What do I do if I smell gas?
The immediate steps in order, why you must not touch a light switch, and who to call.
beginner5 min4 min read
Maintenance
The jobs that stop problems happening in the first place.
353 guides in Home & DIY
Where should smoke alarms go and how many do I need?
One per floor is the minimum and rarely enough — where each type belongs, how high, and what to keep them away from.
beginner45 min3 min readDo I need planning permission, or is my project permitted development?
What permitted development actually is, the five things that remove it, and why the honest answer always ends at the council rather than at a checklist.
beginner30 min4 min readHow do I get a heating system ready for winter?
The hour of work in September that prevents the emergency call-out in December.
beginner1 hr 30 min4 min readHow do I keep a room cool in summer without air conditioning?
Stopping heat getting in during the day and getting it out at night — in that order, because blocking sun beats moving air.
beginner30 min4 min readHow do I turn off the water, gas and electricity in an emergency?
Find all three shut-offs now, label them, and make sure everyone in the house knows where they are.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I ventilate a house properly in winter?
Getting moisture out without losing the heat — short sharp airing rather than a window on the latch all day.
beginner20 min3 min readDo I need planning permission for an extension?
What governs the planning answer for a house extension in England, the prior approval route for larger rear extensions, and the consents that sit alongside planning.
beginner25 min4 min readHow do I keep a bedroom cool enough to sleep in?
The daytime work that decides how the night goes, and what actually helps once you are trying to sleep.
beginner20 min4 min readHow do I test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms?
How often, how to test properly, where they should be, and what the different beeps mean.
beginner15 min2 min readWhat do I do if a pipe has frozen?
Turn the water off first, then thaw gently from the tap end back — and what to check once it flows again.
beginner1 hr2 min readWhat is the difference between planning permission and building regulations?
Two separate approval systems, run by different people, asking different questions — and why passing one says nothing whatever about the other.
beginner15 min4 min readDoes my job need building regulations approval?
The four categories of work building control cares about, the exempt list, and why the answer is different in each UK nation.
beginner25 min3 min readWhy is my gutter overflowing?
Water coming over the edge has six common causes, and most of them can be identified from the ground while it is actually raining.
beginner30 min3 min readDo I need planning permission for a loft conversion?
The planning answer for houses in England is usually permitted development within limits — but the building regulations answer is always yes, and that is the one that catches people.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I check for carbon monoxide risk at home?
Every source in a house, the alarm placement that works, and the symptom pattern that should make you leave.
beginner30 min4 min readHow do I get a wood burner or open fire ready for the season?
The sweep, the checks and the fuel — the autumn preparation that decides whether a fire is efficient or dangerous.
beginner1 hr 30 min4 min readHow do I make a home safer for an older relative?
The changes that prevent falls, in order of effect, and how to make them without taking over someone's home.
beginner1 hr 30 min4 min readHow do I plan an escape route from a fire?
Working out the routes before you need them, the second way out people never plan, and practising it so it works at three in the morning.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I put up Christmas lights safely?
Testing before you climb, the outdoor rating that matters, and the ladder discipline that prevents the most common injury of the season.
beginner1 hr 30 min4 min readWhat is an RCD and how do I test it?
What an RCD protects against that a fuse does not, the quarterly test button, and what a failed test means.
beginner15 min4 min readHow do I make blind cords safe for young children?
What the UK safety requirements actually demand, how to secure or remove every loop in a house, and why cot and bed positions matter as much as the blind itself.
beginner30 min5 min readHow do I prove I did not need planning permission?
The lawful development certificate — what it is, when it is worth the fee, and why nothing else you can obtain does the same job.
beginner1 hr3 min readHow do I run a barbecue safely?
The carbon monoxide risk people do not know about, gas checks before the first use of the season, and cooking meat through without burning it.
beginner1 hr 30 min5 min read
Going deeper: MaterialWorld
Material properties, comparisons and suitability — paints, fillers, sealants, timber, tile, insulation.