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hallo, Building granny-erxtension with flat roof. One corner and also the bathroom will be very dark. So i thought - a skylight. It does not need to open, just let light in. But which one is best - so many on the market, am bamboozled by it all: dome, pyramid,circular, rectangular or just a...

hallo, condensation in the top corner of an unheated north-facing study where the wall meets the ceiling manifests in mould (cant afford to heat whole house). the study door is always open. Mouldy area in top corner is about 6 inches x 6 inches. There is an airbrick outside but weather so...

hallo, read the peeling paint stuff already posted but as a useless diy-er cant make up my mind whether or not they apply to to me. moved in, noticed peeling paint in some places, sanded it off, rollered over with matt emulsion and noticed it started bubbling almost immediately. previous...

hallo everyone, have built a small wall before and was not an insulated one. what i need and questions: - wall 7 foot high - has to be insulated - how deep and what mix should foundation be - how many pillars should it have - can the foundations be done in this rainy weather if i...

hallo, am buildfding a rainwater soakaway 2m deep x 1.5m wide x 2m long i would like to build concrete walls on its inside - my soil is sand (an old lake bottom). i think if i dont then the sand from the sides will crumble into the pit and i can start excavating again (ugh). QUESTION...

hallo, about to concrete garage floor. can i use left-over felt and old undamaged kitchen lino as substitutes for dpc membrane? - see pics of album garage floor spent a fortune on this already, need to use material already to hand. my thinking is that it is a free-standing garage, meant to...

hallo, bath on ground floor, garden on ground floor. want to use bathwater for the garden. what un-mechanical device should i use to get the water from the bath to flow up and through the window back down into the garden? am thinking bicycle pump-type thinggy to set off water-flow and...

hallo, electric co. changed my meter a while back. i didnt notice at the time that the old one had an on/off switch, new one does not. how do i switch this one off? for the past 25 years i have always done my own simple electric jobs around the house and am not about to start paying some...

hallo all, upvc windows were installed last year. i was so happy lot more light came in BUT my window is very low and everyone passing by oggles in - i hate it so i have the curtains drawn most of the time. i thought i can get some sort of film to cover the window with that will allow me...

hallo, have dug a soakaway and filled it with bricks surrounding the sides with wire mesh and damp-proof material. had to dig the thing lower than i first thought. Question how do i cover the pit seeing it is about 18" lower than the surrounding soil and keep the surrounding soil from...

hallo everyone, i need some help deciding what to do. house is about 18 inches-24 inches lower than the road which is about 1.5 metre away as seen on my pictures. the house has a damp-proof course just above the level of the walkway. i have removed the earth that was about 8 inches...

hallo, dug 70cm x 30cm garage foundations. the floor has been covered by rubble for a year so it is well settled. builder wants to concrete trenches and floor of the garage at the same time. Question is it ok to carry out work at same time? should the concrete in the trenches not dry...

hallo everyone, have house - stood sad and lonely, cold, damp and empty for some years. lovely beams, currently painted dark brown in an attempt to hide the traces of woodworm (owner thought i am blind) that were its only inhabitants. fell in love with place, had to have it. woodburning...

hallo all, newbie here - in at deep end - not looking forward to this, scared. have to make a 1.5 yard walkway around house. three days no rain predicted so hiring cement mixer for the job. was told i need a mix of 6:1 gravel to cement. seems insufficient cement and why no lime? i...

hallo all, bought ancient cottage which has been neglected for a long time. no damp proofing and cant afford to have it done just now. removed half the plastering inside up to where the bricks were damp and allowed them to breathe all summer. outside work is on-going to stop water seaping...

hallo, recently bought property. there is a path of 20 inches around the house that slopes into the foundations. i aim to concrete it over with an appropriate slope away from the house. four questions. 1. should i use only sand and cement - this is the existing mixture - or some sort of...

hallo, moved into tiny cottage that needs doing up. previous owner painted ceiling and beams dark brown. its horrible, makes rooms like a crypt. want to make beams light brown - how should i go about it? thought of painting everythig white and then light brown or getting some sort of...