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I'm fitting a pre-made frame for a set of folding doors and wondering what to fix the jambs and header with. The kit has come with direct frame fixings around 6.5x90 which would be fine going into masonry, but I'll be fixing into stud, so wondered if those are the right thing to use? I also have...

I have an old Xpelair 10" fan in the kitchen that is being replaced with a new 150mm fan. The exisiting ducting is pretty solidly in place, and well sleeved, so I'd like to avoid the mess and hassle of removing it and rebricking. My current thoughts are to use some 150mm ducting to run from...

I need to cut this radiused corner post to the needed height, and mulling over the best tool and approach to the cut. A good finish would be ideal, but the cut will end up below the worksurface, so not too critical. I have a hand saw, and a circular saw. My thoughts are to cut it slightly...

I need to make a hole for solvent weld pipe, and it needs to be in an awkward part of the sink unit back panel, where a stiffener panel overlaps with the backing. I plan a 76mm hole, and the centre point will likely be just above where the bottom of the panel is. The first photo shows the back...

A friend had a leak in the roof that appeared to be from around the chimney. He had a chap in before Christmas who "did a bit of pointing/re-sealing around the chimney that he thought would solve the problem." With the weather this week, the problem is back. Any thoughts on what the likely...

I am moving a stud wall to a position where there is a single socket in just the wrong place, with an 80-90% overlap with where I want the wall. (In the photo below the new position of the wall is shown by the two higher pencil marks near the socket. The cables to the socket are in a chase...

I am putting in a new kitchen, with the sink unit containing drawers rather than the usual cupboard. (I know... but SWMBO...). This is going to necessitate the pipework coming up inside the 42mm service void at the back. The current pipework is forward of this, so will need to move backward...

We have joined two rooms by taking down a block wall and are preparing to lay nomoreply over the whole space prior to tiling. For most of the length of the transistion the two floors are level with each other, but at one end there is a section approx 3ft long where the boards on one side (the...

I'd like an external waterproof socket, but the walls are an uneven reconstituted stone block, similar to the picture. What's the best way to go about mounting it?

I'm considering updating some of the light fittings in the house, including a 6' fluorescent tube in a utility room, and a triple R60 halogen in a hallway over a staircase. In the last couple of years we've had quite a few powercuts in the area, and I wondered if these positions (especially...

I wonder if anyone might recognise this old lightswitch that is currently controlling a single R80 light in a hallway? I only use it in either off or on mode, though I guess it can switch the light on/off at different times of the day/night. It would be interesting to know exactly how to set...

Visiting my son over the weekend, and looking over his heating system, noticed that a newly fitted radiator did not have a lockshield valve, but what looked like a TRV valve without the head.The other end of the radiator had a TRV as normal. I can't see quite how this allows the system to be...

I need to re-seat a run of sandstone paving that forms the top step at the edge of a lawn. Its been in place for around 14years, and all the stones along the top are loose. Originally there was just a brick wall in place. The wall was left in place, and the slabs laid on top. Over time the...

I'd welcome suggestions as to how to deal with a problem I have. I have a vertical waste pipe coming up into a unit, into which feeds the utility room waste pipes from sink, washing machine and boiler condensate. I need to move the unit around 20mm to the right. This is to fit in an 18mm...

I will be tiling a utility room shortly, and later on tiling the kitchen with the same tile (600x600 porcelain), and I'm wondering how to treat the connecting doorway. The utility is approx 3.5m by 2m with the door in the long side. The kitchen will be approx 3.5m by 8.5m, with the connecting...

We're considering removing a wall between a kitchen and living room in a late '70s/early '80s house. The wall divides the two rooms on the ground floor, and does not continue above the ceiling (the room dividers upstairs are all studwork, and have a different layout to the downstairs walls...

We're trying to decide on tiles for the kitchen/utility. Most of the offerings seem to be porcelain, some are described as polished, and others as gloss. Is there a difference, and what would be better for a kitchen floor?

Having stripped out an old sink unit, I find one of the joints on the plastic waste pipe has a very slight, slow seep. Not sure if this has been there a while, or if the seal was disturbed when taking out the old unit. It appears to be a solvent weld fitting. Any suggestions as to the best...

I'm about to start on refurbishing a utility room. There is a huge amount of info out there on how to go about preparing the floor, but this seems to have changed over time as materials have developed. These are my current thoughts; I'd appreciate any comments to help me in the right direction...