Dave Morgan

Multi-trade builder with more than 35 years’ hands-on experience in domestic refurbishments, repairs and problem-solving across London and the South East. I started out on site at 16 and have worked across general building, kitchens, bathrooms, carpentry, tiling, plumbing repairs, roofing repairs, leak tracing and making good. I’m often called in when a job needs a practical eye, especially where the cause is not obvious or previous fixes have not lasted. Away from the tools, I’m usually still thinking about how houses are put together - the odd layouts, mystery leaks, creaky floors and “who on earth did that?” moments you only find in real UK homes. I like helping people make sense of it all, preferably before they start ripping half the house apart.
Old square cast-iron floor gully set into cracked concrete in a Victorian side return, with a black plastic soil pipe and a grey waste pipe discharging into it from above.

Repairing a Sunken Clay Gully in a Victorian Side Return: Diagnosis and Options

A homeowner in a late-Victorian London terrace has damp showing up on the inside wall of the side return, right by where the main rainwater downpipe and the kitchen waste (sink, washing machine, dishwasher, boiler condensate) both discharge into an old square clay gully set into a concreted side return. The gully has sunk slightly, […]

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Close-up of a centre-pivot roof window friction hinge mechanism showing the curved metal pivot arm and fixing screws on a dark frame

Velux Centre-Pivot Roof Window Won’t Stay Open: Diagnosing and Fixing Weak Hinge Friction

A homeowner has recently had a new extension built with two large centre-pivot roof windows fitted. They've bought the opening pole, but when they push the window open it swings straight back shut under its own weight. Both windows are behaving the same way. They're not sure whether this is something they can sort themselves

Velux Centre-Pivot Roof Window Won’t Stay Open: Diagnosing and Fixing Weak Hinge Friction Read More »

Underfloor heating pump, blending valve with red temperature dial, and motorised actuator mounted on copper pipework in a plant room.

Underfloor Heating: One Room Won’t Warm Up – How to Track Down the Fault

A homeowner has a 4-bed, two-storey new build fitted with wet underfloor heating throughout. Every zone works apart from one bedroom, and it's been dragging on for years. They've swapped the actuator, swapped the room thermostat, purged the loop, had the manifold rebalanced, and even fitted a new boiler. At one point, unscrewing the actuator

Underfloor Heating: One Room Won’t Warm Up – How to Track Down the Fault Read More »