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Hi all, Quick one. I’ve just bought a property with a large outbuilding, a former stable with a timber frame and wood cladding. I’d like to use the building as a large office and studio. Rather than take the frame and roof down (which are in great condition) I am wondering if the cladding can...

Guys, got a question that’s probably dumb... I have a 720p max resolution laptop attached to a 1080p projector in our cinema. The laptop runs Kodi and I have a SSD with all my movies on. I’ve never given it much thought but it suddenly occurred to me today that if I play a 1080p movie on the...

Quick question before I drain a rad to take it off... I have a combined radiator valve and drain plug but I’m not sure what the drain off drains! If I close the valve to stop water entering the rad and I then open the drain off nut, does the water come out from the rad or does it come from the...

Hi all, Which direction should I run my new engineered flooring (2.2m lengths 220mm wide)? I’m thinking from top to bottom of the image below? I would rather run left to right but that 12m is a very long span I would think? Any issue running the planks into the steps at a right angle and...

Hi all, After some great advice on here I have finally sorted out 10 ceiling speakers around the ground floor of my house using a spare Onkyo 5.1 surround sound system I had. I invested a lot of time in making MDF boxes for the speakers in the ceiling and was careful to select speakers and wire...

Hope someone can help. I’ve just fitted three new column rads onto an existing system replacing some old rads. I haven’t been able to identify flow and return pipes because everything is boxed in and plastered over. Old rads didn’t hold any clues, no TRVs fitted. Long story short, two of the...

Really interested in your thoughts on the best subfloor to go in bedrooms/hallways/landings on upper floors over the top of joists. Finished floor will be carpet over the top. There are so many opinions and preferences on this one so thought I’d go with the majority! I’m assuming 18mm...

Hope someone can help. I’ve got an intermittent issue with our BT Home Hub posing internet connection a few time’s each day. Could well be the modem itself but thought I’d check wiring first. Is this the correct wiring for an extension socket? Note the orange/white and white/orange wires are...

Hi all, Two questions... I have an open plan lounge dining area of 60m2 with a terribly uneven floor. It’s generally level but has dips, holes and ramps all over the place with low points of maximum 20mm. It’s a mixture of tile, vinyl and concrete. The finished floor will be floated...

Hi all, I have some steel work scheduled for Saturday and the one remaining piece of the jigsaw hasn't arrived from our SE who has gone AWOL! I wonder if anyone here can help so that I can buy material tomorrow and not delay the fabricators. We are removing an exterior wall and fabricating a...

Hi all, It feels like I’m asking questions daily at the moment! I’ve got two new en-suites going in next to each other either side of a brick wall. I have access to one internal stack running up the dividing wall. Hopefully this sketch makes sense: My idea is to fit a triple branch (see...

Guys, Quick one, I’m probably being thick. What the hell do these dimensions mean with most measurements including “+-“ and a second set of digits... I just want to know at what height above FFL the centre of the pan outlet sits... 180mm, 195mm or 170mm?!

Hi all, So this is going to make me sound mad but anyway!... I want to fit a back-to-wall toilet with a concealed cistern but this is the first time I’ve ever considered it, fitted lots of close-coupled over the years. The thing that makes me nervous is burying the cistern, inlet and half the...

Hi all, I am just planning the setup of speakers for our property renovation and could do with some advice. Years back I bought an Onkyo HT-R393 5.1 amp which I have used for home cinema and really like. I have since acquired another identical Onkyo amp. I will be setting one up in the cinema...

Can anybody help ID this board I have lining the interior walls of my house. Essentially I want to know if I’m dealing with asbestos or not. House is two hundred years old so from an age perspective it could be asbestos based. It is tough as nails, breaks cleanly (although needing an almighty...

Hi guys, I have a section of wall that is damp to the touch. This is a stone and brick wall in a building dating back to late 1700’s. Interestingly it is only the last metre or so of the wall that suffers, the rest running across the house seems to be fine. I’ve added some photos of both sides...

I need to take on a self employed labourer to help with joist hanging, fixing plasterboard, timber framing etc. Nothing too taxing. What sort of day rate should I be looking to pay do you think? I’m in Wiltshire.

I’m having a nightmare trying to get waste away from a planned en-suite the far side of the house from the existing stack. Due to a sloping site, three levels within the building and an open plan layout I have two options: 1) Install a pumping station underground to take the soil, macerate and...

Hi all, I’ll try to explain the situation. I have a rectangular ground floor room which currently has the joists above it for the first floor removed. I need to add in an internal staircase and so I am in the process of working out how best to construct a wall to section off the stairs and...

Hi all, I'm just trying to get your advice as to whether a concrete lintel is sufficient for my needs as my number crunching is at odds with a steel RSJ supplier who is recommending one of their own products. It's a bit long-winded but I wanted to show you my full workings. I would like to...