Recent content by Summer Breeze Block

I had my artex ceilings skimmed in April by professional plasterers and it cost a lot. They quoted three days for two men to do two coats but put more people on the job and took only a day and a half for about 80 square metres. Less than five months later part of the new plaster in the lounge...

Thanks for all the replies. Please forget I mentioned the brass faceplate. I could use plastic but back box is metal.

Thanks, could you please post a link to one of these smart switches? Would it fit in a standard backbox between the fused spur and the radiator? I'm replacing plastic faceplates with brass ones which might block the wireless signal.

Thanks for the reply. I have no experience of Alexa. I've added radiator wattages to my first post. The three radiators replace night storage heaters, which have two fused spurs as they were also "daytime" electric heaters.

Can you buy wireless thermostats that control electric radiators as follows: 1. Thermostat is battery operated and sends wireless signal to multiple radiators. 2. Wireless receiver at each radiator switches current on/off. 3. One thermostat ideally to control three radiators, two in lounge and...

It's a 5-storey block of flats. Do very low shower trays need drain pumps? My sisters have upstairs showers and none of them has a drain pump.

I've just bought a 25-year-old 3rd floor flat. Bathroom originally had a bath, now has electric shower with very low and very shallow shower tray. There is a shower drain pump taking up space in bedroom wardrobe next door and some other related device attached to side of vanity unit in bathroom...

I'm buying a property in a block of flats in Gloucestershire, built in 1998 with Artex ceilings, definitely no asbestos. How much should I expect to pay to cover over 75 square metres or 800 square feet of Artex?

I want to put a new ensuite in the front bedroom of my Victorian semi. I'd like the soil pipe to be external because it's much easier to do than internal and I don't want any of the plaster mouldings on the ceiling below to be destroyed or big holes in the floorboards. I can't use the side...

This leaflet suggest 100mm / 4" of granular fill above and below pipe, so you won't need a huge amount of pea shingle: https://idoc.pub/documents/wickes-underground-drainage-1d4795y0w7l2 If drain is old clay pipe and there is a joint under your new wall, take care. It's easy for joint to start...

I'd like to brick up a doorway which has almost no footings directly below it (to allow a toilet drain to pass through the wall). I've installed a prestressed concrete lintel at the bottom of the doorway that rests on the brick footings at either side. Bearings are 6" on left, 9" on right and...

Assuming the diagonal shading is concrete, couldn't you sit the lintel on top just below ground level and get rid of five brick courses?

Thanks for the replies. I take it the back panel is not meant to be removed when basin is on top! Vanity and basin need to be moved anyway, unfortunately hot water isolation valve does not turn water off completely.

Yes, remove back panel to expose pipework and maybe bottom one too.

I feel a bit stupid having to ask this question but here goes ... A bathroom vanity unit has back and bottom panels with captive crosshead screws (circled in yellow in attached photo) that can be turned between ½ and ¾ of one revolution and about halfway they feel quite loose but no matter how...