How do I know if a builder is any good?
A staged process that narrows a list to one, with the specific verification that belongs at each stage — because this single decision determines how the whole project goes.
beginner3 hr6 min read
Repairs
Fixing the things that break — taps, handles, holes, hinges.
553 guides in Home & DIY
How do I unblock a sink?
How to clear a blocked kitchen or bathroom sink in escalating order — plunger, trap, then drain snake — without resorting to caustic chemicals.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I fix a dripping tap?
How to stop a tap dripping by replacing the washer or ceramic cartridge, including how to tell which type of tap you have.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I thaw a frozen condensate pipe?
Why a boiler shuts down in a cold snap, how to find the pipe, and the warm-water method that restarts it in twenty minutes.
beginner45 min5 min readWhat electrical work am I allowed to do myself?
Where the line sits between a job you can do and one that must be certified, and why the paperwork matters as much as the safety.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I fix a leaking waste pipe under a sink?
Finding which of the four usual joints is leaking, and the fixes for each — most need no tools beyond your hands.
beginner45 min4 min readHow much should I pay a builder up front?
Why payments should follow completed work, what a sensible schedule looks like, what a retention is for, and the card payment that quietly buys you protection.
beginner30 min4 min readHow do I compare builders' quotes properly?
Why the cheapest quote is usually the one that excludes the most, the nine lines that decide it, and the difference between a quote and an estimate.
beginner1 hr 30 min4 min readWhat should I do if I suspect asbestos?
Where it is likely to be, what to do and not do, and how to get it identified properly.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I unblock a toilet?
How to clear a blocked toilet with a plunger or auger without flooding the bathroom, and what to do when the blockage is further down.
beginner30 min3 min readShould I do this job myself or pay someone?
Five tests, applied in order, that answer the question honestly — starting with the two that are not about skill at all.
beginner20 min4 min readWhat do I do if a builder walks off halfway through?
Securing the site, recording what exists, ending the contract properly, and getting the job finished — in that order, because the money comes last.
intermediate2 hr5 min readWhat type of wall do I have, and what does it change?
Solid, studwork, dot-and-dab and lath and plaster look identical once painted, and every fixing, repair and improvement decision differs between them. What each build-up is, and what each one changes.
beginner20 min5 min readHow do I hang a shelf?
How to put up a shelf that stays up — finding what's behind the wall, choosing the right fixing, and getting it level.
beginner1 hr3 min readHow do I anchor furniture to the wall so it cannot tip?
Anchoring furniture is straightforward, and the two things that decide whether it works are fixing into something structural and keeping the strap tight.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I choose and brief a tradesperson?
How to find one, what a proper quote contains, and the payment structure that protects both sides.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I fix loose stair spindles and a wobbly banister?
Fix the newel posts first and the spindles second. A balustrade is only as rigid as the posts at each end, and tightening spindles on a moving post achieves nothing.
intermediate1 hr 30 min3 min readHow do I run building work at home without it running me?
The decisions to make before anyone starts, the weekly rhythm that keeps a job on track, and the things a client controls that most clients never use.
intermediate2 hr4 min readWhat do I do if a builder took my deposit and disappeared?
An ordered recovery process, starting with the routes that are fastest and time-limited, and ending with the ones that take longest.
beginner1 hr 30 min4 min readHow do I cut the bottom off a door?
Cutting a door down is straightforward if you mark it accurately, score the veneer before cutting and know how much the door can lose. Tearout and cutting too much are the two things that ruin it.
intermediate1 hr3 min readHow do I stop a running toilet?
Why a toilet keeps running into the pan, how to tell whether it's the fill valve or the flush valve, and how to replace either.
beginner40 min3 min readHow do I adjust a UPVC window that will not close?
Hinges, compression and the handle mechanism — the three adjustments, in the order to try them.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I fill holes in a wall?
How to fill screw holes, dents and larger holes in plasterboard or plaster so the repair genuinely disappears under paint.
beginner40 min3 min readHow do I put up a shelf that will hold real weight?
Why the fixing decides everything, matching it to the wall type, and the bracket spacing that stops a shelf sagging.
intermediate1 hr 30 min4 min read
Going deeper: MaterialWorld
Material properties, comparisons and suitability — paints, fillers, sealants, timber, tile, insulation.