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Hello all, I've had a quote for a new conservatory (rear of house). The plan seems to be to leave the current external render in place, put a wooden frame against it (I think) and dry-line the wall. I've just had the render replaced on the front of the house, the render on the rear is in...

Hello all, I'm getting a driveway replaced with gravel - should the sub-base be type 1 or type 3, or does it not matter a great deal for gravel? I'm mainly concerned with drainage/permeability issues... My builder seems to think type 1 will be fine (and I do think he's speaking from...

Hello all, I'm thinking about getting a gravel driveway to replace our old crazy paving, to avoid planning permission due to drainage issues etc. The drive is virtually flat and we do currently have an issue with minor (couple of inches) flooding in the middle, during heavy rain. How close...

Hello all, I have a flat-roofed porch against a rendered cavity wall at the front of my house. Due to leaks/cracks and it's general appearance/condition, I'm getting the render replaced (it's 44 years old, so it's not had a bad innings). The plasterer has suggested replacing the lead...

Hello all, At the front of my house I have a flat-roofed porch, which had a new felt roof fitted about a year ago. But I am now seeing slight leakage at the junction between the porch and the main building, which is covered with rendered concrete. The roofer who fitted the new felt roof...

Hi all, I've asked for a quote for a new boiler recently, the plumber (who's a nice enough bloke) is advising that I fit TRVs to the radiators at the same time. He's advising this, not as you'd expect - because of the efficiency etc etc - but because he reckons when they drain the system...

Hello all, Would like some advice as to whether this section of my house needs re-pointing - I've taken a couple of pics of the front right corner (from front), also a couple just round the corner from there where the bricks meet the render - the house is 42 years old. I suspect those...

Hello all, I've managed to knock a piece of the rear of my fire surround off (I won't bore you with how I managed this) - so my questions are: 1) Would it still be safe to operate? 2) Would I be able to replace the rear section, i.e. without having to buy an entire new fire? Regards...

Hello all, My new house has a "summer house" out the back, the roof has started leaking a bit so given the condition of the roof, I've decided to look at recovering options, currently I like the look of corrugated bitumen - looks a bit more robust than felt? I've added some photos below so...

Hello all, Should I be concerned about the crack(s) in the drain shown here? The cracks are all at the upper side and don't go deep down, but I'm wondering if there is likely to be a problem if water gets through the gap etc... I had a drainage company round very recently and it's very...

Hello all, I would like to block the bottom of my chimney for insulation reasons - would I have ventilation problems if I leave the top open, i.e. as is? I've being looking at these: http://www.chimney-balloon.co.uk/ Anyone have any experience of this type of thing? Regards, Richard.

Hello all, I changed a couple of old light dimming switches last week for "normal" brass switches. I ensured the new switches were firmly earthed, but I didn't connect an earth to the metal mounting box in the wall. How big a problem is this, if at all? I figured it was impossible for...

Hello all, I was hoping someone could cast an eye over a few photos I've taken, just to let me know the severity/urgency of repair work: This shows the wood by the chimney stack. I've noticed some very very small leaks during the recent wild weather, with tiny amounts of water visible on...

Hello all, My (new) house was built in 1970, I have taken a photo of the consumer unit (see below), I was wondering if people think it all looks ok? I intend to replace the fuses with MCBs, but apart from that, is there anything else I should be worried about? Regards, Richard.

Hello, I recently had my boiler serviced (by a proper gas installer) and since that day whenever the boiler lights, rather than just lighting, it seems to light with a bit of a bang, as if too much gas is getting in prior to ignition? It really is quite a thump, it sounds as if the thing is...