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Grey powdery substance on underside of garage roof
Hello, I have a 1970s property and have lived in it for the past 12 years without noticing the following:- My garage has what I'd describe as an asymmetric pitched roof. Part of this is covered with concrete tiles, whilst the remaining shallower pitched part is covered with roofing felt. All appears to be in good condition…
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soundproofing a wall
We would like to soundproof a wall to reduce noise from next door. It has been suggested we use plasterboard over the brick wall with polystyrene in between. Is polystyrene safe in this application?
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which restus?
After much deliberation (and much checking on this site) I've decided on a Restus mattress. But I can't decide between the coral which is 2000 pocket with memory foam Or the crystal 3000. Having found them for 260 And 300 respectively and with quick delivery (want it here this week) I'm not sure how to know if just pocket…
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Damp problems – Tanking?
Hi, I have damp in the external walls of 2 rooms of my stone cottage. The cottage is over 200 years old and is a solid wall construction of random/dressed stone and rubble (plastered internally). The cottage fronts the highway and the internal floors are at least 600mm below the external pavement. A mortgage survey brought…
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Are condensing tumble dryers any good these days?
About 10-15 years ago we had a condensing tumble dryer and it was rubbish, never got things properly dry. We've had a vented one ever since and in this house the only place for it is the conservatory which means opening a window to dangle the hose out of whenever we use it - and therefore not leaving it on overnight and…
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Bread maker tripping RCD
We were recently given a Goodmans bread maker that has not been used for approx 9 years (stored in a garage for all that time). Tonight, when testing it for the first time, it tripped the house electrics at around 2 hours 45 mins into the 3 hours 45 mins cycle. Given the warmth too, I assume this is when started trying to…
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Washing machine problem
Put a load on this afternoon and about 15 mins later switch tripped on consumer units (sockets) By a process of elimination, figured out the problem was being caused by the washing machine :( It's a Bosch Classixx, can't remember when we bought it, possibly around 10 years ago but it's been brilliant and has never given me…
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Painting metal front door
Hi all, My front door is wood but is metal on the outside. Two people have told me it couldn't possibly be but it definitely is, lol. I have bought primer and black paint, both suitable for exterior metal. I have lightly sanded it and in some places the metal can be seen. I was wondering if it is best to get all of the old…
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Online kitchen door companies
Evening all Has anyone had any experience of these? I need 2 new doors (to cover my integrated dishwasher/fridge) and they have been discontinued. Cheers for the help :beer:
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Buildings insurance within a block of flats
I own a flat within a block (and a share of the freehold). The building is insured for normal building insurance. The lease states that I am responsible for any fittings (such as pipes and partitions) from the concrete slab below to the same above and between external and party walls (basically anything within the…
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Slight change of layout to top floor of three storey house
Hi all, I was just wondering if anyone could give me a little bit of advice please... This is the top floor of my three storey house, built in 2001: I am hoping to block up the doorway between the dressing room and the bedroom and add a new door into the dressing room from the landing (along the small wall - it would be…
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Damp corners no mould in 1851 solid wall property
Hi all - Long term problem in our box room. 3 of the walls are external. Getting dampness in corner of room pretty much the shape of the torn off wallpaper. Took paper off to investigate and try and remove plaster but it's rock solid so no live plaster. No mould either, usually associated with condensation, but…
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Repainting a 2 bed flat - Best place for paint supplies and kitchen tiles
Hi all, I'm currently having the property decorated and my painter starts on Tuesday 30th December. I am providing the paint and my decorator suggested I buy the paint from Wickes but he had no preference over brand or type. Before I buy, I hoped the MSE crew could advise on the best place to buy paint supplies and if…
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Bathroom extractor fan in ceiling.
Would it be OK for the vent to come out just to the left of the drain pipe in the horizontal part of the soffit, not the face showing as can be seen at the side of the house? An inverted U from the bathroom ceiling? Or would it cause the wooden soffits damage. It would save drilling through the wall.…
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Portable heaters: Oil filled vs convector. Which is cheaper to run?
In the past Argos used to mention running costs per hour for the oil filled, but now it doesn't state running costs for either. I'll probably run it for around 5 hours per day, if that's any help. Thanks in advance.
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Extend Christmas lights.
I have a low voltage set of outdoor led lights that I wish to extend. They consist of indoor transformer, control box, string of 160 leds in that order. I want to extend between control box and leds. I am competent to correctly insulate my (solder) joints and to observe correct polarity. My problem is that I am unsure if…
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Mould: Condensation or leak?
Hello, I am having a bit of a difference of opinion with my landlord over the cause of mould and wet walls in my kitchen. The kitchen is a single-wall extension (without any heating) and the bathroom is right above it. The top half of the kitchen walls is plaster and lower down, just above the worktops, are tiles. The…
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American side by side fridge freezer fault.
Hi. I have an American side by side fridge freezer made by GE in Mexico. Model Number GCE23LGWAFBB. Serial Number HR412492. I chose this particular one because it came with a 5 year guarantee and we've had it 6 years now. We did have one problem after about 3 years which was fixed under the guarantee but other than that…
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New front door - worried about copied keys
Am after a new front door supplying and fitting and am a little worried about the fitters keeping a copy of the key and it getting into the wrong hands (has happened locally in the past). Have a nice house and in a nice area and you hear horror stories of it happening, what measures can be taken to prevent this?
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Scotchguard on sofa
I had several problems with a sofa. To cut a long story short, the store grudgingly replaced it! The sofa I picked is a light cream :o We paid extra for scotchguard on the first sofa and it was meant to be done on this one. It's not been a year and it looks filthy :( . Is there any way of checking that this has been done?
