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Hi I'm considering having a stove fitted in my living room. The main reason is due to the ugliness of the present bricked up chimney opening. I've had a quote for the work which includes everything apart from supply of the stove. I wanted to do a bit of research before proceeding though...

Hi I'm trying to decide how best to proceed with a bay wall that had some penetrating damp. There was a large curved radiator fitter to the wall - as it is a solid wall construction I'm also keen to improve the U-value. The house is a 1934 semi-detached and the mortar is quite crumbly so I was...

Hi, I want to replace a window cill in a curved bay window as part of remedial work I'm doing to deal with blown plaster and improving the u-value of the bay wall which is solid brick. See thread in Building forum My plan is to sand & cement render the wall and then affix insulated...

Hi, I hope this is the appropriate forum as this issues involves, rendering, carpentry and bricks. I have a bay window wall which has got blown plaster. The plaster was blown when we moved in last year but I've just gotten around to hacking it all off. You can see the bubbling of the paint...

Hi I previously had all the trim around my white, upvc patio doors removed in order to allow the plasterers to make a decent job of the wall. The plastering is all done now and I'm now laying some laminate flooring. The issue I have is knowing how much of a gap I can afford to leave between...

Hi I live in a very standard 1930s semi-detached property. I'm in the midst of trying to get a loft conversion done with a dormer. I have had some building control plans produced by a firm. They've used a structural engineer for the calculations, steels, etc. I have a question which I will...

Hi I had my kitchen plastered and removed all the sockets to aid the plasterer. I’m now replacing them and have some FSUs and I stupidly can’t recall which is line and which is load! What happens if I connect them the wrong way around? If I could find my multimeter I would check for...

Hi All, I'm painting the kitchen prior to fitting the units. I've done the ceiling using Dulux Trade Eggshell - brilliant white. Happy with the finish, water-based and the paint went on nicely with roller and brush Once the missus has selected a colour I'll be doing the recently plastered...

Hi All, My house is a 1934 semi-detached. It hasn't had a lot done to it over the years. I ripped down the existing ceiling which I should have photographed in advance. It was lined with wallpaper and had wooden trim which upon ripping out became clear that this was to conceal the board edges...

Hi I've been doing some work in my house and have come across some cable installed during a previous wiring of the property. It is very flexible, bends easily and holds the position. The outer covering is shiny when scrapped and it contains 2-cores (red and black) with no CPC. I've attached...

Hi I'm in the midst of getting a builder to build a hip to gable loft conversion. As our house has solid wall construction and is not very airtight we are keen that the new construction performs well with respect to energy efficiency. I've been reading various websites about roof construction...

Hi Background: Moved into 1934 semi last year that had vinyl glued to floorboards. Had to remove the floor to access services using circular saw as vinyl wouldn't separate from floorboards. Replaced floorboards with 22mm T&G chipboard. There is a hearth in the kitchen (brick and concrete)...

I laid a new floor using 22mm T&G chipboard. I’m a mediocre DIYer so have plenty of off cuts from errors. Is there any use for these or should I just take them all to the tip? I hate waste but they’re taking up needed space and with either the tongue or groove missing and the unattractive...

Hi, Correct me if I'm getting the terminology wrong. I have a NTE5A BT master socket that has a single socket so I have to use a microfilter to plug in my phone and broadband router. I would like to extend using a single cat5e to a faceplate with separate BT-jack socket for a phone and an...

Hi I'm planning a loft conversion and as part of this I'd like to move the combi-boiler from our kitchen into the converted loft space, possibly in the new ensuite that would be created. This would also be easier to connect up the pipework for the heating and water supply. Just want to know if...

Hi, I'm doing research for a loft conversion. I'm still at the stage of getting quotes and clarifying the specification. One of the issues I've come across is the use of spotlights in a cold-roof. We would like spotlights as they help maximise head room but the roof will likely be a cold-roof...

Hi, I'm getting some quotes for a loft conversion. I'm trying to decide whether to go for a shell only quote or to include 1st and 2nd fix so I need to make my requirements clear. I have a 2 storey house currently with a light in the entrance hallway and a light on the landing at the top of...

Hi, Just a quick one. We're considering a loft conversion and in order to get an idea of costs we need to agree on certain specifications. Velux offer 3 internal finishes; White painted (Standard) White polyurethane Pine finish We know we don't want a pine finish so we're looking for more...

I've just ripped down the ceiling in my hallway. We would like to have spotlights fitted, the original boards were very old (wallpapered and nails to the joists!) so I've ripped them all down and tipped them. The area is 5.6 m² so not massive but there are a few options so a novice would like...

Hi I’ll be installing my first kitchen. It’s my own kitchen so I’ll be taking my time to get it right. I’m told that I can get a length of bar to spread the weight of the wall hung units. Can someone advise what this bar is called and where I can purchase it from? If there are multiple types...