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Hi, Moved into a new house a couple of months ago and when we first needed to use the heating, found that the hot water had to be on as well. Annoying, but we thought we’d get someone round to sort it when we got a chance. However, today is the second time we’ve needed the heating and I...

Hi, We have a new timber front door and a the letter plate has been fitted to the outside, however, I now need to sort out a letter tidy for the inside, to finish it and prevent draughts. The problem is that I can’t find one to fit, because the bolts holding the letter plate are sticking out...

Hi, I need to replace the soft close seat on my Cruze toilet from Victorian Plumbing, but I can’t identify which new seats will be compatible. The Cruze one is £40 plus delivery, which seems expensive, especially since I think the quality is poor (lasted less than 5 years). Can someone help...

Hi, I need some advice about lead paint please. I live in a Victorian property and the paint on my front door frame was falling off, so I decided to strip it and repaint. The decision to strip rather than paint over, was because the paint was in such bad condition and sanding would have...

Hi, We've just installed wet under floor heating and it's now time to turn it on - couldn't come any sooner, since temperatures outside have plummeted! Question is, what temperature should it be started at and how much should we turn it up each day??? I started it off at 7 degC last night and...

Hi, I've had my chimney lined, so it's ready for a wood burner, however, I'd like some advice on the fire surround please. I know that there are rules about the distance to combustible materials and since I'd like a wooden surround/mantel, I need to set the surround back from the builder's...

Hi All, I have a Worcester Bosch Greenstar 24i combi boiler and I had a scale inhibitor fitted one year ago, after the plate heat exchanger scaled up, only 2 years after the boiler was installed. Unfortunately, I didn't check the installation of the scale inhibitor and it seems that the...

Hi, I'm having a new damp proof course installed at my Victorian house, as there is penetrating damp, which is causing the plaster to come off the wall inside. The damp proof installer has removed the plaster, but he says that the brickwork has been damaged and is soaked, so bricks probably...

Hi, I have a problem with my shower, whereby when I initially turn it on, the water comes out hot, but then within a matter of minutes, it goes cold. I found that if I turn off the shower, turn on the bath taps until the water runs hot, then turn them off and the shower back on, the shower...

Hi, My bathroom was renovated just over a year ago and I am now experiencing a problem with the tiling over the bath. A new bathroom suite and over-the-bath shower (not a power shower), were fitted. Additionally, because it is a Victorian house which needed attention, when the old tiles...

Hi, I've fitted water resistant MDF panels on my bathroom walls and as a bath panel, however, before I paint them, I'm not sure if I should seal them somehow. Any thoughts? These are the panels I used: http://m.wickes.co.uk/mt/www.wickes.co.uk/mdf-beaded-panel/invt/190140/ Thanks...

Hi All, I need to either repaint or replace the existing picture rail in the living room of my Victorian house, however, I'm concerned that it probably contains lead paint amongst the multiple layers. The room has been recently skimmed, so it's going to damage the walls if I remove the...

Hi, I'm making a bath panel out of beaded MDF panels and I'd like some advice please. These are the panels I'm using: [/url]http://www.wickes.co.uk/MDF-Beaded-Panel/invt/190140 I'm making a frame to pin the panels to (after cutting them to size), but I would like to know where to...

Hi, I'm replacing my bathroom suite and have decided to renovate the whole room while I'm at it. The bathroom walls were tiled up to approximately 1000mm from the floor and when I removed the tiling, quite a bit of plaster came off the wall as well. This is old plaster (grey, crumbly when...

Hi, My girlfriend's house is a Victorian end of terrace property, with 2 chimney stacks on the end wall. We've noticed that there are damp patches on the external brickwork from around waist height extending up approximately 2 metres. Below waist level, there is rendering along the bottom...

Hi, I live in an area with no piped gas and am living in a bungalow without heating, on a plot which has detailed planning permission. The plot will be going on the market shortly, but in the meantime, since I'm living there and it's getting cold, I need to sort out some kind of cheap...

Hi, I'm removing the hearth from a fireplace in my 1930s bungalow and was expecting there to be bricks underneath the tiling. Unfortunately, it seems to be made of some kind of steel/iron reinforced white cement. I'm now concerned that it might be asbestos. Can anyone advise about this...