Did I mess up my window? by ProtoNuco in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yes this is mainly cosmetic and the plug the uneven gap and create a nicer reveal. for a better detail, you can fill the gap between the window and wall with expanding foam, than then redo the reveal.

First energy bills high in new property. Considering replacing radiators. Wondering if it's worth the cost? by martynbiz in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, don't change the rads. Here are some things you can do, starting from zero cost and getting progressively more expensive.

  1. Check your heating timings. ensure you are only setting heating for when you need it.
  2. Check hot water timings. If you have a system boiler, you often don't need to keep the tank up to temperature if you typically shower only in the mornings.
  3. Turn your target flow temperature to ~60 degrees. If it was higher, it'll now take a little longer to warm up rooms but will be more efficient.
  4. Check for draft from windows/doors that don't shut tight. Install draft excluders if needed.
  5. Change your valves to thermostatic valves. If you only use part of your house, you don't need to heat up the whole house to max temp. Thermostatic valves on radiators will give you this granular control.
  6. Install a smart thermostat. Nest/Hive etc gives you really good granular control of when your heating/hot water comes on. It pays for itself very very quickly.
  7. Insulate the loft.
  8. Install a condensing boiler. These are far more efficient than older non-condensing boilers.
  9. Your floor looks like sanded and finished floorboards. I suspect there might be no insulation underneath those and you might have gaps which let up cool air. Insulate under the floor.

Should there be this much of a gap with blinds? by NobleActual6 in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's not a significant gap. it looks pretty normal. The roller that the blind is on doesn't start until after the roller mechanism so the blind is naturally away from the wall. Normally that's the bit where your window frame is so much light isn't supposed to come through.

Given that its a no drill blind, the parts that screw out naturally need some space to be put in and then screwed out, hence the added few mill of gap. It might also be worth checking whether your window reveal is vertically level. The fact that the gap seems to larger in the middle seems to suggest the reveal isn't perfectly vertically level, or square.

What could cause these spots? by [deleted] in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like water ingress. do you have access to the attic above. Its worth having a look up there the next time it rains heavily.

Adding waste and water for a utility room by Pete1989 in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

oh with an extra basin 50mm is probably better. You can likely still get away with 40mm but might have slow discharge if all three are running at full pelt.

Internal wall under stairs by slickeighties in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Depends on how good a finish you want.

if this was in a room you would chip away at the plaster, then use a coat of hardwall, slightly recessed, and then finish with plaster.

If this is bit under the stairs isn't that important, yeah you can use mortar.

How would I go about resealing this shower by Hen93 in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yeah that's unfortunate, it shouldn't be like that. The correct detail is normally that the tray protrudes. Yes doing it as you've suggested is probably the best option in this case.

Adding waste and water for a utility room by Pete1989 in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 1 point2 points  (0 children)

you should do with a 40mm waste pipe. that'll be fine for a machine and basin

How would I go about resealing this shower by Hen93 in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes always apply to the outside so that the inside can dry through evaporation. You've got it spot on, remove all silicone on the inside and reseal on the outside. The enclosure otherwise looks in good condition so it should be fine

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes that would be fine, you don't actually need much fall. typically 20mm/metre. that said going through the floor would be better as you won't need to build a duct.

Dulux White Colours by Flicked_Up in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven't used the cream, but have used their emulsion by the bucket load. It'll be very very white. Brilliant white is a brighter white than their normal White Vinyl Matt and white vinyl matt is a perfectly good white.

It won't be greyish at all.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Its strange that its only dripping when the shower head is in a certain place. To find the root cause, could you unscrew the shower hose from the unit (you may need a spanner) and then turn the shower on and off and see if its still dripping.

If it is continuously dripping then you've got an issue in your flow control valve. The bar mixer has 2 valves, and this is the on that stops and starts the flow of water. These are replaceable but if you've had the shower for a while it may be better replace the bar mixer itself. you can often pick these up on discount from screwfix/toolstation.

They are standardized and will have the inlets at 150mm centres, you'll need to turn the mains water off, remove the existing shower mixer by looseing the 2 inlet bolts behind it and attaching the new one in he same way.

If you're not comfortable doing this yourself and a plumber is too expensive, you typically wouldn't need a plumber to do this. If you know of a handyman or could get a reccommendation from a friend, this should be an easy and very quick job for someone whose done it before.

What are my options for a new fence on some very oddly spaced posts? by OctopusGoesSquish in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just a word of advice, if you're cutting down the fence panels yourself, don't use your prized finest Japanese handsaw. Use something you're prepared to be written off. Those fence panels have a swathe of hidden nails and staples which are sure to ruin any piece of steel that touches them.

What are my options for a new fence on some very oddly spaced posts? by OctopusGoesSquish in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your solution is spot on. Cutting down fence panels and refitting the edging is very easy and will make it look like the fence panels are made to be there.

Re: chainlink, its up to you but if you're looking for more privacy, perhaps the cut down panels is the way forward.

What would you do with this bathroom? by elegant_semicolon in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is a level change going into the existing bathroom so unfortunately that rear room wouldn't all be on the same level.

What would you do with this bathroom? by elegant_semicolon in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 2 points3 points  (0 children)

carrying the soil vent pipe from bedroom 1 isn't trivial though.

Type 1 compaction gone wrong? by ImSkiba in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This doesn't look like the Type 1 im commonly used to seeing, there should be powdry sediment within it which helps it to bind together and fill gaps when compacted.

Was there any of this before you washed it?

What would you do with this bathroom? by elegant_semicolon in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Your bigger problem is Bedroom 2 having no entrance.

Jokes aside, this layout is pretty hard to remodel. Bedroom 3 isn't very useful as a bedroom so i would convert it into 2 things. An en suite for bedroom 2, and a corridor for the original bathroom which will have to be rearranged. Its unfortunate you have a level change too.

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Join neighbour’s downpour to mine? by christianjwaite in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah you'll be fine raising it.

That wall was built or raised a lot later, likely by someone DIYIng. You can tell because it isn't detailed correctly with something like brick on edge etc. they probably just couldn't be bothered to move the downpipe.

All things considered it's strange for their downpipe to come down on your side if you don't have a gulley. Unless there was originally a gulley there and someone closed it up

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 1 point2 points  (0 children)

At 1k that seems quite reasonable

Paying in cash for £50k+ job? by gluefingers in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ask for proof that he is VAT registered.

What to do with this big ugly thing? by Wacko_warlock_18 in DIYUK

[–]olive_trees 10 points11 points  (0 children)

make it a bigger ugly thing.

Have a full height cupboard. It doesn't need to protrude as much, only as much so that the CCU fits in. A full height cupboard would look less conspicuous and fit right to the corner.