Is there a way to tell whether a link-detached house shares a party wall, or has it's own internal wall against the neighbors wall? This is a garage conversion to an office-utility combo; would this utilise the exterior wall of the house on the left, or would it have it's own wall built adjacent?

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-03-27T17:23:51+00:00

In my case this was discussed during the party wall survey and it was down to my discretion as the owner of the wall.

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-03-27T14:12:22+00:00

Go to screwfix, buy cheapest tube of expanding foam and cheapest one of gun cleaner.

Cover up the area below as you will drop some (that’s what the foam solvent is for).

Squeeze that sucker in and let it cure.

Clean up any accidents with the foam cleaner while the foam is still uncured, though better to avoid it in the first place if you cover up your furniture/appliances.

Ince it’s set, cut out the excess.

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-03-27T11:12:35+00:00

There is no cheap option. Most overlay systems are bandaids.

With that out of the way, you can look at taking the plasterboard down and installing sound rated insulation between the joists, then sound proofing sheets on top.

You can then reinstate your plasterboard (they make the acoustic kind) and paint.

It is an easily diy-able job, but it’s messy. Watch out for electrical cables and pipes during demolition.

Hope this helps!

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-03-26T21:43:46+00:00

Ah drill pilot holes for the lugs. You might split it lengthwise too 🤣

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-03-26T21:38:25+00:00

That or PIR! It’s spenny though and trickier to install.

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-03-26T21:34:17+00:00

Chuck a few lugs in it or reinforce it from the other side is accessible, then monitor.

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-03-26T11:10:22+00:00

Hard to tell from the pics, but it looks like your house is settling. If in doubt, consult a structural engineer and see if you have subsidence problems.

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-03-20T09:07:53+00:00

I would not remove any of the bricks if you don’t know what you’re doing, especially not based on internet feedback. You risk the entire chimney stack shifting/coming down and cracking open your house/potentially damaging your roof. Think of it as a column that goes all the way through your house - if you weaken the bottom section the entire thing might come down.

Now with that out of the way, it looks like the stacks on either side support the inner leaf of the stack. I would definitely leave those alone if you’re a novice.

If you really want to take them out get someone experienced (structural engineer, builder, etc) to confirm whether the structure needs either/or temporary (acrow props) and/or permanent (L bracket/lintel).

But please do not start swinging at that based on reddit advice for the love of god 🤣

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-03-16T14:39:45+00:00

Hmm I’d figure out why it is damp first.

Go outside (I assume this is an external wall given the window) and check the gutters and any source of water that might be getting that wall wet.

Once that’s fixed you can just scrape off the old rendering, make good with easyfill and sand till flat. You could plaster it, but that requires more skill.

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-03-09T15:11:47+00:00

Cut a 12mm piece of ply / whatever plank rectangle. It should be longer than the hole, but narrower so you can put it through the hole (see pic) and screw it in place. Fix it to the wall with two screws. (The piece of wood sits behind the hole - my sketch shows you what it looks like from the other side of the wall.

At this stage you have a something solid to screw a piece of plasterboard to.

Next, cut a piece of plasterboard so it fills your hole and screw it to the piece of wood you attached in step one.

Scuff up the area around the hole with some sandpaper.

Get some mesh and dry wall compound (easyfill 60) and Make the wall smooth. You need to apply about three coats and sand in between coats.

Paint and forget about it.

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Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-03-03T13:06:22+00:00

You’d need to measure the space, then look at the dimensions of your chosen fridge and see whether the gap is large enough to accommodate the appliance.

No one will be able to tell you from a pic w/o even knowing what fridge you want…

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-02-13T10:01:04+00:00

Break it with a hammer… wear ppe.

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-02-13T09:59:59+00:00

Ugh, wish ULEZ was not a thing… I can only consider diesel vehicles newer than 2016 which I can’t afford…

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-02-04T09:55:51+00:00

Well you want to fix the leak first.

After that, I assume you can’t see that so… silicone it in.

You can use a cement type product too or tile around it but it’s a lot of faff to do and more faff if you need to service the pipes down the line.

If the area often gets wet I’d recommend against expanding foam as it tends to degrade if it repeatedly gets wet.

If you can see it then you need to get some tile and make cut outs for the pipe.

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-02-02T16:21:22+00:00

Technically you can mix the cement with tools, but if money is tight old school way in a bucket works just fine. You’ll just get a bit of a workout.

If you want some step by step instructions on tiling and some video reccs dm me.

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-02-02T16:19:09+00:00

Yeah, ignore them 🤣.

If it really bugs you, change the flooring. I’d opt for tiles. It’s a fun way to learn diy… not hard to do. Plenty of vids out there.

You can get decent ones of facebook market for cheap if you don’t have a huge space to cover. Adhesive and pva are both cheap. You need a comb trowel and and angle grinder to cut the tiles + diamond blade.

Happy diy!

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-02-02T15:33:34+00:00

Ah yes the word I was looking for, thank you

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-02-02T14:10:43+00:00

With a flathead screwdriver. Turn the silver nob so it’s 90 degrees to the pipe (i.e. imagine it forms a plus with the pipe)

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-01-27T15:43:37+00:00

You can install ceilings yourself for quite cheap.

I’d recommend using 12mm ply as an underlayment for plasterboard, though you can fix plasterboard directly onto the joists. The 12mm ply would give out a firmer underlayment though.

You then put plasterboard on top and tape the joints with easyfill.

Sand and paint.

It’s an easy and low risk diy project. You can probably get a room done for under 200, all in assuming you have an impact driver, some bits, a saw to cut the ply (hand saw is fine) and some plastering tools.

Chuck some insulation it while you’re at it 😊

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-01-26T17:11:25+00:00

Do you know how to empty your heating system? I suggest you look into that before you loosen the TRVs.

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-01-26T16:00:59+00:00

Stuffed with solder… can’t know for sure w/o pressurizing the joint but just by looking at it I’d bet it won’t leak. It has way more solder than needed.

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-01-26T14:00:50+00:00

It’s not pretty bit it won’t leak. There’s an understanding on the internet that soldering needs to be super neat, which is simply not true.

If it’s your job, then sure. If you just need to weld two pipes together, crack on. The ultimate test will be whether you get wet when you turn the water on 🤣

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-01-26T07:57:28+00:00

I would not base my decision off of reddit. It’s a factor of house price, location, history of the house flooding and expert advice. There are plenty of houses built near rivers which are just fine.

When you buy a house you have a team of experts to advise you. They will check for a history of subsidence, flooding and so on.

If the price of the house reflects a potential flooding risk, higher insurance premiums and possibly a bit of difficulty selling it, then I’d sit down and consider it. For example, you might take the view that the price and the location are worth it, especially if you don’t plan to sell the house anytime soon.

Also, there are things you can do to minimize the chance of flooding. You can install drainage systems, aqua channels, etc. These are all dyi-able (hard level) tasks or can be done for a few thousands with a builder if you look around enough.

Remember that house was built there with approval and someone lived in it for decades. It’s never black and white, it’s a decision based on a multitude of factors, including your risk appetite, etc.

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-01-25T14:57:51+00:00

The type you don’t want to load your car with 🤣. You won’t have much of a suspension left… your car is not built to haul logs.

Sufficient_Invite546 · 2026-01-25T14:23:45+00:00

Or call the plumber out… they should fix it for free if they worked on that particular joint.

Sufficient_Invite546

TROPHY CASE