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Yet another block paving question I’m afraid. A few years ago I put type 1 down on my drive and compacted it, but left it as-is. I’m now looking at block paving it and getting my edgings and levels in place, but the natural contour of the type1 is a bit “dished” ie the sides have a slight bank...

Sorry for my third soakaway post of the day, but any idea if I should be fitting a silt trap between the aco drain taking run off from what will be my new block paved drive, and the soakaway I’ve dug which will be lined with geotextile and filled with rubble? I’ve done similar before and not...

I'm replacing about 20m2 of tarmac drive with block paving. Existing drainage is into a rainwater gulley by the house. I had planned to dig a soakaway, as per the rules, and have an Aco drain take the block paving run-off and pipe to the soakaway. However I've just realised that a soakaway needs...

Any reason to use standard admix plasticiser over “integral waterproofer which is also a plasticiser” for face brickwork (blue engineers)? Both are the everbuild yellow bottles. I’ve run out of normal admix but got a full bottle of the waterproofer+plasticiser stuff. Will deffo buy a new bottle...

Need to dig a soakaway, to drain about 20m2 of block paving. I’ll fill it with rubble rather than buy the plastic crates, as I’ve got a big pile of it already. Reckon a cubic meter is good for this? Or can get away with less or need more? It’s not clay, more sandy clean soil. How small would you...

Can’t really believe I’ve managed to get myself into this situation given the number of cars I’ve bought over the years and I should know better, but… Bought a lovely new car earlier, from carsa (dealer chain). Towards the end, get told they haven’t got the v5, and they give me a v62 instead...

I know this is a silly question, but for block paving like in the pic where you have mixed sizes in like a stretcher pattern, am I right in thinking you can't buy mixed packs, but have to buy a pack of each size (guess the merchant may split packs)? Also, any idea if those guillotine block...

I want to do a block paved path with an aco drain running alongside it. Should I set the aco at the correct height first, before putting the hardcore down and whacking it? I assume I need to bed edgers alongside the drain as the drain won’t retain the blocks? Cheers.

I’ve got a philmac connector which converts lead to mdpe 25mm. I fitted it about 7 years ago. I need to undo the mdpe side in order to take the pipe out, duct it then put it back in. I recall these fittings being pretty good and don’t anticipate any problem with reassembling? but any views...

Rental place, gas safety check failed, old combi condemned, so I got a GS plumber I know to swap for a new ideal esprit. As part of this, I made that point that I needed a landlord cert doing. Plumber said yep no problem, he’d had a look at the gas hob (only other appliance) but had run out of...

I fitted this years ago, obviously incorrectly and it’s now got a gap where the blue arrow is. Any idea if I can get a longer version of the spiggot section above the gap? Or cut and extend it with a coupler if it’s 40mm? Thanks

60s place with a lead pipe coming from boundary stopcock on pavement, under about 6m of drive then converts to plastic before entering house. I’m going to be digging up old tarmac drive and block paving it, so figured now would the time to replace the pipe with MDPE. As I understand it only the...

When I built my extension a few years ago, I chopped the lead supply pipe about a foot before it went under the new building, put a philmac connector on it and changed it to MDPE ducted and insulated up into the new extension, and that's my water supply. I'm now looking to replace my drive, so...

Afternoon. I'm planning on replacing my existing tarmac driveway, which slopes towards the house and drains into a surface water gulley next to the house, with block paving. I'm also increasing the overall size by about a third. I've just realised that this involves either getting planning...

I’ve only recently bought a dust extractor, a titan jobbie from screwfix that also works as a wet vac. Got some mdf to cut, which I’ll do outdoors, using my plunge saw. Reckon I should be using the extractor even though it’s outdoors? I’ve cut a lot in my time outdoors with no extractor, is...

I was told by an old boy when I first started out, never to start a belle mixer if it wasn’t empty, as it could “snap the belt” or something. I’ve always abided by that but is it true? Yep, I’m having a bangin’ New Year’s Eve.

I’m doing a load of feather edge fencing at the mo, and the boards are soaked due to the weather. Worried about them shrinking a lot when dryer - the boards are currently measuring 130mm. by my logic I’m going to overlap them by 30mm rather than the usual 25mm, and keep to 100mm centres...

I want to do a blue (engineering perf) brick wall with dark dyed mortar, as a front garden wall at my house, to replace an existing badly spalled wall. About 6 or 7 courses high. I’ve done a fair bit of brickwork for someone who doesn’t do it for a living, built my own 2 storey extension and...

I want to drill and bolt a fence post to the birdsmouthed section of this wall (purple dots) - worth bothering or will any fixing just split the brick as it expands? Better to sister it up next to another one fixed to the solid section instead? Ta

I’m thinking I’m better draining the system rather than trying to get something to catch the water under these valves, anyone got any ideas? Thanks!