Do I need locks on every window?
Which windows genuinely need a key-operated lock, what the glazing standard adds beyond the lock, and how to keep escape routes usable.
beginner45 min4 min read
Maintenance
The jobs that stop problems happening in the first place.
353 guides in Home & DIY
How do I deal with a step or a level change between two floors?
The four profiles that resolve a height difference at a doorway, how to choose between them, and when the answer is to build the low side up instead.
intermediate1 hr3 min readHow do I make a room quieter?
What actually reduces noise transmission, what only reduces echo, and the cheap measures worth doing first.
intermediate3 hr2 min readHow do I stop things being stolen from my garden and shed?
The specific weaknesses of sheds and gardens, and the measures that make them a poor target.
beginner1 hr 30 min2 min readHow do I treat fences, decking and outdoor wood?
Preparation, choosing between stain, oil and paint, and the timing that determines whether it lasts.
beginner4 hr2 min readWhere does glass have to be toughened or laminated, and how do I tell?
What a critical location is, how safety glass identifies itself with an etched mark, and the two field tests that work when there is no mark to find.
beginner20 min4 min readCan I just point over the old mortar?
The short answer is no, and the reason why explains most of what goes wrong with domestic repointing — including why overband pointing is worse than doing nothing.
beginner10 min4 min readCan I paint in hot weather or direct sunlight?
Heat does not simply speed drying — it closes the film before the coat has flowed out, and on a hot substrate it causes lap marks, blistering and poor adhesion.
beginner10 min4 min readDo I need a primer or slurry under porcelain paving?
Why porcelain will not bond to a mortar bed on its own, what the slurry primer actually does, and applying it so slabs do not lift or rock later.
intermediate1 hr6 min readHow do I build a fence on a sloping garden?
Stepping panels against raking them, how to keep the tops level, and dealing with the triangular gaps a stepped fence leaves at the bottom.
intermediate6 hr3 min readHow do I build a low garden wall?
Foundation depth, the bonds that make a wall stable, and the coping and movement joints that stop it cracking.
advanced15 hr4 min readHow do I check a fire door is still doing its job?
A five-minute inspection covering gaps, seals, hinges, closers and the certification label, and what each failure actually means.
beginner20 min4 min readHow do I check new windows and doors have been fitted properly?
The snagging inspection to do before the final payment, covering operation, seals, sealant, making-good, glass marks, ventilation and the paperwork that has to follow.
beginner1 hr4 min readHow do I find a locksmith I can trust?
Locksmithing is unregulated in the UK, so the check is on the trade body, the quote and the identification — and the checks are quicker than the call-out.
beginner20 min4 min readHow do I live in a house while it is being renovated?
The decisions that make the difference between difficult and unbearable: one room kept clean, a temporary kitchen that works, and the honest question of when to move out.
beginner10 min5 min readHow do I look after garden furniture?
Wood, metal, rattan and plastic each fail differently — the annual routine for each and how to store them.
beginner2 hr2 min readHow do I prepare my home for a storm?
The outdoor and indoor preparation that prevents most storm damage, done in the day before rather than during.
beginner1 hr 30 min2 min readHow do I seal a gap wider than 10mm around a bath?
Why a thick bead of silicone always fails in a wide gap, and the backer rod or trim methods that actually work.
beginner1 hr3 min readHow do I stop my shed getting damp inside?
Working out whether the damp is coming through the roof, up from the base, or condensing out of the air, since the three need entirely different fixes.
intermediate3 hr4 min readHow much does it cost to rewire a house, and do I actually need one?
The signs that genuinely indicate a rewire rather than a board change, what a full and a partial rewire involve, realistic UK costs, and how to sequence it so it costs less.
beginner15 min5 min readShould I seal grout, and what with?
Which grouts benefit from a sealer, which do not need one, and the difference between a penetrating sealer and a surface coating.
beginner45 min3 min readShould I take the bath out and fit a shower instead?
The practical case for each in a small room, what the change actually involves in plumbing and drainage, and the resale argument people repeat that is more nuanced than it sounds.
beginner25 min4 min readWhat are the parts of a door and its frame called?
Stiles, rails, muntins and panels on the leaf; jambs, head, stop and threshold on the frame. What each part does, which one takes the wear, and why security is a question about the frame as much as the lock.
beginner8 min5 min readWhat covering is on my flat roof, and what are the options?
Felt, EPDM rubber, GRP fibreglass, single-ply and mastic asphalt, how to tell which you have, and the warm deck and cold deck distinction that explains most flat roof failures.
intermediate10 min5 min read
Going deeper: MaterialWorld
Material properties, comparisons and suitability — paints, fillers, sealants, timber, tile, insulation.