moved into 1970s house with little loft insulation so have started adding more. These boards where the sloped loft meets the ceiling of the upper floor rooms seem crumbly. they don’t feel wet but look it and crumble with a screwdriver push. Can see where tar is coming through in places as if it’s been patched or something above it. Possibly moisture from the past that wasn’t sorted for a while? Intending on getting a surveyor in to have a look when I get back from work but wondered if anyone has any experience with this? Cheers

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I have a hallway radiator with manual valves. After isolating and removing the radiator to redecorate I cannot get the radiator to get hot again.

The radiator briefly goes warm when I reconnect it to the system but then quickly goes cold again.

My boiler has good pressure and I have removed all the sludge. Does anyone have any advice on what to do next? From my research the valve troubleshooting is mainly for TRV valves so haven’t tried adjusting my manual valves.

Thanks in advance!

Hot water to taps is fine, that comes from top of tank (along with vent)

Shower hot water is rarely up to temperature. That comes from middle of the tank. Like that in all 4 showers. Replaced cartridge in one, more control but still tepid. If I isolate hot or cold water, both do a litre of water in about 10s

Anything I should try before calling in a plumber? TIA

Thought I'd share a few pics of how I improved the insulation of the two external walls in this 1970s bungalow bedroom. Maybe it'll inspire someone else to have a go. I was getting black mould on the walls at the studs as they were thermal bridging, also viewed it through a thermal imaging camera.

Replaced glass wool with Knauf 35 90mm frametherm. Sealed any gaps at floor and ceiling. 25mm PIR boards over the front of the studs to break the thermal bridge. Applied air guard and foil tape to create a vapour barrier. Screwed battens through PIR into the studs behind to create a service void for socket backboxes so didn't cut into PIR. Then plaster boarded and jointed.

Also previously insulated suspended floor with 150mm mineral from below, held up with garden fleece.

The glass wool is the original insulation.

PICTURE IN COMMENTS Hi all, I'm in desperate need of your help please. I have 3 floor-length windows (living room and bedroom), where the uPVC window meets the subfloor. Previous owners have made a right mess of the subfloor, which was only revealed when I lifted my carpets. The floor isn't level and isn't massively sturdy,

I'm having laminate installed next week, and after talking to the fitter, we've concluded that installing window boards across the windows is the best bet. My only issue is that I am a DIY-novice and now need to:

A. buy window boards before the weekend - where should I be looking? might be a rookie question, but can I buy planed timber or does it have to be specifically sold as window board?

B. work out what type of window board to buy - I'm leaning towards moisture resistant MDF, but have heard mixed things. Has anyone got any advice, either way?

C. What additional materials will I need - grab adhesive, decorators Caulk, Moisture-Resistant Primer (would Zinsser Bin work?), Low-Expansion Foam - anything else??

D. any ideas on how to prep the space to fit?

and also any tips/tricks/recommendations? I really can't postpone the flooring install past next week due to having planned surgery in mid-Nov :(

Hi all,

Looking for some advice on a single skin brick outhouse which has water coming in through what looks to be failed mortar joints. I’ve been tidying it over the weekend and noticed a damp patch on the floor. Came back to it today and noticed it has increased and the wall is soaked. You’ll see the lower wall is soaked too.

The wall backs onto a neighbours garden who have a shed directly behind so poor access to check the external state of the area of wall that is showing the problem internally. It’s an apex roof on the shed with the run off sides being away from this particular wall.

I’ve added a couple of photos. On the floor to ceiling view, water looks to be entering just underneath the highest shelf in the far right corner of the wall. There is a clear crack in the mortar too and looking at the colour difference would suspect this has been attempted to be repaired by a previous owner.

I guess my question is, where do I go from here? Can this be repaired from the inside or would it need to be external (for repointing for example)? I’ll try to get on the roof tomorrow to see if I can see any obvious source of entry from above.

Welcome any advice 👍

Checking a kitchen install I recently had completed and came across the hob extractor fan wired up to a mains cable like this.

The mains cable runs back to the fuse box and is on a single breaker

What would be the best solution?

I've checked the extractor and it is fine to be put on a standard plug socket with a 3 amp fuse. Should I just get a plug box connected on the end of the mains cable and plug in the extractor.

Been in a new build since April, so just a little over 6 months now. Noticed these two marks, the first in the downstairs cloakroom, on the wall directly at the front of the property - the 2nd in the kitchen on an interior wall. Does anyone know what these are? Possible fix? Many thanks.

Looking for some advise. No screw in the top, when I rotate from underneath the whole thing just rotates. Any advise on how to remove the strainer? Ta

Homeowner, not very knowledgeable in these matters and I've totally bamboozled chat GPT... can anyone help me? When I was cleaning, silicone sealant from under this white ring in my shower drain came away. I was going to reseal it so popped the ring off. Its cracked as per the photo. Can I just buy a replacement white circe thing (technical term) or do I need to get a plumber in? Sorry for the state of this drain im a bit scared to touch it until I know what im dealing with! Thanks.

As said above, have a Viessmann 050 combi boiler and looking to swap it to a HIVE mini. Will it be possible or should it be done professionally?

https://youtu.be/1zYAqoIiDnw

A youtube link that I'll probably follow for installation

I know this must have been asked countless times, but after a quick search I couldn't see a recent thread with referenced names/links. I am after a company that can provide replacement doors for a 10 year old Wren kitchen..

I have considered stripping and re-finishing the existing doors but would like to compare both prices.

I am South East M4 Corridor location wise if it makes a difference at all!

Thanks

Our kitchen is in a 2 story extension that was built before we moved in. It was divided by a partition wall and doors that we were advised was not load bearing (and it certainly seemed that way, it was a timber frame, but this may be my niavity).

We had the door way removed to open it up the space and all was well for a couple of years but now we have a thin crack across the ceiling from back wall to front and running down partly into the wall (not external rear wall, the internal wall opposite).

My understanding of the extension diagram is this crack runs under one of the RSJs. Is this likely a superficial issue that I'm comfortable sealing with or a sign of something more worrying?

Hi all,

I've recently noticed a damp patch in the middle of my chimney in my loft.

It seems dry above and below this area which is confusing me, I'd have thought that it would at least look damp above this area too. This isn't just visual either, it feels damp. Furthermore, I've used a damp meter (I understand these are a little sketchy at the best of times) but the numbers on the screen are significantly higher in this area than the areas that feel dry.

I have attached a picture of the area, and also a picture highlighting the areas in question. In white is the damp area, blue is from an old roof leak that has since been taken care of a while ago and green feels bone dry (the blue area also feels dry)

I'm confused how damp has appeared in the middle of the chimney and not above. Any thoughts?

Appreciate it's not strictly a DIY question, but I know a lot of tradies lurk here so here goes: what's a reasonable deposit and payment schedule for a full bathroom rip out and refit?

I know this question has been asked a lot here over the years, but seems very dependent on the trade and price of materials.

I’m replacing my tap and plug/waste unit, but I just can’t get a strong enough grip on the brass locknut on the underside to loosen it off. Before I attempt to remove the whole basin unit, does anybody have any handy DIY tips I can try?

There doesn’t seem to be enough room to reach all the way round with some water pump pliers unfortunately.

I’m trying to install a bit of beading on my stinger and I’m struggling how to find the angles to cut. any advice would be appreciated

Hello!

This is our first winter in a new new (owned) home. We have this handy external cupboard that is under the stairs in the hallway. We have noticed when it is cold the hallway is the coolest room in the house despite having a front door and porch, so it isn’t drafty.

We’ve noticed that the wall under the stairs (other side of the vertical green wall in the photo) is cold to touch.

How would you go about insulating this, and do you think insulating it will help? I’m thinking celotex insulation on the walls and ‘roof’.

How would you insulate the external door?

Any advice would be appreciated- thanks!

Hi All,

We purchased a house end of last year and are still doing renovations. It’s slowly coming to the end and one of the jobs are Glue down herringbone LVT. A lot of people have told me not to DIY Glue down LVT but I’m stubborn and have proceeded to do it anyway.

I need advice with how to start the herringbone pattern and how you would approach it. We want to retain the skirting and is has been left on. We have plyboarded (SP101 grade) on top. Current images show what we have at the moment, and you can see we done a simple triangle as this was our starting point, only to find out the skirting was not square. All of the YouTube videos I saw were working with perfectly square rooms or working without skirting, neither of which are the case for me. I’ve lined up the middle of the floor and also marked the middle of the pattern (which I also understand isn’t the point).

Any advice or guidance would be much appreciated

Hello everyone,

First time posting here, I apologise if it is the wrong subreddit.

I have been trying to figure out how to fit this recessed light back into the ceiling for an hour but cannot figure out how to do so properly....

It seems the springs are not loaded ?

Thanks for any help!

I’ve been looking for hinges for a bench that I’ve built. It’s a banquette style bench with storage. The top is redwood and will be divided in 3 sections. Each section is 120cm x 38 cm and 32mm deep. I don’t want traditional piano hinges exposed on top. I also want this to be soft close. (See pictures)

I appreciate any help.

I’m new to DIY. I’ve always just hired people to do the work. However having bought our first home I decided it’s time to learn and save a bit of money. And gain new skills.

I’ve not had any major injuries other than cuts and scraps oh and getting a nail right into my index finger.

It got me wondering; what sort of injuries have people had and lessons learnt. Might help someone else avoid an easily avoidable injury!

Anyone know how to add pressure to this boiler, I don’t have a key but picture attached looks like is a flexi hose. The pressure is sitting in the red currently is all.

I have removed all the floorboards to insulate under there, is there anything else I should do while I am at it?

I will put dpm bits under the joists where they rest on bricks just in case and most likely put telescopic air vents to direct the flow a bit lower as the air vents are only slightly lower than joists at the moment.

Is it worth changing the pvc radiator pipe for copper? Or is it worth changing 15mm to 22mm copper pipe?

Also after removing all the nails I sanded the top of every joist as removing the nails raised loads of fibres ecc and didn't want them to interfere with the fitting of whatever I am putting on them, do they now need treating at all?

Thanks!

Edit

There's 8 sockets, 3 of which are where the tv is (behind me). The cables have been run down from the ceiling in the new rewire.

I ll add noggins as adviced👌

Oh and insulation around the pipes.

This seems like the most basic question, but I've failed at Googling my way to a solution. I need to replace a basic white pvc strip at the bottom of my shower. When I removed the old cracked one I had no idea I'd find it this difficult to find a replacement. I just need a custom cut strip of plastic, but I can't find anywhere offering what I need.

Can anyone signpost me to somewhere that'll deliver me a simple plastic strip to the required dimensions?

The answer may be glaringly obvious, I'm feeling a bit daft about how much I'm struggling with this one.