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Posts Tagged ‘settle<’
Roofers lay tiles loosely over each other in an overlapping pattern, and hold them in place with edging fascias, and special tiles cemented in place along the ridges. If these ridges fail, then there is a possibility of a strong wind lifting sheets of roof tiles with disastrous results. This fairly common problem usually begins as roofs settle after the first few years, and  the rendering beneath the ridges separates.
This is not a job for an amateur with a bad head for heights. In fact, we strongly recommend that you Find a Roofer to do the following work for you instead.
• Identify which ridge tiles have worked loose. This could be just one, a few, or the entire ridge, and the solution varies accordingly. If you can remove the loose tiles without disturbing the adjacent ones then this could save you time and money, although it is unwise to take chances and end up with a patch job.
• Obtain a supply of replacement ridge tiles. Remove offending ridges, set them aside and carefully chisel the loose rendering off the roof tiles beneath. You can leave a small residue of old rendering behind, provided that this is firmly attached.
• Soak the replacement ridge tiles and the supporting roof tiles with clean water until they have taken up a slightly darker hue. This ensures that they do not suck the moisture out of the new rendering, and weaken it.
•  Loose fit a new ridge tile, make a chalk mark on either side of it, and set it aside again. Lay two generous lines of suitable tinted rendering within the chalk lines. Press the ridge tile gently into place and remove any surplus rendering with trowel and damp cloth. Repeat the process as necessary along the entire ridge, remembering to close in the ends of the last ridge tiles if you replaced these too.
• A competent London Roofer will always check carefully that there are no cracks or holes showing anywhere on the ridge. This is because a strong gust of wind can blow rainwater through a tiny hole into the roof space below with surprising force, and form damaging pools on ceilings.
Should you decide to get a Roofing Quote on Mr-Skill, then we would be delighted to put you in touch with several rated tradesmen working in your area. We know you will be satisfied with the price and quality of the bids that you receive, and we wish you well with your roofing project too.
Tags: chalk, check, chisel, competent, crack, disturb, fascia, find a roofer, gust, hole, lift, london roofer, loose, loose fit, mark, moisture, overlap, press, rain, remove, rendering, repeat, replacement, roof, roofing quote, separate, settle, soak, tile, water, wind
Posted in Roofing, Gutters & Drainage | Comments Off
Posted in Bricklaying on Aug 12
Most brick walls are finished off with some or other kind of capping, which is called coping in the trades. While the main purpose of this is to prevent water seeping into the structure, coping also often provides a decorative feature too. Coping may be pitched or flat according to the tastes of the designer.  The most important thing of all though is to ensure that the coping is at least an inch wider that the finished wall, and preferably an extra inch wider in total too. This is to prevent capillary action dripping off the surface onto the wall itself.
Do you need to Find a Bricklayer on Mr-Skill to lay coping for you? Perhaps not, if you are reasonably skilful and have the right tools. But definitely, if the wall is high or if the site is dangerous in other ways.
o Span a suitable length of builders twine along the wall at a height above it equal to the coping plus the settled bed of mortal. This is a critical factor for success, so take your time. Mark the approximate position of each coping stone, to determine where to start and where to site the filler piece.
o Mix sufficient mortar, but not more than you can use in one hour. Lay a generous bed of it along the top  of the wall, starting at one end and one and half times the length of a single coping stone. Make regular slashes in it to help your work bed down nicely.
o Set the first coping stone in place remembering to obey the level of the builders twine. Immediately check your levels in both directions and adjust where necessary. Continue on the same basis without worrying too much about filling in the grouting. This is often easier the following day when the stones have settled. London Bricklayers invariably like do this the same day though, because they do not want to have to come back again.
This really is a simple job, provided you have the time and patience, and a straight eye too. If you lack one or more of these, then why not Ask Mr-Skill for Bricklaying Quotes instead. Our tradesmen are competent and pleasant enough to work with, and their rates are really keen.
Tags: bed, brick, bricklaying quotes, cap, capillary, capping, competent, coping, dangerous, decorative, filler, find a bricklayer, finish, grout, height, high, lay, level, london bricklayer, mix, mortar, patience, rate, seep, set, settle, skill, slash, straight eye, time, tool, top, twine, wall, water, wide
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Posted in Electrical Work on Aug 04
A dimmer switch has the effect of turning down the electricity in much the same way as turning down a tap reduces the flow of water (although that is just an analogy). It is a simple, cheap improvement that adds ambiance to any room. Just be aware that dimmers do not work on fluorescent tubes and some low energy bulbs, at least as yet.
o  Obtain a suitable dimmer switch that matches your current installation and is suitable for use in the UK. Turn off the power at the mains and double check that the power at the switch is dead by turning on the light switch. I learned this trick from a wizened old Electrician in London who liked to say if it’s wired to bypass the mains switch then it won’t be the first one that I have seen.
o Remove the cover plate over the existing light switch and withdraw the switch itself. Before removing any wires from it make a simple diagram noting how each colour wire is connected. This is to avoid needing an Electrician Quote in case you end up having to reinstall it and forgot which wire went where.
o Remove the wires from the existing switch and set it to one side. You might like to keep it in your bottom drawer because you never know when you might need it. Gently draw any slack wire out from the wall and check it carefully for any damage. If the wire ends are getting frayed give them the necessary attention.
o  Connect the wires to the replacement dimmer switch according to the instructions, making sure that it is correctly orientated so it will slide neatly into the recess, remembering to tighten the screws up nicely. Now take a five minute break for reasons I will disclose. Have a cuppa tea, exercise your dog, show your wife how much you love her – in fact do anything you like that takes five minutes or even more.
o Re-tighten the screws that hold the dimmer wires in place noting how the wires under them have settled. This is the single most likely reason why wires sometimes still come loose, and is a secret you might well like to pass on to a friend. Press the dimmer switch gently into position, screw it down and refit the cover plate to complete the job.
Now you can turn the main switch on again and test your job. Not working? Check the bulb. Still not working? You may not need to Find an Electrician yet. Remove the dimmer switch and have it tested. Now aren’t you glad you made a diagram of how the old switch was connected.
Tags: ambiance, bypass, cheap, check, colour, connect, correct, cover, diagram, dimmer, electrician in london, electrician quote, energy, find an electrician, fluorescent, inspect, installation, light, loose, main switch, mains, off, plate, power, recess, save, screw, settle, slack, slide, suit, switch, test, tight, uk, wire
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In the good-old, bad-old days, as the older generation of London Roofers still likes to say, roofs were simple, easy going things with single pitches and only chimneys to seal around.  These days things are noticeably different – every hip, and every pitch and every valley represents a challenge for heavy rain, not to mention the mini-bali inset gables that are all the rage at present.
Waterproofing is intended to create a barrier to prevent rainwater from entering a roof and damaging the ceilings and furniture beneath. When it falls directly from above, the design of tiles and cappings is often sufficient to make sure it runs away. Problems arise though when the a gale is driving the water into every crevice, and this can get a lot worse after a cowboy roofer stomps all over your roof while cracking tiles.
It is a wise idea to Find a Roofer on Mr-Skill from time to time, and to ask them to check that everything is still in place, and that nothing needs repairing. This is especially valid in the case of tiled roofs, because tiles are heavy, timbers do settle, and cement under ridges does crack loose over time.
 If you are buying a house, and the one that you are considering has a flat roof, then my advice is to avoid regular Roofing Quotes and to buy something else with a simple pitched roof instead. This is because water inevitably collects on flat surfaces in pools, and will eventually find a way through. The only technique I know of avoiding this is to re-seal a flat roof long before the covering starts to deteriorate. In the greater order of things, flat roofs are cheaper to build, but cost more to maintain. Beware the buyer.
The most important thing of all is to be careful about who you allow to go up on your roof. Urban legend is full of stories of unscrupulous roofers who create work for themselves up where a homeowner never goes. This is where Mr-Skill comes in. Our reputation depends on the honesty and integrity of our roofers, and we intend to keep our good name intact by screening them carefully.
Tags: barrier, break, cap, capping, ceiling, check, chimney, covering, crack, crevice, direct, find a roofer, flat, gable, gale, gutter, hip, inspect, leak, london roofer, maintain, pitch, proof, quotes from roofers, rain, ridge, roof, roofer in London, roofer quotes london, roofers London, roofing quotes london, sag, seal, settle, storm, tile, valley, water, waterproof, wind
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