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I've been asked to build a cabinet for a consumer unit. It's not the prettiest! I've got a question for anyone who's done this before, or who has seen a similar setup before -- the two wires on the right which dip down below the top of the architrave are going to be a pain in the arse. I can do...

I was advised by a guy in the shop to get 6mm wedi board for tiling a shower cubicle. After attaching the wedi to studwork on one of the walls I called wedi just to check and they advised that it should be 10mm minimum on studwork. The studs are sizeable, closely spaced, and very well fixed. Am...

I'm looking to attach wedi boards to a brick wall. Is it ok to use beads of OB1 or similar on the back and then go through with brown rawl plugs?-- or is it better to use a proper tile adhesive on the back?

I'm looking to remove the two outlets circled here in black and retain the third. Is it the case that I can use an appropriate wago box to connect either of the two incoming wires to the wire that runs to the third outlet? Looks simple but I'm not an electrician and just want to make sure I'm...

I'm putting in a new ground floor bathroom and will need to run a waste pipe out for the toilet. The soil pipe outside is cast iron and goes all the way up to the roof. Is it possible to remove a section of it so I can splice in a PVC waste tee, rather than removing the whole thing and replacing...

My wife bought an electric car and it comes with a free charger and installation; unfortunately the guys doing the installation won't touch anything if it involves a ladder, since that apparently requires extra training (!), and our fuse board is upstairs. I don't want a bunch of trunking all...

Quick question about the best way to box in an RSJ. It's on piers made of standard concrete blocks, which are obviously much wider than the RSJ. I could either box in the RSJ and the piers separately, so there's a narrower beam going across the room, or I could frame it out to make the boxing as...

I was drilling into the wall (1930s concrete blocks) to install some heavy shelves and the SDS hit a chunk of something and made a ridiculously massive hole -- 50mm across maybe. The fixing's got to be exactly there, so I can't patch it and try again 3 inches to the left. What's the best...

There's a fuse board in my outbuilding (with nothing currently attached to it) and I'd like to add a simple lighting and socket setup. Three lights all controlled by one switch, and four or five plug sockets spaced around the room. Unfortunately I can't get the images in the FAQ thread at the...

Sorry to make more than one thread, but I figured it was clearer to do separate threads for separate questions. I need to put in a couple of sockets and the ones I bought contain something I haven't seen before -- the instructions specify connecting a wire 'to functional earth'. I've included a...

My wife bought a couple of reclaimed old lights over ebay and I'd like to check whether you think they're safe to use. This is exactly how it appeared when I popped it open. If I were to get rid of the wires that are currently in there and wire live to the left, neutral to the right, and earth...

Hi -- I'm installing three ceiling lights in a workshop. They're old lights from a barn and each hangs on a chain. I'm going to hang them from the joist that runs along the length of the pitched roof. I understand the wiring diagram for the circuit, what cable to use, etc., but I just don't know...

I'm installing a bunch of bookshelves about 2.2m long, supported by cast iron brackets of the type pictured. I've done five brackets per shelf at about 400 on centre, both because under load the brackets flex a little on account of their shape, and also to hopefully spread out and reduce the...

Hi -- I have a very quick question about substrates. I've got two backsplashes for tiling, one that's had a skim coat and one that's 9mm plasterboard mounted on battens (to even out a very uneven wall for installing the cabinets). The tiles are 8mm thick, so about 18kg / m2 without adhesive...

I'm installing an Ikea dishwasher and I'm having a hell of a time with the input hose. They said it's a 3/4in connection, so I put a 22mm reducing coupler on my 15mm pipe. But the plastic connector barely fits on it, it's very difficuot to twist on, and I worry if I try too hard to get it on I'm...

Hi -- I'm renovating an old property. It's a former agricultural building, about a hundred years old, and the walls are two skins of brick (well, brick and mixed rubble and other junk) faced with flint in lime mortar. It needs proper insulation, but I'm conscious that there can be moisture...

Hi -- small question about a DPM for an extension. I installed the DPM on hardcore and sand blinding, then 150mm insulation boards over that, then a further DPM over that, then poured the slab this morning. It's awkwardly placed so there was a lot of raking the concrete along to get it from the...

I need to make a small change to the direction of a soil pipe as it enters a sturdy old brick inspection chamber (private sewer, on my property). I've dug down past the bottom of the pipe; it's bedded in a large bit of incredibly hard concrete on the outside where it enters the chamber...

Hi -- can anyone tell just by looking if this is asbestos? It was lining the inside of a hearth, around a wood burning stove. I've ordered a proper testing kit but I'd like to know if I should be avoiding the room where the rest of it is while I wait for the kit to arrive.

The planning notes from the architect recommend Thermalite Turbo and Shield lightweight blocks for the cavity walls. I've not used them before; they look great from an insulation and handling point of view, but a builder friend has said that he's had problems with them cracking in the past. He...