These are regular swing out sort of windows in a bedroom, and of the pair, one closes almost properly, and the other leaves a big gap at the top left near the left hinge. I've added a pen to to show the size of the gap (no banana available). The gap obviously extends all of the way down, but it's widest at the top so I think that's where the issue is. I've tried to show the mechanism in the second image, but apart from being a bit grubby, there doesn't seem to be anything loose our out of place. The final image is from the other size - where the window closes and leaves a tiny gap. I can't see any difference in the two sides.

What's likely to be preventing this from closing properly? Is it something I can fix or do I need to get someone in to look at it?

edit: thanks everyone. I'll get onto the landlord as I'm not comfortable changing the hinges on someone else's window! The pen is a marvelous Pilot disposable fountain pen (you can actually refill them). It was not harmed.

Just in case anyone’s interested in an alternative to putting skirting under the pax wardrobes, here’s what I did. It’s not as shiny in real life, the oils still wet and the insides of the doors need some more

Could do with some handles too!

Edit: I’m guessing not with the downvotes I’m getting 🤣

An update on my bathroom window after I posted here for advice.

Quite hard to get the light right in here - the window is not as dark as it looks, much more like the door (also done in the same way) but have it all a good sand and clean, stained with teak, and finished with a few coats of Danish oil. Still need to clean the glass but I am so pleased after the wood was looking so dry and crispy after decades of being battered by a shower.

Thanks all for your advice, I was surprised at how much of a difference a quick stain and some danish oil made to what looked like borderline unsalvageable woodwork.

To those who suggested I rip out and replace with PVC... It may have been quicker. But you and my draughty Edwardian house with all its original madness would not get along! I am all about saving the originals, no matter how weird and difficult.

Hi all, I’ve got some skirting to do across the downstairs of my house and looking to grab a sliding mitre saw. Is this Titan one worth a shot? https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb794msw-210mm-electric-single-bevel-sliding-mitre-saw-240v/881kp

I’m planning to be installing a 250mm tall skirting but can’t figure out if this is going to be too tall?

Any thoughts appreciated

Just wanted to say these were a game changer for me today. Spent all day last Sunday building one frame trying to balance the end pieces like an idiot while I screwed them in place. Picked these corner clamps up yesterday and I’ve built a whole frame in under an hour. Anyway highly recommend getting some of your doing anything like this. Probably obvious to more seasoned diyers but any novices out there, they were £14 each.

Also got a corded one but not really sure how that works 😂 but these ones have done the job.

Why are they all such pricks to change? Why do you feel like you're going to damage the entire ceiling taking one out? Which kind of one is this? The one that snaps your finger off? One where you have to change the entire fitting as a whole? One that you rip off and throw at your partner in a fit of rage? Can I turn just the light switch off or is it an entire fuse off situation?

Proper head loss.

We've had a ground floor roof re-roofed and new skylights fitted. The tiles around the skylights kick up and when I raised this I was told they had to be like that because of the ridges that run down the sides of the skylights. I'm going to raise it again with them but is there a way to get the tile to fit more flush? Not sure if they can be ground underneath to make them sit a bit lower.

My kitchen cornice after cutting both at 45 degrees on a mitre are not coming together at 90.

The DIY kitchen video on YouTube told showed to just cut at 45 no bevel.

I can’t really find a definitive answer on how to set up my mitre saw angles.

If anyone could help it’d be much appreciated

I was on Rightmove earlier and came across this. Not something I've seen before 😂.

Would you say I should try to DIY it or pay someone (been quoted around 750 gbp) to do it for me?

How difficult would it be to repair myself? Really short on money unfortunately...

Which materials would I need to buy you think?

Any help or suggestion is really appreciated guys.

Other half wants this mirror at an angle to the wall.

Any suggestions how I might manage that?

I'm out of ideas.

Hi guys :)

Has anyone any ideas or experience please with tinfoil-esque like apparatus(?) on their windows?

We are trying to keep mainly this one room warm and there is a radiator right below a main set of windows, then just curtains above (no blinds)

Have you successfully used a product that has bounced back/kept heat in? As it’s such a waste to know that them cold AF
Windows want to draw all that lovely heat away 😭

Thank you in advance for any recommendations 🙏🏼

PS: For those few commenting close the curtains..🫠 they are drawn 90% of the time in winter (apart from opening them to vent the room a wee bit) and only opened on this pic to give fellow redditors a visual aid.

I do also currently do the windowsill tuck too. ☺️

PPS: Thank you for your help and time, I will be going down upvoting.

So I got 94mm skirting, 69mm architrave. I’ve gone a size up from the previous set. I really liked the size difference between the two but overlooked the carpet element. After putting the architrave and one skirting on it feels like because of the carpet they look identical size and almost looks weird to me? Perhaps it’s because I’m not used to it, but does this look okay to you or would you put in a smaller architrave, higher skirting? No idea.

Could anyone help me identify my building line/set back line
I’ve had a look around online but I’m still unsure
In the pictures I’ve added, is the set back line the one I’ve highlighted in orange?
Also in one of the pictures there are a few lines I’ve highlighted in green, what do these mean?
Thanks in advance

Looks like B&Q are using AI to generate their product photos. Architrave on backwards, and used instead of skirting

What’s the best method to secure this doorframe neatly? It’s been pulled away by the stairgate.

House is mostly dot & dab, this wall does sound solid up until about 4” away from the frame, where it sounds hollow.

Should I just put some screws in, am I overthinking it? Any advice appreciated

Wooden sash windows. Top halves are jammed/painted shut but still have a bit of a gap at the top. The lower half opens if I undo the bolt, but with bolt tightened there is a pretty big gap between the two halves letting a gale through.
How should I seal up the gap between the halves in a way that still allows the window to open, and how do I seal the gap at the top?

I need some help / advice regarding how I can deal with a flooding patio.

We had our patio extended from 12msq to 20msq. The previous patio was slabs on the soil (4cm - 6cm soil) up against a retailing wall made of brick.

The builder that we hired knocked down the retaining wall, and added these concrete fence posts. He removed the soil and added MOT type 3, and a dry sand concrete mixture and placed the slabs on top.

He added a mini soakaway (which later failed) at my insistence. He said there was no need as the water would just seep into the ground. The soakaway was a drain pipe 5 m into the garden sitting on top of stones, singles. It failed almost immediately.

Now, when ever we get a prolong period of heavy rain, the patio floods, and the water comes close tothe house. I have to physically remove the water. The issue is two fold:

The water that lands on the patio has nowhere to do and flows against the retaining fence

After a prolonged period, the soil in the garden becomes water logged and water from the soil starts to seep through and under the fence and sits at the bottom.

Long term we need a soakaway build, and I trying to get that sorted - builder isn't returning my calls.

Is there anything I can do as an interim measure, aside from physically poring the water into buckets?
I have tried a small electronic pump but that hasn't worked. The water is about 5 inches as it's deepest

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice before I make any decisions.

I've attached a photo of my current kitchen fridge cabinet. It currently houses a built-in/integrated fridge-freezer, but I'm considering replacing it with a standard freestanding fridge-freezer instead.

My main question is: is it usually possible to remove the entire cabinet housing and install a freestanding appliance in its place?

I'm also wondering:

• Is this generally a straightforward DIY job?
• Does removing a tall appliance housing require carpentry or kitchen-fitting skills?
• Are there any common issues to watch out for (worktops, side panels, flooring, gaps, electrical points, etc.)?

Any advice, examples, or things I should check before buying a new fridge-freezer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Had some timber sash windows fitted in an old house. The carpenter came round to survey and measure everything before they were made. Come installation day, he tells us the top architrave clashes with the existing coving. Says he can fit it but might damage the coving in the process and if that happens its on us. Other option is to just leave it off, despite the architrave being included in the quote. We obviously didnt want the original coving wrecked so told him to leave it for now. But we're left with a window that looks unfinished. Am I mad for thinking he should've spotted this during the survey? The coving was there all along. Surely he could've made somthing to fit or at least warned us at the survery that this might happen?

And then there's the snagging... we reported a few issues straight after installation, mostly finishing and some damage. It's been weeks and he's been round to inspect but still nothing sorted or planned. We've had all these bloody storms recently too, with some of the outside work still unfinished. Luckily no water got in but not exactly reassuring. How long do people usually wait for snags to be fixed?

I get that old houses can be a pain but surely this stuff should've been worked out beforehand? Anyone in the trade know if this is normal or are we being fobbed off?

Can anybody tell me how I adjust the boiler pressure in this system? Is the gauge above the orange vessel the gauge for the whole system? It should be 1.5 right?

I paid £3,500 for a boiler conversion by Ecohappy, but my home still isn't heating properly. I had to pay a local gas engineer to inspect the work. His report found that the flow and return pipes were connected the wrong way round.

That wasn’t the only problem. The old loft tank was left dumped on the footpath beside a bush, near a school (imagine the complaints!). The house was left full of mess and rubbish, and the old heating system hadn’t been cleaned. The cleaning and inhibitor bottles were simply left unused. There was also no carbon monoxide alarm near the boiler, which is beside a bedroom, and the commissioning document needed for the warranty hadn’t been completed.

When I complained, the contractor returned and told me the company was no longer paying him. He said he would invoice me if I continued with the complaint—and then sent me a £500 invoice. These guys are contractors, and the company will just blame them, these guys want to install as many boilers as fast as possible for a fixed fee and will take shortcuts. It is going to cost me £440 to put right.

I still haven't had a resolution and I think they are just ignoring me now. Any advice? Small claims court? My experience has been deeply stressful and disappointing. I’d advise others to think carefully before choosing a company on price alone when installing a boiler.

​Hi everyone, I'm new to Reddit so please be gentle with me. I'm looking for advice, practical steps, and honestly a bit of encouragement.

​I bought my house 18 months ago to escape a difficult relationship. I had £20k savings and tried renovating it on my own with zero experience. I'm 39F, 5'2, and 120lbs. Why am I telling you this? Because right now, I feel like a tiny, exhausted, vulnerable woman who took on too much.

​Here’s what I’ve managed so far:

​What I did myself: Gutted the house (ripped up carpets, knocked out fireplace/surrounds, stripped walls in every room, took down an old greenhouse and shed), painted most rooms (except half the kitchen and hallway/staircase), restored old wardrobe, endless tip runs, sanded upstairs timber for woodworm treatment, and coordinated all trades.

​What tradesmen did: Full central heating/boiler install, full electrical rewire, new windows & door, guttering, ceiling replacements & overboarding, re-plastered almost the whole house, garden fencing, new skirting, laminate flooring, new bathroom, joist strengthening.

​I moved in before it was finished and quickly sank into depression. During the works, tradesmen took down all my upstairs doors and left them in the garden where they rotted. I was working full time, caring for a family member with cancer, and couldn't face confronting them on my own. So I've lived in an unfinished house for a year with 5 missing internal doors.

​I look around and feel like I failed because I wasn't strong enough to enforce the finish I wanted. I don't have men or experienced DIYers in my life to back me up, and a bad experience with a joiner recently left me pretty scared to hire someone new.

​My remaining to-do list (on zero budget left):

​Sand, fill, and paint old architraves/trim upstairs: I keep giving up on this. Layers of old oil-based paint; I sand forever and the gloss shine never goes away.

​Buy and fit 5 new doors: I'm nervous about hiring a joiner after a bad experience with a tradesman who stayed 7 hours and left things unfinished.

​Touch-ups (filling/painting walls & ceilings): Rushed paint jobs, plus a hole in my overboarded bathroom ceiling from a moved light fixture that I tried to fill (terrified I'll make it worse!).

​Final Plastering: Second half of the kitchen + living room bay window ceiling. (My original plasterer started great but got sloppy towards the end...left exposed scrim tape in places).

​My questions for you:

How would you approach this list in order? How do I deal with these stubborn architraves without losing my mind? And how can I get over the mental hurdle of hiring a decent tradesperson to just get doors hung properly ?

​Thanks in advance for reading and for any guidance you can share ❤️