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Hi All, I am using lockdown to do some long needed changes to the garden. I am replacing a victorian brick retaining wall and want to incorporate some planting between it and the patio that will sit behind it. The wall will be less than 700mm high but I am still intending to put in proper...

Hi All, I installed a Texecom premier 24 panel about 10 years ago and set the zones all to eol. I have just changed over to the premier elite 24 panel so I can add the connect and ricochet etc. The wired PIRs, door contacts, , sounders, control panels and wireless vibration sensors are all...

Hi All, I have a texecom premier elite panel and a fully wired system. However, I now want to add an additional internal sounder particularly for the fire alarm. Is there a simple way to add a wireless internal sounder without installing the texecom ricochet system? I am imagining a third...

Hi All, We have an Early Victorian House in North London and have been renovating it. The lower half is rendered but the property has been council owned and as such the original integrity - lime render and lime mortar has been replaced with concrete render and cement based pointing. The top...

Hi I have already posted this in the electrics section but it struck me that this might be more of a gas issue! We are having a consumer unit installed in an under stairs cupboard and the electrician wants to install it next to a gas meter. I had a feeling that there was a minimum distance...

Hi, We are having a consumer unit installed in an under stairs cupboard and the electrician wants to install it next to a gas meter. I had a feeling that there was a minimum distance needed between a gas meter and consumer unit but can't remember for sure. Am I remembering correctly and if so...

Hi The lintels to a couple of the windows on a victorian terraced house that we are in the process of buying have seen better days and need repair. How are they constructed? Were they just a single piece of stone with render to the outside? You can see a picture of it here - is that just render...

Hi All, Having used DIYnot a lot in the past for my last project, I am now in the process of buying my next house in North London. I want to get a survey but have been frustrated by some that I have had in the past and would be interested in recommendations. The house is a 4 storey town house...

Hi I am currently planning the wiring for my kitchen and have been reading all the very useful posts on here. I do still have a few questions and assumptions that I want to check - it is only a small kitchen so I want to keep what is visible as clean and simple as possible. I am aware of part...

Hi I am interested in the Modular black granite worktops that are sold by the likes of Screwfix or Creative Granite http://creativegranite.co.uk/diy. Does anyone have any experience of these? I am particularly interested in how good (or bad) the joins look. Obviously it would be preferable...

Hi I am laying 60x40x1.2 travertine tiles onto a screeded floor with an underfloor heating mat. The floor is 22m2. The underfloor heating matt instructions state that a 6mm notched trowel should be used to spread the adhesive into the floor and then to cover the mat. I have two...

I am laying a screed on a concrete slab in good condition (laid about a year ago). The slab has been PVA'd to seal and keep dust down. Is this an acceptable surface to screed onto or do I need a primer or bonding agent? Thanks

Hi All I am putting in some underfloor heating in a new extension. I am just about to screed the concrete slab, which will have the underfloor heating mat laid into the tile cement on top, with the tiles on top of that. I have a flush door runner that I want to come level with so I need to know...

Hi All I am trying to get hold of bog standard 6mm granite chips but the Build Center has just stopped supplying them. Grano would be fine as well but they have also stopped doing that! Can anyone recommend somwhere that can supply - ideally a place with a branch in the Oxford or Witney...

Hi All I am about to lay a screed which will be about 20mm-30mm deep. Because if is less than 50mm I understand that I can't use standard screed but will need to use 6:1:2 (grano:building sand:cement). Does anyone know how to work out the amount of grano/sand/cement needed? Can I just take...

Hi All Is it ok to recess a cold water pipe into a wall (double skin concrete block) and board and plaster over it? If so should it be within trunking? If it is ok is there anything I should take into account? Many thanks Chris

Hi All I am building an extension and have installed velux windows. Because of how I am trying to co-ordinate everything with the angles of the roof, I am not using the standard flashing kit. This means I am going to have to construct one. I will have a waterproof membrane which will be...

Hi All I am removing a supporting wall between the old exterior of the house and the new 'lean-to' extension. Because the 4 metre lintel will be fitted into the ceiling cavity I can't needle it but will be using 4 strongboys on the outside and 3 acros supporting the ceiling on the inside. I...

Hi All I am breaking through between the old external wall and the new extension and have the lintel calculations done (203 x 203 x 46 UC). It is a 4.2metre opening and concrete block double skin construction. Ideally I would support the ceiling joists on the bottom flange of the Lintel as...

Hi all I have a problem with my central heating system. It has been the same for the last 3 years when I moved in. There is air (a lot - about 1/2 radiator) in 3 of the upstairs radiators. I can bleed most of it out, but not all. I’ve tried bleeding with the pump on and off. I’ve also...