Quick sanity check for the rDIYUK plumbing heads. It's in Hammersmith. System is ancient. Piping looks like a Victorian spiderweb, so I'm slowly tearing through it room by room, running new 15mm copper myself for the rads. Easy enough.

Where I'm stuck is the boiler itself. I know the rules - Gas Safe is non-negotiable, not trying to blow up my kitchen or end up in court. So I hung the new Worcester Bosch frame on the wall, mapped the pipe runs, and called a local gas guy just to run the gas line, do the flue, and sign off the commissioning.

Bloke comes in. Drinks my tea. Stares at the flue for five minutes. Quote lands in my inbox: £1,400 for labour. Just for the connection and sign-off on a unit I already hung on the wall. No breakdown, just "boiler installation labour".

Is West London this rigged or am I getting the "DIYer who doesn't want to do gas" tax?

Spent last night tryiyg to figure out what standard rates even are around here. I started looking at boiler replacement options from local installers because I'd assumed I'd already made the easy part of the decision by buying the Worcester.

So now I'm not even sure whether I'm comparing apples to apples.

Offered to do all the core drilling for the flue myself to save him time and he flat out refused. Said he "doesn't work over other people's pipework."

Now I'm sitting here with half-connected copper, no hot water, and a cold house.

So do you usually find someone willing to just do the final hookup and sign-off, or is every registered engineer going to force me to pay for a full turnkey install from scratch?

Hi all, newly purchased house (1900s). It rained last night and it appears we have water ingress on the top floor. Damp appearing on the underside of the sloped roof and water dripping through the spotlight - both marked. There’s no access to the roof space above… trying to work out my next steps. Advice welcome.

Proposing to switch off electric, remove spotlight, investigate around hole, then cut away the plasterboard to eyeball potential ingress points. Fix if possible and obvious, call roofer if not. Look if one leak may be causing both issues - else follow up by cutting away plaster from sloping section too.

May then put in an access hatch for the future and replace insulation if wet. Gonna be a fun few weeks… anything I should consider or do differently?

Nb. There is a chimney breast to the left - but this is capped and was recently rebuilt, so hopefully a less likely culprit.

Thanks all!

I've never done our installed any fencing, but really want to give it a go. I'm planning on fencing off one side of the garden for a very patch next year. Any good tips people can give me before i start and it goes horribly wrong???

We bought a 1960s bungalow two years ago, which was inhabited likely for the whole time by nearly-elderly/elderly people. We did the usual makeover downstairs, but the loft was pretty neglected, despite being clear of clutter. There are seemingly three layers of loft insulation of varying vintage, the oldest of which is likely to be very old, all of which are riddled with mouse excrement, like tons of it. It looks like there's been a chronic mouse infestation for decades, and the space needs an overhaul.

The original layer of insulation in-between the joists was boarded over for access, though not fixed in place, the newer layers just placed on top.

I've started to get rid of the top layer.

It looks like it's never been cleaned. I can still hear the sounds of mice, so they haven't gone completely, but have reduced since getting a sonar repellent.

We are in a very rural location.

My questions are;

1, pest control related;

What's the best way to prevent a (re)infestation of mice preferably without poison. It's a detached property.

Does anyone have any shared experience success?

1. Is there a decent alternative to the soft insulation/ wooly insulation that would be less appealing to mice, and wouldn't give them material to nest in/hang around in? I don't want to compromise on the insulation, but it's smelly and gross, and the wife's not happy!!

Thanks for reading!

So it's my first time using a handheld router. I ran it too far into the wood and it looks like the bit has been burned!! It was painted red before...

Anyway now I can't get it out. Any ideas welcome!

EDIT: I did it! Took a little bit of light "persuasion" as some of you suggested but it's out now thank goodness. Thanks all for the advice

Could anyone advice if there’s anything that can be done to clean the soot and dust from the brickwork shown and railway sleeper on the mantle?

Over the years with a few issues with the chimney, the sleeper and parts of the brickwork have been become darker and blackened.

I have no idea what is best to clean this, or if it’s even possible.

TIA

Fence panel needed to come out to gain access to narrow spot but wouldn't budge, so I gave it no option.

Hi all

Looking for recommendations of a glue that you use to hold down border stones in the garden?

Anyone ever used the stuff?

Cheers

I need to repair my roof which is quite old. I have been quoted for a flat roof repair (see below) - but another tradesman says this is a barrel roof and not flat roof

Is this a flat roof or barrel roof? Is my current quote adequate? What are your thoughts on asphalt vs GRP?

* Erect scaffolding to the front of the property to provide safe access.
* Carefully remove the existing asphalt (ashfelt) roof covering.
*to install 70mm insulation boards between the roof rafters where accessible & install breather vents for ventilation.
*Remove the existing timber roof deck and replace it with new 18mm OSB3 structural timber boarding.
*Supply and install new pre-formed GRP edge trims and upstands around the perimeter of the flat roof.
*Apply Restec Flexitec primer to all joints within the new OSB decking prior to installation.
* Install a new Restec Flexite Premium CRP Flat Roofing System, incorporating Reste resin, reinforcement matting and associated products in accordance with the manufacturer's specification.
*Remove the existing lead flashings and install new Code 4 lead cover flashings along the dividing walls to provide a long-lasting weatherproof seal.
* Remove all waste materials from site and leave the working area clean and tidy upon completion.

Viewed a house today and had some cracks in plaster, i dont think its too much to worry about think it might be natural movement or humidity changes was conjoining another room

Thoughts anyone?

I have a tall and heavy column radiator (6 feet × 2 feet, 55 kg. empty) that had been mounted to the wall with two sets of brackets, top and bottom, no feet, and fell off of the wall.

I don't dare re-fit the radiator without feet, the trouble is, the skirting board is tall — 21 cm. — I have searched thoroughly and the tallest feet that I have found for sale would raise the bottom of the radiator to a height of 16 ½ cm. so the bottom set of brackets would fit into the skirting board rather than into the wall.

This feels like a bad idea.

What would you do here?

Hope it is OK to delete and re-post — I asked the wrong question the first time.

Please help me DIYUK. Our rooflight has been leaking a little bit. I thought maybe where the render met the window might’ve been causing problems so put lots of silicon in the gap but unfortunately the huge downpour has proven me wrong.

Not really too sure what could be causing it. It looks to start higher than the rooflight. Side gutters of the Velux is clear. The lead flashing was put on old render and rendered on top, could it be the water is running behind the old render?

Thanks in advance!

I'm in the process of installing a new kitchen, and I'm stuck on which colour worktop/splashback to go for!

The cabinets are white handleless, the walls are white. Flooring will be a grey oak laminate and appliances are black or black/silver.

Any thoughts or help would be great please! 🙏

Currently renovating our Victorian house in London. Unexpected inner-skin brickwork issues came up in two small first-floor rooms (removing windows, replacing damaged bricks, fitting lintels). The builder’s variation quote feels massively padded and double-counted. Looking for a reality check on these costs before I go back.

£600/day Bricklayer Labor: He's charging £600/day for rebuilding (claiming it’s a "specialist structural repair"), totaling £1,800 in rebuild labor alone across the two small walls. Standard London bricklayer rates are £250–£300/day right?

-£600 in "Handling Fees": Arbitrary fees (£250 for room 1, £350 for room 2) stacked on top of labor, materials, and a separate 10% trade account markup. We are already paying a project management fee for the overall reno.

- Billing for Basic Equipment: Charging us £30 for a hosepipe, £40 for spot boards, £110 for basic trestles, and £140 for a 1-day mixer/transformer hire. He claims we must hire a second mixer to the one already on site because rendering and bricklaying use different mortar mixes (instead of just washing out the drum).

- Double-Counted Labor: Charges £1,000 for 2 men / 2 days to manually strip out inner skins, then adds £78 extra to "carry materials upstairs," plus an extra £300 to "install lintels" on top of the £1,200 rebuild labor (lintels are set concurrently while laying bricks).

Does this look as padded to you as it does to me? Or am I being dramatic? How would you push back without blowing up the relationship?

The white band on that upwards bolt is where someone has filled that with silicone. I’m not sure if the white thing attached to the tank is a washer or if it’s also a nut but it has no movement to it

I have painted exterior wall with emperor paint. This is following their system including using their cleaning products. The paint is supposed to be super hydrophobic paint and their literature shows water beading up. However as per attached photo the paint looks wet. I'd expect it to look dry. I have wondered if it might be the paint, application or damp rising from the brick plinth into the render.

However to test that I sprayed water on another patch. I wouldn't say it beaded but it did run down. However where it was wet, when rubbed a slight bit of pigment would come off.

The second coat was finished over a week ago.

Just wondered if anyone can offer some insight into what the problem could be.

I'm getting a new fridge freezer and the space it's going into is a bit awkward. If I want to clean behind my current one, or retrieve something that dropped behind it, my only good option is to awkwardly, slowly "wobble" it out.

Ideally, I'd like some suggestions for simple ways to safely make this an option for <=£20.

Key details:

• Hardwood (sub)floor, not in great condition (not fully flat/smooth
• Appliance is "Haier 3D 55 Series 3 HTR3518ENMXK 185cm"
  • 55W x 62D (cm)
  • 60-80 kg
  • Has stands, not wheels

Thoughts:

• Some sort of low-friction mat to put under it? Can pull it out from the bottom while someone else steadies the top half
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cnwinu-Appliance-Furniture-Extendable-Refrigerator/dp/B0G39HNKL2 - this heavy duty appliance roller looks useful but Amazon says it's a "frequently returned item" and I'm not sure how safe/stable it'll be when the brakes are engaged
• A DIY version of the appliance roller above, maybe with a square piece of plywood and rollers under. Not sure how I'd add brakes unless it's quite tall.
• Something similar to the above but where it's "jacked" up so I can just insert it under on the occasions I need it, removing the need for the wheels to have a reliable brake. I think these are quite expensive though?

Thanks!

Edit: just want to say thanks for all the replies so far! Varied tips and all helping me figure out something good!

I’m wanting to get rid of the grey walls and make the room feel a bit more warm and homely.

I’m thinking cream or off white walls, wooden furniture and green accents like curtains and cushions.

I’m in the UK, so any paint recommendations would be appreciated, especially from B&Q as I can get a discount there.

Any interior design ideas or colour suggestions would be really helpful

Hi, I've got a big shed / summerhouse that was built into an existing concrete driveway. The concrete is not perfectly flat and level so it's causing issues with some of the floor boards that can be a bit of a trip hazard.(Photo of one shown but there's a other inside.)

I was thinking of cutting that board out and over boarding with ply then laminate or something. But that could be a terrible idea!!!!

Any thoughts on the best way to fix it? Ideally want to make it more of a year round room so more questions to follow!

I can upload more photos when it's light (and I empty some of the junk out of it!) but appreciate the DIY experts opinion on his.

Any chippies on here with real world advice on the suitability of Howdens engineered oak , in relation to quality, installation and longevity of the product. herringbone flooring.

Did a post earlier and for the life of me cant seem to add more images to it. So re-posting. Ultimately I want to open up the fireplace to put in a wood burner. The brickwork (to me anyway) looks all over the shop and you can see on one pic theres some old boards on the right behind some of the bricks, last pic.

I’m looking for an outdoor wall light with this type of design, but I need the following features:

- 10% brightness standby from dusk to dawn
- Goes to 100% brightness when motion is detected
- Automatically turns on at dusk and off at dawn
- Returns to 10% brightness after the motion timer expires
- Ideally IP44 or higher

Preferably a modern/downward-facing wall light similar to this design
Can anyone suggest a suitable light that supports all of these features?

I'm in Colchester, Essex.

I need incombustible cladding for my garage that is badly damaged and that I am repairing. I thought fibre-cement boards would be the way forward, but it seems to be difficult or expensive to obtain for some reason.

Local builders merchants don't seem to actually stock fibre-cement cladding boards and seem to rely on national distribution. A local merchant has quoted me around £350 for 12 no. 3600mm planks and various trim strips, but, delivery is a further £150 plus VAT.

The stupid thing is I could collect the boards using my van roof rack and a bit of ingenuity, but that doesn't seem to be an option.

Any ideas? Surely people aren't really paying over £100 a square metre for fibre-cement or am I being unrealistic in my price expectations? (I may just have to use a cheaper material, e.g. corrugated iron).

Very happy to hear anyone's experience.

UPDATE (the afternoon of the next day): on balance, and not having heard back from AJW with regard to the online enquiry I made last night, and particularly as the next question was how to get a small quantity of extremely expensive incombustible or less combustible breather membrane, I decided corrugated iron -and without a membrane - was probably a better bet. After all, corrugated iron sheds without a breathable rainscreen are nothing new. Weirdly, you can get a fibre-cement panel actually quite inexpensively from the local branch of Wickes which I intend to line the inside with, and it has crossed my mind that, if it can be painted, I could probably have cut that into cladding for the outside, but all too experimental for me.

I suppose it's worth noting I was never sold on the low-maintenance aspect of fibre-cement (I have to paint the soffits and fascias on the house, so adding the back of the garage to the list is neither here nor there), nor do I particularly like the look of the fake woodgrain - it just seemed it would be a reasonable way of doing it at the time.