The site might be down for a while from the 15th depending on how much the phone company fuck up switching me to a new internet provider. Hopefully it all goes smoothly and you won't notice anything... ...but past experiences suggest it could be a bumpy ride.
It's normal for the DPC (Damp Proof Course) to be above floor level with a solid (Concrete) floor but with a suspended wooden floor it should be below the joists, not above!
This is the damp problem in my new house I have to fix. It's very unusual, in the UK at least, to have suspended wooden floor and solid on the ground floor level of a house. This is why the DPC is wrong for the timber floor side. The reason my house is like this is because it's built on a hill and they clearly couldn't be bothered with getting lots of infill to do all solid floors.
I will have to replace the floor joists and fit them on hangers instead of fitting them in to the brickwork. I will also be adding tanking (a cement based slurry) that will waterproof the brickwork from the DPC down to just below the joists which will protect them from moisture in the brickwork. I'll insulate between the joists too. Hopefully the existing floorboards can be reused.
On the concrete & tile side I'll take up the tile and paint a damp proof membrane (DPM) on to the surface and up the wall to the DPC. I'll then add a thin insulating board and thin tiles on top.
Cold as fuck in the UK, -9 last night. We had some snow last Sunday which is still around because it's not warm enough to melt. Makes a change from the bizarrely warm weather in the autumn.
I got a letter today from my local council to offer me £50 to help with my energy bills as I'm ill and unable to work.
Very nice! That will be very helpful... ...Oh, wait. I must have photo ID and I must go to a post office within 7 days to get it. Most people in the UK who don't currently drive don't have photo ID, that would be me. I also have no way of getting to a post office. Also why limit it to 7 days?
The letter says I should email the council if I have questions, so I have. I received an automated response telling me that they are very busy and will try to respond to me within 21 days!?!
Most of the people being given this money will never be able to get it!
This is life in Conservative Britain.
Give with one hand and take it back with the other!
