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The Fischer UX plugs will hold in just about anything, even if the hole is too large or crumbling. As they twist they expand and grab the sides so you can use them vertically and in sheet materials as well. Best plugs I've ever used. They are expensive though at 5p each for size 6 and 18p...

Assuming a solid door then unless the door is solid timber then I suspect it will be laminated chipboard. If you take off more than the recommended + about 50% allowance for rebates then you'll expose the chipboard core. I have removed 60mm from a door constructed in this way by carefully...

Is that the same for homeowners doing DIY builds?

Just wet the sheets with a hose and carefully lift them off, lay them on standard polythene DPM one at a time, wrap once and leaning against a wall snap the sheets into approx 1m lengths. Then fold the DPM over and tape up without exposing the broken sheet. My local skip company lets you...

It always saddens me to hear stories like paulandfrodo's. I am lucky that I get on very well with my neighbours on both sides, but there are some curtain twitchers further up my road. Recently I had a visit from an enforcement officer after one of those people complained that I was running a...

Carefully open it up and check that the slidy bit you need to put pressure on has not misaligned itself. If it has then it won't trigger the microswitch and it will not fire even though it springs in and out correctly. I had this happen to me and it was just a case of resetting the position...

Concrete in a 4 inch post to the side of the stump and wack a massive chain around both. Make sure there is a security light trained on them and the lot will be gone by the next day.

In my dealings with uPVC window manufacturers it has always been assumed that cills will be included unless specified not to. You may find your supplier will claim the same, so they have subtracted the height of the plastic cills from the measurements given when creating the window frame. If...

I have used Marshalls for paving a number of times, and will be specifying them again for my own drive and my neighbour's. I've only had one problem when a batch of concrete paving stones had a faulty treatment applied to them and they were replaced without issue. Ultimately though whether...

It sounds like you are certain that a portion of that land has been in posession of the owners of your new property for over 30 years (I think the limit is 12 years, but that needs checking) and it is clearly fenced as such, at least in parts, with an old corrugated iron fence? As you have just...

If water isn't aerated then it will become stagnant. Merlin is right - you need to change the water and then ensure that the pump is activated for a few hours a day (more on hot days as warm water holds less oxygen). The movement will encourage gas exchange and prevent it becoming a stagnant...

Whichever bits you go for make sure you use a suitable bi-torsion bit holder. They introduce a small amount of deflection between the driver and the bit and help to absorb some of the sheering stress during stops that would otherwise be taken by the bit and screw. Since using them I typically...

Any DIY shed. Screwfix sell an adequate gun for £15, and the foam is £3.75 - about the same cost as a bag of sand, a bag of cement and a throwaway trowel. If you use the correct grade foam and don't go greater than 50mm in one go (depth in any direction) you won't get over expansion into...

I have used it in the past for much larger holes without any problems. It is particularly useful when closing an unused service hole that might need to be reopened in the future so long as you remember where it was. Ensure the hole is completely dust free, spray it with a water mister and...

It always surprises me how people will often just go and reset a circuit without thinking "I probably ought to find out why this safety device has just disconnected the power..." I caught my partner trying to reset a circuit by holding the switch up despite it resetting immediately. After...

Slightly off-topic, but: If you have access to a thermal imaging camera it is dead easy because the wires will all show up through the floor covering with an accuracy of -1mm per mm of depth. The only thing it won't show is the supply cabling past the last 300mm or so, but that should always...

:? You would still need to buy some eggs or a chicken though.

I agree that's all very well (although I personally believe geothermal and mechanical - i.e. wave with solar capture - generation would be a better choice this far north), but that discussion doesn't really belong in this thread. I do not want the thread to go off on the merits of solar...

Can you explain this a bit more? I know previously you could get 50% contributed to the initial cost of a small array but I didn't realise we were still paying installation subsidies for PV arrays now we have the FiT payments? And what is the investment part? Does the installer place a...

My neighbour is having solar panels fitted to his roof today. It's the usual deal - one of the national companies fits the panels for free and takes the FiT payments. It's not my cup of tea (personally I object to forcing everyone else to pay for my benefit), but compared to the twenty other...