Lintels over openings in brick veneer and masonry walls
A lintel is a small component that carries the whole wall above an opening. This guide covers choosing the type, checking the bearing, integrating the cavity tray and preventing cracks.
12 min read
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Building Materials
What the materials in a house are doing: new products, how established ones perform, supply and prices, and the details that decide whether they last.
Lintels over openings in brick veneer and masonry walls
A lintel is a small component that carries the whole wall above an opening. This guide covers choosing the type, checking the bearing, integrating the cavity tray and preventing cracks.
12 min read
Corrosion protection for steel fixings on coastal sites: choosing the coating
Fixings and connectors are the first parts of a coastal build to rust and the easiest to get wrong. This is how to match the coating to the exposure before the order is placed.
11 min read
Polycarbonate roof sheeting: expansion and fixing
Polycarbonate moves far more than the steel frame beneath it. The fixings have to allow that movement, or the sheet cracks in the first hot season.
12 min read
Roof sheeting fixings: choosing screws that last
A roof sheet is only as good as the screw holding it, and the screw fails quietly from corrosion, a loose washer or a head driven too far long before anyone looks at the roof again.
11 min read
Gutter and downpipe installation faults builders miss
Most gutter failures are installation faults that stay hidden until the first heavy rain. Here is where they start and how to check the system before handover.
11 min read
Skylight flashing and installation to prevent leaks
Most skylight leaks are installation faults rather than product faults, and they show up at the kerb, the flashing or the ceiling reveal. The fix lies in the order each layer goes down, so that water is always shed over the layer beneath it.
11 min read
Balcony waterproofing: falls, outlets and membrane detail
Most balcony leaks start at the falls, the outlet or a junction rather than in the membrane itself. This article sets out the sequence a licensed builder should follow, from the first fall check to the flood test before tiling.
12 min read
Retaining wall materials and drainage behind the wall
A retaining wall fails when the ground behind it has nowhere to go. The material matters less than how the wall is backfilled and drained, and that is where most failures begin.
12 min read
Subsoil drainage around footings and slabs: when it is needed and how to build it properly
Subsoil drainage keeps water away from footings and the slab edge, but only when the line is set, graded and connected correctly. This guide covers when it is needed and how to build it.
12 min read
Control joints in residential slabs: where to cut them and why
A slab will crack. The question is whether it cracks where you chose, in a neat line at a joint, or somewhere random across the panel. This article covers joint layout, depth and cutting timing for shrinkage control.
11 min read
Ordering concrete for a slab: specifying strength, exposure and slump
The concrete order is the last point at which a builder controls the mix. This guide sets out what the order must carry, and what to check on the docket before the pour starts.
11 min read
Choosing mortar and joint profiles for durable brickwork
Mortar is usually chosen for convenience, but its strength relative to the units and the shape of the finished joint decide how a wall handles movement and water over its life.
11 min read