"I want to change the layout of my kitchen and install an extra sink with a separate waste. Do I need Building Regulations approval and are there any other rules I need to know about?" D.L - Poole "We are selling our house, a potential buyer has said that the stairs do not conform to regulations and that he wants us to reduce our price to pay for replacing them. The house was built in 1910 and as far as I can see the stairs are original. What are the rules he is talking about and do I have to replace the staircase?" M.L - Letchworth "I want to make my living room and dining room into one big room, how can I tell if the wall between them is a load bearing wall and what can I do if it is?" M.S - Dunstable "I'm building a prefabricated concrete garage with a flat roof, it's approximately 5 mtrs by 2.5 mtrs. Do I need to dig foundations and how deep should they be?" AF - Saltash "Can I put in one of those gas coal effect fires in my existing fireplace, there is gas already run to fire hearth and it could have had one in there before. The fireplace has been boarded up for a while, but there is not going to be any smoke so will I need to get it swept out?" JR - Walthamstow "How much readymixed concrete do I need to order for an 8 x 30 ft drive and how deep should the concrete be?" TW - Dorset "Our back garden is very steep - about 1 in 7 - I want to make it into terraces so that the children can play on it. my neighbour has suggested that I should build retaining walls to hold each terrace, they will be about 3 feet high - how do I build a retaining wall?" RC - Sittingbourne "I have inherited my aunts house that was built in the 1930's and still has some of the original round pin sockets, can I still get plugs for these?" (We advised this customer to rewire the house immediately!) "I would like to know if it is possible to convert my loft - I am sending a rough sketch of the existing supporting timbers and the dimensions, could you also tell me how big the room is likely to be? NT - Newcastle "I am going to build a lean-to on the side of my house it will be about 12' wide, could you send me details of how I should build the joists and how thick they need to be? It's going to have a slate roof." West Sussex "My Insurance company has advised me to remove some mature ash trees in my garden to avoid the possibility of future subsidence, they are lovely trees and we don't want to lose them unless we really have to- Help Please" |