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Hi I want to re-do my stair walls to have a handrail either side. At present, the left hand wall has this timber extrusion - see pics. what is it's purpose? Could it be load-bearing? Can I saw it off level with plasterboard to have the whole wall plastered flush? The house is a Wimpey timber...

Hi The latch on my back door is not returning fully so I suspect a broken spring. I'd like to try a repair but do not know how to disconnect the top and bottom shootbolts which seem controlled by long screwed rods attached to the gearbox. They seem inaccessible. See pics. Any suggestions, please?

Hi, I have a hard wired Alarm system - Securit 700L installed in 1996. It has 4 PIRs, ie 4 zones. The other day my wife went to set it and the keypad sort of fell apart. I have booked a service call for Wednesday but I am wondering whether to cancel and book an estimate for replacing the...

Hello again I have a dripping tap in the bathroom basin and I want to replace the cartridge. There is a capital letter B engraved on the lever. Does anyone know the maker, please? Many thanks Jim

Hi, our lounge has a concrete floor covered with thermoplastic tiles. When the carpet was laid the gripper nails broke the brittle tiles at the edges of the floor and a little damage to concrete surface. I am now completely redecorating and have lifted all the carpet gripper leaving an...

Hi I bought 4 X 5W Livarno LEDs GU5.3 12v from Lidl. Unfortunately they do not work as direct replacements for the fitted Halogens. They just light and extinguish immediately. I have only tried one at a time. would fitting all four make any difference or do I need to replace power source...

Hi, I have four 12v halogen MR16/GU5.3 lamps in the bathroom. I wanted to change these to LED bulbs. I made the assumption that MR16 automatically meant 12v. Anyway I bought 4 MR16 LEDs on ebay, the listing was for a range of lamps and the voltage (220v) was stated but, as I said, I assumed...

Hi Just received a quotation to lift and relay a badly laid driveway. There is a 15% charge for contribution to overheads. What is that? Is it it recognised good practice? Thank you Jim

Hi again Due to supporting bricks sinking and massive roots from neighbours silver birch my shed floor and supports are rotten. I have removed 2 fifths of the floor at the door end and two lengths at each side. It is now standing against the back of the shed and i think this section is reusable...

Good Morning, While replacing the coax for my TV aerial I managed to put a I" auger through the ring main cable :oops: I have cut out the damaged cable and replaced it by joining at a 30A junction box. Is this allowed/legal? Thank you Jim Edit - A search brought up some posts saying...

Hi Returned recently from a week on holiday and decking under the CWST overflow was quite wet. After normal water usage all was ok until a couple of times a little water evident first thing in the morning. I've searched the forums and I am going to replace the ball valve. However...

My wife has lost faith in our Candy built in gas oven and would like an Electric replacement. I have loosened four screws at the front of the oven but it does not seem loose enough to remove. Can anyone advise on how to remove it, please? IIRC the gas oven is connected via a bayonet...

Hi again Took my caravan out of storage to find damp/rot in front end. Cause is two 6 inch splits in the abs front panel. I have removed all of the front wallboard and timber to access the spilts to rep[air with ABS patch welded using acetone. My problem is that the panel has a profile...

Hello again Having just finished another deck with advice from members I am now moving on to the next phase - a small artificial lawn. I have laid paths on three sides using Marshalls Saxon Mocha, however I did not point them at the time. The main path has been down more than a year and...

Hello again, My patio door surround and back door surround was getting shabby. I had previously finished them with Hickson Decor Mahogany - but that was some time ago. After replacing the old mastic and preparing for finish the surrounds were " variegated" ie some back to fresh timber some...

Hi I'm about to start the next phase of Garden Makeover. Another deck - this time across the old patio at back door and patio doors. I am attempting to upload pics of the area so that my subsequent questions may be easier to understand. My first question is how do I fix a ledger boards...

Hello again. I've finished my first deck and now ready to start another - this time attached to the house and accessible from Patio door and back door. I intend fixing a ledger board to house then fix joists at right angles then lay boards at right angle to joists. This way the boards run...

Hello again I am building a low (4-5 courses) garden wall using 300x100x75mm Tudorstone. Plan view is like a rectangular staple and dimension of recess is L=2350mm , and the ends are left 900mm (meeting an existing wall) and 600mm (alongside a paving slab step) My problem is - Where do I...

Hello again I'm putting a couple of small fountain pumps in the garden. I intend to run the cables in Tower 20mm plastic conduit. The "electrical expert":roll: at X&Y says the push on fittings are weatherproof. Is this correct or do they need welding with a plastic solvent cement? Thanks Jim

Hello again folks. I'm laying a 1.2m wide path using Marshall's Saxon paving in two sizes. Alternating 2 600x600 then 2 600 x 300 outside with a single 600 x 600 in middle and so on. Marshall's recommend a gap of 8 - 10mm. Obviously the gaps will alternate horizontally - two gaps, one gap...