How do I clear a blocked outside drain?
Clearing a drain or gully that is backing up outside, and knowing when it becomes the water company's problem.
intermediate1 hr 30 min2 min read
Repairs
Fixing the things that break — taps, handles, holes, hinges.
553 guides in Home & DIY
How do I find a spare part for an appliance?
Start from the exact model number, use an exploded parts diagram to get the part number, and check the part number against alternatives — because the same component is often sold at three very different prices.
beginner30 min5 min readHow do I fit a cat flap in a door?
Choosing the position and the height, what each door material demands, and the cutting sequence that avoids splitting the panel.
intermediate2 hr5 min readHow do I fit kitchen cabinet handles so they all line up?
Using a template rather than a tape measure, the scrap block that stops breakout on the face you look at, and the setting-out decisions that make a run look deliberate.
beginner1 hr 30 min5 min readHow do I fix a door that sticks?
How to diagnose why a door catches — hinges, humidity or a dropped frame — and fix it in the right order, planing only as a last resort.
beginner1 hr3 min readHow do I fix hinge screws that just spin?
Three ways to give a stripped hinge screw something to bite into again, and why a longer screw is usually the best of them.
beginner40 min3 min readHow do I fix into dot and dab plasterboard?
Why plasterboard fixings and toggles both fail on a dabbed wall, and the long-plug method that reaches the blockwork behind.
intermediate45 min4 min readHow do I fix low water pressure?
How to work out whether low pressure affects one tap or the whole house, and the fixes for each — from a blocked aerator to a partly closed stopcock.
beginner45 min3 min readHow do I measure my kitchen for new units and worktops?
Measuring at three heights because walls lean, recording services before they are hidden, and why the survey happens after strip-out rather than before.
beginner1 hr 30 min4 min readHow do I overboard a ceiling with plasterboard?
Fixing new board through an old ceiling into the joists — the method, the joist-marking that makes it possible, working with a board lifter, and the consequences for coving, roses and downlights.
advanced8 hr5 min readHow do I re-lay a sunken paving slab?
Lifting a slab without breaking it or its neighbours, finding out why it sank, and rebedding it so it stays level.
beginner1 hr 30 min4 min readHow do I replace a tap washer?
The step-by-step for changing a washer in a traditional compression tap, including what to do if the seat is damaged.
beginner45 min2 min readHow do I replace the multipoint lock in a uPVC door?
Getting the old lock strip out, fitting the new one without cross-threading the faceplate, and the alignment check that stops the new lock failing the same way as the old one.
intermediate1 hr 30 min4 min readHow do I stop a bath moving and flexing when I get in?
Why an acrylic bath flexes, the cradle and support batten that should be holding it, and why fixing this comes before any resealing.
intermediate2 hr3 min readHow do I stop a floor squeaking without taking the carpet up?
Locating a squeak through a carpet, the screw-through-the-pile method that leaves no visible mark, and when the carpet has to come up anyway.
beginner45 min3 min readHow do I stop a toilet leaking at the base?
Identifying whether it is condensation, the pan connector, the cistern seal or a cracked pan — and which of those you can fix.
intermediate1 hr 30 min3 min readHow do I take a kitchen cupboard door off and put it back on?
The release lever on a clip-on hinge, the screw on a slide-on one, and the labelling that stops reassembly turning into an afternoon of adjustment.
beginner10 min4 min readHow does a thermostatic shower valve work, and what can I fix myself?
The wax element, the shuttle and the filters explained — what each one does, which of the four common failures you can clear with a clean, and which need a new cartridge.
intermediate45 min6 min readWhat size internal door do I need?
How to measure for a replacement door, why the old door is a better guide than the opening, and what to do when nothing in the catalogue matches — which is common in older houses.
beginner15 min4 min readWhy can I see every bump and joint through my vinyl floor?
Telegraphing is the subfloor showing through a thin covering, and it does not settle out — it deepens. What causes each pattern, and why the fix is always underneath.
intermediate2 hr3 min readWhy does my oven fan make a noise?
Four distinct oven fan noises, what each one means, and which of them is a five-minute fix rather than an engineer.
beginner20 min4 min readWhy does the crack in my plaster wall keep coming back?
Reading a crack to work out what is moving, the difference between a joint and a fault, and the repairs that hold versus the ones that reopen.
intermediate1 hr4 min readWhy does water sit in my shower tray instead of draining?
Telling a slow waste from a tray that no longer falls to the outlet, and why the second one is a bedding problem rather than a blockage.
beginner45 min3 min readWhy is my grout crumbling and powdery?
The three reasons grout turns to powder — mixed wrong, cured wrong, or a wet substrate behind it — and why the third one matters most.
beginner1 hr 30 min3 min read
Going deeper: MaterialWorld
Material properties, comparisons and suitability — paints, fillers, sealants, timber, tile, insulation.