There's been continued water ingress from the flat above mine, which came from a poorly sealed bathtub. There was extensive enough damage to my ceiling that a section needed replaced; the plaster on this *was* just about dry enough to be repainted today.

Unfortunately the builders upstairs were also looking to sort the leak at their side. The upstairs bathroom has been gutted and they saw fit to pour concrete onto the old floorboards - which naturally went through and onto my ceiling. As the video shows, one of the light fittings is still out of from the ceiling and the liquid cement drained out of the hole.

My bathroom lights are now tripping the fuse box. Is it sensible for me to try switching the bulb(s) to see if this fixes things? Or is it better to just get an electrician to inspect the entire fitting(s)?

Bonus plastering question: is there any danger the hardened cement might compromise the new ceiling?

Hi all,

I'm trying to track down a replacement for a small plastic part on my vertical blind, but I've had no luck identifying the brand or finding an exact match anywhere online.

It's the end cap that fits onto the end of the headrail (the track at the top of the blind) – it has a curved cap section on top and a rectangular latch at the bottom that hooks onto the first carrier to hold it in place on the track.

There's no visible brand name, logo, or model number on it anywhere, which is making it tricky to search for. I've attached a photo of the part itself, plus one showing it fitted in place (circled in yellow) so you can see exactly where it goes.

Does anyone recognise the brand from the shape, or know where I could source something like this – even a close match I could adapt? Any leads appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

I had a quote for a bathroom at £5200 labour quoted over whatsapp. He did a decent job last year on my downstairs bathroom so went with him again. The builder didn't explicitly state it was VAT or ex-VAT. However last year he quoted me with VAT and upon final payment I agreed to give him cash because he gave a 20% discount.

So I was under the assumption this quote was the same and it was inclusive VAT.

Fast forward to today. The builder has completed about 85% of the job. He was first paid £1000 in materials, then he requested another £500. I hadn't gotten around to sending 500 and I get a WhatsApp stating to transfer another £1000 instead "and the rest will be labour costs." This was about half way through the renovation when he must have had a good idea of what needed to be done and any extras.

A day later he mentions he needs to adjust the quote for additional work after already doing some of it - there's a walk in the shower that wasn't tiled because I ran out of tiles so we had to get mosaic tiles and understandably that increases the price abit so no bother there. Then as they leave I ask about final payment and he says vaguely that the labour cost was the cash price which I was shocked at as I had accepted based on it being VAT.

I've not paid for any labour fees just yet and I'm concerned about some of the workmanship like poor tiling (chipped tiles, lippage) and putting a hole in my joist that isn't to code which he just filled in with foam instead of trying to sister (see thread) I've really just lost my trust in him to be honest and i don't trust him to finish the job

What should my next steps be?

ripping up my garden decking in Scotland and need a reality check on the frame.

​The timber is mostly sound overall, but there are scattered spots where a screwdriver goes in a millimetre or so. More importantly, each side has two sections that are very badly affected by rot (one side from trapped water/white fungus, the other from woodworm/grass edge) that will definitely need to be completely cut out.

​Drainage: Water puddles along the stone edge. The old damp-proof membrane failed, keeping the wood constantly wet.

​The Plan: I need to fix the drainage (gravel/slabs to stop timber sitting in water), but originally hoped to just replace the deck boards and patch a few joists.

​Question: Given how widespread the soft spots and fungal rot are on both sides, am I wasting time patching this? Should I just tear out the whole frame and start fresh with new treated timber to avoid doing this again next year?

Hello,

While I have a bar in the door to keep it closed and safe while I am in the house, I want to also lock it when I leave. Does this kit look like a good match?

Thank you for your time reading whether you can assist or not.

Not sure if this is the best thread to post this, but I'm looking for advice on my new PVCu windows. I had several windows replaced and there were/are many problems (long story). However I'm wondering if someone smarter than me can explain why the amount of window frame showing is not even around this window? More of the top part of the frame is showing than the bottom part of the frame. Is this most likely because the window board is covering some of the bottom? I'm confused because the original window had an even amount of frame all around. Thanks.

Hi all, the light in my bathroom (installed by my landlord when I was a tenant but I’ve since bought the house) has stopped working. Opened it up to see it’s not any normal bulb and Google has overwhelmed and confused me

Am I able to replace/fix the LEDs (it’s possibly not even a year old), if so - what do I need to be looking for to buy? Or is it a case of the whole damn light has to go (it’s IP65 and I’ve seen that can often be the case) and if so, are we talking a job for a proper electrician?

Thanks in advance!

I caught myself hauling a few heavy storage bins around the garage this weekend and thought, "There has to be a better way."  So I'm wondering what's one everyday thing around my house that I would let a motor handle? It could be something practical or just something that would make life a little easier.

I'm mainly looking for projects that use control boxes and linear actuators, since I'm hoping to get ideas for buildsthat incorporate those components Just to see if there is a cardboard or realistic parts project that anyone has made out of which I can get some ideas or inspo.

Looking for advice on what I’ve done and how to fix it. Today I took down an overhead light to replace it with a ceiling fan. I only realised after I’d taken the light down that I should have turned off the power at the breaker, I was probably lucky not to get shocked. The blue/yellow/blue I think are live, ground, and neutral (labelled that way on the light fixture wires I unscrewed), but I didn’t know what the brown wires were, they were screwed together and not connected to the light. When I went to install the fan ceiling mount (pictured), the brown wires were making electrical crackling sounds every time they moved, which is when I realised I should turn off the power at the circuit breaker. After connecting the blue and yellow wires into the fan mount, I used electrical tape to cover the end of each of the three brown wires before taping them all together to tuck out of the way. At the time I thought I didn’t want random live wires poking into the fan. Except now, after flipping the breakers back on, none of my upstairs lights are turning on!

What have I done? What should I do next? Can I fix this myself or do I need an electrician?

I have a vision to build some custom open-backed built-in joinery for my living room on both of the long walls (first two images, AI rendering). My landlords left behind some laminated particle board bookshelves (third picture) that I thought I could use as the skeleton for these new units, and simply add some MDF (or paintable plywood) siding, face, plinth, and crown molding, plus walnut veneered plywood shelves.

If they let me, I figured I would cut off 1/3rd to 1/2 of the old shelving units and stick them on top of some pre-fab cabinet boxes. Is this even worth it, or would I be better off building from scratch with some paintable plywood?

I'm sorry if this is very basic but I'm confused! I want to install a cooker hood over a hob that sits in an old opened up chimney breast with the side walls still there and a lintel just above head height.

I can't do any ducting to outside so I want a recirculating hood. I can't vent it up into the chimney because it'll create condensation. But looking at various recirculating hoods I'm not sure I can go with this option without more significant building work.

Chimney hoods recirculate out of vents at the top but I'd need to raise the lintel a lot for that, most chimney hoods seem to be 60cm+ high.

Integrated hoods, well I can't figure it out, they have vents at the top for ducting but if setup for recirculation do they still need that ducting connected somewhere internally or do they just pump the air back down onto the hob?

Help/options much appreciated!

I'm finding it hard to get a definitive answer on what I actually need , it's only a small roof 3 x 2 meters what type of paint do I need I'm going round in circles trying to find the right one

The roofs in decent shape just needs topping up as it's looking a little rough

I got carried away at the local shed suppliers and ended up getting a garden "office" type of shed with big windows.

I am now thinking, although this will work quite well in the summer, how do i winter proof it?

So far my idea is to stuff rockwool between the joists and nail plasterboard all around on the inside. Water vapour sheet on the floor and then insulating underlay and either laminate or some other floor on top.

But what can i do about the door?

Not sure if any of my efforts will have much point.

Has anyone done this kind of diy before?

Thanks

Just had solar fitted and wanted the panels in roof not on brackets because I’ve been warned that drilling the York stone would create issues down the line. Found a company I was happy with and they found the felt to be in need of replacing once the roof was stripped of tiles. Fair enough, agreed a price to take the full plane off and do the 2 sides with new felt and lats entirely.

I’m not happy with the finish and I don’t think any care or thought has been put into replacing the tiles, especially near the ridge.

What are your opinions on the pictures? Leaky or water sound even though it will be directly raining on the breathable membrane? I know the one image with the lat exposed is a recipe for rot at least. I’m seriously considering telling them to leave it to me. I’ve paid for the solar but not additional roofing yet so I might be able to hire the scaffolding and do it myself if they just leave it alone. I don’t trust them now they’ve tried to pull the wool.

Hi all,

I'm currently in the process of moving out from a rental property.

One of the cupboard doors in my kitchen appears to have been damaged. I think this was via steam from the kettle, causing the door's surface to lift slightly from the wood underneath.

I've attached a couple of photos. Any advice would be much appreciated.

I'm not sure whether this would be considered "wear and tear" so it might impact my deposit if I'm unable to resolve 🫠

Thanks!

I've been renovating my house and needed some building help for part of it. Used a builder who's worked on loads of my friends houses and it was all good and paid for

The builder went through an unwanted divorce before we had building control signoff. I sent him a chaser 5 months later to get the BC sign off. No response.... A friend has seen him in between and he is basically lost to drugs.

I contacted BC and they came round and said it was all good. I received an email 2 days later with a link to say I was happy with it. That was 3 weeks ago I chased the to see what's going on and they said they also need a reply from my builder. I've tried a few times to get hold of him but get no response. I told them my situation but all they could say was that I need to get my builder to respond.

Where do I stand with this. It can't be the first time a builder wasn't able to respond. Seems mad the BC have signed it off and teh structural surveyor has signed it off but I can't get the certificate.

I used a few self-adhesive strips of double-sided tapes to hang the bathroom mirror. But the mirror has slowly slid-off and finally come off without much effort (I removed it before it fell and broke).

To prevent any moisture from getting-in, I had used another layer of tape at the top edge, but that did not help. Both mirror and 2-sided tape was bought from The Range store.

I wouldn't want to use a drill as I am afraid I will cause damage to the tiles.

What can I use to hang / stick this small mirror back on the tiled-wall please. Do they do some sort of glue or do I have to find a industrial grade 2-sided tape from ScrewFix or something like that.

Any advice is much appreciated. Many thanks.

3 photos for reference.

Hello. After a bit of help please. What is this around my window....is it window putty? What's the best repair? Chip it all away with a wallpaper scraper? What would you use to reseal? Is putty or silicone the best bet? Many thanks

we have a front bedroom cupboard, its got a door on and used to be damp, so we added an air vent in the wall. it still got damp.

im assuming the damp is because its an unheated, sealed cupboard with cold air blowing in.

i was hopjng to remove the door, and make it into a wardrobe. hoping removal of the door allows airflow, allows heat into the cupblard.

my plan was some 25mm insulation on the interior of the external walls then an 8mm pvc wall panel to cover the plaster. the 8mm corrugation would provide that additional air cushion.

the air brick would be removed /sealed as its something we added anyways when we moved in.

would 25mm kingspan suffice for this purpose?

many thanks in advance.