How do I stop an overflow pipe dripping outside?
Which tank the pipe comes from, why a float valve fails, and the two fixes that solve almost every case.
beginner45 min4 min read
Repairs
Fixing the things that break — taps, handles, holes, hinges.
553 guides in Home & DIY
How do I stop extras turning into a bill I did not expect?
The one rule that controls variations, how to tell a genuine unforeseen item from an omission, and why the price has to be agreed before the work rather than after.
beginner25 min4 min readHow do I stop stairs creaking?
Why stairs creak and floorboards do not creak the same way, the fixes available from above and from below, and when the noise is worth living with.
intermediate2 hr4 min readHow do I tell if a wall is load-bearing?
The indicators that suggest a wall is structural, and why you still need an engineer before touching it.
intermediate30 min2 min readShould I have a written contract with a builder, and what goes in it?
The dozen clauses that prevent almost every domestic building dispute, and why a short written agreement beats a long verbal one every time.
beginner1 hr4 min readWhat order does renovation work go in?
The order that avoids doing things twice — and where most of the money is lost when it goes wrong.
intermediate30 min2 min readWhy is my UPVC door hard to lock?
Why UPVC doors seize in summer, the lift-and-lock check, and the difference between an alignment problem and a failing gearbox.
beginner45 min4 min readWhy is my freezer not freezing when the fridge is still cold?
In most fridge freezers one cooling surface serves both compartments, so a fridge that is still cold while the freezer is not points at airflow, ice or the fan — not at a dead compressor.
beginner1 hr5 min readHow do I get a neat silicone bead?
A neat bead is mostly decided before the gun moves: nozzle cut, joint preparation and having your tooling method ready. Smoothing is the last few seconds, not the technique.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I do a snagging list properly?
Inspecting room by room in a fixed order, writing defects in a form that cannot be argued with, and doing it while you still hold the final payment.
beginner2 hr4 min readHow flat does my subfloor need to be?
Flatness and level are different things, and floating floors care about the first and not the second. Knowing how to measure it tells you whether you need to do anything at all.
beginner30 min3 min readWhat certificate should I get after electrical work?
The three documents electricians issue, which one applies to which job, and the separate certificate that proves the work was notified.
beginner15 min3 min readWhy does my oven not heat up at all?
An ordered diagnostic that separates no power, no heat on one setting, and no heat on any setting — and reaches the answer before you pay a call-out fee.
beginner30 min4 min readWhy does my washing machine not spin?
A machine that will not spin is nearly always telling you it cannot drain, cannot balance, or was never asked to — and those three account for the large majority before any part has failed.
beginner40 min6 min readWhy does the same crack keep coming back after I fill it?
A crack that returns is being reopened by movement. Filler cannot resist movement, so the answer is either a flexible material, a reinforced repair, or finding out why the wall is moving.
intermediate45 min3 min readWhy will my stopcock not turn, and how do I free a seized one?
What actually seizes inside a stopcock, the penetrating-oil and quarter-turn approach that frees most of them, and the point at which forcing it becomes the expensive mistake.
beginner25 min5 min readHow do I build a stud wall?
Setting out a partition so it is plumb and square, fixing the plates into real structure, and the sequence that gets a wall built, serviced and boarded without having to undo anything.
intermediate8 hr6 min readHow do I fit a wall-mounted TV bracket safely?
Finding out what the wall is made of, matching the VESA pattern, and the fixings that make the difference between safe and eventually.
intermediate2 hr 30 min5 min readHow do I fix a hole in a plasterboard wall?
Three sizes of hole and three different repairs — the patch method that does not need a whole new board.
intermediate1 hr 30 min2 min readHow do I fix a scratched wooden floor?
Match the repair to the depth — surface marks, scratches through the finish, and gouges into the wood are three different jobs.
beginner45 min3 min readHow do I fix lifting laminate?
Lifting is a symptom of moisture, no expansion gap, or a failed joint — and the cause decides the repair.
intermediate1 hr2 min readHow do I replace a light switch safely?
Isolating and proving dead, recording which wire goes where, and the difference between a straightforward swap and a job that is not yours to do.
intermediate45 min5 min readHow do I replace a rotten fence post without taking the fence down?
Taking one failed post out from between two standing panels, removing the old concrete, and setting the new post without dismantling the whole run.
intermediate3 hr5 min readMy appliance has no power — is it the appliance or the socket?
A short ordered test that proves within a few minutes whether the fault is in the appliance, its plug and flex, or the socket and circuit — and the point at which it stops being yours to investigate.
beginner20 min6 min read
Going deeper: MaterialWorld
Material properties, comparisons and suitability — paints, fillers, sealants, timber, tile, insulation.