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Hot Water Tank makes me sweat!!
Hi all, Just moved into a new home, and the hot water tank is in the bedroom. Only thing is that, even though weve turned the thermostat down on the boiler, the room is unbearably hot in the night (cant open the window for security reasons) and we've yet to have a good nights sleep since moving in! Can anyone suggest any…
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Change Alarm from motion sensor..
Im wanting to change my intruder alarm from motion sensor to when there is vibrations on windows/doors.. the reason for this is I now have 2 cats. Does anyone know if this is an expensive procedure? Thanks
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birds nest
ive just been getting my patio set out to clean, but i have just noticed there is a birds nest in 1 of the chairs, i can see about 5 baby birds. what can i do? i dont want to harm the birds do i just leave them?:A
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New fence vs neighbours
My family moved into our house a year ago. There are 4 houses in the cluster, with the last being a corner plot onto a busy road. Our house is 2 down from this one. Our back gardens are currently seperated by wire fences, and so you can see from the road right into our garden. Clearly we have no privacy, and I always feel…
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Claiming VAT Back
I am currently buying a brand new property which has already been built. I will be having a conservatory built onto the property (not by the developer) as soon as we exchange contracts. I was speaking to a friend in Scotland who said he did exactly the same thing, and was able to claim the VAT back on the conservatory as…
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Renovation Grants
Hi, We are trying to work out if we can afford to apply for a renovation grant from our local council. Does anyone happen to know how councils calculate a home owner's contribution to these? I am fairly certain that, given our income and savings, we would have to make a contribution towards the cost of the work required…
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Top 10 ways to increase value in your home
Here are the top 10 home improvements and the average value they will add, after costs, as recommended by 100 estate agents across the UK: 1 Loft conversion -- 22,300 pounds 2 An extension -- 19,271 pounds 3 A conservatory -- 11,904 pounds 4 New kitchen -- 8,250 pounds 5 Central heating -- 6,147 pounds 6 New windows --…
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Front door cost...
What have people paid for a PVC/composite/Hardwood front door? We're quite keen on a composite which goes for £950 - seems quite expensive. A basic PVC back door goes for the same price...because these, unlike the front door, are made by the company themselves apparently. Andy
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URGENT - integrated washer advice needed
Hope this makes sense - I am hoping to redo my kitchen in about a years time, and get an integrated washing machine (ie in a cupboard), but my current freestanding washing machine broke today - after 7 years. If I buy an integrated washer in anticipation of the new kitchen, can it just "sit' where the exisiting free…
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Shiny gloss floor tiles- yes or no?
Hi. Im installing a new kitchen, black gloss with walnut worktops, and am thinking about the flooring. Nice shiny gloss floor tiles ,I think, would give a luxurious finish though Im not sure what colour to go for. (suggestions welcome) the problem is that I enter my house via the back door which is the kitchen door. Im a…
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Unidentified TRV
Hi can anybody help me out here, my neighbour has broken one of her TRV valves right off the base and asked me for help. She has other identical ones so I took a head off of another radiator as a sample but I just cannot match it up on the net. I took a Drayton TRV4 I had spare and tried that but of course the threads…
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Double Glazing in Tamworth Staffordshire
Hi, Had Anglian windows salesman out last weekend - wish I'd read the posts on this board before. Quote started at 12,000, dropped to 9000 then (afetr call to manager) dropped to 7000 (if signed for on the day). I reckon this to be way too expensive. Can anyone recommend a decent local company we can use?
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Old victorian radiators - diy advice.
I'd like to say i've been lurking and obtaining tips and advice from this site for years. Lots of good karma to everyone that uses this site. Right then....I've recently started doing up my house and have purchased ten old victorian radiators (1888-ish) to use. The owner claims that they were all working and warm top to…
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How can I distinguish leather furniture from fake?
Hi. I am hoping this is the most appropriate area to post in and that someone can offer me some advice. I am looking to purchase some dining chairs which will stand up to the daily abuse from my three children and cat. I have been checking ebay and have found some listed near me which the seller says are leather and bought…
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polish builders
anyone used a polish builder? what wer your experiences? , also how long can they undercut british builders as inexorably their cost of living (rent, food, clothing, heat etc)will be the same as virtually everyone else's surely?
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Need New Back Boiler Fire
We're just about to move into our new house and it has one of these fires. We had the gas man out on Friday and he has condemmed the fire as it has a big crack on the glass front. Having looked on the internet I nearly fainted at the cost of these fires:eek: . We need not only the fire but thecomplete fire suite. Does…
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Black mould and mushrooms
Hi, We have black mould and after a year the landlord has finally fixed the root of the problem (bathroom leak), it's been 4 weeks since he fixed this and I'd hate to wait another year waiting for him to tidy the mouldy area up, so we've decided to do the necessary ourselves. I've found from websites to simply wash the…
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Interior/Decorating Websites
Hi everybody, I'm looking for some interior design inspiration and was wondering if anyone knows of any interior/decorating websites that provide lots of pictures to give me some ideas. I've had a look at the Dulux website but i'm looking for a lot more images, preferably some of Victorian period properties which have been…
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DIY on the cheap.
Never ceases to amaze me the amount of paint that is thrown away cos it's the wrong colour. I have decorated many of my properties by investing in a paint mixer (£1 shop) and making what ever colour I choose. And don't think that you need another paint colour to achieve this. You can use cake colouring or spices (many of…
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Painting The Exterior Of My House
I have decided to paint the exterior of my house. It was rendered few years ago and some cowboys used cheap paint which had mostly flaked off. I have removed as much of the old paint as I can and have been advised to treat the wall with PVA before repainting. Is this sound advice or should i just do two coats of Sandtex??
