Home DIY

All good info, cheers. I'm pretty sure I'm meticulous enough to fit the stuff right, but will probably get someone in to wire it up, and drill the extra holes in exterior walls that the vent unit will require. I'm going to consult back here when I come to that as there's few options regarding products and layout that I need to chew over.

Extractor fan and bathrooms. What should I look for? I'm not too sure what I can do without asking the council....

Are you a leaseholder or tenant? If you're a leaseholder and not in a block of flats I've not come across a reason you can't core drill the wall and put an normal size extractor fan in. If you're a tenant it should already have a working one. Unless your council is well behind on the requirements to update their properties or you don't have the external wall to allow for it.

With the towel rail most places don't need dual fuel, we use a duel fuel towel rail in a cold damp basement area to boost the central heating effect but the other towel rails we have in the house are central heating rads basically and we don't get problems with towels not drying in the months the central heating isn't on. Essentially, if your bathroom is not excessively cold/damp then you could probably get by with a normal towel rail.

@diable don't have one atm. Window open when showering.
@Airhead leasholder, maisonette. So there's another house above me...
reason is:

@diable don't have one atm. Window open when showering.
@Airhead leasholder, maisonette. So there's another house above me...
reason is i've only got a small window.

crap I thought we could post images easily.
Hang on.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0PJwhxZyJEud1RsdTlBSFFVak0/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0PJwhxZyJEubVNsNVFHVXJuRFE/view?usp=sharing

Small shelf thing in ceiling, there are small patches of black mould. I attack them when I see them with mould spray. I think ideally I would get the ceiling redone, fungicide/biocide the fuck out of it. Paint.
BUT.

A small fan pulling the moisture out would be good. The window is always on the cracked open position, apart from at night (because road traffic noise).
BUT WHAT SIZE. and how much to pay someone to install.

@fox had some good information on fans and extractions and power

or something....

How hard is it to fit a loft door and a loft ladder? Already have a hatch ..

Not very, if your hatch is big enough and you have enough space.

I fitted one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alufix-10-Tread-Concertina-Loft-Ladders/dp/B0055N6UNS because the whole thing sits above the hatch. I found others needed too much roof space to swing up (although I do have 10 foot ceilings so needed a longer ladder). It's not the most stable but it's absolutely fine for access.

If you need to expand the hatch then it may be relatively straightforward if you can get it in between joists.

Plenty of options here when you've measured up http://www.ladderstore.com/

Tiling is a bit of a pain, you might have to try and cut the tile out so the wiring can go behind and while it's out cut a large enough hole for the fan. You'll need to check the proximity to the sink and consider the ip rating.

Core drilling kind of depends on which floor you're on. You probably need to drill a 6in hole using a core drill for a recessed fan, if you are 2 stories above a pavement you'll want to make sure you don't injure anyone! You can hire a core drill for a day, check there's no pipes in the wall and drill it in minutes to hours depending on what the wall is made of. Then you need a power supply with line, neutral, earth and a switch line so that it comes on when you switch the light on and carries on for a time after the room is vacant regardless of whether the light is still on.

I use the Airflow Icon stuff, it's expensive but looks smart and there are lots of optional modules you can fit depending on how you want it to operate. It also stops wind blowing back through the fan, you can fit a one way grill on the outside which would achieve this though. You should check based on the volume of the bathroom how much displacement you need but something like the Airflow 30 should cover it.

The wiring will need to be done by an registered electrician, or signed off by one. The bathroom is a 'Special' area.

You will get some traffic noise through the fan, it's not going to give you the same level of acoustic insulation as a brick wall. You might like to keep using the window and some bleach spray.

Should have said, if you core drill a wall make sure you check there are no pipes in it. Don't ask me how I know.

righto.

cost of "getting someone" to do the job (with parts etc)

vs

cost of a shit hot dehumidifier and having ceiling replastered and strange shelf thing in there levelled out. and using window plus bleach.

(thanks it's very informative, I wouldn't be doingthe job myself)

Someone told me to avoid telescopic ladders as they are filmsy .. I have space in loft if thats what you mean .. about 110cm for ladder.

A local carpenter quoted me a day rate but he said its a very easy task and would only take him half day thats why I was wondering if I could do it myself .. it would involve borrowing a ladder to install in first place.

Essentially, if your bathroom is not excessively cold/damp then you could probably get by with a normal towel rail.

If your bathroom can be cold, however, electric towel rails are really useful in those slightly cool months where your bathroom gets chilly, but before the heating comes on. They're also useful for drying clothes on if you don't have a tumble dryer. Mine is set up on a timer and it's really good for taking the chill off the bathroom first thing in the morning.

You could probably get a away with using the ladder you are installing to get into the loft, especially if you have a second person to foot it (stand on the bottom and make sure the foot of the ladder doesn't move). Then pull it up and fix the mechanism that holds it up there in the loft. Most people struggle to convert the loft hatch to a type that flaps down on a catch, you probably have a hatch that you push to lift out of the way when you want access. Often you convert that to one on hinges which flaps down so the ladder can be pulled down with a stick and hook. There are lots of types though.

you probably have a hatch that you push to lift out of the way when you want access.

Yes!

Often you convert that to one on hinges which flaps down so the ladder can be pulled down with a stick and hook.

Yes!

The recessed 'hatch' is 730x730mm from what I remember (will measure again) and I have plenty space for a 3 piece ladder in the loft too.

http://www.ladderstore.com/loft-ladder-range/loft-hatches/bespoke-loft-access-hatch.html

and

http://www.ladderstore.com/loft-ladder-range/loft-ladders/easiway-aluminium-loft-ladder-3-section.html

Yes, that's what I meant. We use one in a basement toilet which is colder and more prone to damp than anywhere else in the house. It does depend on the size of the household, my household couldn't function without a tumble dryer!

That's some pretty fancy hatches they've got there. Nothing wrong with that. If you're providing that to a carpenter it shouldn't take too long fit, as he's said. You would need a standard A frame ladder to fit the hatch like that though as you're not going to able to fit it with the loft ladder extended, well you could but it would be an unholy pain in the ass.

Why not buy a 5 step aluminium A frame ladder, every house should have at least a 3 step one, if you have taller ceilings a 5 step is just as good, You can pick up an Aluminium 5 step one from Homebase for £30. The pressed aluminium ones are light and easy to move when extended, the 'safety ladders' are usually heavy and expensive, you won't want to decorate a room with one. You can store it in the loft once you've fitted the ladder!

Don't forget, ladders are one of the most common causes of diy accidents.

totally agree; misjudged and bought a 3 step that is too small for this job but was/is ok for painting etc.

Might just get a 5 step for this job .. it looks do-able but then again the loft is a can of worms atm ;)

That made to measure hatch door is insulated, made with steel and about £180 for the size I require.

You won't get much change from £500 for the whole job including materials. You might get it done cheaper, could be more expensive depending on the electrician/materials used. You could find an electrician to quote for it, that's the trade that could do the whole job.

Quality is not cheap. If you go the other route you have a piece of plywood insulating your loft with a reasonable gap all around it. Loft doors almost always get covered with grubby handprints too. The diesel fumes collect in the loft and it gets all over the place when you get things in and out.

If you overheat in the summer, try lifting the loft hatch out. Makes for brilliant ghetto air-conditioning.

Down side with the thick loft door is it will be in the way when you're using the loft ladder.

yep happy with the price, I will most defo buy decent first time round.

Just looked at the installation PDF for both ladder and door, looks relatively easy to me; will order and see.

Of course now that I've said that once I actually get into the loft to install the roof would collapse or something