And now for something completely different - actual DIY

[Tim Watts]

Been busy this weekend:

Last 25mm layer of celotex going on under the hipped roof - on top of the 75mm between rafters.

Then 9.5mm plasterboard to act as a protection layer (impact and fire). I want my attic spaces to be clean, and the sort of place a 3 month old could crawl without falling down through the ceiling or getting impaled on rusty nails. That way, when people chuck in suitcases and other junk, no one needs to worry too much about damaging anything.

Only going down to the tops of the rafters, or a little higher - as practical.

The flat roof is as bent as f*ck, so I decided to screw 2x2 battens perpendicular to the rafters with 150 or 180mm x 6mm Spax screws.

The idea is that each batten can be dropped on each of its 7 screws until it is level with itself and the other 6 battens. Then the ceiling should be nice - and for 2" of lost space, we have a handy void to run cables in. In fact the ceiling is still plenty high enough.

BCO came last week and approved of everything he saw - which was nice - and specified the very few things he needs to see to issue a completion cert.

Yay - the end is in sight!

[newshound]

I've got some special screws intended to make that sort of adjustment easy (different threaded regions for the batten and the rafter so that they hang on to the batten if you unscrew to adjust). Never got round to using them though.

[Tim Watts]

I needed screws of 150mm and 180mm - and the Spax were the first ones I came across that looked like they'd work, even though I have to buy them from Germany via Amazon.de

150-180 as I have 45mm batten, 50mm celotex leaving 55mm at best into the 4" rafters from the 150mm screw. Now the roof is so banana'd that some of the battens hang 20-30mm below the celotex.

Also, I was looking for a screw with a high pull out resistance as the ceiling will literally be hanging on these - albeit 49 of them.

There is a remaining problem that a batten hanging on 7 screws still wobbles as it's not being pulled up to anything, so I might try foaming the backs once adjusted.

[newshound]

I seem to recall a story some years ago, perhaps in here, where a plasterer replaced a ceiling in his old cottage only to have his wife decide the pristine and flat surface was now totally out of keeping, and having to re-do it with packing to make it wavy!

[Tim Watts]

You raise an excellent point sir...

I shall have to consult SWMBO.

In either case, one half of the ceiling will be 2cm lower than the other (not willing to make that much adjustment in the battens).

There is a massive beam dividing the two so anyone would be hard pressed to notice.

[John Rumm]

Well done!

What else did he ask to see?

[Tim Watts]

Well, we need the final bit of electrics, one bog in the 2nd shower room, and a door at the top of the stairs. And enough fire alarms so that we don't need a door between the kitchen and the base of the stairs, which would be impossible as the passage is narrow.

Just confirming with him if the door at the top needs to be a 30 min fire door or just "a door".

[John Rumm]

I notice you are using branded celotex. Did you manage to find a sensibly priced source for this? Each time I look at suppliers, they seem to want three times the price of compatible products from other makers!

[Tim Watts]

Travis Perkins for this lot. Mostly to cut the aggro down. That said, the prices were 40% less than 6 years back :)

[Malcolm Race]

To remove the wobble for at least some of the screws measure a length of steel tube which will fit over thescrew and put a penny washer at each end to stop the tube sinking into the timber. As an alternatve drice a screw in beside the spax screw and adjust it suitably. thinking on a coach screw driven in just too far could be adjuster using a spanner to rest against a metal plate

Malcolm

[John Rumm]

How much were they asking per sheet? (and what size of sheet?)

[Tim Watts]

£22.20 inc VAT for 50mm and 14.40 inc for 25mm

You can almost certainly get it cheaper, but when you need 20 sheets on a Saturday it made sense.

[Tim Watts]

Nice idea - except we're up against celotex anyway. I was going to pop the odd wedge of wood or plastic in - but ultimately, the plasterboard will hold it all rigid. The one thing I don;t want to happen though is if the ceiling gets hit upwards, for a section to lift - but a few plastic packets and foam should be OK.

[John Rumm]

Yup, although price wise that's not as daft as I have seen in the past though.