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You could try testing the PH level of the lawn and, if it is acidic, try to increase the level to neutral so that grass will find it more difficult to get nutrients. You may then find your lawn is so flimsy you'd wish you'd have just taken a lawnmower to it as it's almost impossible to take the...

If you have heavy clay soil, you'll likely struggle in the garden. I would doubt a hollow tine aerator would work - at least it didn't work for mine - and I think the amount of sand you'd need to use is staggering (see RHS link below). I have done a combination of: - sloping for plant beds; -...

I plan to use the nails to achieve the same effect as the rods. I'm using nails nailed to the bottom of the sleeper to avoid drilling through the top to avoid water getting through the minuscule gap between the rod and the sleeper. I did take 10 cm of the top soil and flattened the subsoil - or...

It seems the weight of the pots has allowed water wear the wood sooner rather than later so you're right in looking to support the shelves. I would: a) as John said, ensure water does not pool on top of the wood by slightly sloping it. b) support the wood using a bracket on the bottom (metal...

An alternative to weedkiller, is to put some cardboard between the grass and the fabric and make sure it soaking wet. This will block all sunlight to any plants on the ground while the moisture will rot off any live plants. To go above and beyond, you could also spread some hydrated lime on top...

Howdy, The missus has somehow talked me into putting down some sleepers in the garden to create some raised beds. I will be using 20x10x180cm untreated oak sleepers and the soil is extremely heavy clay and slightly sloped along the length of the beds. I need some advice on the best way to lay...

If your lawn isn't level (mine slopes from side to side and is a waterproof heavy clay), you could also try digging some ditches so that water collects at the edges. It will make mowing the lawn easier as you should not need a trimmer.

Thanks - looks like everyone thought it's not a sturdy workbench so will be going with the leg based design. Great idea about the plughole - I think I'll add a container to one of the sides near one of the brick support pillars.

Yes; this is how I would have built the supports but out of wood. However, they are still anchored to the wall. I'm not opposed to having legs, I just thought the design is useful for aeration and sweeping under the bench. I'm not sure I can hinge the legs as I want to fix a mitre saw, bandsaw...

Thanks - I was afraid this might be the case.

Word of warning - the unthreaded part looks like it has a larger diameter then the shank of the threaded section. If you screw the bolt so that the unthreaded part (the bit just after the head) goes into the plastic plug, you might crack the brick depending on how tight the fit is and what type...

Howdy, I've cleared out my garage and would like to build me a proper workbench. I know how to build one, but I accidentally came across wall mounted workbenches like in this link. I like the design because my workshop is in the garage and: a) it's very unlikely a leaky roof or dampness would...

Thanks to all three of you for the replies. I don't plan to use twisted boards - they were just some boards I had lying around from a dismantled project and I figured I'd test on them first. I will try to relevel the board and fix it with a Z-brace at the back (I am not much bothered by it...

A bit of an update. I used a router to give a curved edge to some reused planks I had lying around (slightly twisted) and glued them using biscuits/ wood glue into a board. The twist from the original planks carried over somewhat, but I had the resulting board pressed over a couple of days and...

Having done the exact same thing recently (and seeing some builders botching it up on the ground floor), I would also advise to measure the room length and try to get the right lengths so you don't need to join two pieces together for a wall. The measurements do not need to be accurate and it...

Apologies for the delay in response and thanks to everyone for the replies - had trouble with the laptop charger and took a while till a new one was sorted out. I am aware about MDF, but for various reasons I would prefer my furniture to be "au-naturel". It looks like I will need a supporting...

Howdy, Short version: I want to build a 500mm wide door out of cladding only. Can I? Longer version: I'm building some new frameless kitchen cabinets and the missus likes the frameless vertical groove pattern look she saw at ikea. I assumed we would only put in drawers so I went and bought...

You are right and it is earth. Thanks! A

It's the wire with the earth casing - in the initial setup it was hanging loose and it was recommended here to check that it is earth indeed and not used in some other way.

Well the CPC wouldn't bend back without breaking the flimsy case so I just removed 4in of sheathing from the 2core&earth cable and just used the two cores to connect the light to the daisy chain. This seems to do the job fine.