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Currently having a new bathroom installed. Walls and ceiling have just been plastered (yesterday), how long does the plaster need to dry before I can start the mist coat? I need to move fairly quickly as I'd like to get the painting finished in areas we will no longer have access to at the end...

Hi - I'm having a bathroom installed soon and want to have a small partition wall with integrated shelf alcoves built between the bath and toilet… this partition wall will join onto - at a right angle - the toilet cistern housing, creating one complete L-shaped unit. Here's a PDF containing my...

Hi – I’m slowly renovating a small 2 bed Victorian terrace and need some advice about air bricks and the number I need at the front of the house. I’ve read up on all the reasons for having good air circulation in the sub floor of an old house and get it, I’m just confused as to how many vent...

Hi, I’m currently planning a new bathroom and need some advice, it’s not a huge space (about 2m x 3m) but I have quite a good idea of the look i’m after. I’m a bit confused about the walk-in shower enclosure though due to a lot of conflicting advice I’m receiving from various shops and fitters...

I'm having new stair parts installed this week, the handrail is made of mahogany and came sanded/unfinished from the supplier. Once the stair parts are installed the handrail will need finishing. Am i right in thinking it needs 'french polishing' and is this something i can do myself or should...

I recently had my fireplace openings resized and refinished ahead of having new hearths and a log stove installed. The chap who resized the openings created a neat finish by adding a small rendered 'frame' around the inside of the opening. The hearth company have visited and advised that we cut...

A bit of a novice question here but... I recently had a room professionally decorated. The room was newly plastered with new pre-primed skirting, architraves, door frame and door installed. Given it was the first lick of paint the room was getting i thought i'd get a pro in as there was a lot...

About to start decorating and need to pick a satinwood colour for doors, door frames, door architraves and skirting ... we want white, but as you know there are many whites! Dulux Pure Brilliant white looks good but we're currently having new timber sash windows made (about 3 weeks away from...

If an electrician who is not Part P registered installs new power points, light fittings and consumer unit throughout a house as part of a refurbishment, does it comply with building regs if the installation certificate at the end of the renovation is carried out by a Part P registered...

I’d like to repair and decorate the exterior window masonry surrounds on the front of my Victorian terrace. As far as the pillars, decorative mouldings and lintels go, I think it’s a fairly straightforward task of burning back the (many layer of) old paint, sanding and re-painting. I’ve had some...

I just returned home from work to find a large (new) crack running wall to ceiling that the builders renovating the property look to be now repairing. Should i be worried? The wall is a partition wall between entrance hallway and lounge, the crack looks pretty big to me...

Does anyone know what these decorative concrete (plaster?) columns are called either side of the main bay windows found on Victorian terraced properties: I’m renovating my house and would like to repair, re-render and decorate all concrete areas around the windows including the...

My builder is making good a few rooms as we near the end of a Victorian Terrace refurb and I’m a bit disappointed with the way skirting boards have been fitted in certain areas. The problem is we have original wood flooring which are uneven (in fact all walls are uneven too!), we like the...

I’m in the middle of renovating a 2 bed Victorian terrace. The ceiling in our second bedroom was bowing badly, apparently caused by water damage / damp to the loft joists (stains of which are visible on the original plasterboard in the photos linked below)… the roof has now been repaired and...

Strange question... but is it allowed to mount standard plug sockets rotated at 90 degrees? I've positioned a socket on a wall in a spot soon to be hidden behind a wall mounted TV, however i'm getting nervous that a long moulded TV plug (TV not yet purchased) might mean the lead is still...

I'm having a 2 bed victorian mid terrace (circa 1880) renovated. The builders have opened up the walls to install radiator pipework and electrics and a lot of the interior plaster is coming away in HUGE chunks on both internal and external walls. According to them whoever did the last refurb...

I'm having a 2 bed victorian mid terrace (circa 1880) renovated. The builders have opened up the walls to install radiator pipework and electrics and a lot of the interior plaster is coming away in HUGE chunks on both internal and external walls. According to them whoever did the last refurb...

I'm currently renovating a small 2 bed victorian terrace (circa 1880) and would like to repair/replace the coving as we move into 'making good' stage... currently we have a weird mix of coving styles in different rooms, and a lot of it looks to have been repaired (very poorly) at some stage...

I need some repair work carrying out to the roof of my small victorian mid-terrace. The structural survey highlighted the flashings need replacing and the parapet walls repairing / bringing up to spec. I've had 2 roofing comapines visit and quote (both NFRC and Trustmark members)... but not...

As part of the next stage in our refurb of a 2-bed victorian terrace (circa 1880) we'd like to tackle sub floor ventilation and damp proofing in the front bay area of our house. Our structural survey highlighted 'inadequate sub floor ventilation' and ground floor damp in the front bay area...