-
Damp in extension. Simple or something more serious?
Hi all, I have a question regarding some damp which has shown it’s ugly head since I moved into my property. The property has an open kitchen diner with a small utility room. We’ve recently had the radiators changed as the house was incredibly cold and they have made a difference albeit small to the kitchen area as there’s…
-
Who's responsible for drain beside our kitchen
There is a small drain that the waste from kitchen sink and dishwasher goes out into, its open (about 8" diameter with a grill over it) and the water level is up to the top. Its only recently happened as i know a couple of weeks ago the water level was visable in it, but probably 2ft or 3ft below the drain/ground level. We…
-
Cordless hedge trimmer -I wonder if this one is any good?
Hi folks, I have a Stihl petrol hedge trimmer, its quite heavy over 4kg almost 5 I think, I have used it a number of times and as I am getting on in age I find it very tiring to use, would never have been that good with it anyways as I have bad stamina, so I do get someone in to cut hedges at least every two years, but he…
-
Washing sofa slip covers, is borax going to strip the dye?
I've had my sofa for 5 years. It's got cushions with slip covers but the frame is fixed-upholstered. I normally spot-clean but I think it's time to give it a deeper clean and wash them properly. My plan was to reduce agitation by doing it in the bathtub. Give them a spin to dry out and then hang dry on the line in the…
-
Pull up bar between 2 walls, safe?
I'd like to put a pull up bar between two brick walls that are ok eithe r side of my stairs in my Victorian house. I would use a steel hollow tube and a couple of steel wall mounts, that attach to the wall through 4 screw holes. I'd read some posts about people having nasty accidents when pull up bars failed and ripped out…
-
Can my neighbour object to an extension under permitted development?
We moved into our house last month and always had plans to extend. We planned a rear extension (single story 3m) to accommodate a kitchen diner and have also planned a side extension to add a utility and office. My understanding is that our rear extension would come under permitted development and so does not require…
-
LVT Options
Hi there, We are currently renovating our downstairs and were planning to use LVT for the kitchen/diner, hallway and lounge. We had picked out some options from the Amtico Spacia range, but were taken aback by the cost when it came through. As a result, we are looking at alternatives, specifically, Polyflor and Karndean.…
-
Changing a GU10 bulb
Our bathroom has downlights fitted with GU10 bulbs. For the first time in 10 years one of the bulbs has blown, and I find that I don't know how to remove the dud bulb. I have no trouble with the kitchen lights, where it is just a matter of removing the circular clip. The bathroom lights have no such clips. They are the…
-
New laundry room - what order to do the work in?
Planning to convert the box room upstairs to a laundry room. We have very little DIY experience (painting, putting up shelves). So does this sound like the right order to do the work? * Get quotes from plumber (to fit water supply and drain) And electrician (to move and/or upgrade the sockets, so we can wash, dry,…
-
RT520 tx Salus issues
My daughter has just had a new boiler installed (Vaillant Eco tec 24) and it is controlled by the wireless programmer thermostat as title. It has worked for a few days although initially and twice more now when she has been trying to make adjustments to the programme it has gone into a situation where it ignores the set…
-
New boiler recommendations
Hi, we need a new gas combo boiler for our two bathroom house with eleven radiators. There are so many different boilers advertised so asking which is the best ? Tia.
-
Property damage.
I live on a busy road and my house fronts right on to it. Heavy traffic rumbling past has resulted in mortar falling out around the sides of my windows. Can I speak to the council about this or is it more a home insurance matter?
-
Hollow tile solution (tiles that have not had enough adhesive applied to them)
Hi allHas anyone here had experience with hollow tiles (tiles that have not had enough adhesive applied to them)? The builder who did my tiles has done a shoddy job and some of the tiles are hollow, and I'm afraid they're going to start getting cracked soon. If this is something that you've dealth with, how did you go…
-
Where has the largest range of internal oak doors
As above, we are planning on changing 7 internal doors to oak and had set our hearts on ones from Wickes. But 2 of our doors are shorter that the others (it’s not noticeable due to their locations, but we can’t open the doorway up due to supporting lintels on both) where can we order oak doors that are available in…
-
Structural household damage
I live on a busy main road and the constant pounding of heavy traffic has caused the mortar to fall out of my window frames. Can I approach the council or is this an insurance matter?
-
Window scratched by window cleaner
Hi everyone, I’m hoping for a bit of advice because I believe my windows have been damaged by my window cleaner. I had brand new windows fitted in my living room and kitchen only back in November. My window cleaner came round a couple days ago. Frustratingly, I wasn’t actually in the flat to watch them this time, because…
-
Paying tradesmen upfront
Hi all, I’ve found a local joiner who specialises in custom plantation blinds, and the detailed quote he’s given me for the blinds I’m fairly happy with. My question is around payment - he says once he’s been round and finalised the measurements and details with me he’ll require payment up front as he needs to order them…
-
Replacement windows and exterior painting
Hi all We're having the exterior of our house repainted shortly. It's in desperate need of painting as we've had cavity wall insulation installed and so there's holes all over the house. One issue is that next year we're likely to be replacing the three bay windows at the front of the house. The work would involve…
-
Replacement guttering, soffits, fascias etc quote
Hi, we've not got traditional soffits and fascias on our house, it just has the exposed timbers which are painted brown. Because our guttering is crap (and also painted brown!) some parts of this aren't in the best condition and the guttering drips constantly so we want to resolve it before we end up with damp. We've had a…
-
Windows Sealing Ideas? Secondary Glazing?
Hi there, Hope you are all well and safe. I would be grateful if you could help me with the following issue. I live in a multistorey building and cold air comes in from the connection between the frame and the window- See photo1 below. The window is fixed from this side and doesnt open. Is there any way to seal this tiny…
