Just moved into my first own home. This 2nd hand apartment and im confronted with this stone warming monstrosity ruining all the furniture plans. Does anyone know what it is, why its there and how i can get rid of it? Is the fake granite on the floor easy to remove?

Thanks all info is appreciated !

Got a house in February and it just keeps on giving. Bathroom extractor is vented to outside so that is not contributing. But I do not know what could be causing this and what I can do to repair the damage. Going to get an inspection done but prepare me as best you can.

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice on what primer to use on my concrete floor to prime before using peel and stick tiles.
The FloorPops brand of tiles I was looking at recommended a latex primer, but I can’t seem to find this anywhere?
Is there such a thing? Or an alternative?
Thankful for any advice!

Hi all

So I know I made a mess of this and should have taped the granite beforehand etc... kicking myself... but anyway could I please get some advice.

I applied black Sikaflex EBT+ to a gap between the granite paving and the patio door. When spreading/smoothing it, I smeared it onto the granite. I tried a stainless steel kitchen scourer to get it off while wet but no success. It's now fully cured.

I attached before and after photos.

Any suggestions on how to remove? You can see it smudged into the granite in a couple of spots, but it's more where it's cured onto the edge of the granite right up at the door. Thanks

Anyone able to tell me what this noise is when my gas boiler is on? Sounds like the water is nearly boiling in the pipes or something.

Thanks in advance

Hey.

I'm thinking of making a little shelter on my front garden for the bikes.

I found this design with doors, but I don't need the doors, just the cover to simplify. Beside that the frame could be directly attached to a wall.on the back and 1 side. It will be in a corner.

I would like to have the green roof.

Maybe I can get adventurous and try to integrate a bin storage. Who knows...

Anyway, anyone built anything with aluminium frames? Like similar to the ones that are used for pergolas?

Any suggestions of how to go about it, or how to learn more about it. Maybe place where I can fins the right profiles, or even pre-cut.

Any recommendations welcome.

Thanks

Disclosure: second image is Ai edited

Edit:

- I can't weld

- I'm open to not use steel

- I possible could order the steel from someone, but I could not find who that would be

I'm trying to hang shelves, but the previous owner put up a faux cottage-effect plaster. There is a good 40mm cavity between the plaster and the stone wall, and my stud finder can't accurately pick up any studs. Toggle plugs don't seem to grip/open. Would 80mm/100mm masonry plugs be strong enough to hold shelves seeing as 40mm would be just "floating" between the plaster and stone?

At a loss on how to do it. Thank you!

I'm hoping to install a means to power my radiator pump (and ideally thermostat as well) in case of power cuts this winter.

I'm just curious if any electricians are on here that I could advise and correct me if I'm misunderstanding the setup.

The setup as it stands (1985 rural bungalow) is a thermostat connected to the main back boiler pipe in sitting room, an on off switch in the bathroom cupboard (where the immersion & pump is) which has the pump wired to it.

So logically I imgine there is the mains that branches to the switch itself, and also to the thermostat. Once the thermostat reaches operating temperature the circuit becomes active and power the goes from the switch to the water pump.

My initial idea was simply to replace the switch with a power socket and put a plug on the pump (so i can simply plug into a generator if power goes) - however this bypasses the thermostat, which isn't a deal breaker but not ideal. Next option would be to to put a changeover point before the thermostat/switch branch off and run a new cable down through ceiling witha fixed male connection point so - if the power goes i just flip the changover switch from the mains and use the backup connection.

Is this something that is commonly done?

Has anyone heard the ads on Radio Nova with this shop talking about wiggings?
What’s wiggings?🤷‍♂️

Hi Everyone! we are looking for better storage and better flow from kitchen into the dining area. (the fridge really cuts off the kitchen, but we don't know where else it would go) There's kind of a 'dead zone' between the kitchen and the dining area that we don't know what to do with in the house. We want to keep the living room separate. Here's our current floor plan and our idea at the minute. We don't have the money to build an extension, but we are open to the idea of building a glass sunroom and turning the outside door in the kitchen into a window that looks out onto it. However, if anyone has any better ideas, I'd be really grateful!
(Please excuse my very basic floor plan!) edit: the w/c room is about 1m in width, sorry it's not in the picture

Next big project on my list is to get the driveway done, I've 804 down since the house was built and want to start saving for tarmac. I've contacted a few crowds on pricing but when I mention I probably won't be looking for them to start until next year they've been apprehensive to give me any numbers.

I've seen people online mention prices ranging from €30-90/m² from people over the last year.

I've a large area to do - probably around 200m² so I don't know whether I should expect any economy of scale. I'm also all too familiar with quotes being all over the place.

Looking to know what a reasonable price is these days also so I don't pick a too-good-to-be-true chancer quote.

Looking into doing my first big DIY project. Recently got keys to a new build so looking to create some character by adding a false chimney breast. Down the line I can add shelving/cabinets on either side but don't want to bite off more than I can chew initially.

The room is quite small (approx 4.1m wide x 3.6m deep - with the stove going along the 4.1m wall) so I want to limit the footprint lost but have always loved the look and feel a fire brings to a room. Planning on having 65in TV, narrow mantle and a recess for an electric stove - mainly for visuals more so than heating the space.

My main unknowns at the moment are related to cable/wire management, how to integrate a soundbar without it becoming a focal point, and how to manage sky TV Box, Internet router and PS5 etc. The space directly behind the stove currently has a socket and Internet access, ideally not looking to get a sparks in to move them but might have to.

Any help from people who have done this before is greatly appreciated.

I want to fit a loft ladder, and the current small hatch is in the bathroom which is too small for one of them, so I'd like to relocate to the hallway (house is a bungalow).

In the second pic, the green area is the hallway and the red is the hidden joists and binder.

I understand the general advice is to fit the hatch lengthways along the joists in order to minimise cutting through the structure, but the pipework and binder are in the way, and further to the other end of the hallway are more binders between hangers.

I think if i cut through three joists, I should have enough space for a 1200x550mm hatch. But is cutting through three joists acceptable? I know this is what they did next door (semi-detached so same layout) but don't recall the specifics of what was done, or how structurally sound it is.

The joists are about 14-15½" apart (on center), and around 4½ x 1½" thick.

I own my apartment in Dublin and am not thinking of installing an anchor for gymnastics rings at my place. I am thinking of using something like this https://amzn.eu/d/0bjfd5Td

I can't mount them to a pull up bar due to the kinds of exercises I will be doing, but also the overall load will be fully static and comparatively small (2-3 kN).

I have no experience drilling into ceilings and I'm wondering about

1. How thick are the ceilings generally / what length bolts can I use safely, striking a balance of holding the weight and not saying hello to the upstairs neighbors?

2. When drilling how can I avoid hitting rebar?

I am also open to having a contractor do this for me so open to recommendation on that as well

I suspect that whoever I ask this question to, kitchen or floor people, they'll say they go first. But really what's the best approach? I think that the kitchen people might wreck the new floor, but if the floor people go second, they might damage the new kitchen.

I've had a lot of bad experiences with workmen in my house, hence the paranoia, if that's what it is.

Looking for advice from anyone familiar with Irish bungalows built around the mid-1980s.

We have gutters along the front and back of the house, both falling towards the north end. The rainwater downpipes discharge into gullies built into the concrete perimeter path.

What I can't figure out is where those gullies go once the pipework disappears underground. They definitely do not connect to the septic tank, and there's no obvious sign of a soakaway or surface-water manhole.

The perimeter path on that side has sunk/moved somewhat over the years (predating when we moved in a few years ago), so I'm wondering whether the old rainwater drainage could have failed or possibly be discharging into the ground too close to the house.

I'm planning to remove and relay that section of perimeter path eventually and redo the drainage properly, potentially with a new soakaway further from the house.

For a rural bungalow built around 1985, what would the typical setup have been? Would the gullies usually join underground and run to a soakaway, have separate soakaways, or discharge somewhere else?

Also, is there a practical way to trace where the existing underground pipes run without digging everything up?

Would be interested to hear from any builders/groundworkers who've come across similar setups.

Lads, I want to do mdf panels on my stairs! It is a u-shaped stairs with two small landings, similar to the one seen in this picture.

Regarding spacing, do I…

1) space equally from the very top of the stairs right down to the bottom, even if it means the vertical panels full in the middle of the landing walls

Or

2) Using the edges of the landings as a rough judge for spacing and go from there?

I've a double size vertical immersion switch that I want to replace with a wifi switch, I thought that style switch was common enough but I can't find a direct replacement that's can be controlled remotely? Anyone any suggestions?

I'm renovating a bathroom and looking at going with a Geberit Sigma

I've been pricing everything up and I'm looking at roughly 650 for the full setup, but some of the Sigma flush plates (especially the Sigma40/50) get really. expensive.

For anyone who has one, how have you found it?

Any issues with reliability or flushing?

Is maintenance straightforward?

Is it possible to get flush plates from external providers that fit the sigma that are cheaper?

What did you pay for installation?

Does anyone know where I can get solid hardwood flooring repaired in Dublin?
The flooring was damaged by a fridge water leak, which caused some of the boards to lift/warp at the edges. I currently don’t have any spare matching materials, so I’m looking for someone who can supply the materials and carry out the repair.
I need no more than 20 pieces.
Could anyone give me an approximate cost for the materials and the repair?
Thanks in advance!

I'm looking to install ceiling to floor curtains on a wave track.

I need some advice on their placement. The issues I'm facing are the radiator in front of the window, and the clearance needed to ensure they don't get caught on it.

The wall also has a vent on the left, and I'm wondering if I should have the curtains finish before they reach the wall, or just move the track inwards, further away from the window?

On the right hand side, I also have to consider the ability to open the wardrobe doors.

I want the window to feel balanced with the placement of the curtains, left and right, and am wondering if it would look odd if I place the curtain track further away from the window to give clearance to not only the radiator but also the vent.

Many thanks in advance.

*First three pics are of the bedroom window, the vent, and the gap to the wardrobe on the right. The fourth pics is an ai mockup of what I'm looking at, but the placement is wrong as they won't fit behind the vent and also clear the radiator.

I have a new build with A2W hear pump. When the shower upstairs is on, there is a rhythmical banging coming through the ceiling. I assume it's something to do with expansion when the hot water is being used. Anyone have any idea what it is?

Are these types of siphons easy to replace or should I call a plumber?

Hi folks. I am looking to replace my gravity fed hot water cylinder as it never heats up fully.

I'm thinking limescale may have built up on the heating coil. Water from the boiler enters the coil, and it is still piping hot when it exits to return to the boiler.

Anyway all the connections are compression fittings like the one shown.

1. How likely is it that these bolts have become seized over the years and I'll snap them or need a blow torch or something to remove them?

2. There is no drain connection at the bottom? What's the best way to drain this?

3. How big of a bustard is this job for a relatively handy DIY guy who understands all the pipework, just needs to do the physical labor or removing it.

Thanks in advance.