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In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving

Got a question about home improvement, DIY or home appliances? This is the place to get help from other MoneySavers.

Dimmer Switch Replacement
Hi, I am looking for a bit of advice here. We have a dimmer switch in our kitchen that needs replacing. It controls 6 spot lights in the area. The current make is from British General GBSD400 Nexus Grid 400w 2 way brushed steel push dimmer switch. This was installed in 2018. We have been looking for a replacement online…
How does ali-framed sliding door sit on a hardwood cill?
This is in reference to this thread: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6559900/flat-sale-condensation#latest where the poster has water ingress along the bottom (assumed to be water ingress, and not just down to condensation).1992 flat with a sliding aluminium door leading to a Juliet balcony. Carpet all…
Is light in shed notifiable?
Replacing old detached brick garage with a wooden shed. The garage has a fluorescent light in there which uses a 9ft length of overhead cable coming from the house through garage wall with a light switch on garage wall. No other electric in there apart from this light.(This light was installed early 2000s) If I have the…
Roof repair costs
Hi all, I know this isn't a simple question to answer but I've just brought a 2 bed semi detached house and the roof requires the following work: “New roof tiles and felt are needed together with lead flashing against the chimney stacks. The existing tiles could be re-laid. At this time the vegetation on the front and rear…
Damp ceiling previous wet verge roof repair
Hi recently moved into new home to find in the corner of two rooms the ceiling and walls are damp after rain. I can see that the verges have been repaired on the gable ends with new mortar. I've also noticed that the old mortar has some kind of sealant between the mortar and fascia, but this is missing from the new mortar…
Advice For Condensation Over Winter
Hi all I am after a bit of advice. Every winter, we get a lot of condensation on the front windows (never the back). If it is not managed it leads to mould on the window seals, wall paper seems moist and develops mould spots. It has started to effect the clothes and bedding in the house. They are not wet, but seem to…
Unexplained turps/glue smell in house - Any ideas?
We live in a 1990's property in the country and around 5 weeks ago noticed a turps/white spirit smell in our living room. After a lot of sniffing around we found this was coming in with a draught between our skirting and hardwood flooring. On occasion this smell appears in other rooms (bathroom and cupboard so both small…
100 watt equivalent, dimmable, Bayonet, LED bulbs
These appear unavailable - plenty of 60 watt equivalents - but no 100 watt equivalents Anybody ?
Disposing of tiles (glasgow)
Hi all, I live in glasgow, and i have far too many tiles lying around. 15x15cm kitchen and bathroom tiles, about 200g weight each, They are leftovers from previous or planned renovations, by the family members who lived here before me. Mostly theyve been sitting around in storage for a decade. All intact and clean I have…
Bungalow Extension Pedantics
Hi All, I have a somewhat pedantic question, but I feel it’s worth addressing just in case. We're planning to extend our bungalow by incorporating our freestanding garage, but I have a concern that’s been lingering in my mind. The garage (a single detached structure) forms part of the boundary with our neighboring…
Where do cobwebs come from?
I don't mean the type of cobwebs that spiders make, where you can see intricate threads, but the threads hanging down from the ceiling, single strands with maybe dust. If I don't dust my ceiling and walls, I see these. But they would be no good for catching fies.
Thermostat broken
Hi, We have a Worcester boiler with a Salus RT505tx thermostat. I noticed today the thermostat control wasn't on so I went to change the batteries and the metal plate that connects to the battery has snapped off. There's nothing wrong with the boiler, just the control panel. Is there a money saving way for me to replace…
Water softener whole house system and reverse osmosis droning water filters advise please.
Hi really need some help and advice please. House is being fully refurbed. Plumber has set up 3 inlet pipes on our main water supplies as hard water area Poole, Dorset area with the following intended setups: Pipe 1 straight feed to garden tap Pipe 2 whole house kitchen, bathrooms x2 heating system want to put on water…
Getting a sheet white
OK some numpty in my house has put a white bed sheet in with their main washing, most of which is black, and now the clean sheet looks like it hasn't been washed for YEARS it's dingy grey Is there any way to get it back to white or do I need to chuck it in the 'painting gear' box?
Broken pipe under boiler
Hello, We noticed that a pipe underneath our boiler is broken. I have no idea how long ago this happened. A small amount of sticky fluid comes out (maybe a drop per hour). The boiler works ok. I was wondering if anyone knows what this pipe is used for. Also, who would I get to replace this? Would it be a boiler repair man…
Boiler dilemma. Help a lady out please!
So I've moved into a house 2 years ago. The boiler is 9 years old....its been working just fine. An ideal logic plus combi. I had a service Last week and he said it passed but there's a crack started on the sump with brown discolouration ( a sign it'll need replacing). And he couldn't access the heat exchanger , electrodes…
Convection Microwave
I hope I can post this in here? So I'm researching microwaves for a new place - and the product "convection microwave" appeared. eg https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9546345 £190. Also from amazon @ £160 but I think I prefer argos as a retailer...anyway. Some brief reading says the normal stuff you'd expect - don't expect a…
Front room radiator never gets hot
I live in a 22 year old townhouse. Redrow built. Original radiators and boiler still here. All the other radiators in the house get hot except for my living room radiator (ground floor). The living room radiator barely even gets warm. It's been like that since I moved in 6 years ago. One gas engineer said to me it's…
Void area above integral garage
Our house has an integral garage with a bedroom above (house is about 20 years old). The bedroom over the garage is always noticeably cooler than the rest of the house and my plan is to try and address the problem this year. I have attached a rough sketch of a cross section of the garage/bedroom area and my initial…
Cost of concrete base in NW London
Hi All Hoping you can help with this. I have a large garden, and at the back I want to create a concrete area 9m x 5m (so 45sqm in total) with a depth of 150mm - right now for a shed and planter area but in future can be used as a base for an outbuilding. I have had quotes for this ranging from £2000 to £8000, and am based…

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MSE News

Revealed: Holland & Barrett's supposedly cheaper 'Subscribe & Save' often costs more – it's promised a review after our investigation
Holland & Barrett's 'Subscribe & Save' scheme claims to offer regular shoppers "the best value" – but it failed to do so in the majority of cases MoneySavingExpert.com checked over a five month period. The retailer has now promised to review the scheme after our research found it was often more expensive.
Don't get your passport by post – 360,000 paid more than needed last year
If your passport is due for renewal, apply online if you can – it'll save you £12.50. More than 7 million Brits did just that last year – but over 360,000 missed out on savings by using a paper form instead, MoneySavingExpert.com can reveal.
Sainsbury’s Bank customer? NatWest takes over this week – here's what it means for savers and borrowers
Sainsbury's Bank's savings, credit cards and loans will be taken over by NatWest from Thursday 1 May. For most, this means little will change for now as the Sainsbury's Bank brand will remain, though it's expected to be phased out towards the end of this year. However, if you've over £85,000 saved across both banks, it's worth considering moving any excess elsewhere to ensure your cash remains protected.
Chase customer? Check if you can get its newly boosted 4.8% easy-access saver
If you've got a Chase account, check if you can boost your easy-access savings to 4.8% – made up of a 1.8% AER fixed six-month bonus plus its standard 3% variable rate. Chase says over 2 million customers can get the boost, which would top our normal savings tables if it were open to all, though it's beaten by the top easy-access cash ISAs.
NatWest to complete takeover of Sainsbury's Bank this week – here's what it means for savers and borrowers
Sainsbury's Bank's savings, credit cards and loans will be taken over by NatWest from Thursday 1 May. For most, this means little will change for now as the Sainsbury's Bank brand will remain, though it's expected to be phased out towards the end of this year. However, if you've over £85,000 saved across both banks, it's worth considering moving any excess elsewhere to ensure your cash remains protected.
Martin Lewis: Is the £20,000 cash ISA limit about to be killed off? What savers should be doing now
Plans to cut the £20,000 cash ISA limit later this year are being considered by the Government. In his latest video, MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis explains what's likely to happen, what the changes would mean for savers and what you should be doing now.
NatWest to complete takeover of Sainsbury's Bank this week – here's what it means for savers and borrowers
Sainsbury's Bank's savings, credit cards and loans will be taken over by NatWest from 1 May. For most, this means little change for now as the Sainsbury’s brand will remain, though it's expected to be phased out towards the end of this year. However, if you've over £85,000 saved across both banks, you'll need to move any excess elsewhere to ensure your cash remains protected.
NatWest to complete takeover of Sainsbury's Bank this week – here's what it means for savers and borrowers
From Thursday 1 May, Sainsbury's Bank credit cards, loans and savings accounts will be run by NatWest as part of a deal between the two banks. You'll be moved to NatWest in the future, likely towards the end of this year, but for now the Sainsbury's Bank brand will remain and you can continue to use its products and services as before.
Martin Lewis: Is the £20,000 cash ISA limit about to be killed off? What you need to know
Plans to cut the £20,000 cash ISA limit later this year are being considered by the Government. In his latest video, MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis explains what's likely to happen, what the changes would mean for savers and what you should be doing now.

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