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In My Home MoneySaving sticky
Please be aware of the MSE Forum rules, notably that you mustn't post personal information. Take extra care when uploading photos and make sure that they don't contain personally identifiable information. 🏠 Here are some Forum threads you might find useful: * Please ensure your electrics are up to date * Find Instruction…
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Help diagnosing (& hopefully fixing!) a hot water supply issue
Hi, my household is having an issue with hot water supply which I'd like to understand better and hopefully fix without having to call my landlord, as we're a bit concerned about raising any issues in the current rental climate. I'm also worried it might just be us being a bit thick! Would appreciate any help or insight…
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Wired Home Alarm Problem/Fault Bell Box Tamper Fault.
Hi Everyone, Hoping someone maybe able to assist here with experience of home alarms. We have an old Gardtec hard wired alarm. It was in the house when we moved in. Has been working pretty flawlessly for over 14 years. I replaced a battery in the panel 3 times over the years and one PIR sensor which starting misbehaving.…
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Water ingress in crawl space
We have a bungalow with a crawl space and clear evidence of water ingress, though not to flooding depth. It is however leaching lime from the mortar and salt from the bricks. There is evidence of pointing needing replacing but the walls are damp. So far the timbers remain dry and in good order. I'd really like to get…
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Is there any way of fixing this crack in our UVPC front door?
The door is pretty old (pre-dates us living in the house) but absolutely fine apart from this crack which has become raised off the foam inner over the last couple of hot days. We're planning on moving in the next couple of years so we would prefer not to spend the £1-£1.5k that it's likely to cost for a new door. Is there…
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to have a water meter, yes or no?
I received a card from Thames Water "its time to go smart" claiming I could save as much as £200.00 a year. I am the only person at the property, and I live in a two bedroom home with my cat. whats the pitfalls and benefits of the meter, and should I try, or through the booklet in the bin?
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Decking - DIY vs Kit?
Hi there. I have a fairly large concrete base from an old garage that I had demolished. I was thinking of putting some decking down but cannot decide whether it would be better to buy a kit or do it completely from scratch. Having looked, the kits seem to be better value but none of them seem to specify whether the frame…
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Old unused access to a part of our garden is being blocked by locals
We recently bought a property which had in the past an access to a part of the garden which cannot be reached any other way due to it being 2 metres higher than the other part of the garden and there are listed walls stopping access to the higher level. Approximately 20 years ago, when the access was in use a barn was…
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Reasonable cost to repair small hole in wall and make good?
We have had an electrical contractor damage a wall, by drilling right through into another room!!! To repair, it would need to be rubbed down, filled, and then painted to match. What do you think would be a reasonable cost to get this done? They have offered £25 as compensation. Which seems very low, as it would be at…
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Ants in kitchen
We have a seemingly endless stream of ants in our kitchen - They come in through a wall vent from outsideIs there anything, recommended other than ant powder that we can use to kill them ?Powder has to be walked through and just kills that ant
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FRONT DOOR DOESN'T SHUT PROPERLY
Hi Folks I've had a new front door fitted about 2 months ago. When leaving home, I just used to shut the door from outside
(without locking with the key), and the door used to lock automatically. However, recently I've noticed that when I
push it from the outside the door opens. Is that due to the recent warm weather we…
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New radiators - totally baffled!
Hello All, I'm going to be buying 6 new radiators and have gone in to several sites to do the BTU calculations. Thing is, each and every single website delivered very different calculations. An example - my bedroom in metres: Length: 5 Width: 4 Height: 2.3 Window area: 2.34 m2 double glazed Heated rooms above and below 2…
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Party Wall work
My neighbour is planning to have some significant building work done that requires a party wall agreement, however they are using a builder that is not registered with any trade organisation & appears not to have the different forms of insurance that are either legally required or would protect neighbours (& the person…
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Susidence or brick slip?
Hi all just recently bought this house and wonder what the issue is above the front window
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Newly discovered hole in ceiling caused by chimney breast removal
Hi everyone, Our home is a Victorian terrace and we are currently renovating the middle bedroom. Having removed a suspended ceiling and wall-to-wall built in wardrobes we have discovered that there is; 1. a hole in the ceiling where a chimney breast was 2. thin plywood covering what we think is the old fireplace (still in…
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Neighbour fence dispute
I was replacing the rear garden fence which I own with a feather edge fence built by a local groundworker totally at my expense I talked to my neighbours and explained that the groundworker has said that he could not build it with the rails on my side as my neighbours had a shed right next to the boundary. They got really…
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I am confused if I should apply for Planning permission or ask for change of use.
I have a permitted development, garden room. * The space is only for recreational use * It has a bathroom and kitchenette I now want to make it as habitable space. I am confused if I should apply for Planning permission or ask for change of use? Many thanks
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Hanging / Nailing Kent Peg Roof Tiles
Hi all, When we moved into our house a few years back, the previous owner had left a load of clay roof tiles in the back garden. I think they are old Kent peg tiles. We're in the South East. Traditionally, these would have been hanged over the batten using wooden pegs. I'd like to create a new wood store, and roof it using…
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Paint and/or primer for a new front exterior door.
Could do with some guidance please. This is the door: https://www.wayfair.co.uk/home-improvement/pdp/lpd-doors-carolina-unglazed-hardwood-external-door-lpdd1296.html?piid=10042804 I was thinking the following two products but these are pricey and don't know if they're worth it:…
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Mist coat or not?
Hi ya, I have stripped the wall paper of the chimney breast wal. I want to mist coat the wall because it wasn't done by the previous owner and hopefully stop.the patches showing though the new paper. ( Grey) you can see in 1 of the photos what I mean with the old paper. Do I need to clean all the paste off the wall or can…
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Oil vent cap if that is what it is?
Hi folks, I have an old oil tank for central heating in the back garden probably about 36 years old. On the top at front there is an opening with conical cover to put in oil, while more than half way towards the back of tank at top, there is simply a red lid type cover about 3 inches in diameter that simple screws into…