In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving

Archives for September 2015

Plumbing in washing machine
Hi everyone :) We are currently re-jigging our house to make life a bit easier as we have a baby on the way. Part of this involves moving the washing machine to a newly designated utility room. We have just had a new boiler put in in the last 6 months which has a plastic condensate overflow pipe, this goes through the wall…
Opening a door that's locked shut
Hello, just wondering if anyone has any ideas that will save calling out a locksmith! My front door has locked shut and it appears to be the actual mechanism that's broken. It is a UPVC door with a euro lock and it has two hooks - one going up the way and one down the way that are in the locked position so taking the hinge…
Help with 1- and 2-way light switches
Hi everyone, I am currently buying some light switches to be fitted as part of the rewire of my house. I note that some of the designs I like are only available as a 2-way switch (I understand the difference between 1- and 2-way switches). My question is: Can I use a 2-way switch on a 1-way light circuit? Or will it not…
Painting old pine furniture
Thanks to this forum, I've been reading about Zinsser Bin and furniture painting. My reception hall is being redecorated and rather than throw out a really old pine corner piece, I have Zinssered it with two coats and then two coats of Neptune Old Chalk paint. It's given it a new lease of life and only took a few hours.…
How much Should we expect to Pay for 15m of gutter?
How much Should we expect to Pay for 15m of gutter? This is white PVC gutter, at the back of a house, the width from left to right is 15 meters. (there might be breaks in the PVC and them U shaped holders which clip it into place the type of gutter which is at the bottom of the slanted roof tiles. It is also to be fitted…
buying fish tank
I would like to buy a fish tank with maybe couple fish. It's just something I'm considering. No biggie. It's for a small flat so smaller the better. What sort should I look for? Are they expensive to run and buy (tank plus 2 fishes plus filter and feeds)? What fish are best? Hoe much cleaning an maintenance and does my sea…
Lean to issues
I've recently had a lean too replaced. This includes having a new floor constructed. While fitting the frame they have left a excess piece of dpm in one corner where it hasn't folded over the brick work properly. This is going to be in the way when laying a floor. Am I able to cut it out without it causing any damp issues?…
building partition wall on laminate flooring
Hi All, I am building a partition wall, at the moment I have a laminate floor, do I have to remove it first or can I just build it on the top? Thanks in advance
Using house coal in gas fire
My husband recently changed our coal in our gas fire. I remember reading once that it had to be changed with special coal, but he bought a bag of house coal and seems to think this is safe enough? Does anyone know if this is okey to do as we have 2children and I worry about them not burning properly or us getting gas…
How to turn heating off on a radiator?
Hello all, Does anyone know how to turn the heating off on a radiator? I can not figure it out? Heres a picture of my radiator http://postimg.org/image/r29odan35/ http://postimg.org/image/7bn8xb715/ http://s4.postimg.org/sy29ec5lp/Photo0719.jpg http://postimg.org/image/563n2vak1/ http://postimg.org/image/biiscpdm9/…
How much Should I expect to Pay for Loft Conversion? (North East)
Have been having this idea to convert the loft in to 3rd bedroom in our house for some time, Located Near Newcastle so prices should be a bit cheaper here than in South, the loft area is around 25m2 large,however when you would close down the areas where the ceiling is less than 1m and convert that to storage the area…
Anyone heard of Secotherm?
I've just had a flyer put through my door from a company claiming that it can prevent heat loss from my house using Secotherm and talks about reducing bills by up to 29%. I had a look on line and found that quite a few companies are advertising it but when you look at the youtube video…
Shared roof dispute!
Thought that I'd pose this question on a forum on the off chance that someone has come across something like this before: I live in a terrace house that have separate front porches however these porches share a flat roof with a neighbour (both of us own the property). About 12 months ago my neighbour had his roof repaired…
Bath, or no bath?
Hi all. Myself and my other half are in the process of buying a house which will need a new bathroom (when funds allow) We had previously contemplated purchasing his parents house (which is considerably larger than the one we are actually buying) and In that time I kind of set my heart on having a large walk in shower,…
Best type of fencing to go for
I'll try and explain this as best I can, as I know it can be tricky to get your head round a layout if it's only described in words! We live in an end back-to-back terrace. We have a small garden out at the front. As you stand at the front door, there's a path directly to the street, with two long steps and then a sloped…
URGENT: Alarm installation required
Hi All I urgently need some help for an alarm installation please. A company which agreed to install a wired alarm system for me has pulled out in the last minute while they were supposed to start the job this morning, so now I am desperate to find another company to install the system for me. If any of you know an alarm…
Tall freestanding Fridge Freezer
Hello again. As usual everything seems to conk out at once. So after the vacuum saga comes my Fridge Freezer thread. I've already done some research - but reviews seem to vary quite a lot. Anyway, my old fridge freezer has finally gone on the blink so I need to get a new one asap. Old one had 90 net litres fridge capacity…
Painting gloss onto round things
I am in the process of painting a room and need to also paint the curtain pole and its fixtures. I probably will need to do at least two coats and need it to dry between coats of course. I know I could do one side, prop up and leave to dry. Turn it round and do the other side then repeat. But that is going to take at least…
Time for a new bathroom
Hi, We are about to embark on the process of getting the bathroom redone. Does anyone have any gems post renovation that they would like to share?! Hindsight is a wonderful thing! :) We are going to Homebase for a plan and then will take it from there! Are the likes of Villeroy and Boch & Grohe worth the extra money? Any…
Mould in a Newly Renovated Basement
Good morning all, I have a bit of a problem - I have recently renovated a house which include remodelling the basement to convert it into a living space. This was completed back in April/ May this year. The house has been vacant since May and has not been properly lived in - the purpose of the home is for investment/…

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