[SamT]

Some have a 'knock' activated screen.. i.e. give it a good tap and it comes on.  My Solar PV inverter screen works like that.

[James Malloch]

Buttons don’t do anything now - that’s the usual way.

[SA Chris]

Are these some kind of new fangled electric things? Our is an old brass thing with numbers on wheels stil.

[webbo]

Can anyone recommend some thermostatic radiator valves. Several of ours are leaking brown sludge so we need to replace them.

[SamT]

Worth noting that it probably won't be the twisty thermostat valve bit at the top that's leaking but the metal fitting below with the compression fittings onto the pipes.. which might just need nipping up with a pair of grips/wrench to stop the leak. 

If it's brown and sludgy.. might be worth getting your system flushed by a plumber too while youre on and a magnetic filter fitted to keep it clean.. will lengthen your boiler life.

[webbo]

It’s not the fittings, it’s actually leaking out of the valve. We noticed one leaking on to floor, turned the valve off and it stopped. This is without the heating being on.

[James Malloch]

I recently got a makita sander for some beams we need to sand. I went for a finishing sander - is it worth considering a change to a random orbital or will I not really notice the difference?

I didn’t think about it before I purchased it, but still have time to change it.

[Fultonius]

That really depends on the current state, the area to be sanded, whether there's years of paint on top etc.

For a one off job see if you have a local tool library you can join.

[James Malloch]

That really depends on the current state, the area to be sanded, whether there's years of paint on top etc.

For a one off job see if you have a local tool library you can join.

The state is pretty good i think. They are old purlins which we kept exposed as part of an attic conversion. Just need tidying up really.

I’d not thought of the tool library. There is one near us with a sander available for £1/day. I’ll send this back and get one from there. One less too to store is ideal too!

Thanks for the advice.

[Will Hunt]

We're in the process of moving house and just got the survey back. One thing that was flagged was the lack of gable retention straps in the roof space. The house was built in the '70s. I'm wondering whether I ought to ask the vendor to have it done.
On one hand, why not fit them if it's now best practice and a quick, cheap job? On the other, is this just the surveyor covering their arse - the roof doesn't show signs of movement after 40+ years. Is there potential to cause issues by retro-fitting the straps (I'm not sure how invasive the drilling into the inner leaf is, and I'm not sure if penetrating this would cause any issues with the existing cavity wall insulation), and if so is it worth the risk?

Any advice from those in the know?

[lagerstarfish]

I did it on the gable of a 1900s end terrace because the survey I had done when I bought it said the same.
When I sold it, the buyer's surveyor commented positively when he saw it was done. (Double brick wall with no cavity, so not the same, and it was visibly curved)
From the selling on point of view, probably worth asking for it to be done.
You could ask the surveyor what he thinks?

[Paul B]

the roof doesn't show signs of movement after 40+ years.

I'm not sure that's a good basis for making a decision in this case. I'd probably get a few quotes and either negotiate it off the purchase or make a decision that at the cost, and risk of derailing a chain (?) is not worth it (and get it done yourself).

[spidermonkey09]

The pebbledash on the back of our house has recently started to fail in the usual areas, near the bead and around the back door. I'm currently getting some prices for both patching up the bad bits and for re rendering the whole wall, as its not a huge area and I'm not a fan of the pebbledash anyway.

My dad is a plasterer and is adamant that the 'nu-skool' K-rend style renders aren't right for older houses and instead we should get a sand/cement render with a bit of lime in it so it can move with the house and brethe etc.(ours is an 1890s terrace). Both the guys I've had round to price it are equally adamant that K-rend or similar is superior. Any opinions on who is right? The old man is reasonably forward thinking but equally mostly works on listed timber frame houses so possible ours is a kind of edge case. I am slightly sceptical that K-rend is very thin so on an older house could well be liable to cracking in short order.

[rodma]

Listen to your old man.

[nik at work]

Wot he sed

[spidermonkey09]

Good, thats the way I was leaning anyway! Thanks both. Interested more widely on why K-rend has become so popular though. Is it simply because its easier/quicker?

[tk421a]

May not be appropriate, but consider external wall insulation if you're rendering the whole wall? My parents just did it on a 1900s detached house as part of a bigger renovation. Solid uninsulated walls previously.

[kelvin]

The pebbledash on the back of our house has recently started to fail in the usual areas, near the bead and around the back door. I'm currently getting some prices for both patching up the bad bits and for re rendering the whole wall, as its not a huge area and I'm not a fan of the pebbledash anyway.

My dad is a plasterer and is adamant that the 'nu-skool' K-rend style renders aren't right for older houses and instead we should get a sand/cement render with a bit of lime in it so it can move with the house and brethe etc.(ours is an 1890s terrace). Both the guys I've had round to price it are equally adamant that K-rend or similar is superior. Any opinions on who is right? The old man is reasonably forward thinking but equally mostly works on listed timber frame houses so possible ours is a kind of edge case. I am slightly sceptical that K-rend is very thin so on an older house could well be liable to cracking in short order.

I painted the outside of a 1900 detached and pebbledashed house in 2020. All was solid apart from the front, that was loose in huge swathes and rock hard solid in others. Parts had been Portland cement patched at some point.
I advised him that maybe k-rend or something similar might be a better option and update the front of the property as windows were due to be replaced or moved.
The house itself has structural issues and was collapsing in on itself in the middle. By the end of 2020, the structural work was done and in the spring, some guys came and patched the front and covered the pebbledash with what looked like a flexible render and about a week later, came and put a silicone type coating on it, I assume k-rend. Three years later, there's not a micro crack to be seen on it, despite all the structural and cosmetic work nearby.
My understanding is that k-rend still breathes as well as a lime based render, hence why painters are not supposed to use Sandtex or similar sealing paints over the top of it. Adherence isn't the issue, they stick fine but the breathability is compromised.
I think maybe some of the confusion with k-rend happens because when we think of silicone, we think of silicone mastic, that nasty messy waterproof stuff that can't possibly be breathable. K-rend is very different.

[SamT]

May not be appropriate, but consider external wall insulation if you're rendering the whole wall? My parents just did it on a 1900s detached house as part of a bigger renovation. Solid uninsulated walls previously.

THIS

[spidermonkey09]

It did cross my mind but only the bottom half of the wall is rendered; the upper half is clad with slates. I'm reluctant to get all these taken off!

[SamT]

Lot of 1920's red brick houses re-rendered with K-rend round here, and still looking smart as far as I can tell.