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Hi, I have a ceramic soil pipe in my garden which can’t be moved deeper or to a different location. The problem is that it’s close to the surface of the soil ( about 4 inches )for about 2m of its length in area of the garden which will get a bit of traffic in the future. I’m trying to find a...

Hi, I’m thinking about building a retaining wall (about 2 fr high) using wooden sleepers. I guess in time the sleepers will rot? Does anyone know any tricks to prolong their life?, and how long should I expect them to last? Is there a certain type I should use ? Cheers Mike

Hi, im putting in some new footing around an existing old ceramic soil pipe. i've been advised not to encase the pipe in soil pipes in concrete (albeit only whilst it passes through 200mm thick of footings ) and try bridge over it. However, i've noticed the pipe has old mortar stuck to it and...

Hi, I have about 2m of exposed copper pipe on the outside of the house leading to a standard garden tap. I have an isolator valve on the inside of the house so I can drain the pipe in the winter. However , this is not fool -proof as I got caught out by a frost when the pipe was full of water...

Hi, I have an unusual question. When I switch on my hot tap, am I right in assuming that the hot water will be delivered solely to my hot tap? even though the path of the hot water may pass through multiple tee’s on the way (which will have cooled water at their other connections). I expect the...

Hi, I'm creating a utility room ,and on one of the walls im fastening some plasterboard on to wood battens (and insulating in between the battens ) , The battens are in turn fastened to a brick wall. Should i still put up a vapour barrier on back side side of the inner plasterboard.? I'm...

Hi, i plan to lay quite a large patio ( 9m x 2.5m) soon, and i was wondering what draining system i should use . Any drain would have to be along the long 9m length though. Which should i consider?. How much should it slope by? - I've read it's 1/8" /foot., which means from one end to the...

securing a handrail post to paving slabs Hi, I would like to put in a small handrail for my parents. It's the standard handrail consisting of 2 vertical uprights and an adjustable horizontal pole. I'm a bit concerned if i bolt the vertical poles to slabs( probably 18" x 18" ) it will just...

Hi, id like to have a new consumer unit fitted , but i think i need an isolator upstream of the consumer unit(outside next to meter i think??) so the consumer unit can made safe. Is this right?. There is currently a 80amp fuse , but im thinking this cant be the actual isolator?. If i need one...

Hi, can somebody please advise if I need to rest my concrete lintel on slate , or not?. It’s 1200mm long by 215mm wide by 60mm high. I’ve seen many examples where no slate or shims or used at all ,and a few where a few pieces of slate are hammered in under the lintel ? cheers mike

Hi , I'm putting a lintel in and need to cut out the aperture for door . I wondered if there was a recommended standard height between the floor to the under surface of a lintel for a standard door(1981mm high)? Do you simply add the height of the door(1981mm)and the thickness of the door frame...

Hi, I’m about to start work on my roof on my house and I’m worried a tile may break loose and accidentally damage next doors flat roof. Is there any kind of insurance I can take out in case I do? cheers Mike

Hi, I’ve got a fairly unusually designed house in that we’ve got a smaller lower roof section with soffits above the ground floor( see pictures) The house is cold all the time ( especially the hall way) and I’m convinced it’s due to the shear number of ventilation holes we have in lower soffit...

Hi, i am interested in building a retaining wall. Does anybody have any good links on how-to guides?. I would like ideally to build it from interlocking blocks, membrane and slotted drainage pipe, but I've only ever seen the interlocking blocks on american videos and not sure if they're...

Hi, I’m doing a lot of landscaping in my back garden. Unfortunately, there is a foul water drain pipe that runs across the garden. In areas I’d like to lower the ground level , and I’m worried about the new level being too close to the pipe below. I can t move the pipe. Can the pipe be protected...

Hi , the heating element in my under floor electric heating is in tact but the probe is faulty and as a result , the under floor heating doesn't work. Is there a way i could put another probe in without digging up the floor? Where is the recommended position for the probe with in the floor? I...

hi, my underfloor heating has suddenly stopped working. I'm no electrician but I've checked the continuity of the floor (load) heating circuit ,and it checks out ok.i.e. circuit appears to be intact. Then i tried the sensor circuit next and it wasn't?, but then i'm not sure what to expect from...

hi, after years of absolutely no problems with my electric under floor heating, I've noticed it's just stopped working?. There is still power to the controller ,but an obvious problem after that in the circuit ?. can the elements embedded under my tiles just break/degrade through use? As...

hi . I have a damaged external meter box cabinet on the side of my house. Does anybody know who is supposed to replace it? If it’s up to me, should an electrical tradesman be able to tackle it if I supplied the box? I’ve approached EON , they didn’t want to know.

Hi, i’m laying a laminate floor in my hall and putting a carpet on the stairs. I intend to just butt the laminate up to the vertical section(riser , I think it’s called) of the lowest step (as neatly as possible) , and when the carpet bloke puts in the carpet , the thickness of the carpet and...