Send in your questions to Steve, our expert tradesman, and he'll solve your problemsf Q I am renovating my house and would like to create an open plan dining room/dining room. This will involve removing two supporting walls. How do I go about doing this or who can I get advice from? Also we need a builder, someone who is a registered member of a building association. J McGrath Firstly, let me say that this type of a job is best left to the experts. There are so many things that could go wrong and probably will go wrong if you attempt this yourself.

As you point out, you have supporting walls, which would mean that you have to put in a support of some description e. g. a steel RSJ support beam or a concrete lintel. To be able to put the support beam in you would need to support the wall overhead. This is usually done by cutting out holes through the wall above the height at which you wish the opening to be and inserting strong timber 3" x 3" or 4" x 3" through the holes which in turn are supported by means of acro props. This will enable you to remove the walling below this level. When you have the support beam in place you may "nd that it does not "t tight up under the blockwork/brickwork so it's advisable to hammer in some wedges which can be cut from roof slates. Do make sure the slate wedges are of a reasonable size. This is a serious undertaking so I would suggest you contact an engineer to provide the appropriate advice regarding support beam sizes etc. for your builder to follow.

You can get a list of registered builders from the National Guild of Master Craftsmen or you could 'POST A JOB' on www. tradesmenireland. com and we will send the job to all our registered builders for your area.

Q I bought my house a year ago and am just now getting around to renovating the bathroom. I don't like the way the sanitaryware is positioned at the moment. I want to buy a new suite and reconfigure the space. How difficult a job is this to do? Where can I find a plumber in the Meath area.

Cathy McCann The way I would suggest to you to approach this project would be to draw on paper how you would like your new bathroom to look. Then contact your plumber and arrange for him to come and see the proposed renovation. He will look at your drawing and check the existing soil pipe run and the hot and cold pipework and tell you if your plan is feasible. Sometimes it is not easy to redirect the existing 4" soil pipe and may even require the replacement of the existing soil pipe and soil stack. If your plumber advises that it is not feasible to move the existing soil pipe you could always use the Sani"o macerator pumped system (www. sani"o. ie ) which would let you position your WC in virtually any position in your bathroom. The job itself is not too dif"cult and I would suggest that you revamp the whole bathroom while you are in the mood as it will really set off the new suite. Right Price Tiles have a good selection of tiles and bathroom suites and are very keenly priced. With regards to "nding a plumber, log on to www. tradesmenireland. com click on Meath then click on the plumbers tab and you will see a list of registered plumbers for your area.

Q Where can I get advice on improving heat loss from my home via improved insulation? Is there a company or website I can go to for information?

Kate Smith The internet is a great tool for researching all subjects. If you type insulation into any search engine you will be provided with enough information to satisfy your query. You can also go to the following website addresses: www. sei. ie (sustainable energy Ireland) www. moyisover. ie (Irish-based insulation manufacturers) or www. sheepwoolinsulation. ie Using sheep wool as an insulator is becoming more popular with the green energy revolution taking place. A new directive has been passed into Irish and European law that is set to place unprecedented demands on the energy performance of virtually all buildings in Ireland. EU Directive 2002/91/EC on the Energy Performance of Buildings, will lead to energy ef"ciency becoming an integral design concern for virtually every category of building. Under the terms of the directive, for almost all buildings, an energy performance certi"cate, or energy rating, which may include a CO2 indicator, is to be supplied by the owner to any prospective buyers or tenants when sold or rented.

WRITE TO US If you have a building/renovation-related query that you'd like Steve to help you with, email: doorstepdoctor@tribune. ie Steve Guerin is managing director of www. tradesmenireland. com, the onestop website that will help you find a tradesman, a site for sale, a property to rent or buy and all the plant hire and machinery you need to complete your house build or renovation