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Our team ofhomebuilding expertsprovide in-depthanswers to yourquestions.Thismonth, they advise onreplacing a warmair heating system,smart home quotesand more

Ask theexperts

The Build Ask The experTs

roB dwiArrob dwiar is a landscapedesigner and writer, rhs goldmedal winner and 2016 rhsYoung designer finalist. onTwitter: @robdwiar

iAn rockian is a chartered surveyorand director of www.rightsurvey.co.uk.he has also written a numberof haynes Manuals

TiM pULLenTim is Homebuilding &Renovating’s expert insustainable building andenergy efficiency

wAnT Advice on YoUr projecT?Whether you are embarking on a self-build, renovation project, extending your home or tackling a DIY task, if you have a query about your project why not ask one of our experts? Email your question to homebuilding@futurenet.com.

You can also visit our website, www.homebuilding.co.uk, to read the latest expert advice, or get social and join us on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, Twitter or Instagram.

Finally, come along to one of our eight Homebuilding & Renovating Shows across the UK (www.homebuildingshow.co.uk) and book a free 15-minute consultation with an expert at our dedicated Ask the Experts stand.

Qwe have planning permission to build atwo-storey extension. our house was builtin 1968 and has warm air heating, and we

are struggling to work out a heating solution forthe extension. we like the warm air system but theboiler is in a cupboard in the hallway and is quitenoisy. we have been told it isn’t possible to extendthe system or relocate the boiler. if we keep thewarm air heating in the original house, what are thebest options for the extension or should we bite thebullet and put in an entire new heating system?

Liz needhAM

TiM pULLen sAYs:Warm air heating systems were popularin the 1960s and early ’70s but fell outof favour as rising fuel costs began tomake their inherent inefficiency bite.Theunanswered questions in this case are: howold is the boiler and where does the hotwater come from? A boiler more than 10 or12 years old needs replacing and in thesesystems it was common for hot water to beprovided by an immersion heater.

It may be possible to retain the existing system and heat the extension with a new, separate boiler running radiators or underfloor heating and providing hot water to the whole house.

A boiler should not be noisy and the fact that it is means that it is likely to need replacing anyway. Warm air boilers are still manufactured by the likes of Johnson & Starley, but they are more expensive than standard boilers because they are quite rare. If that boiler needs to be replaced, and you need a boiler for the extension then it would make better sense to take out the existing warm air system and install a single new condensing boiler driving radiators throughout the house and extension, and providing hot water.

repLAcing A wArM Air heATing sYsTeM

Mike rAnpUrAMike is the director of smartLife Av, a cediA Advanced Member company

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QWe’ve redone our master en suite in our old home. As part of thework, the builder knocked down the existing timber walls andrebuilt them to create a larger en suite. One of the new bathroom

walls meets a masonry wall (which is an external gable end wall). A smallcrack has now appeared between the bathroom wall and the old wall; ithasn’t impacted the tiling, but I wonder if it’s something to worry about?What should we do?

sALLY BArker

crAcks AppeAring AfTer BUiLding worksMArT hoMe qUoTes:whAT To Look for

QWe want to create asmart home and arelooking to install an

AV system in our self-build.We’re now at the stage ofcomparing quotes but theprices vary considerably.How should we choose whoto go for? And should we optfor the cheapest?

MArTin ross

Mike rAnpUrA sAYs:Depending on who you approachthe price disparity between quotesmay be several thousand pounds.Theaudio-visual (AV) industry is based ondelivering a bespoke service and eachcompany will specify a system for youthat they believe best suits your needs.Some companies may provide you witha template quote and offer an optionalfull line-by-line breakdown quote for arefundable fee if you decide to proceedwith them.This is completely normal andit’s because quotes take a very long timeto create.

Be aware that to complete the projectto a high standard a reputable companywill price in items such as cooling, propersurge protection, cable management bars,customised shelves for equipment, firehoods for speakers which are requiredby law, among other things.This will, ofcourse, have an impact on the overallprice and therefore going for the cheapestquote isn’t always sensible. Always askwhat items are excluded from the quoteto ensure you are comparing quotes fairly.If you are self-building, you can request asystem design service.

iAn rock sAYs:In older properties, interiorwalls of timber constructionaren’t necessarily justpartitions with the solefunction of dividing rooms.Some can be load-bearing,although any competentbuilder will know this andshould act accordingly.Nonetheless, it’s worth askingyour builder about this andalso checking that there aren’tany significant loads locatedabove the removed wall, suchas water tanks in lofts.

That aside, small verticalcracks at junctions betweeninternal studwalls and externalmasonry walls are extremelycommon and are rarely a causefor concern.The main causeis ‘differential movement’between contrasting materialswhich expand and contractat different rates, probablyexacerbated by heat andhumidity in bathrooms.

However, with gable endwalls there are some otherforces at work, such as windsuction. And in older housesthere’s often a lack of restraintprovided from the internalfloor and ceiling structures.This is why all new gable endwalls must be secured withmultiple straps.

It’s also very common forolder buildings to naturallymove in tune with seasonalchanges to ground conditions,causing hairline cracks todevelop periodically at stresspoints internally.

Based on your description,however, the cracking isunlikely to be a significantissue. Some form of masticexpansion joint might beadvisable to accommodatea limited degree of futuremovement, perhaps witha decorative cover strip orsurface beading to provide aneat cosmetic finish.

The Build

‘‘it’s very common for older buildings to naturally move in tune with seasonal changes