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Listed building repair
I am currently in the process of buying a grade II listed house. In the entrance hall there is a damp patch that has caused the wallpaper to peel off a bit. In normal circumstances, I would remove the wallpaper, the damaged plaster, treat and replaster giving sufficient drying time before repainting etc. - but as this is…
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Wooden upstands?
I am still in the process of getting the kitchen ready for plastering and then fitting. I already have the kitchen and it has solid walnut worktops. (40mm). An electrician friend told me to plan my sockets at the correct height as this will save cutting tiles etc. at a later date. Bear with me....... If kitchen is fitted…
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Attic Room Insulation
We have a 3 floor Victorian house with two rooms in the very top. The ceiling is just traditional, old, lathe and plaster over the joists. There is no effective insulation either floor or ceiling:(. On the assumption that I should fix the roof insulation before the floor, what I would like to do is to put insulation on top…
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British Gas one off Boiler repair
My boiler has broken down and I got a plumber out to look at it and he couldnt find anything wrong with it and suggested British gas fixed price repair. I rang British gas last week and they said yes no problem but i would then go onto a homecare plan at £20 a month plus the one off fee of £96. I paid the £96 over the…
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New to Decorating, help please!
Hi I live in a rented house and as we are going to stay there for a while we want to paint a couple of the rooms. However it has been a while since it has been decorated and I'm not sure where to start to make sure it is prepped correctly. In all the areas we want to do the paint is flaking off, therefore if i just paint…
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Regularisation application
I just spoke to my local council building surveyor about the removal of a chimney breast in a house I have put an offer, no support was provided after removal years ago. He advised me to get the vendors to submit a regularisation application which they will not do. Anybody ever had a council building surveyor in their…
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Painting Hall Stairs and Landing
Hi All I have recentl moved into a 6 year old 3 bed semi and would like to get someone in to paint the hall, stairs and landing. It will need two coates as it is currently a dark purple and I want it a cream colour. I'm in the midlands so was wondering how much I should be paying for this as I don't want to be stung and…
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Radiator valves
May be a daft question but - does it matter whether a thermostatic radiator valve is on the in or the out pipe?
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Just bought house - need to demolish and rebuild kitchen
Hi All, I have just bought a house that needs a new kitchen (as recommended by our survey). The kitchen is currently a 3.4m x 4m extension and needs pulling down. We want to build a kitchen extension measuring 3.4m x 5m but have no idea of costs. All we want done is the building of a water tight shell with all services…
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Best and cheapest way to clean windows
I have recently bought new windows which I can see out of (the old ones had poor seals and were full of condensation) and I am very proud of them. I am happy to clean them myself, but cannot decide the best way to reach the upper floor outside windows. I have read poor reviews of telescopic cleaners/mops/squeegies and…
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Renovation Costs - Please help!
Hi there, I have recently had the opportunity to aquire a two bed victorian terrace which needs total renovation, which a lot of the redecorating, new bathroom, new kitchen etc will be done ourselves. however there is a lot of work which needs doing using other tradesman. but, being new to this, I have no idea how much…
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How to Decorate a 1930's House?
We live in a 1930's semi-detached and over the years have added extensions and done it up as best we can. The older parts of the house don't have cavity wall insulation and there are two rooms that suffer from damp - certain walls start to develop black areas. One is the main bedroom and one is the 2nd bedroom. These both…
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What is a Rodding Access?
I recently had a downstairs extension done recently had it inspected by the council and have been told ' the rodding access to the ground floor W.C should be located, inspected and approved. What is it and where would I find it?
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Tiling design?
Ok, I have googled and searched and looked everywhere but I am obviously NOT using the right descriptions :o Am about to have bathroom completely redone, have the tiles and the travertine mosaic that is going to be a border (passe I know, but I need something to break it up) Problem is-I can't decide between tiling…
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Dream Kitchen Appliances Ideas Wanted
Hey just wanna get some ideas of what people have in their home or what they dream of having with regard to appliances. Here's my current list Indoor Intergrated BBQ Electrolux (not sure if avaliable in UK) www. designawards. com.au/product_images/600px/16406.jpg or An Electric Grill Model: Gaggenau vr230 External Motor…
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Broken Bin - HELP PLEASE!!
Hi - I bought a bin from Wilko 5 years ago. It was a Curver plastic swing top bin. From what I remember I paid £4 for it which was a lot to me. However now, 5 years down the line the "swinger" top seems to have broken. I have lost the reciept but am aghast that plastic has perished after such a short amount of time. Do I…
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replacement windows-new frame or existing frame?
I am looking to get double glazing in my new house (built c1900). The existing windows are fairly cheap and nasty aluminium ones. Anyway, is there a difference (apart from cost) in getting new windows put into the existing wooden frames, or would it be better go get new frames as well. Different salesmen have argued for…
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Cheapest possible stainless steel elec cooker please
Does anyone please know of any online retailers where I can buy a cheap elec stainless steel cooker? Ive tried Argos, and curries A very basic model would be fine
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Door entry system for two doors
Not sure if anyone can help with this I am going to have a look at a first floor flat which has a covered stairwell up to the front door. The stairs up to the front door used to be open to the elements and were covered over with wood/glass on a brick base (all the flats in the road have had this done). At the bottom of the…
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Light Switch - Help!
Hello all at MSE! Moved into a new house and just sorting things out. Now I'm not usually easily defeated by the internet and google searching but because DIY is nowhere near my fort!, I'm having to surrender being the 20 year old tax dodging student who hasn't experimented to much with the world of do it yourself! I'm not…
