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I have a DP cooker switch running to a cooker connection outlet via conduit 1m away under the worktop. This outlet currently has a 6mm cable running to an oven with a total rating of 2075W and a flexible cable running to a wall socket. The gas hob is plugged into this socket with a normal 13a...

I've just bought some of the old-fashinoned looking braided lighting cable from ebay to restore a period lamp. I was surprised to see that the core of the flex is not copper but (presumably) steel. I'm not an electrician, but i don't remember seeing this type of wire for a long time. Is there...

I have a spur off the bedroom 13a ring to the loft. I want to break this spur and fit a switch in the bedroom so that i can turn the power on and off to an appliance (dehumidifier) without having to go up to the loft every time. Which of these alternatives would be best - is there a reg that...

Not soaking, but cardboard storage boxes, for example, lose their stiffness after a while and become limp (I know). After an extension a couple of years ago, the loft is well insulated - about half has high mass acoustic fibre glass between the rafters and 70 mm celotex above, and the rest...

I need to fix a small bracket on to the side of a 240v bulb holder on the 'shoulder' where it widens just below the line of the bayonet slots. Is it OK to solder it on? I'm concerned about the heat from the fitting although i imagine it will be far too low to affect the solder. Can anyone...

I want to build a tiled sill when my new downstairs upvc bay windows are fitted - to match the sills upstairs. These consist of two courses of cut down roof tiles, which doesn't look too difficult, but i have no idea how to construct the corners of the bay. Could some kind person please tell...

I have a damp patch that extends from the top left front of the chimney breast, round the side and onto the (cavity) wall to the left of the fireplace. It runs down the wall from the ceiling about 2ft. Many years ago when i moved here i spotted this damp and had the chimney re-rendered and the...

I've just plumbed in a complete bathroom and extended the CH system upstairs. The CH i did using copper end feed joints and it went without a hitch. I've used a mixture of plastic and copper for the bathroom using standard compression fittings as i'm wary of using push-fit, especially as the...

I am constructing a new upstairs bathroom right above an old bathroom on the ground floor. Soon i shall want to tile the new floor. There is a transformer under the floorboards for the three 12v downlights below, and i am concerned that if it failed in the future it would be a hell of a job to...

I recently wired a new upstairs light and power circuit. (The entire upstairs is being converted from bungalow to house). An electrician then came and checked my work and connected the circuits up to a new consumer unit. A couple of nights ago, a day after some new plastering was done, the MCB...

I'm doing an upward extension where the house is mainly rendered, with feature bricks at the corners of the building. The brickwork is 80 years old and i'm concerned that the new feature bricks will look very obvious and spoil the front aspect. I was wondering about brick tinting. I assume it...

Floor mounted combi boilers seem to be very few and quite expensive. Is it possible to install a wall-mounted combi under a worktop? If so, I guess height is likely to be a problem. Does anyone know of a suitable sized boiler? Perhaps one with a rear outlet flue? Any advice welcome, thanks.

I want to insulate (more for sound than heat) the upstairs room in a chalet house. What i believe i should do is create a 5cm air gap and then fill the remaining 5cm with 60kg/m3 rocksilk. My question is, what would happen if i did not leave an air gap and just filled between the rafters with...

I live in a 1930s chalet house and the staircase is effectively housed by a tiled 'dormer' extension to the roof. I suspect that is why i am getting dark spots in quite a wide area on the wallpaper - where the rising warm air meets the poorly insulated wall of the dormer?? Anyway, i want to...

Hi - i bought a "push 'n lift" bath waste from B&Q. I have a re-covered bath and it's prone to chipping from the current conventional brass plug... and the new waste was on special offer! Anyway, when i look closely, the current overflow hose fixes to a spigot in the current waste pipe just...