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Hi all, My partner and I are planning a side extension, and were going to get building control done through the local council. However, one of the builders we're gathering quotes from advised against this; apparently in his experience the council will require several visits to the site and will...

My bath/shower is lined with plastic splashback panels. The sealant around the bath is getting mouldy and it seems like the gaps between the panels are as well (I've attached a picture). I suspect that water is getting inbetween the panels. If that's the case I can remove the existing sealant...

Hi, apologies if this is a daft question, but the valve on one of my radiators doesn't seem to be working. The dial turns fine, but turning it doesn't turn the temperature of the radiator down. I've tested it by touching the radiator, then turning the dial and waiting an hour before touching...

Hi all! TL;DR - I used two washers, one on top of the other, to fix a leaking shower hose connection. Is this a good idea or not? Longer version: I just replaced my old rusty shower hose. When I fitted the new hose using a single washer for the connection to the wall, water sprayed out of that...

Does anyone know how much (if any) difference spray painting wooden soffits makes compared to painting with a roller? I originally got quoted £1.3k to get my soffits painted, and was told the paint should last around 5 years before I need to get it replaced. I thought that was a bit pricy, so...

Hi all, I've bought a house and the wooden soffits have clearly seen better days (I've attached pictures of the worst bit, just outside the bathroom window). My question is: can I get away with simply getting someone to repaint them, or are they too far gone and need to be replaced? Any advice...

Hi all. My question is pretty much what it sounds like - are combo units as good as dedicated purifiers or dehumidifiers, or are they mediocre at both tasks? For context: I have a nasty combination of asthma and hayfever, so I'm planning to get an air purifier with a HEPA filter to remove...

Hi all, I have a radiator in my bathroom that's seen better days - the paint is peeling in places and I can see rust underneath. I've attached a picture so you can see. I know that at the very least it needs a new coat of paint. But I'm not sure if it's too rusty to get away with that. I'd...

My electric mower has started working intermittently. Sometimes it turns on ok, but sometimes it either refuses to turn on or cuts out during use. It seems like holding the power cord at a specific angle can help get it to run, but that only works some of the time. The probem is definitely the...

Hi, novice here. Yesterday evening I discovered that a valve underneath my kitchen sink is leaking. To give an idea of the leakage rate, I dried off the valve and the area underneath it last night, and a puddle a couple of inches wide formed over 12 hours or so. I've attached a couple of...

Hi all, I have an old mixer tap. A nut around the central spout has a chunk missing from it, but I've been ignoring that since the tap will be replaced when the whole kitchen is refitted in a few months. However, when turning the spout today I felt something 'give', and it bent at a slight...

Hi all, On Saturday I replaced the silicone sealant around my bath/shower. Neither have been used since, but when I looked at the sealant today a small hole has appeared with water around it, just under the shower (see picture). There was a small amount of water produced when I removed the old...

Hi all, quick question: I'm planning to paint a bathroom ceiling with Dulux's easycare bathroom emulsion paint. However, there's a bit of old staining that I want to cover with Zinsser bullseye 123 first. Do you know if these two products are compatible or not please? The ceiling is plaster, if...

Hi all. I have a patch of mould on my bathroom ceiling that I want to get rid of and prevent coming back. However, there's a few things I'm not sure about. I'm planning on doing the following: 1.) Cleaning off the existing mould with an anti-mould spray 2.) Applying a stain sealer to stop any...

Hi all just a quick question for you. I'm a first time homeowner and I've noticed that the wooden items in my garden (fencing, shed, double gates in the driveway) look worn down and in a couple of places have a little bit of light green mossy stuff on. I know none of it has been treated for a...

Hi all, I have some crumbling brickwork on my house (see pictures) that I want to do something about before it worsens and weakens the wall/lets in damp. However, not having any experience of this sort of thing, I've got a few questions: How urgent does the issue look? Is it something that I...

Hi, apologies for what may be a dumb question! I'm planning to upgrade a broken dimmer switch which was rated up to 250w with an LED-compatible one (the Varilight JQP401W), which is apparently only rated up to 120w. I initially assumed this would be fine as the switch only controls a single...

Apologies if this is a dumb question! I need a new dimmer switch, and figured I may as well upgrade to one that's compatible with LED bulbs (the previous dimmer was used with halogen bulbs). The Varilight V-Pro JQP401W seems to have good reviews. However, when checking the specifications I...

Hi all, I'm attempting to replace a 1-gang dimmer switch that broke. I wired up the new switch and switched it on to test, but when doing so I noticed a buzzing noise coming from the black box at the back of the switch that holds all the electronic gubbins. Is this cause for concern? I'm very...

I have a dimmer switch that recently stopped working, so I'm hoping to replace it with a new one. This is the only switch that controls the light in question, so based on my googling I expected to see one red or brown live wire and one black or blue switched live wire going into the switch...