A: Hardwood and softwood are botanical terms – they do not necessarily indicate resistance to decay, or indeed to "hardness". Balsa wood, for example – as used by model aircraft makers – is a tropical hardwood, while European larch – widely used for structural supporting beams – is botanically a softwood.
What is more important is whether the timber is cut from heartwood – the resin-filled centre of the tree's trunk – or the softer sapwood on the outside of the tree.
Resinous spruce heartwood (botanically a softwood) might be more rot-resistant than the sapwood of some tropical hardwoods.
You need to employ a contractor who understands all this, and is able to select the best timber for the job. This would rule out the firm that has suggested "orinoco", because there is no such tree.
Teak, oak and western red cedar should all last well, provided the posts, fences and gate are properly weathered (i.e. fitted with shaped cappings to throw rainwater clear), and none of them remain in contact with the soil.
Nail on the head
Q: I had a slate fall from my roof in high winds last month. I sent pictures at the request of my insurer's surveyor and they have diagnosed nail sickness because of the presence of a few tingles on the roof. Obviously they are trying to say that nail sickness is a maintenance/ageing issue and so not covered by the insurance.
Firstly, is the presence of tingles always an indication of nail sickness?
Secondly, even if it is, aren't the tingles an indication that it has been fixed?
NC, by email
A: Buildings insurance policies cover accidental damage, not weathering or wear-and-tear. Although your slate might have been dislodged by a gust of wind, if the nails holding it to the batten were already rusted through, then your insurer would be within its rights to reject your claim.
Nail sickness is a quaint and archaic construction term for rust. Lead tingles (or "lead clips") are strips of lead used to hold slipped roofing slates in place. An old slate roof with a few tingles in place will very likely be suffering from nail sickness, and their presence indicates only a temporary repair, not that the roof has been "fixed".
HOT TOPIC
Q: Further to your answer about immersion heater thermostats last week, we have an oil-fired Rayburn that also heats the hot water, with an immersion heater for emergencies. The Rayburn-heated water seem to be hotter than the "cut-off" temperature so if the cooker goes out, the immersion heater has already cut out and has to be reset. The cover has to be taken off to access the "button", which, at 79, I can still manage. But some older or less dexterous people might have to call in an electrician or plumber to reset it.
SB, Penzance
A: The re-settable safety cut-out on a modern thermostat will trip at around 85C, so your Rayburn must be heating the water to at least this temperature, which is too hot. You will have a scalding risk from the taps, plus the possibility that you might heat the cold-water cistern, as discussed last week.
I suggest you get a heating engineer to alter the pipework, to divert some of the heat away to a "loading" radiator.
*Send your questions to Jeff at Life, The Sunday Telegraph, 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0DT, email askjeff@telegraph.co.uk. Also visit www.askjeff.co.uk
Source : http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/564649/s/3a5a7abd/sc/22/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Cproperty0Cpropertyadvice0C10A8249990CJeff0EHowell0Ewhat0Etype0Eof0Ewood0Eis0Eleast0Elikely0Eto0Erot0Bhtml/story01.htm