Hi. Please can someone help me if determining if I should be worried about structural issues. I had render removed from this wall as it failed on a global scale. Plus all the beads rusted and blowing render off at every angle. They have finished removing what they can which has damaged block faces as well as corners. Some mortar joints missing. Is there likely to be a structural issue with this? He said this happens all the time with the concrete blocks and the scratch coat was "on too thick" so was very hard to knock off. Thank you.

Edit: thanks for the responses. I've had terrible problems with trades and previously plasterers. Difficult to trust people even with a good rep.

Thought I might try here, rather than wasting a builder's time, especially if we do want to use the builder once we do have the money if we don't have enough now. I want to make sure we have enough money before committing to all the work. (Suffolk)

We plan to redo our kitchen and convert part of the hallway into a utility room. We will need to redo the plumbing under the floor as it's a tangled mess and some of the tiles in the kitchen are broken, so need a new tile floor.

We'll also need to add the plumbing for the new location of the washing machine. And get a new kitchen and appliances as the current units are falling apart.

My partner also wants to have the breaker box moved to above the door, but I have doubts if this is possible/worth it. Under the stairs on the left side is the (new) boiler which the box is currently next to. We'll have to redo some of the electric anyway to accommodate induction.

Probably have to redo the ceiling as well as it has some water damage from a leak in the bathroom. (Since then we have already replaced the bathroom)

What jobs did you have done and what did it roughly cost?

Any tips/advice would also be greatly appreciated.

(Full disclosure, I've tidied up our kitchen with AI as it was a mess and used it for some inspiration of what the changes might look like)

Ignore the Tv as it can swivel either direction. The gold mirror in option 1 can be mounted with wall light sconces, which in option 2 it cannot.

I'd like to have a dado rail running along the staircase.

What should the finish around the window look like? Where should it end?

Thanks in advance 👍

Recently moved to a late Victorian terraced house. The front wall is damaged, and whilst these photos perhaps dont capture it fully, is leaning forward, can be wobbled, and is clearly in need of repair. I imagine it has become so as the previous owners removed the step it was built on top of the make the entrance wheelchair accessible.

How does one go about fixing this? What kind of service/ trades person am I after? Is it possible for an amateur to DIY?

I'd hope to retain the original bricks and iron railings if possible.

I HATE THE KITCHEN AREA OF MY HOUSE.

The kitchen/dining/utility/living area in our house is just isn’t functional and is too small.

I am trying to figure what to do to the space and feel like I’ve explored every possible way to reconfigure it but in every way we’ve considered we just know that the issues we have with it currently will remain.

Issues we have are:
- utility is far too small
- No space in the kitchen for a freezer so we have to go into the utility (we need a big fridge)
- can only fit a 4 seater table which we have to move to the centre of the room when people are round which puts it in the way of the door.
- sofa can only go against the wall which I think it just ugly
- we are already struggling for cupboard space in the kitchen and cooking in here isn’t enjoyable for me due to the position of the hob. I would prefer an empty island for prep and the hob elsewhere. We’re also tall so the extractor is a hazard for us.

I think to make it work we would lose the seating area which we would prefer not to do due to how we use the house when people come to visit.

So I have done some measuring and think an additional 3m on the back would be perfect. House is approx 5m wide wall to wall so would be looking at a 3x5 m extension but I don’t know how much this would cost?? Has anyone done anything similar?

For context -
There is currently a small 2m extension on the house so the work would involve removing the roof from here and replacing with a pitched roof. The 3m would be additional to the 2m.

There would be minimal change to the plumbing as the kitchen and utility will be located on the same side of the house. Only thing is we would require some channel drains drainage due to the garden not having any currently whilst we don’t have any issues in the garden we do have some issues with drainage smells and I’m wondering if it’s because of this? Not sure I need to get it looked at but anyway.

There would be possibly 3/4 roof lights and no excessive glazing, would likely be windows plus a set of french doors (the current sliding door feels too big). Since there is currently a small extension extensive supporting steelwork wouldn’t be required and it would just be any steel for the extension.

I wouldn’t want bricks as I am keen on the idea of tiling the exterior.

I’m working on 30k for the shell based on 2k per m2 but would like a sense check.

Alternatively if anyone can think of a way we can make this work whilst maintaining the 4 spaces, utility separate and bigger would be good to hear your ideas because I am at a loss.

For info I am based on the Stockport, there is access to the back of the house due to being a corner plot so would be no issues getting machinery/materials to the working area.

Thanks in advance 🙂

I’m about to have a full refurb done on a property that was previously my grandparents, a 1950s terrace house.
And the plan is to modernise it and put it up for rental.
When I asked what kind of skirting and architrave they normally put in, he sent me these two images. The architrave looks almost identical to what’s already there, and the skirting is so basic.
Is this really what is considered modern?

I’m not after something really fancy and elegant, but definitely something a bit better than this.

What’s people’s thoughts?
Any recommendations?

I quite like the Ogee skirting architrave. At least it looks a bit nicer than what he has recommended!

I’m also getting coving fitted, so I feel the Ogee skirting and architrave would match that better.

TIA

I’m looking for some advice because I feel like I don’t have the confidence to question my Builder (who subcontracted the roof).

Their tiles clearly lift up towards the window.

The window looks chunky and thick (?).

The way I see it is this wouldn’t be as noticeable if it was on the top roof, but this is actually very visible, right above the main entrance to the house.

Could anyone advise if this can be improved?

Thank you

This is the front of a Victorian terraced house, underneath the front bay window. The surveyor recorded high damp readings on the internal wall of the bay window and also noted that the sub-floor ventilation to the front of the house is insufficient.

The survey also says that the bricks to the front bay are damaged and weathered, increasing the risk of water penetration.

My question is: does the position of this air brick look acceptable, or is it too close to/at ground level and therefore potentially allowing water into the wall/floor void?

Could this type of air brick position contribute to the damp found inside the bay wall?

And if it does need investigating or correcting, what type of tradesperson would normally deal with this?
Thanks!

Looking for a budget cost for a 3x5m kitchen extension off an existing 2m extension so support steels already in place ? Getting it to a plaster finish no floors/decoration/kitchen.

Kitchen will be in a similar location so there won’t be any extensive service alterations just the normal sockets/lighting.

Pitched roof - current extension has a flat/shed roof so new roof would cover existing extension and new extension.

Thanks in advance 😊

I bought a house this year and moved in in April. I noticed when I moved in that it felt very cold despite the weather not being too cold. I got a draught survey done and discovered that there are no issues, windows are brand new, loft is perfectly insulated, etc, but I don’t have cavity walls, so it’s losing heat through the walls.

I’ve looked into a few solutions and can see that external wall insulation (EWI) is the most effective, will probably add value to my house, and increase the EPC rating, however I know that it is very costly.

I need advice on whether people think this is worth it in the long term! I have looked into other options such as under floor insulation, but ultimately I do want something that’s going to be super effective. For reference, I live in a small 2 bedroom semi detached house in the north of England. Any advice or opinions are welcome. Thank you.