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Hi Have recently repointed my west facing (prevailing weather) wall and it all went well. I'm not sure what to do with the dpc course though. It's slate but has come away with the old pointing in places (I've not raked it out). It feels like a bad idea to point over it and create a moisture...

Hi I got a Hormann Supramatic garage door opener and installed it according to the pretty dreadful instructions. The door however doesn't open all the way with the auto opener installed. Have tried various tensions on the garage door spring to assist and the link bad between the door and...

Hi. I need to mount a TV Aerial to the gable end of my Chalet Bungalow. It has particularly unattractive concrete tiles in this portion of the wall (see attached pic) What is my best bet for mounting brackets to the tiles? I'll be using the big T brackets to spread the load rather than the...

One of the buildings that I look after dates from the 1870s. We have a presumably orginal door that is of 'slatted' construction with boards that are butted up to one another. There is some separation of these boards now and I'm unsure what would be the best product to fill them with. It...

Hi. Am looking to change a lock for secuity purposes. It's a commercial building where the encumbants have no idea who has a key! The lock is an Ingersol Classic nightlatch. The replacement cylinders are about £70! Can I just use any brand of cylinder and replace the plate the secures the...

Hello The batteries from my blue bosch drill have died but the drill itself is fine. Bosch batteries cost nearly as much as a new drill with batteries included. There are companies offering compatible batteries for a much more reasonable cost, on ebay, amazon and their own websites. I...

Hello I'm looking to help my friend who's fence blew down recently. His 'builder' had screwed some 100mm posts to his three courses of block high wall and fixed three ft of feather edge along the top of the wall. So of course the wall fell over in the recent wind. I'm planning to help...

We're doing up our downstairs bathroom, the old floor tiles have been removed leaving a fairly uneven surface. I've removed what I can of the old adhesive but would estimate there is still at least 5mm variance overall. The wife would like Lino on the floor which as I understand it demands...

Hello Our old summerhouse is looking a little worse for wear. It was previosly stained a dark brown colour but we would like to paint it a pale blue. It seems there are many products for staining untreated wood but I've not found anything that is obviously for giving an opaque finish...

Hello I've just built a bookcase from pine at the request of she who must be obeyed. She would like the bookcase to be painted white or off white and was looking at 'shabby chic' paints. These look a bit pricey and specialist, what normal paints would you recommend for is application...

Just stripped the paint on my ceiling, really peeled off easily. Its revealed an area that has obviously been patched in the past for some reason. I don't want to paint it as it is and it would seem drastic to get the whole thing skimmed, easpecially as the rest is really flat. This area...

Hello I'm looking to change our grotty old shower enclosure over the Christmas period. I've been lucky enough to never have to had to buy one before and consequently have no idea what makes a good one. What should I be looking for? I've seen thicknesses from 4mm up, self cleaning glass...

Hi I've managed to get hold of some industrial spec T5 flourescent fittings that are advertised as taking 4* 54w T5 tubes. I imagine that my garage would be visible from space with that kind of lighting power and didn't know if I can use lower wattage tubes with the higher power control...

Our new place has a 'swimming pool' that the previous owners left to ruin. It holds about 24000 litres of water which at the moment is pretty green and sludgy. There is a filter pump which is in working order. We've been running the pump continuously for a few days now and have the right...

Hello On Saturday I removed some old floor tiles that had been in a downstairs bedroom under a carpet and underlay. The reason for this is that the room had been suffering from damp and many of the tiles had curled up. They were stuck down with a bitumen paint. I took recommended...

Hi I've just moved home and am having trouble plumbing my washing machine in. There is no standpipe to wedge the outlet hose into. Instead there is an extension hose like this http://www.wickes.co.uk/content/ebiz/wickes/invt/420181/Washing-Machine-Waste-Hose-Outlet_large.jpg I bought...

Hi I've just moved house and noticed that a few of the PVCu windows don't seal very well. The hinges appear to work fine and the windows open and close properly but the frame does not meet the black plastic seal. To my mind perhaps the seals have shrunk in the 6 years or so that the...

Hi I've got this service valve connected to my dishwasher hose one end and some style of 'speedfit' pipe the other. It has started to leak and is not solved with tightening the compression end of the valve. Can you use compression on these plastic pipes? Is there an insert? Does...

How should I choose a toilet? We're having a downstairs toilet added and I need to choose a toilet. Is it worth getting an expensive one? Which brands are good? Are the DIY chain own models any good? Anyone seen a good deal they can point me toward? Thanks

Hello I've made a start on some steps in my garden. They're going to be set into a bank on building blocks, faced with decking and have railings based on fence posts, which are concreted in. I have started to dig into the bank where a platform is to go, where steps turn by 90 degrees to...