs for me to not be confident in what they are doing, I'd throw them off the job in a heartbeat. I've had far too many builders like that, and they are a dime-a-dozen... As for the plans, why not get a second opinion? Regarding the pipework and pressurisation, I'd leave the entire lot pressurised the entire time, from the minute ot goes down and is connected, to the time it should finally be set and dry. You may find that with soft pipes, leaving them pressurised is the only way to lay it so that the floor doesnt crack when its laters used, pressurised and heated, but if the pipe is firm and hard, it wont matter as the pipe wont give like a garden hose, but I'd leave it all pressurised the entire time :-) Have you had any building inspectors on the job at all from your council?

Well, as suspected, this is a FAKE review, written by Benchmark Contracts themselves, and something we have proven beyond reasonable doubt. This "Fake review" even came from their own office. So, it seems Benchmark Contracts are writing their own reviews about themselves online, and we are not the only website they have hit either. Its worth noting that writing your own reviews to gain business is actually illegal, and as such, trading standards have been notified of this activity. Oh, and to those @ Benchmark Contracts, please do NOT ask for this to be removed, as it will be left here for others to see should they be looking for reviews of Benchmark Contracts Clevedon.

Ahh, your learning the ropes, fantastic Apologies mate, you didnt post any sort of introduction, so nobody knows you yet lol

I'd kind of expect a bricky to know that one already? I would never use face bricks below ground level, ever...

You would think so in this day/age, but I guess as most jobs are measured and priced on-site, maybe nobody thought it was needed, or those who need it, dont know how to create it...

Hi There diy007?? Welcome to the DIY forum... Good to have ya' As for design patterns for brick laying, with calculations, pass... I wouldnt know, have you tried googling it?

Hiya Jon Glad to have you here.. There have been a fair few questions about roofs and ceilings related problems, so feel free to chime in with any advice you might have. Its about time we have some tradesmen around here who didnt show up ONLY to drop links in to their website and wind up banned before they even made their first post... Seems so many forget what the word "community" actually means.. Look forward to hearing more from you too, I did a rofing apprenticeship when I left school many years ago, 2yr slating and tiling, then a year working roofs in Florida not long after, where they glue tiles to the roofs!

Ahhh, well, that sounds like the very reason why they are squeaking. A little baby powder between the boards, in the joins prior to pinning stops that happening, but ultimately, strapping them tighter often makes it worse "if" the floor is laid on a non-rigid surface. If its B&Q laminate flooring, or such like clip together flooring, then ideally, the entire floor should be allowed to "float" with none of it nailed down at all, but if its the solid, thick oak flooring for example, then that stuff can be pinned no prob's, but the floor underneath needs some preparation. Whats it all laid on? Wooden floorobards under it I assume? Were any of those sqeaking prior to this?

Hi Tony Huge welcome to the DIY Forum.... Glad you found us.. It "sounds like" (Pardon the pun), your boards are jammed to close to each other. Are these actual intelocking wooden floor strips, or actual 100% planks or something? Do you have any pictures of it?

I really think this is something beyond the scope of DIY, as those arms are fairly complex in the exact mechanics of how they operate so smoothly. You will probably be better off trying to mail-order a proper screen arm.

I've no idea, I'd suggest having a look at as many as you can, online, but that might not help as most places you dont actually see the workings of the arm itself as its all hidden. Can you not get mail order to Palestine?

Hi Wajed Welcome to The DIY Forum, good to have you here.... Now, as for LCD mounts, the actual term used for this is an "Arm", and you will find that many of them are all gas lift/suspension arms that allow you to move your screen around in any direction at all, without the screen drooping down to face the floor. There are quite a lot of LCD arm's around, have you seen many at all?

Hiya Geordief Welcome to The DIY Forum... When you say a few of your outdoor compression joints have come loose, are you referring to an ourdoor tap or something else? Do you have any pictures that might speak 1000 words?

Hiya AJP The thickness of insulation you can put down is dependant on the height of your joists, because if for example, your joists are only 2x4, then 100mm insulation is better at trapping air and insulating than 200mm, plus if your insulation is too thick, it will have a "pushing" effect on your ceilings below, wanting to push the plasterboard downwards, something you dont want.... As for the insulating boards, well, the higher their insulation ratings the better, but there is a new type of insulation available now made from recycled jeans of all things, extremely good for insulation and non-itchy too, easy to fit, and apparently cheaper, but the "laminated" side of things might be worth investigating, as you would want a meterial thats breathable, to avoid any build up of moisture in the roof. Insulate, yes, suffocate, no..... lol Like the difference between wearing just a really warm coat, or a warm coat with plastic bin liners on top of it.

Hi there Perdusys... Yours is NOT a truss roof at all, thats just standard rafters and joists.... If it were a truss system, you would have far more timber up there, and a LOT less room to move around. In any case, its still HIGHLY recommended to get structural engineers report done to cover your ass with your home insurance "if" anything were to go wrong. Just dont touch any of the rafters or the supports (Anything above the rafters) and providing the chosen builder does things correctly, you shouldnt have a problem. Your best option would surely be to have the existing opening made bigger for a loft ladder, leaving the joists alone as much as possible?

Hi Leo, thanks for dropping in... Me personally, I wouldnt light it unless the smoke test was done using the same or more smoke than the wood burning will put out. An open vent doesnt always mean its sufficuent enough to let out the amount of smoke you might be generating. I'd probably get some expert help on this, and the lining of the chimney around the fire too... I know your keen and have questions, but drop in a welcome with your posts too, even so much as a "Hello", as apposed to a shorthand version of the problem... We want people to at least be friendly :-) Do let us know how you get on, and maybe even show us with a few pics?

Hi Diane Labour only can vary across the country, almost in line with the cost of living, so while a professional gardener might charge more in London, than the countryside, it will probably depend on where you live. Best thing to do is get in at least 3+ quotes from local tradespeople, and ask to see work they have done locally, that you can actual go and see (Not some photos) That should then give you a rough idea of the labour costs. Chances are, you paid more for the materials than if you had a builder by them for you as they get trade/bulk discounts, and any decent builder will be happy to supply the materials and provide receipts for them to show the costs. I've done this several times in the past and it really does pick the honest from the less-honest shall we say...

Forgive the ignorance, but what the heck is a DPC cream? Do you put it on your face before bed at night? or after a hangover? You dont seriously mean a cream for a damp proof course? Welcome to the DIY Forum by the way..

Hiya MAndy First rule is: assume nothing, check everything, do not assume, or think to assume. It doesnt have to get "hot" for condensation, all you need is a change in temperature, where "warmer" air is meeting cooler air, and you get condensation, but if its just 1 spot in your loft, and the wood is stained, that sounds more like a leak, as condensation will be more widespread than just 1 isolated spot. Like I said, just because its a council property, dont assume its their job or responsability to fix everything, so check your tennancy agreement carefully.

Hiya Kevin One of the hardest things to find are discontinued tiles! Many good tilers often advise, by more than you need, and keep them somewhere really safe, as the chances are, you WILL need them only when they stop making/selling them! Sods bloomin law Best thing you can do now is go back to County Tiles and find out the manufacturer, and the exact make/style, then contact the manufacturer directly. If the manufacturer doesnt have any, ask them if they can tell you all chains those tiles were supplied to, then ring round to see if anybody has any old stock, sort of back tracking all who had any as it were... Good luck mate, do let us know how you get on

Hi Mandy When you go up into your loft, and look at the roof itself, between the rafters, can you see the tiles, or can you see black roofing felt? Does your loft have any ventilation? On a windy day, you should be able to hear a breeze going through your loft, but only a breeze, where air should be moving through your loft. If you cant hear or feel any breeze, then its highly likely your loft is not ventilated at all, thus causing the condensation thats soaking things up there. If its not condensation, then it could be broken tiles letting in water directly. Do any of the wooden rafters appear to be stained, or much darker than others, almost like that look wet? This is a good indication of a leak, and where the water is coming from, and going to.. Soaked rafters typically get stained, and its fairly distinctive to spot it as dark patches, sometimes with white edging.. Have a look up there and let us know. I'd advise you take some pictures of the rafters, and any stains you find everywhere, as future reference for any claims you might need to make, but do check your tennancy agreement to see who is liable for what, as that might say "You didnt tell us about it until now", and often, you dont know there is a leak until it becomes visible on the ceiling, by which time its far worse...

Hiya Dave Dont worry about it buddy... We all had to start somewhere, and I know a lot of these internet forums are sadly often thought of as "I have a problem, now somebody give me an answer" without so much as a hi, introduction or often even a thank you... Anyway, look forward to hearing more from you soon buddy :-)

Do you have any pictures of it? Please do also drop into the welcomes forum and say hi, introduce yourself, otherwise, it looks a bit harsh to just bang straight into your problem without so much as a hi and welcome...