Home DIY

Finished the bastard thing at last! On to the next step...

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Fair cop

My place has a two story extension on the back with a conventional flat roof. There is clearly no insulation in the roof space because the ceiling is cold to touch and the radiators cannot heat the room adequately. The ceiling is low and the door only just clears it. I was hoping I could line the ceiling with insulation material that can be skimmed with plaster and painted - the tricky thing being that there is only 25mm clearance above the door.
Any recommendations?

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Trim the door and modify the frame?

are masonry screws any cop? seems a bit easier than dicking about with rawl plugs. it's to fix a long wooden batten to a blockwork wall.

I'd use frame fixings (basically a rawplug with a strong screw partially inserted: drill the right sized hole, through the lot, then hammer it all into place. The 'screw' gets fully inserted into the plug in the hammering, the screw head being there for when you want to take it out again).

Used these, were good

These?

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https://www.toolstation.com/screws-fixings/frame-fixings-hammer-fixings/c101

Maybe, but what to use to insulate after that? The head clearance isn't great and I think I could go to 30mm and no more.

Finished the bastard thing at last! On to the next step...

...which is what - installing mirrors on the sides of the hallway?
Fuck me that's some trippy tiles you got there..

Mirrors and a disco ball.

Less excitingly, filling and levelling the walls/ceiling then painting.

Take roof off and redo it. Might as well get a decent height room with proper insulation, as one leak is going to ruin all your work.

Put rails on roof and have a roof terrace too.

Blown insulation above the soffit? You'd need to check the design of the roof and ventilation etc in the ceiling void.

Mind you given the thought that went into designing that room with regards to the ceiling height it's possible that a builder threw the roof together in an afternoon whilst not looking at plans, stood back, looked at his work then said "fuck it that'll do" and went to the pub.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Stanley-5mm-Self-Screwing-Screws-X10-No-Plugs-Max-30kg-Stf30018-xj/4012446462

Have a few packets of these that I got from homebase. There are a few different max widths more than the 5mm shown.

thanks for the tip!

@lynx that link seems to be dead but I know what I'm after now, ta

I’d suggest a warm roof.
[Pay someone to] strip off the roofing felt, clad the flat roof in 200mm of solid foam insulation, felt over the lot.
Obviously that’s the abridged version.

I sodding hate frame fixings.
I’ve always found them to give the lowest success rate of any masonry fixings.
I have a higher success rate with these:

^I used loads of these to frame up rooms in my flat, driving them direct into concrete through the wooden frame.

The max room height is restrained by the tie-in that has to be under the pitched roof of the extant 19th century mid-terrace cottage.

If you dry it and put some paper towel around this area, you'll be able to see where the leak is coming from when it gets wet. PTFE tape around the spindle might help. Some fixing tips for radiator leaks on: bestheating.com/info/how-to-fix-a-leaky-radiator

Yes, they are the bollocks. My garden fence is attached with those (the big hex-head bolt type) and it's held up for a couple of years with no issues. They have the advantage of not exerting outward force on the bricks/blocks. Perhaps it's not so easy to just drill straight through the wood and into the block/brick as you would for a frame fixing, but I prefer them.

I (now) have a shed with concrete base/floor. I want to put some sort of flooring. Total area is 10 sq m. Is this sort of thing appropriate? https://www.screwfix.com/p/mottez-b516vpro-foam-mat-grey-white-620mm-x-620mm/9916v

I’d put in some Delta FL or similar first, it’s designed for basement floors/walls where moisture can be an issue.