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Rebecca Thompson FCIOB, a specialist in heritage conservation and lecturer in building studies, became the 114th President of the Chartered Institute of Building on 19 June 2017. She is only the second female ever to hold that position.
Rebecca used her inaugural address in front of industry…
Dragon tie with simple decorative detail (courtesy of castleringoakframe.co.uk)
When traditional roof construction was the norm, a dragon tie was often incorporated beneath the hip rafter, particularly where they were carrying purlins. The hip therefore had a much heavier load.
The…
You may have read How to get it right - roof truss "alterations"? The article explained the serious pitfalls of attempting to alter a trussed roof to create additional floor space.
Because of their design, any removal of the central “W” where most of the loads are distributed, can…
It’s now 20 years since the Party Wall etc. Act came into force on 1 July 1997. It applies throughout England and Wales and provides a framework for preventing or resolving disputes in relation to party walls, party structures, boundary walls and excavations near neighbouring buildings.
Anyone…
The Metal Cladding and Roofing Manufacturers Association (MCRMA) has produced guidance on effective sealing of end laps in metal roofing constructions. This comes following a study of built up and composite roofing profiles that are most commonly used in the UK.
Getting it wrong at the…
Building near trees comes with its own challenges for foundations as we highlighted in this Trees and foundations article. In this article we focus on ground heave.
What is ground heave?
Ground heave is the upward movement of the ground usually associated with the expansion of clay soils…
Another horror story emerged from one of our surveyors recently when they were called out to unauthorised work where an outbuilding was being extended and converted.
The "contractor" was clearly a fan of timber because aside from the roof extension shown in the picture below, they had also…
Underground foul drainage should have enough capacity to carry the anticipated flow at any point along its length. The flow depends on the appliances connected, whereas the capacity depends on the size and gradient of the pipes used.
Flow rates for underground foul drains
Sanitary appliances…
Inadequate falls in underground pipework are one of the main causes of failures that lead to a warranty claim. LABC Warranty claims history suggests the main problem is the use of 100mm polyethylene pipes.
Approved Document H of the Building Regulations states the minimum permissible fall for…
The Flood Resilient Repair Home: How flood proof design in high risk areas can help prevent disaster
It might seem strange to be talking about flood resilience at a time when a water drought appears to be the news of the moment. However, flash floods from dry ground and the inevitable winter storms are likely to feature in the headlines at some point during the year.
This is because more than…