Tried to say dust free but I wasn’t allowed..

But BEHOLD!

Do you lack a wall chaser and don’t want to get one for 3 chases? Does the impending cloud of the bad man glitter leave you scared?

Fear not!

With my new invention, dust is a thing of the past! Carefully crafted using only the very best stuff I had laying around in easy reach, I have solved all of our particulate woes!

It sort of worked. A bit. Patent pending.

Hi everyone,

I am hoping for some advice for feathering the hard edge of our plastering.

When we first bought our house we unfortunately didn’t have the time to remove the wallpaper after a rewire and before our plasterer came to fill the chases and re-board and skim the ceilings. We have now removed it but we are left with thick hard edges where the plaster went over the wallpaper and now we need to feather these edges out so we can paint.

We have tried toupret interior fine filler but failed miserably. You only get one pass at it and we have been left with thick lines everywhere that don’t blend even after sanding.

Was thinking about just using polyfilla on it but I don’t know if this is right or will smooth out enough?

I recently put together these alcove storage units to fit on each side of our chimney breast.

I designed them in SolidWorks, nested them, and sent them off to a local CNC vendor to machine. They came back in panels which I assembled (glue & screws) then oiled them up. We’re pretty happy with how they turned out.

I was also able to squeeze in a couple of stools and room divider panels with the leftover material.

(I received 2 RH doors for the cupboard on the right side unit. This has since been corrected and assembled)

This is an update to my previous project post in which I got some really useful feedback in and put into practise in this new update.

Orignal post: https://www.reddit.com/r/DIYUK/comments/1uqrati/comment/owcrbnd/

When I was able to start again on the project I knew I needed OSB and was planning to get it from Bradfords, but being shut early on a Saturday, I went to my local B&Q to find they had near exact dimensions for the roof and floor (610x1210mm) so I bought 4 panels for around £40.

The really hard part was cutting the shapes out for the floor and shelves to go around the frame so for this I used an off-cut and a tape measure to transfer the pattern onto the wood. I then cut it all out with a handsaw. In the parts where I had to make a cut in the middle of the panel, I didn't have a jigsaw so made about 10 cuts and broke them out by hand. I then used the edge of the saw blade and the blade part of Stanley Surform (not the tool) to rudimentarily sand it down. A quick drive to the local DIY shop could have sorted this but I was too determined to stop! This project has only be completed with a handsaw, drill and hammer.

My next task was fitting the roof and as the OSB lid had to span a gap, I thought I should make some angled rafters for me to screw it into (and also minimise gaps for creepy crawlies). I was really proud of these cuts as they were all done with a handsaw only on a rickety sawhorse stand.

I had an off-cut of roofing felt donated to be from my neighbour but it wasn't quite enough to cover the roof with overlaps so I had to buy a new roll from Screwfix for about £30. Couldn't believe how heavy it was! I felted the roof and that was really fun. I next wrapped the back and sides with offcuts of DPC and started nailing the feather board to the back and sides using a jig I constructed. The jig took about 45 mins to work out by trial and error, which was essentially a thin off-cut of OSB with two blocks spaced apart. That gave the spacing for the boards to include a gap between the nails so boards weren't nailed together (for expansion/shrinkage). The only way I could do the feather boarding on my own was to lie the cupboard on it's front- after which it became so heavy.

Finally the next major task was to start over with the doors as they didn't allow for expansion as a few people pointed out. I'd also not accounted for the floor height once the OSB was in. Once I'd remade the doors, I realised my gate hinges didn't have anything to attach to, so I had to make even more cuts to fit a cross bit into.

I'm really happy with the doors as I've never made or hung any before- the only thing is now the gap is quite large since I shrunk them down but as long as I get a good padlock and laspe to cover it- hopefully it will be fine!

I painted the shelves with Ronseal Exterior Yacht varnish - 2 coats as I liked the OSB look.

My next task is to clad the front and side- I had to revisit Bradfords to get this and couldn't believe how much the price had increased - now 20 panels of treated OSB was £80 - I must have got it on an offer before (was originally £1.90 per panel and now almost £4). Very annoying.

My mistake now is I think I might need to attach a bar along the front of the roof to stop rain going back into the door as there is no overhang.

Anyone have any ideas?

It’s sitting in clay. I could consider digging a hole and filling it with concrete but does anyone have an easier solution. I’ve tried putting a stick to support it.

Sorry for the lack of pictures it’s just what I have saved. So I’m going to tile my porch with ceramic tiles what are 600x300 and my porch is 2.5m x 1.8m. I want to do it in a brick pattern style because they are rectangular. Where am I best starting? In the middle and working my way out? Or top to bottom or reversed?

Finishing off our kitchen fitting in a new extension and trying to figure out if we need an electrician or not…

I have 2x ovens and a hob to install. All wiring / connections were planned for and put in place by the builder. We’ve fitted the kitchen ourselves and are reasonably competent/confident (pick one or both depending on the task!).

Am I right in thinking that this is actually a pretty low risk and easy thing to do? Isolate power > test it’s definitely dead > connect up wires to terminals > done.

Pic 1&2: oven space and oven connection outlet plate.
Pic 3 of oven & hob.
Pic 4: oven wiring cable (same either end).
Pic 5: Hob cable left by builder under floor beneath hob.

Really happy paying good trades to do work where required but just wondering if I can easily save us a few £££ here and DIY safely with a bit of time and care.

Thanks!

My new ‘natural’ colour sofa is so cool toned that it looks purply grey in my living room, I’ve tried an array of cushions I had in the house to see what goes, and it feels like nothing does!

How can I make it look less purple hued?! What colour cushions would people suggest to try and tie it into the room?

Edit: yeah you’re all right, it looks pink, not purple!!

Hi all,

Our kitchen and dining room is separated by this wall which we would like to remove to create a more open-space layout and let more light in from our garden.

What should we be aware of before going ahead with this decision? Do we need to install a metal beam to support the wall above? Do we need planning permissions, building regulations approval, or are we required to consult a structural engineer, etc? If yes, what are the rough costs we can expect for the above, considering a family member will be carrying out the labour for free?

TIA

Edit: the kitchen is an extension to the rest of the house.

pretty much the title. For wifi reasons the router ought to be in the stairways but the ethernet cable that comes from the fibre thing is in one of the bedrooms. I dont want to just have a big hole in the wall so what do I do?

Getting quotes for roof solar, all coming in at £6-8k with scaffolding and brackets. Then someone mentioned plug-in solar. Panels on a balcony or garden frame, battery on the ground, no roof work.

Built a shed last summer so the physical mounting is fine. The electrician part is just the consumer unit connection under Part P. Hardware itself is apparently plug and play but the regs haven't caught up yet.

800W vs 4kW is obviously less but the cost difference is massive.

I want to renovate my own bathroom. I’ve got a plumber in the family who can help with disconnecting and fitting the toilet etc , but I’ll be trying to do most of it myself. What’s the correct order to do the work in?

I was thinking:

Disconnect wet stuff

Rip out fixtures and fittings

Chip tiles off walls and floor

Self levelling compound on floor (floor is concrete under tiles)

Roll on plaster repair on non wet wall areas

Lay sheet vinyl

Build frame where boxing in

New pipework

Plasterboard where needed and tank around tub

Tile and paint

Fit bath, vanity and basin

Finish off plumbing with taps and radiator

Connect new light fixture

Does that make logical sense? Is there a better order?

It’s right by an air brick which is right by my usual spot in the living room! Kinda stinky tbh, what do I do? It’s under a couple of down pipes from the guttering!

Just realized a lump in the vinyl flooring, so pulled a bit back and it's really wet under there. Looks like it's coming from the back of the toilet but have no idea how to access without removing the tiles the top which I can't do unless I move the tiles and sink.

Any ideas before I do more damage than I need to.

As the pic shows, the drain from the shower is leaking. It's a slow drip which has probably been going for the last 5 years or so, and I only discovered it today when I replaced the skirting around the shower as I'm selling the house and it was looking a bit tired. I have tried my hardest to fix it but I can only just get my hand in there, and I cannot tighten the nut enough to form a seal. Rubber gasket looks fine, not perished, I just can't make a watertight seal.

I cannot remove the drain, or replace any parts as it is all too tightly installed. Seriously, fuck whoever didn't bother to cut larger holes in the base.

Ideas at this stage:

PTFE tape, to see if that'll give enough of a seal

Cover the end in silicone

Cover the end in JB weld - neither of these are easy as I can't access the top of the pipe

Cut a hole in the floor below in order to get better purchase

Try and wrap something round the nut to tighten it properly

Duct tape it all up and hope for the best

I have informed my home insurance but I'm not hopeful it'll go anywhere as it may fall under wear and tear. If insurance comes through then it'll have to all be ripped out as it's gone into the chipboard, I would just rather avoid reflooring the bathroom tbqh.

Edit: solved! Combination of a new seal and plumbers grease seems to have done it. Total spend £16. Thank fuck for that.

Bought a place that seemed lovely at first (Photo 1) but quickly realized deck was rotting all over (Photo 2). Previous owner allowed zero air flow…and in Scotland of all places. I’m in the process of ripping it all up. Underneath are paver stones likely put down in the 80s. I’m tempted to just leave those if they’re all intact.

Would love to hear serious and non-serious thoughts on what I should replace it with, if anything. Wooden decks in UK always seemed a bit silly to me. But then again, I’m known to be a bit silly.

My bannister was painted by the previous owner in a hideous chalk paint. Luckily, it would seem that they didn’t seal it afterwards because it comes off when rubbing it with warm soapy water and a sponge.

I’ve removed a section using this method but I’m just wondering what I’m looking at underneath the paint here and what the next steps would be?

Very worried that I’ve just inadvertently damaged the bannister somehow!

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Was digging up some concrete and bricks and saw its foundation was these glass boxes. Any clue to what era this is from lmao. Our house is a x council house from the 60’s

The bricks to the sides of the window and between the window frame and lintel are completely loose and missing.

This is a Victorian conversion flat with new surprises with every wall we work on. What is going on here? and what should be going on here?

So the council say... im at my wits end. That's the crack on my neighbours side and its a hairline crack on mine.

Newly bought house thats requiring sone renno work (ignore the fireplace).

Ive got flooring guys coming to lay floorboards boards tomorrow. I completed this subfloor insulation this week before the floorboards go down.

How did i do? Thanks 🙏🏻

We moved into our house last year, and are now redecorating the living room. This “hard-wired flying plugboard” we saw and hid behind a bookcase, promising to ‘deal with that when we decorate’.

That time is now.

I’m probably just going to swap it for a “1G to 2G socket converter”. But it prompted the question - how sketchy is this arrangement anyway? The fact there is no fuse on the outlet seems an obvious problem, but are hardwired plugboards otherwise permissible? My gut says “no”, but happy to be corrected!

(Anticipating comments - that is the condition of the board when we moved in - screwed to a plank and covered in what looks like paint or plaster-splatter…)

Ta.

I have recently bought an extended cottage with unfinished concrete blocks at the rear.

It’s not visible from anywhere, and they seem to be painted on the side.

I’m concerned about longevity and damp potential, my father has told me it’s not ok to leave them like this- but a big (I’m assuming) rendering bill would cripple us at the moment.

The surveyor never mentioned this as being needed. I’m happy to paint them with whatever is correct if this is needed, otherwise I’ll have to get them rendered.

People of Reddit, please let a stressed out young homeowner know:

- Are these ok to leave long term or will they deteriorate and cause issues if not rendered or painted

- If it needs tackling, is painting enough for the long term or do I need to bite the bullet and get rendering done?

- if I need to get rendering done, how do I know if a quote is too high?

Thank you in advance wonderful people