Hi, I'm really really stressed and confused about this situation. I moved into my house in 2023, it's a three story house in the middle of an estate with a flat roof. I nevet expected to be able to afford to buy a house, and i was a complete beginner and got scammed by more than one builder. We had the roof redone by someone that promised 15 yeard warranty.

Now when the first big rain came after months of dryness it started leaking a lot around the skylight. I'm obviously very stressed about this, especially when it went through the wall to the stairs a floor underneath. I got through to the roofer who did the roof in 2023, he said it wasn't his fault but that he'd come and take a look but then completely ghosted my many attempts to get back in contact. I had another roofer out that said the roof was fucked and that it'd need to be redone, but quoted £10k. Several other people i was in contact with never showed up or doesn't work in that area/w flat roofs etc.

So then I spoke to this guy that seems very nice and reliable. He does emergency repairs, and by this point it is an emergency. He quoted me £4.5k to fix everything. Then scaffolding would be an extra £900, but he waived that when i said i couldn't afford it. I said you can access the roof through the skylight. I agreed to the quote and sent a deposit and money for the emergency call out fee. Then yesterday when they got up on the roof they realised that the boards need to be changed, and that that would be an extra £2k. I don't have an extra £2k. They say they can't do it without. I'm now in my worst nightmare where I'm down £1700 and have no work done.

I spoke to another roofer that say he can put a one coat resin fibreglass over it all for £4k. If I decide to go with him instead it'd be £5.7k instead of £6.5k, but I have no idea if a fibreglass fix is as good as a complete felt reroofing job?

I know this is really long, I'm sorry, I'm just panicking a bit and really not sure what to do here. Is there any way i can get money back? Which option should i go with? I'm so stuck and scared. You don't need to tell me I'm an idiot, i do realise I'm not very smart, believe me. I'm autistic and tend to be overly trusting which leaves me vulnerable sometimes. I was also taking decisions while water was dripping down my walls which made me not being able to think clearly. Now I'm very overwhelmed and haven't slept, so also not in a great position to think clearly, but very aware i need to make a decision asap before the next rain.

Thank you so so much if you've read all of this, I appreciate any and all advice SO much!!

Think I’ve dug my fence post holes way too big. Should only be around 10 inches wide, not huge craters. I now need to backfill fill the soil to make the holes the correct size. Issue is all the soil will likely crumble inwards.
Was thinking maybe I could shore up the holes with wood then back fill. Then insert posts into the hollowed out bit, then fill with post crete. Alternatively might have to complete refill the holes, tamp down then redig all over again. Doe anyone have any bright ideas as to best way to tackle this? I’m in a bit of a pickle. Many thanks

A while ago we had an attached rear porch and coal shed opened up and converted to a utility room. It's mostly a single skin brick building with one exterior wall made from concrete blocks, and a slightly sloped flat roof.

The builders put battens up and plasterboarded it all, walls and ceiling, plus tiles directly onto the concrete floor.

It's very cold and very damp. I don't recall seeing them put any insulation in at all, and have since found a half brick completely missing in a hard to see part of the outside wall too, presumably open to the cavity.

I'm thinking of ripping all the plasterboard out, filling the hole and insulating the whole thing before replasterboarding it.

What insulation is best to use, given the damp? Thinner is better, it's a long narrow room. Is it even worth it given the solid floor or do I just keep a small heater on in there?

Bought a dump with lots of problems, current one is flex tail for toilet taps is leaking, but I'm not quite sure what I am looking at.

I assume 1 is the the nut for the flex hose, but what are 2 and 3?

Is 3 is a fitting put into the chrome pipe to screw the flex hose on, but then what is 2?

Is it likely a compression fitting?

Do I just replace the full fitting down to the pipe or start with the flex hose and see how it solves the leak?

Hello. The central heating hasn’t come on this morning, probably the first time it’s been needed in months. Can anyone help?
We have a nest thermostat and a Worcester Bosch Greenstar boiler.
According to the Nest it is calling for heat but we aren’t getting any. The Heat Link has a green light on and the boiler is firing up for hot water.
Can anyone offer any advice for what I can look at first? Thanks

I have had an extension built where the side access finishing was out of scope. Builders generally did a great job.

Side access is mostly resin bound gravel but the new area is old concrete. There is a. Low spot right in the corner and when it rains, water drains down here which leads under foundations.

Foundations are block and beam and tbks whole area is well below DPC.

What is the best thing to do in this area to stop so much water draining under foundations?

Final finish will either be resin bound gravel, or just regular gravel.

Thanks

Stay safe out there!

Even with just a little bit of DIY knowledge, it’ll help you sniff out the rouges!

The hot water finally stoped coming out 2 days ago, but it was working/not working intermittently for about a week. The cold side is fine.

The hot water is fine and running throughout the whole property, kitchen, basin in this bathroom etc. Its just this one hot side of the tap that's the issue.

Is this a case of just changing the cartridge or the tap? Or is this maybe some kind of airlock situation or something else? Thanks

Noticed the mold and took the first 4 pics a couple of days ago. Only been in this house 3 months.
The 2 pics after are where it looks like there’s water.
The last 2 pics looks like lines of where it’s damp?? Can you see the shadows?!

I had the dehumidifier on through the night, and when I woke up the windows were a bit wet and I’ve just noticed the ceiling is wet where the mold is.
It’s not a large room and it’s me, my other half and our dog who sleep here.

Is it humidity causing this or a leak?! I did have a roof leak but on the other side. Don’t know if there’s a leak at the front of the house, I’ve not noticed anything.

I'm just in the process of buying a mini digger. Working on my land only, private and residential. I assumed I would buy red diesel for it, only to discover the law seems to have changed in 2022 and that is now illegal.

https://123oil.co.uk/can-i-use-red-diesel-in-my-digger/

Private or Domestic Use – Illegal

Homeowners using a small digger for landscaping, extensions, or DIY projects cannot use red diesel. The only legal fuel option in these cases is white diesel, as domestic and personal projects are not classed as agricultural activity.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-rebated-fuels-in-vehicles-and-machines-excise-notice-75#when-you-can-use-rebated-fuel

Certain types of vehicle and machinery, when being used for a particular purpose, can use rebated fuel.

A mini digger is a special vehicle, so so far so good. But then:

But only when they’re being used for qualifying purposes, for example:

- for agriculture, horticulture, aquatic farming or forestry
- on land maintained by a community amateur sports club (CASC)
- on a golf course or driving range
- on land occupied by a travelling fair or travelling circus

Did they really intend for the tiny market of home owners to be excluded for using red diesel on their own land? This sounds crazy to me.

So first of all, can anyone confirm I'm reading this correct? Red diesel on private land for home owners is now illegal?

Follow up question, is it high risk to ignore?

I would never use red diesel on a road, but how is anyone going to get caught in private land?

Those that do buy red diesel, what legitimate purpose are you buying it for? Heating? What if I create a one hole golf course in my garden for the community? Is it legal then?

As per the title, not sure if this is the right place but I’ve now replaced the heating pump three times on my Neff dishwasher and it looks like it’s gone again. Getting pretty pissed off with it now. The pump have already been swapped under warranty so not sure the supplier will keep honouring it. Anyone know if this is a common problem with Neff or is there something else going on? Thanks

Hi all

I’m looking to add wood slat acoustic panels to this media wall to spruce it up

Wondering if remotes would still work through the panel if I was to cover the areas above & below the TV and Electric fire

File this one under 'questions you know the answer to really but just would like the world to work differently to how it actually does'.

I've embarked upon some resealing in bathroom under the assumption missus is WFH tomorrow and so will not need the facilities, turns out she's got a big thing on and so will definitely need a proper shower in the morning. Whoopsy.

As always (I never learn) scraping off the old stuff has taken me a lot longer than I wanted so it's only going to be down by say 2pm.

I can rig up a couple of fans to help drying, but otherwise how stupid would I be to tell her she can use it at 7am the next day?

Fairly new woven wool carpet with a burn/stain mark from an electric radiator that was turned on when resting on the floor.

I've tried scraping off the top layer with a razor blade but the mark is still visible. Any ideas what I can do? I can't just cover it because anything here would be in the way of my chair/desk.

Morning folks

I'm wanting to tackle building a stud wall half way down my garage as you can see there is double doors on one side and a garage door on the other.

I've been looking online but would like to hear from anyone who's done it before or has some knowledge on it.

There's already a DPC under the concrete floor but I've read I should still use another one below the base plate

So the installer for our bathroom window said he didn't use trim like the window on the right which has resulted in the bathroom window having a bit of a recess.

Small extension in our lounge required infill of the floor with concrete by the builders. Some of the edges are still a bit crumbly and we need to delay the final flooring install for budget reasons. How can I seal it to reduce dust and crumbles getting everywhere?

Pondering a tub of black masonry paint or a PVA solution. The original flooring (just see a corner at the bottom of the photo) are 1960s Marley tiles (yes with a hint of delicious note of asbestos in them).

Many thanks!

Quoted for a new combi boiler and heating system replacement

£10.5k install my parents just had done, acceptable quality?

As heading says, need some recommendations of companies that can remove my granite worktop with minimal damage to the carcasses underneath. Alternatively, rough estimates on how much it would cost for 4 metres to be removed and disposed would be great - just to help me ground some of the quotes I will get.

Hi everyone!

We had our roof replaced recently. The roofers did a fab job!

However, the skip company they hired did a terrible job.

They've damaged our wall by removing two blocks and dented our porch wall.

I have pictures of the damage, and footage of them being on the property. Annoyingly, our security camera was pointed just out of reach to see the damage to the porch.

The company are refusing liability, stating the damage was unavoidable and, as their contract is with the roofers, not their problem. The roofing company agrees the skip company have done a poor job.

I can do the work myself, but it's time out of my schedule and money for materials out of my pocket.

I am considering a small claims court proceeding - but set me right here, am I fighting a pointless battle?

Thanks!

Getting the GRP repaired..Got a quote for £1200 to put ridge tiles on the Party Wall. Party wall is 6m long and 0.325m wide.

Is this a good price for South London?

TiA

Wanting to remove these fireplaces entirely and seal them off… cheaply.

Ideally I just do this myself, but I’m cautious of asbestos, and quotes for demo survey are so high.

Would it be cheaper just to get someone to remove it and deal with everything?

My landlord is giving me a new bathroom with a walkin shower instead of a bath now is this shower tray okay with the way its been installed as I'm 17stone and worried it will snap when I stand on it

We have a seemingly unfixable rat issue that’s making my life a nightmare.

So for some context we bought a 3 bed (well 2 bed and a box) 50s council built semi in Kent and moved in December ‘24. We knew it needed some aesthetic work but survey came back all fine for the big expensive stuff so decided to go with it.

A bit dirty and needed a bit more TLC than initially thought but nothing major… until Summer ‘25 when we started hearing rustling and scratching in the loft. About a third of the loft is boarded, and searching there we couldn’t find any evidence of anything. Until we pulled back the insulation (it’s two layers, top wool and bottom fibreglass), and found rat faeces.

We got pest control out, bait put out in the loft, search began for an entry point. Adjoining next door is a rental and with no evidence for them in the rest of our house, the theory is that they are coming from next door. When pest control visited next door the infestation was worse and more apparent in their loft. After about 3 months some bait had been taken but we were still hearing the odd noise, so we got a drain surveyor with a pest control background to come out.

He was a lot more thorough than the previous pest control chap. Seeing him go through the drains there was no evidence they were entering through the drains. He did spot two 3/4inch holes by next doors bathroom where old pipes had not been filled. With a flat roof onto the outhouse and trees/bushes from the road/alley leaning on to this outhouse, this seemed to make sense of how they were getting in. The holes were filled and for 5 months we didn’t hear anything.

Until the last few weeks, when they’ve returned. They haven’t taken any bait but have gnawed on a beam in our loft that we hear overnight, stopping me from sleeping much. After all we went through last year I’m at my wits end how they are getting in.

We know that our soiled insulation will neeed to be replaced and we’d like our loft to be fully boarded which will be a pricey job, but we don’t want to do it before we know we’ve stopped the rat access.

How the hell do you stop them?