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In the living room of my son's middle floor tenement flat, damp appeared in the corner of an internal wall, external wall and ceiling. Turned out that upstairs had a rising mains leak which was eventually fixed late 2022. However, both walls about 1m each in from the corner were damaged...

My son's bathroom has surface mounted downlights set into a lowered, suspended ceiling. It's a flat with another flat above. The downlights at present are fire rated so the whole unit has to be removed to change the bulb. This damages the ceiling each time a bulb has to be replaced. As it's a...

The kitchen has two light fittings each with its own separate switch, one outside the kitchen and one inside. One switch has live in/out and is on the lighting ring. Can't get access to the cable between the switch and the fitting or the neutral. Second switch is via a ring mains fused spur...

Can you advise whether it's OK to use push fit fittings on 15mm copper pipe behind plasterboard and tiles when fitting a thermostatic bar shower please ? Normally I'd use Yorkshire soldered fittings but would like to use push fit in this instance if I can. Thanks

Our tiler will be tiling two walls in our bathroom in a couple of weeks time over a bath and shower over it. I have removed the old tiles from the walls leaving big areas where the plaster came away leaving brick wall but other areas where it's ok. I've cleaned it up as best I can and bonded...

I'm a competent DIYer about to replace a bathroom including toilet, basin, bath with shower (not electric), as well as remove and replace tiling. It's a first floor flat with another flat above and below and in Scotland. I'm used to DIY in our detached house but this is a relative's flat and...

Help please We had a new Worcester Bosch Greenstar 30cdi system boiler fitted just over 2 years ago by a large power provider. Came with a free two year maintenance contract which ended two weeks ago. Last service was carried out under that contract in February. Over the last few weeks since...

I'm weighing up a few options on fixings but any advice please on the following queries regarding a raised deck (about 900mm up) using 47 x 150 joists (2.5m long) and ledger (4.8m long) with posts at 1.3m: 1 How to attach the rim joists to the ends of the ledger board as I can't source...

I'm about to order the timber and fixings for a raised deck base (approx 900mm off ground) and wondered if anyone could confirm/comment on planned fixings as noted below please ? Raised deck 4.8m x 2.6m with ledger along one of the 4.8m sides Ledger 150 x 47 Rim 150 x 47 Joists 150 x 47 at...

We're just completing a new build extension and planning to build a deck out from it, ie 2.5m out by 5.0m across approx. Deck boards 5.0m to run perpendicular to building so joists 2.5m going out from building. There is a patio doors pvc sill below which there is a gap then the concrete sill -...

This is probably going to seem like a daft question but one to which I'd love to get an answer. I'm in the middle of building a deck (approx 60 deck boards) and am having trouble cutting across the deck boards - they are 4.8m x 145mm x 28mm. Each time I saw them, I get about a quarter in...

We use outlook express. Recently a few minutes after opening it it has started giving the standard error message, eg "outlook has encountered a problem and needs to close, we are sorry for the inconvenience.......send error report / don't send etc". We then have to close it (or it closes...

Hi I'm trying to bolt vertical 90mmx90mm posts to an existing slabbed patio wall and they will act as ballustrades for a deck on top of the patio. I was going to use rawlbolts with hex heads M10 going into the brick 65mm (and taking max fixture 75mm, ie I'd rebate into the post). The...

I have a an existing raised patio (about 800mm at highest point) going out from the house; 14' x 14'. I plan to deck over it using deck timbers as "bearers" screwed to the existing slabs at 400mm centres with decking running perpendicular to these bearers. I also want to extend it from one...

Hi Wondered if anyone knows where I can source GU Ferco lock keeps and packers for upvc patio doors please - picture attached of the part I want to replace but need to replace the brass keep and the black plastic parts top and bottom of the keep. Thanks

We're now on our fourth Salamander ESP 140 CPV in 3 years. It feeds upstairs bath, shower, toilet, washbasin. Problem is it keeps leaking water from the hot side of the pump round the black cylindrical plastic section which houses the pump. Hot water cylinder stat set to 50degreesC and I've...

I want to put a floor down in our loft using 2400mm x 600mm T&G 18mm flooring grade chipboard. It would still be accessed by a pull down ladder but would be for occasional use, eg by the kids, storage etc. Joists span about 13'/4m from house front to centre then the same again from centre to...

We have some upvc windows and doors which are brown on the outside and white inside - probably at least 10 years old. The rest of the house is white outside and inside. I'd like to paint the brown outside upvc in white. I can find references to painting white upvc in white but not changing...

We want to fit a shower but can't get a big enough fall from the waste outlet and there isn't enough space in the room to build a step up. We wondered about fitting a waste water pump to the shower waste outlet but are funding it difficult to get any details. Can anyone help please ? -...

I currently have a mechanical honeywell stat. I'd like to install a programmable stat instead - two wires, battery etc. Not sure which is best. Thinking about 24hr or maybe 7 day. Have seen Horstmann, Danfoss, Honeywell (CM901 or CM907), Sunvic and Drayton. Any recommendations or others...