What happens if work was done without planning permission?
What a planning breach actually is, the routes back to lawful, and why the problem usually surfaces at sale rather than at the time.
intermediate1 hr3 min read
Maintenance
The jobs that stop problems happening in the first place.
353 guides in Home & DIY
Where should a bathroom extractor fan vent to?
Duct route, fall, insulation and termination — the four things that decide whether an extractor actually removes moisture from the building.
intermediate1 hr 30 min4 min readWhich masonry paint should I use on my house?
Vapour permeability is the property that matters and the one nobody reads. How to choose a masonry coating by what the wall behind it needs to do.
intermediate20 min4 min readWhat maintenance does a washing machine need, and how often?
Five jobs on four different intervals, and the two nobody does — the pump filter and the fill hoses — are the ones that cause the flood and the sudden mid-cycle failure.
beginner45 min6 min readCan I fit a kitchen myself?
What a householder can genuinely do, the four things they cannot, and the honest test for whether the middle ground is worth attempting.
advanced25 min5 min readDo I need planning permission for a fence, wall or gate?
Height limits, the lower limit next to a highway, and the designations and title restrictions that override both.
beginner15 min3 min readDo I need planning permission for a shed or garden building?
The height, area and position limits that keep an outbuilding within permitted development in England, and the situations where none of them apply.
beginner20 min4 min readHow do I check my own house for security weak points?
A structured walk round the outside and inside that produces a prioritised list, so improvements go in the order that actually changes the risk.
beginner1 hr 30 min5 min readHow do I connect a washing machine and a dishwasher to one waste?
Trap spigots, standpipes and the high loop — the arrangement that lets two appliances share a waste without siphoning or smelling.
intermediate1 hr 30 min4 min readHow do I fit a new basin tap?
Working in the space behind a basin, dealing with a seized backnut, and the flexible tails and isolating valves that make the job possible at all.
intermediate1 hr 30 min3 min readHow do I hang a garden gate?
Setting the hanging post, choosing which way it swings, and getting the clearances right so the gate still closes in winter.
intermediate2 hr 30 min4 min readHow do I make my home more secure?
The physical and behavioural changes that actually deter burglary, ordered by effect per pound spent.
beginner2 hr2 min readHow do I paint rusty metal so the rust does not come back?
Rust does not stop under paint. Why coatings fail on ferrous metal, the three honest routes to a sound surface, and how to build a system that lasts on railings, gates and metal windows.
intermediate1 hr 30 min5 min readHow do I plumb in a dishwasher?
Cold fill, the isolating valve, the waste connection and the high loop — and the differences from a washing machine that catch people out.
intermediate1 hr 30 min3 min readHow do I prepare a house I am leaving empty in winter?
The insurance conditions, the heating decision, and the checks that prevent a small problem becoming a flooded house.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow does a cavity wall actually keep water out?
The outer leaf is expected to let water through. The cavity, the ties, the trays and the weep holes are a drainage system, and nearly every damp problem in a cavity wall is that system being bridged or blocked.
intermediate10 min5 min readShould I repair or replace my windows?
What actually wears out on a uPVC, timber or aluminium window, which of those things is a cheap part rather than a new window, and the realistic lifespans to judge against.
beginner25 min4 min readWhat are house foundations and what do they actually do?
A foundation is the part that turns the weight of a building into a pressure the ground can carry without moving. What that means in practice, and why almost every foundation problem is really a ground problem.
beginner9 min5 min readWhat is the difference between compression, push-fit and soldered joints?
How each joint seals, what each needs to work, and which one a householder should reach for in which situation.
beginner20 min4 min readWhat size extractor fan does a bathroom need?
The extraction rate a bathroom actually needs, how duct length eats into it, and why the number on the box is a laboratory figure.
beginner20 min3 min readWhat work needs listed building consent?
The test that decides whether consent is needed, why it applies inside as well as outside, and what to do before any work at all on a listed building.
intermediate30 min3 min readWhere can I put a fridge and how much ventilation does it need?
A cold appliance is a heat pump that has to dump its heat into the room — clearances, ambient temperature and airflow above the appliance are what let it do that.
beginner30 min5 min readWhere do I find the model number and rating plate on an appliance?
Where the plate hides on each type of appliance, which of the several numbers on it is the one a parts supplier actually needs, and why the digits after the slash are the ones people leave off.
beginner10 min5 min readWhich way does an isolating valve turn to close?
Reading the slot or the lever at a glance, why a quarter turn is the whole travel, and why you should always confirm at the tap.
beginner5 min3 min read
Going deeper: MaterialWorld
Material properties, comparisons and suitability — paints, fillers, sealants, timber, tile, insulation.