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Electrician about to install a new Wylex Part 17 CU in my old flat. Problem is previous wiring situation in that the whole flat ( apart from the lighting ) is currently hanging off one 32amp MCB. Cabling in flat is 2.5mm T&E throughout. So the amount of protection I'm currently gettiung...

Hello I want to pay an electrician to replace my old WW2 fuse box with a consumer unit. My problem is the restricted dimensions of my cupboard space. My wooden cupboard is only big enough to contain the consumer unit with the see through hinged plastic cover in the up position, not with the...

The meter outside my flat indicates it is supplying electricity to my flat rated at 60 amps. However, when an electrician recently installed a new CU in my flat it was installed with just a 45amp 'base' fuse. I'm concerned that if all my electric heating, cooker, hob, shower, dishwasher and...

How can my plumber install a powerful 3.5 bar twin shower pump under my bath when all my bathroom pipework is in 15mm copper pipes? I won't be doing the work but I still want to be informed and understand the issues. I've checked my CW cistern and HW cylinder. All my pipework from is in...

My fireplace has no decorational hearth, just a constructional hearth, flush with the floorboards. The whole constructional hearth is very weak and crumbly. Also, the far right side has disintegrated completely and needs making good. Which material should I use to repair the...

more on my noisy neighbour project... I've put down sheets of 100mm thick dense fibre matting between my floor joists - this may keep my flat warm but I am far more interested in achieving acoustic insulation not thermal insulation - all due to noisy lord fauntleroy downstairs and his stereo...

How can I adjust my jigsaw cutting depth? Currently, I'm using progressor blades for wood cutting and they work fine only they are very long and they cut 50 or 60mm below the jigsaw "shoe". The reason I care is that I want to cut some of my floorboards along the mid-joist-line, but...

Take a look at my floorboard photo. My project is to throw away my old creaky bedroom floorboards and replace with a new sub floor ( 18mm marine plywood in 4' x 8' sheets ). All the 'easy' floorboards are now up apart from the first floorboard shown. This board is below a window...

I forgot to remove some masking tape when I had a painter in a few months ago. The tape is now well and truly stuck and won't simply pull off without taking lumps of wallpaper / plaster with it.. How do I remove old masking tape from glass windows ? How do I remove old masking tape from...

My neighbour below has had downlighters installed in his ceiling. I can see the light fittings in the floor void when I take up my floorboards. The fittings run very hot and I think they are letting noise come through as well. Q : Working between my joists, can I achieve sound proofing...

I have noticed how it is possible to buy new or secondhand railway sleepers in oak, pine or beech for use in decking, walling or gardening projects. The dimensions of these sleepers at typically 200mm x 125mm x 2 meters are ideal for my joist replacement / sistering project. Has anyone had...

I want to attach timber to the side of my existing joists to make them wider. My existing joist width is ~80mm and I want to double this with to approx 160mm. The new structure will need to support a heavy Victorian lath/plaster stud partition. The partition runs parallel to my joists. Q...

Is it ok to use 47mm wide timber in 50mm wide mini joist hangers ? It's only 3 milimetres difference. Also the stores / web sites I visit all seem to stock 50mm metalwork and 47mm timber ? Is it ok ?

Are there such things as mini-joist hangers for noggings ? I want to fit noggings between two parallel joists. Haven't done this before and it would be so much easier if I could just screw some kind of right angled bracket to the side of the joist, drop the nogging in, screw that to the...

Sorry for the long post... Creating a new sub floor in a bedroom and living room. The old floorboards are being replaced with plywood sheets screwed down onto joists. The sheets are only 18mm thick compared with the 25mm thick floorboards I'm throwing away. My problem is a long stud...

I'm about to screw down half a ton of 18mm thick plywood onto joists. Please can someone advise on the best make, size and length of screws to use for this task ? These screws look good to me but I am inexperienced so am unsure ...

Do I lay my eight foot plywood sheets so that two edges always meet on top of a joist ? This is my preference even though it involves more measuring and cutting and waste. Alternatively, .... should plywood sheets meet "in thin air" in the gap between the two nearest joists. This will...

Since it took me so long to find this information out, I thought I would share it in case it is useful to others. Bosch Single ovens HBN560551B Max. current draw (A): 16 HBN560561B Max. current draw (A): 16 HBN730551B Max. current draw (A): 15 HBN730561B Max. current draw (A): 15...

My CU has a separate circuit for my hob. I'll check the exact MCB rating but its either 30 or 40 amps. I've removed/disconnected my ten year old electric oven and was surprised to discover it was connected to the general ring main circuit all along, protected by a FCU. It was never on its...

Would appreciate some guidance here. I am laying a new plywood subfloor onto existing joists using 8' x 4' sheets. Would a 2mm expansion gap be best around each board to allow for plywood expansion? I would prefer to butt each sheet against its neighbour and leave no gap. Not sure what's...