Recent content by drmrbrewer

Actually there is an existing drain on the house wall for the kitchen sink, which feeds to the mains drain. The patio level is being raised compared to where it is now, so I think there might be sufficient height drop to allow the patio to slope away from the house to the patio wall, then into...

@lwilldoit might be tricky to do that without the pipes being visible? Is there anything fundamentally wrong with discharging rainwater into a retaining structure like this (I mean the main retaining structure under the patio, i.e. the dotted arrow approach... the retaining structure for the...

We are constructing a raised patio with retaining wall. There is a drop down to a lower bed (planting) and then down to ground level. This is illustrated in the section below. In terms of discharging rainwater from the raised patio, would it make sense to have slots through the parapet in...

Sorry for being thick, but aren't tiles waterproof already... what is the need for an expensive waterproofing layer underneath? I appreciate that grouting will fail/leak over time, but a waterproof layer will just cause the leaks to track down onto the floor/ceiling below?

An acrylic sealant like what?

Am about to start painting our new bathroom, which has been freshly plastered all over (now dry). I'm starting with a mist coat, and am just wondering whether I should put the mist coat all over, even in a corner where we will be installing a shower, with tiles in that area. I've been trying...

Burnerman: closing bead? foxhole: these are solid timber doors that seem to have expanded massively since first being hung. The paint has just made it worse.

Just to be clear, it's binding like follows:

I've just painted some wooden internal doors. Prior to painting, they were pretty tight, but now they're painted they're binding on the frame/doorstop near the hinge. How would you suggest dealing with this? I can't really plane the surface where it closes against the stop, because (a)...

Yeah that's partly what is bugging me. Most insurance requirements or exclusions kinda make sense, like not going away for days in midwinter without leaving the heating on low, or at least turning the stopcock off. But window locks have got me. Until I started looking at what was available...

Yup if they picked the lock of the back door to get in, they'll most likely go out that way too. Even if they don't, and wish to exit via a window, a window lock will surely make no difference to a burglar armed with a simple allen key... might take 10 seconds extra. If they break in via a...

So I've been looking at window locks for wooden window frames, and am starting to ask the question: what is the point? The ones I've seen appear to have a standard hex drive, so what sort of deterrent is that? Any thief worth their salt will just keep an Allen key in their pocket. Smash...

The integrated fridge is an undercounter fridge (I think they refer to them as "built under"??), and my understanding is that it doesn't have a cabinet... it just sits on the floor in a space between adjacent cabinets? May be wrong on that, but can't see any actual cabinet on the item listing...

We're considering layouts for a new kitchen, and would like to know whether it's possible (and sensible even if possible) to put an integrated fridge right next to an integrated dishwasher. Not only does one cool and the other one get quite hot, but also I would imagine there might be...