Can I drill a hole through a floor joist, and where?
Where the permitted zone is, why it is there, the diameter and spacing limits, and the joist types where none of this applies.
advanced20 min4 min read
Home & DIY
Practical answers for repairs, cleaning, decorating and the household problems that turn up whether you planned for them or not. Written so you can start with what you already own.
2,154 guides
Can 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 readDo I need to sand between coats of paint?
On trim, almost always. On walls, almost never. What sanding between coats is actually for, and which of the two jobs — key or smoothness — you are doing.
beginner15 min4 min readDo soundproofing paint, foam panels and thin acoustic mats actually work?
An honest assessment of the products marketed to householders for noise — what each one genuinely does, which ones do nothing for the problem people buy them for, and where the money is better spent.
beginner15 min4 min readDoes hot weather damage cordless tool batteries?
Cold hides charge and gives it back. Heat destroys capacity permanently — a different mechanism with a different remedy, and the reason packs left in a van all summer die the following spring.
beginner12 min6 min readHow do I change a circular saw blade, and which way round does it go?
The isolation step people skip, which way the arrow points, why the arbor bolt often undoes the opposite way, and the washer that must go back the right way round.
beginner10 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 choose a microwave, and what do the wattages mean?
Which wattage figure is the one that matters, how capacity maps to the plates you own, and the four features that change daily use against the ones that do not.
beginner25 min5 min readHow do I clear an airlock in a water pipe?
Why airlocks form in gravity systems and not mains ones, the hose-between-taps method that clears most of them, and how to do it without creating a backflow risk.
beginner25 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 cool a loft conversion that overheats?
A converted loft has the insulation at the rafters and no buffer space above it, so it behaves differently from a normal bedroom. Why the usual advice underperforms, and what actually brings one down.
intermediate30 min5 min readHow do I cut plasterboard accurately?
Score and snap for straight cuts, the pad saw for openings, and cutting to fit an uneven wall.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I deal with flies in the kitchen?
Identify which fly you have — the source is different for each, and finding it is the whole solution.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I drill a straight hole?
Sighting the drill against two references, the guide tricks that work, and why the first few millimetres decide everything.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I drill into concrete without a hammer drill?
It is possible, it is slow, and there are three techniques that make the difference between an afternoon and a hole — plus an honest account of when to stop and hire.
intermediate30 min3 min readHow do I fill gaps between floorboards?
Choosing a method that survives seasonal movement, and why rigid filler always cracks out.
beginner3 hr3 min readHow do I find out where my house is losing heat?
A room-by-room survey using nothing but your hand and a candle, and what to fix in what order.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I find studs and joists reliably?
Why detectors give false readings, the physical checks that confirm them, and the spacing that lets you predict where the next stud is.
beginner25 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 fix a curtain pole or shelf that has pulled out of the wall?
Why it failed, and the three ways to make the new fixing stronger than the original.
beginner45 min2 min readHow do I fix a drawer that will not slide properly?
Diagnosing runner damage against overloading, and replacing a runner without guessing the size.
beginner40 min3 min readHow do I fix a leaking radiator?
Finding where a radiator is leaking, the temporary fixes that hold, and when it needs a plumber.
intermediate1 hr 30 min2 min read
Going deeper: MaterialWorld
Material properties, comparisons and suitability — paints, fillers, sealants, timber, tile, insulation.
MaterialWorld is in development — GuideHQ covers the practical answers in the meantime.