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Practical building repairs

Information on Practical building repairs

  • Building contracts and tenders
  • Building Control
  • Business matters and job planning
  • CDM and health and safety
  • Planning permission
  • Repairs: drainage
  • Repairs: electrics and miscellaneous items
  • Repairs: floors and flooring
  • Repairs: flues, fireplaces and chimneys
  • Repairs: joinery, doors and kitchens
  • Repairs: plumbing and heating
  • Repairs: roofs and rainwater goods
  • Repairs: walls
  • Specifications
  • When things go wrong...
  • Resources

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  • Business matters and job planning

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    • Instructions and fees
    • Insurance
    • Project assessment checklist
  • Building contracts and tenders

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    • What makes a good contract?
    • Standard contracts
    • Special considerations for registered social landlords (RSLs)
    • Preparing contracts
  • Specifications

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    • 'System' specifications
    • A general 'standard' specification
  • Planning permission

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    • Key points to note
    • General principles
  • Building Control

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    • Key points to note
    • The Building Regulations
    • Other statutory requirements
    • Building notice or full application?
    • Working with building control
  • CDM and health and safety

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    • Scope and the aims of CDM
    • The role of the CDM Coordinator
    • Duties under CDM 2007
  • When things go wrong...

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    • Failure to progress the work
    • Defining acceptable standards of workmanship
  • Repairs: walls

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    • The basics
    • Preliminary checks
    • Problem 1: Joining new walls to old
    • Problem 2: Cracking in mortar joints (sand-based/other brick types)
    • Problem 3: DPC wall oversail
    • Problem 4: Defective wall ties
    • Problem 5: Wall bowing
    • Problem 6: Historic cracks
    • Problem 7: 'Live' cracks caused by lintel failure/dropped arch
    • Problem 8: Defective flat arch
    • Problem 9: Temporary support of walls
    • Problem 10: Distortion and/or cracks due to foundation failure
    • Problem 11: Efflourescence
    • Problem 12: Snots
    • Problem 13: Bird droppings and erosion
    • Problem 14: Masonry bees
    • Problem 15: Weathered or desiccated mortar joints
  • Repairs: roofs and rainwater goods

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    • Key considerations
    • The basics
    • Pitched roof coverings
    • Flat roofs and coverings
    • Problem 1: Moss and lichen
    • Problem 2: Wind-induced distortion of pre-trussed roofs
    • Problem 3: Stabilising a new pre-trussed roof
    • Problem 4: Trussed rafters and home improvements
    • Problem 5: Traditional roofs: unsecured poling board
    • Problem 6: Inadequate purlin end bearings
    • Problem 7: Other purlin problems
    • Problem 8: Sagging single-pitched roof
    • Problem 9: Over-stressed or broken hip boards
    • Problem 10: Unsupported purlin joints (along the length of the purlin)
    • Problem 11: Half-brick-thick gables
    • Problem 12: Damp penetration in a roof
    • Problem 13: Ponding on a flat roof
    • Problem 14: Reduced flashing clearances
    • Problem 15: Failure of asbestos cement sheet
    • Probelm 16: Condensation under asbestos cement or sheet metal roof
    • Problem 17: Deterioration of PCM
    • Problem 18: Fire checks at party walls
    • Problem 19: Roof felts and insulation/vapour resistance
    • Problem 20: Fixing hip tiles
    • Problem 21: Water penetration at wall abutments with roofs
  • Repairs: floors and flooring

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    • Key considerations
    • The basics
    • Problem 1: Collapsed suspended timber ground floor
    • Problem 2: Undersized floor joists
    • Problem 3: Over-cut joists
    • Problem 4: Setting of concrete floor slab
    • Problem 5: Desiccated composition floor screed
  • Repairs: joinery, doors and kitchens

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    • Key considerations
    • Joinery - the basics
    • Problem 1: Moisture damage to timber cladding
    • Problem 2: Moisture ingress at a bay window
    • Problem 3: Stiles and mullions
    • Problem 4: Overhauling broken joints
    • Problem 5: Doors dropping and broken joints
    • Problem 6: Stairs with inadequate strings
    • Problem 7: Nosing defects/flexing across riser
    • Problem 8: Newel post/rails cut away
    • Problem 9: Ladder-effect balusters
    • Problem 10: Split panels (doors)
    • Problem 11: Filling old holes
    • Problem 12: Upgrading fire resistance
    • Problem 13: Hanging doors - general
  • Repairs: flues, fireplaces and chimneys

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    • Key considerations
    • The basics
    • Problem 1: Cracks to chimneys
    • Problem 2: Condensation
    • Problem 3: Unsupported chimney stacks
  • Repairs: drainage

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    • Key considerations
    • The basics
    • Problem 1: Relocating a sewer
    • Problem 2: Surface drainage
    • Problem 3: Septic tanks
  • Repairs: plumbing and heating

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    • Key considerations
    • The basics
    • Problem 1: Casting faults in sanitary ware
    • Problem 2: Lead pipework
    • Problem 3: Earth bonding
    • Problem 4: Backflows/syphoning
    • Problem 5: Radiator sizing
  • Repairs: electrics and miscellaneous items

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    • Electrics
    • Materials
    • Painting and decorating
    • Boundaries: walls, fences, gates and railings
    • Site works
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