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Do I actually need an air vent in my living room?
1920s terraced house, cavity walls insulated, double-glazed, gas central heating. Open fire in living room (used a handful of times a year, will be investing in a chimney sheep to close it up for the other 360 days). When I had the cavity walls insulated, I was persuaded to get an air vent put in my living room. I can't…
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A tap which leaks more when supply isolated
We have a downstairs kitchen tap which drips a little most of the time. Conscious of this when we went away a few weeks ago we shut the two valves, just pre sink hoses under the sink, which feed this tap. Guess what - this increased the water drippage and didn't stop for the full week! Fast forward to today and we have the…
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Excavate under terraced garden
Hello, I would like to create a small storage shed under my garden. I am a keen cyclist and use it as my primary transport. However, I am struggling to carry my e-bike up the steep steps into the house. My house also does not have external access to the rear garden so every time I want to use the bike, I have to take it…
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House starting to fall apart around elderly mum..
My mum is over 80, lives alone in a 3 bed semi which has multiple problems. I'm trying to convince her it's time to sell up and find somewhere smaller but she's happy there, so let's discount that as an option for now. She had cavity wall insulation fitted (through a council grant scheme) so long ago that none of us can…
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Interior Door Finish/Varnish, Painting and Small Gaps to Fill around Exterior Doors and Windows
Hi all. Recently bought a place and trying to economise a bit on some jobs. I have some questions for those with a bit more expertise: 1. I have a few doors like in the image (ignore the blotches due to my damaged lens!), which have faded colours and a bit worn/tired looking. I would like to restore them to their best…
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Euro lock jamming
I have just changed a euro lock on a front door, its the right size and turns freely when out of the door, but when fitted and the fixing screw is started to tighten it becomes difficult to lock or unlock, something is creating resistance.If the fixing screw is tightened fully the lock will not turn at all.I have tried…
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Resin driveway weeds
Hi we're in the process of having a resin bound driveway installed. The work started a year ago but there was a shortage of resin which meant everything apart from the actual resin laying was done. We're hoping the resin will be laid in the next few weeks as temperatures are warming up but I've noticed some weeds growing…
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Expansion vessel query.
Moved into the current house about 6 months back and have been using the cupboard where the hot water tank is to dry the small luandry items like socks, today I noticed for the 1st time a sticker on the grey EV had "Non Potable" on it, now whilst i'm not a plumber or heating engineer i've had experience with these EV…
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Where can I buy this switch (from a grinder)?
Hi All The angle grinder has packed up and this is the replacement bit I need? Unfortunately the writing on it hasn't lead me to a replacement. Can you help? Thanks in advance
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can you swap all halogen spots (GU4) by LEDs?
I swapped out 2 halogen GU4 bulbs for 2 LED ones in my en-suite but they flicker? is this a problem bulb or something more fundimental?
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Can we cut tarmac along boundary with pavement to install edging?
We're in the process of taking down a hedge that has been hiding a wrought iron fence for 20+ years. We have several sections of wall along the property boundary that the fence is fixed to, so I'm pretty sure that the wall can be taken as our boundary. When the pavement has been resurfaced in the past it looks like they've…
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Factor Fee’s!
I’m not sure if this is in the right place but I couldn’t find anywhere else to cover. We have been in our new build home for 1yr 6m (Scotland) and was one of the last to move in. The site has been finished for over a year. We have to pay factor fee (£75ish,pa) we paid an initial factor fee of (£185) on move day also. This…
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Chimney - shared (semi-detached), needs repair - party wall agreement?
Hi, I've contacted a couple of people today about getting quotes to repair the chimney stack, which is on the party wall. It needs the flaunching repaired and some repointing. One of the people I spoke to said I might need a party wall agreement with the owner of next door - does this sound correct? For a bit more context,…
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What type of external wall for a new bathroom?
I am in the process of having a small extension done at the back which will be a bathroom + toilet. Initially when I spoke to the builder I told him I would like a double brick wall with insolation in the middle. Now that he has started the work he is saying that having a double brick wall will reqiuire more space and will…
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Replacing gappy Victorian skirting boards
What should I do here? It's a box room in a Victorian conversion. Outer wall is brick, left hand wall is 20 year old stud wall. If I just rip them off and try to fit new ones that meet the wooden floor would I likely also need a plasterer to repair the wall? Also, unsurprisingly, the property is prone to getting mice!
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Best way to fill these gaps?
Hi all. We have these annoying gaps at the back of our kitchen cupboards under the cooker hood. Does anyone have any advice on the best way to fill these gaps? Thanks
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Load bearing wall?
Hi, I was wondering if anyone could help me to figure out if my wall is load bearing or not. Further to my boiler move question (wrong forum section I think, oops), I'd like to knock down a small dividing wall to make the room look bigger. The wall is in a single story extension with a sloping roof and stone floors. Wall…
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Asbestos exposure from ironing board
Hi, I’ve just found out that my husband and I have unknowingly been using an ironing board with an asbestos cement plate for the last 13 years. I have contacted a specialist company to dispose of the board but I’m concerned about our exposure to asbestos for such a long period of time. The board had loose fitting covers as…
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Conservatory refurb query
I am getting my full existing conservatory upgraded to a guardian warm roof with new frames and glazed units. Had a few quotes in and need some advice on: 1. Which brand UPVC windows are the best? Had one quote using Liniar upvc windows (cheapest quote) and the next quote £700 more using Swish Upvc frames. Both claim they…
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Shed company recommendations
Hello I’m thinking of buying a shed or summer house. Can anyone recommend a good company to purchase from. I have someone lined up to erect it but would be grateful for recommendations from someone who has recently purchased one.
