Which uPVC door handle do I need?
The three measurements that decide whether a handle fits, the split-spindle question that catches everyone out, and what the security grade on the packet actually buys.
beginner15 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
Why can the flat below hear every footstep, and what actually reduces it?
Footstep noise is impact noise, and it enters the structure rather than travelling through the air. The order of things that actually reduce it, and the three leaks that undo the work.
intermediate2 hr3 min readWhy did masking tape pull the paint off?
Tape lifts paint when the bond under the tape is weaker than the tape's grip. Timing, tape type and what is underneath decide which one wins.
beginner25 min3 min readWhy does my extractor fan run all the time?
A fan that will not stop is usually a humidity sensor set too sensitive for the room, or a timer doing exactly what it was set to do.
beginner20 min2 min readWhy has my grout sunk below the tile surface?
Grout that has sunk was either too wet, packed too loosely, or washed out before it set. All three leave a joint that collects dirt and fails early.
beginner25 min2 min readWhy is my boiler leaking water?
Where the water is coming from tells you what has failed. The outside-the-casing observations that turn a boiler leak into a short engineer's visit.
beginner20 min5 min readWhy is my washing machine leaking?
Tracing a washing machine leak to the hose, the door seal, the detergent drawer or the pump filter.
beginner45 min2 min readAre smart radiator valves worth it compared with normal TRVs?
What a smart valve adds over a plain TRV, where the saving genuinely comes from, and the households where it is not worth the money.
beginner20 min3 min readCan I add inhibitor to my heating system myself?
What inhibitor does, how to test whether yours has any, and the two householder methods for topping it up.
intermediate1 hr3 min readCan I fit an outdoor socket myself?
Why an external socket is notifiable work, what a properly installed one involves, what it should cost, and what to specify when you ask for one.
beginner10 min4 min readCan I leave a tool battery on the charger all the time?
What a charger actually does when the light goes green, why the answer is different in a workshop from in a hallway, and the storage charge that matters more than either.
beginner8 min3 min readCan I recoat a wooden floor without sanding it back?
A recoat renews the finish without touching the timber, so it uses up none of the floor's remaining sandings. The test that says whether your floor qualifies, and the preparation that decides whether the new coat sticks.
intermediate4 hr3 min readCan I revive a dead cordless tool battery?
The two safe things worth trying, an honest account of why most dead lithium packs are genuinely finished, and the widely repeated methods you should not attempt.
beginner20 min3 min readCan I use an SDS bit in a normal drill, or a normal bit in an SDS?
Why the two shanks exist, which direction of adaptation actually works, and the one that gets people hurt.
beginner10 min3 min readCan I varnish over paint?
You usually can, but it is rarely the right answer, and the two failure modes — yellowing and a film that never bonds — are both avoidable if you know which varnish over which paint.
beginner15 min3 min readCan I vent a tumble dryer into a room?
No — a vented dryer's exhaust is the load's entire water content plus fine lint, and putting that into a room causes damp in the short term and mould in the medium term.
beginner25 min5 min readDo I need planning permission for a driveway?
The five square metre rule, what counts as permeable, and the separate dropped kerb permission that catches people out.
beginner20 min3 min readDo I need to sand and wax chalk paint?
The two questions every chalk paint job turns on: what preparation the no-preparation claim actually skips, and whether wax or a lacquer is the right way to seal it.
beginner20 min4 min readDo I need to sugar soap walls before painting?
What sugar soap actually is, the surfaces where washing genuinely decides whether the paint holds, and the rinse people miss that causes more problems than the dirt did.
beginner30 min4 min readExtract fan, trickle vent, PIV or MVHR — which ventilation does my house need?
The five ways of getting moisture out of a house set side by side, what each costs you in heat and money, and the order to do them in on an existing building.
intermediate35 min4 min readHow deep do house foundations need to be?
Why depth is about ground movement rather than strength, the minimum depths Approved Document A publishes, and why the honest answer for any particular site is that it depends on what is found in the trench.
intermediate10 min5 min readHow do I adjust the rollers on a sliding patio door?
Finding the adjusters behind their plugs, working out which end needs raising, and setting a heavy sliding sash so it runs freely and still locks at both ends.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I adjust the water level in a toilet cistern?
Where the level should sit relative to the overflow, and how to adjust each of the three common float designs.
beginner15 min3 min readHow do I choose a pest control company, and who pays?
The trade body memberships that mean something, the questions that separate a treatment from a solution, and where the cost falls between landlord, tenant and council.
beginner30 min5 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.