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My bathroom door has a regular lever door handle with your standard tubular mortice latch, with no lock. I want to swap it for something that locks for privacy, but it seems like all of the handles I've found are of the type that have two latches, one above the other. I'd rather not have to...

I need to replace a door handle but all I'm finding is handles for a door that's a minimum of 35mm thick. My door is only 30mm. What part of the door handle determines the door thickness? Is it something I can easily cut to fit or otherwise modify?

My kitchen is a wreck but I want to make some temporary improvements while I save up to gut it and redo. In particular I am thinking about replacing the old under counter fridge and freezer with a combined one. It just so happens that I have an extra cupboard that isn't attached to anything...

I live in a mid-50s ex council house and it seems that every time I try to do what should be a simple job I run into a problem. Today I started to hang Venetian blinds in a window recess. However I can only drill through a centimetre or so of plaster before I hit something too hard for my...

I turned off the power to the lights in one room while I removed the lamp shades to clean them (they unscrew from the socket and I didn't want to accidentally stick my finger in it). However after I put them back together and flipped the switch back on, the lights I actually worked on came back...

I have this packet of anchors that I'd like to use for hanging a towel rail but the included screws are missing. The packet helpfully only says they are included. What kind should I buy to replace them?

My bathroom door doesn't close properly and I finally investigated why last night. The issue seems to be that the strike plate was far too low and the latch wasn't actually engaging. Easy enough to fix except that where the screws should go to hold the strike plate has been thoroughly chewed up...

So I've just finished screwing the skirting board to a brick wall and filling in the screw holes etc. but at this late stage have realised I've left too much of a gap between it and the flooring. Should I caulk it or ignore it? It's about 5mm I'd say.

Every time I decide to use spray foam I convince myself that I won't need plastic gloves. Every time I am wrong. Why do I do this to myself? Now to wait for the stickiness to go away so I can peel it off...

I had my bathroom tiled over the summer. A week before Christmas I noticed that one of the tiles by the bath is loose, and a couple of tiles have hairline cracks. Of course the tiler did not respond to my attempts to contact him so I need to fix it myself. The tiler grouted between the bath...

A little hard to describe but I just went to put some washing on and the water stop-starts repeatedly. I'll probably call the legendary local repair guy but anything I should check first? Turned off and on again etc already.

Seems like every time I go to put something on the wall I have trouble. Either the plugs are too long, the holes turn out too big, I can't seem to drill into the wall properly, or everything comes out crooked even though I measure and check everything with a level. Tonight I tried to install a...

There is a hole in my cast iron soil pipe. Fortunately it's well above where any, er, material would be. I had planned to get the whole thing replaced but when the plumber came around to do it he told me it was actually in pretty good shape and didn't need to be done. However it does have this...

I've got a small area in my bathroom (under the soil pipe) where there is no plasterboard or tile, just brick. There's a small gap to the outside. I bought a can of "exact gap" spray foam with the intention of filling the gap, but I also want to put in a plasterboard patch, then a tile...

I've got a small area in the kitchen ceiling to patch due to a leak in the bathroom above. I ordered my materials to be delivered but when they arrived I didn't get the jointing compound I ordered. However I have a big tub of One Strike filler on hand. Would that work as a substitute with paper...

I've just had a lot of old rubber pipes replaced with copper. There used to be a cupboard on this wall that covered the pipes and the air brick but it was water damaged so it has gone. We're planning to get the kitchen redone next year sometime but I'd like to cover these up and put up a...

Newly fitted shower screen leaks like crazy. I've read in several places that there should not be any silicone on the inside, but the fitter ran a bead on the inside bottom part of the seal. Could this be part of my leaking issue? Should I remove it? Water is going down the wall on the outside...

Getting my bathroom redone has turned out to be a cursed project. Every few days something else goes wrong. The new pipes that lead to the bath taps started leaking overnight, dripping through the ceiling below. Fortunately ? the floorboards are still partly up so I could see where the leak is...

Just had a new steel bath installed but despite the description saying it is the same thickness as the old one it seems to flex a tiny bit when I stand in it. I'm wondering if I should find a way to add a bit of support in the middle, but the plumbing under it is somewhat complicated. I swapped...

So I just got a brand new Ideal Standard Ceraline basin mixer tap installed today, and the lever doesn't turn all the way to one side. It's supposed to turn left and right for hot and cold but it only turns slightly to the hot side. Is it likely to be a defect, or an adjustment that needs to...