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Did you resolve the ridge/window problem?
A compromise is where we’ve ended up. We have lowered the roof, but not all the way down to where we wanted it, but hopefully to a point where it’s tolerable but not ideal. This has reduced the internal headroom to the pity where it’s not ideal but hopefully just irritating rather than annoying.
 
Here is an example of the high quality work I discovered today, after having new door linings fitted the trivial task of hanging doors
If it helps, you're not the only one with problematic workmanship, my builder pal who helps on my install jobs, had a chippy come and fit a fire
door and frame to a garage conversion, when he went back next day, the frame was in upside down, the hardwood cill, according to the chippy, was the lintel for the opening!
 
If it helps, you're not the only one with problematic workmanship, my builder pal who helps on my install jobs, had a chippy come and fit a fire
door and frame to a garage conversion, when he went back next day, the frame was in upside down, the hardwood cill, according to the chippy, was the lintel for the opening!
Did the door open and close? 🤣

Pete
 
The quality of trades around at present does seem to be particularly poor - I had a plasterer in recently who was absolute rubbish and has left me with a massive mess to clear-up, I'd have plastered it myself but am getting too old for that game....
My sister had similar experiences when a water leak initiated a kitchen re-fit down below and well you couldn't make it up how shoddy the work was - gash plastering, counter joints ill fitting and not level - it really was a total mess and she was almost in tears over it...
The reason is I deduce partly down to supply and demand - currently lots of folks are not moving house and so are either having extensions or having trades in to do refurbs, so lead times for competent trades is massive and so lots of poorer quality folk are jumping on the band-wagon...
 
I worked on the roof of an extension that had a lowered pitch to the tiled roof, The architect had specified Onduline as the roofing felt layer,. I'm sure it bought him a bit of kudos amongst his colleagues, but it was a bit of pig to make work.
The main problem came when trying to trim around the Veluxe windows. There were no proprietry fittings available to channel any water that got through to the Onduline, away from the top of the Veluxes to down the sides. I often wonder how well it has fared over the years since :unsure:
As the owner of a house with an extension with low pitch and Veluxes, I suspect not well. 3 roofers so far, still leaking 🙄
 
This is only too familiar to me at the moment, my parents are having an extension built and while much of the work is fine its the last 10% that is unnecessarily bad. The doors are hung badly with gaps in the keeps, uneven hinge depth and then the painter has managed to paint every single bit of ironmongery. Door stop fitted with large screws of 3 different kinds !

To add to this the window boards are the maddest thing, first some MDF window boards appeared on site but the reveals are huge due to the 350mm of insulation in the walls so these were no good.
So instead of finding wider window boards, joining some together or going to get some 25mm MDF they have used 18mm MDF which has been "rounded over" to an approximate curve with a block plane maybe ? but not on the ends and then painted. As you can imagine this looks dreadful and the surface finish on the "rounded over" edge is like 80 grit sandpaper. Madness.

The painter is awful and will paint over all sorts of grit and dust, on the upvc windows etc. the surface finish on new work is terrible and there is no reason for it at all.

I don`t know if they genuinely think they have done a good job, don`t care a damn or are just completely incompetent and I am not sure which is worse.

Unfortunately you have to keep an eye on everything.

Ollie
try getting a decent tradesman in the west of ireland, they are as rare as hens teeth, understandable all the top guys are off chasing money in dublin, london, insert foreign city here.. what really grinds my gears is the cowboys left behind think they are any good and charge an arm and a leg , people grumble and pay it because there is literally no alternative. the standard of work is appalling on the whole.
 
Well, the slaters have now finished the roof. The last ridge tile was popped on this afternoon despite the sub zero temperatures! I’m very pleased with the work that they have done. We are almost watertight! Windows and doors are going in within the next two weeks.
IMG_3232.jpeg
 
I’m starting to get a feel for what it will be like inside. There is about 30mm of rainwater collected inside whilst the roof was going on. Says a lot about the quality of the brick work that its water tight! Not sure how to pump it out, it’s too shallow for a pump to prime, I’ve tried. Might drill a hole through the wall. It’s about 1.5 tonnes of water! Tyere are six velux to let in lots of light,
IMG_3225.jpeg
 
looking good! Hopefully your partner is happy with the roof line and respective view after all the stress - and that you’re happy with the head room inside too!
 
I’m starting to get a feel for what it will be like inside. There is about 30mm of rainwater collected inside whilst the roof was going on. Says a lot about the quality of the brick work that its water tight! Not sure how to pump it out, it’s too shallow for a pump to prime, I’ve tried. Might drill a hole through the wall. It’s about 1.5 tonnes of water! Tyere are six velux to let in lots of light,
View attachment 170865
Have you still got the garage door hole? If so then you can brush it out with a sweeping brush
 
Plastic snow shovel to scoop and throw it over the thresholds ?

Submerge a big sheet of tarpaulin or plastic then pick it up by all 4 corners and drag to the doorway ?

Wet n dry vac ?
Wet n dry vac with a cyclone separator barrel on the front of it ?

Looking good :)
 
If the water is that deep siphoning it off with a garden hose would be the easiest. Drain the hose at night when you can't watch it. Wet and dry vac when the siphon has done it's thing.

We don't see roofs like that except on the most expensive houses. Nice.

Pete
 
I think you probably want a ‘puddle pump’ - these can get down to 2-3mm water depth. So something thing like: APP BPS Submersible Puddle Pump or this one (a bit more expensive but can get down to 1mm and can operate with little to no water for extended periods of time): Stream SPK530 Puddle Sucker
You could also put a loose ring of towels round it initially to keep the worst of the crud away from the pump but still let in water
 
I emptied the remainder of the kids above ground pool when the water level got too low for the pump by getting a few of those flexible plastic tubs and just using a bucket to scoop it into the tubs and then putting the pump in each tub - rinse and repeat until I finished the job with a wet'n'dry vac

I probably did about 1 ton of water - a bit of effort but siphoning wasn't possible
 
I’m starting to get a feel for what it will be like inside. There is about 30mm of rainwater collected inside whilst the roof was going on. Says a lot about the quality of the brick work that its water tight! Not sure how to pump it out, it’s too shallow for a pump to prime, I’ve tried. Might drill a hole through the wall. It’s about 1.5 tonnes of water! Tyere are six velux to let in lots of light,
View attachment 170865
I had a similar problem with a large shallow pool. Used a flat freezer block, the sort you put in a cold box. Holes drilled in one side and connected to a hose. Worked down to a few mm deep.
 
I’m getting closer, bifold doors and windows are now installed meaning it’s now fully water tight. The last major thing to compete is the floor. The outside will be rendered to match the house in spring after the weather warms up.

There were two options of threshold for the BiFolds. The first which I didn’t choose was a flush plate, so it would have been seamless to walk out of the workshop. However, this threshold can leak water under extreme conditions. So, I selected a standard threshold and will make the floor up inside to be flush. Only time will tell if this was a wise decision. If the building wasn’t designed to have other uses after I’ve finished with it I would have chosen a flush threshold.

IMG_3276.jpegIMG_3274.jpegIMG_3275.jpeg
 
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