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What to do with old glass loft hatch (insulation)
Had a new loft hatch fitted in a safe position. Our old hatch is glass above the stairs with a skylight above. Obviously we would want to keep it, but I'm assuming it is losing a lot of heat from the house. What would my options be? Sheet of perspex across the top? Plastic glazing sheet from Wickes? Or have a new hatch…
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Dispute with neighbour re builder
Our upstairs neighbour (we are both leasehold) has been having some work done. During the work they damaged our bathroom ceiling (coming through from above on a few occasions). They said this was 'likely to happen from the start'. They were pushy, rude and careless in our home. They told us they would fix it and we said…
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RCD unit /Consumer Board/Fuse box help!
Hi can anyone help me please? I'm having a new kitchen installed hopefully soon, the chap in IKEA said their installation guys will check my consumer board is up to scratch first. Well I know it's very old so I'm going to get it replaced in the mean time and have had some quotes (no one has come to look yet) but one chap…
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Damp condensation and mould
We bought our leasehold flat last year and have since found damp patches which were covered over with paint. We have extreme condensation on our windows where I believe the seal has worn out although from the outside it looks like there's no seal at all. We also have black green furry mould growing on the exterior walls.…
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Which Duvet to Buy
Our duvet has lasted nearly 10 years now and I think it's time for a refresh. I know a lot of people buy a new cheap one every year, so I don't know if that's the way to go or whether we should invest a significant sum in one. Currently we have a fogarty which is something like 4.5 tog in the summer, an autumn/spring one…
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Questions about engineered wood floor
I'm getting quotes at present for this, and different suppliers are giving me different advice. 1. Is it better to glue the floor down, or use an underlay for a floating floor? 2. Which way should I lay the boards? One company said have them going towards the source of light (windows). The other said have them running…
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Securing floating staircase (adding rising and stringer etc)...Carpenters costs?
Hi, We are renovating a house, which has a 1970s floating staircase, which also has no stringer (so a gap between treads and wall). We had planned on a whole new staircase but the budget is disappearing rapidly so the next best option is to install risers, stringer and so on to secure the stairs for our children. We will…
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Alternative to Plasterboard
Hi, we are insulating our loft and we have rock wool between joists. we would like to cover this with a material but not plasterboard as I am looking something not heavy, easy to install, diy so I can do myself and just paint. It is a pitched roof. any suggestions are welcome. thanks
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Cleaning banknotes?
Does anyone have any experience of removing staining from earth/soil from banknotes? In the mid 1990's I stored some money in the loft and then subsequently buried it when my children found it. It has sadly been water damaged and I wondered if anybody knew the best way to clean them?
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Solid wood flooring installation tips
Looking for some advice about installation. Gone for solid oak flooring and we have wooden floorboards throughout, apart from the kitchen which is concrete. I understand that gluing it down is the best method - would anyone concur/disagree? Which type of glue? Any other tips gratefully received as it is an expensive bit of…
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high water pressure causing shower to leak?
We have a Mira thermostatic mixer shower, it was fitted about 7 years ago-the pipes come under the bathroom floor, into an understairs cupboard and then back into the bathroom to attach. Last year we started to noticed some damp patches on the wall next to the bathroom, there are no cracks in the grout or gaps in the…
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How long should a shower pump last?
We've had a Stuart Turner showermate pump for just under 3 years, and I'm told it is not 'servicable' and needs to be replaced. This was one of their more expensive models (negative head) and I am utterly bewildered as to why it is firstly broken, and secondly not repairable. Aside from the cost, surely we shouldn't be…
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Lampshade hanging on bulb?
This is going to be the most stupid question... so apologies in advance. We have two light fittings in our living room (bulbs hanging from ceiling ) and want to put shades on them. The shades we have fit in our previous house fine, but in this house they are resting on the glass part of the bulb. They fall straight over…
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Bathroom mould: anti-mould paint / grout paint?
Bear with me please as am complete decorating novice. We get various bits of mould in our small bathroom during the autumn / winter despite conscientious opening of windows etc. We need a stronger extractor fan but also we would like to redecorate. 1. Bath sealant - very noticeable long-term ingrained black mould, which…
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Neighbour's wall in our garden
The fence which we are responsible for on one side of our garden is an odd jumble of brick built walls and trellises put up by the previous owner over a number of years. At the very bottom of the garden, next to the boundary but clearly on our side of the garden, is a poorly built length of wall, about 6 feet high and 12…
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Replacement wooden double-glaze sash windows - spacers and gas filling?
We are getting some replacement sash windows made in wood with double-glazing. Due to space limitation within the sash, the gap between the panes will be much less than most double glazing - something like 6-8mm. This made me think warm-edge spacers might be worth using. The only place we get condensation on the (uPVC)…
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Scaffolders won't take it down!
Help please! We are renovating a house and had scaff erected around the house in April. When it was erected I wanted to withhold 30% of the charge to pay when they took it down, but the owner refused and became quite angry and intimidating so I didn't. We have been trying for months to get the company to remove the…
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Oven with microwave fucntion
Currently in the process of buying a new kitchen. We want a double oven and all of the companies we've seen so far to do designs for us have said that we should have one normal oven and the second one with a microwave function. Does anyone have one? I feel that doing that two things, one of the functions won’t work as well…
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Solid wood flooring installation
Looking for some advice about installation. Gone for solid oak flooring and we have wooden floorboards throughout, apart from the kitchen which is concrete. I understand that gluing it down is the best method - would anyone concur/disagree? Which type of glue? Any other tips gratefully received as it is an expensive bit of…
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Solar lights not working at front of house? why?
Hello all I bought 2 different brands of solar lights to put above my front door and they worked great for a day or two and now they have totally stopped working after becoming bit dim. I also put up some garden path solar lights which again worked for a day or two then totally stopped? Why is this? I thought maybe if one…
