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Around the perimeter of my house (apart from the side which contains the driveway) there is an 8 inch section which contains stone chippings (to no significant depth). Does this serve any purpose? Will it be a problem to lay a patio right up to the house (below the DPC of course)?

The previous owners of our house appear to have had leaks from everything upstairs that could leak (bath, shower, HW cylinder, ...). Consequently there are loads of stains in the paintwork / plaster. What's the best way to cover these stains so that they don't show through the new coat of paint?

Hi. The paint on the ceiling above our shower cubicle has bibbled and peeled off. It's a new house (to us) and I think the previous owners/builders just used a standard white paint. Can any of you guys recommend a useful paint for the ceiling which won't bubble or peel due to the warm...

I notice that all my radiators have what appears to be earth cable attached to them (I assume that's to dissipate any charge built up by the water as it passes along the pipes). What is this earth cable connected to? Is it the same earthing line as the electrical circuits in the house?

I am planning to replace 3 radiators (of the 10 on my system). Two of them will be replaced by towel warmers and the other by a new, bigger radiator. Do I need to consider my boiler? Will a bigger radiator cause the boiler to have to work harder, meaning it will (a) die sooner or (b) be...

My Dad and I are having a dispute. I said that a fused spur is essentially the same thing as a trailing socket. He says they are different, but can't explain how. Could someone please resolve our dispute? Thanks.

Is there a way of installing dowlighters in a downstairs room without taking up the floorboards upstairs?

Why does my burglar alarm ring when I pull the fuse out from my upstairs lighting circuit? How can I stop it doing it?

If an electrical appliance is run from a spur, is it better to have a fused switch or an RCD in the spur?

What are the rules on burying electrical cables behind plasterboard and skirting boards? 1) Are you allowed to have cables running horizontally behind plasterboard? 2) Are you allowed to run cables at floor level behind skirting boards? 3) Are you allowed to run cables vertically from both...

My parents' house is 25 years old and has never had an electrical problem. Recently a new 'fusebox' (or whatever the pro term is) was fitted, containing trip switches (rather than fuse wire as in the old one). Since the fitting bulbs on the downstairs ring pop more frequently and when a bulb...

Is there any point to have the system flushed and fresh inhibitors introduced at a total cost of £220? I guess what I'm really asking is if it is worth getting my plastic piping (responsible for the build up of the muck in the system I'm told) replaced with copper? If this is done, how big a...

My current CH-HW system is 10 years old. The boiler works fine but the pipes and radiators are full of muck. The boiler is in a daft place in the kitchen (soon to be refitted), occupying much needed wall space. The house is a 3 bed semi with 10 radiators, 1 bath, 2 showers, 4 sinks with HW...

My current CH-HW system is 10 years old. The boiler works fine but the pipes and radiators are full of muck. The boiler is in a daft place in the kitchen (soon to be refitted), occupying much needed wall space. The house is a 3 bed semi with 10 radiators, 1 bath, 2 showers, 4 sinks with HW...

Please help if you can: If I wish to board out my loft for use as storage do I need to strengthen the joists (currently 10 cm deep - 4x2)? If I wish to convert my loft into a habitable area how do I go about strengthening the joists? Is laying some extra 3x2 perpendicular to the existing...

The title says it all. I cannot control the hot water system (boiler and cylinder type) without the central heating coming on (and vice versa). I assume this is due to a seized (due to sludge) electric splitter valve (sorry but I don't know the correct term). If I wanted to replace it would I...

Our new house is full of delights. One of them is the fact that the radiators on the back wall of the house work perfectly, but those at the front barely get warm. Perhaps the geography is just coincidence. 1) I assume the problem is due to sludge, but why would sludge build up in some...

I read somewhere in this forum (but can't find it now) about insulating between the rafters of the roof. 1) Is there a required distance between the roof felt and the insulation material? 2) What is the best material to use and how do you get it to stay up? 3) Is it bad to insulate in the...

We've recently moved into our new (to us) house and I am looking to insulate and board the loft (and have posted separately on this matter). I have just noticed that there is a total of 26 halogen spotlamps upstairs and each one is rated 50W. That's a total of 1300W if all are switch on...

Hi. I have recessed lights in the ceiling upstairs and wish to insulate and board out the loft for storage. The 50W halogen bulbs get quite hot and I'm wondering about the distance required between the light and any insulation (fibreglass) I install e.g. is a 10 cm radius sensible? Also, what...