How do I put up Christmas lights safely?
Testing before you climb, the outdoor rating that matters, and the ladder discipline that prevents the most common injury of the season.
beginner1 hr 30 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
How do I reduce damp in a house?
How to tell condensation, penetrating damp and rising damp apart, and what actually fixes each.
beginner2 hr2 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 readShould I insulate my cavity walls?
How to tell whether you have a cavity, the exposure and condition checks that decide suitability, and what goes wrong when it is done in the wrong house.
beginner25 min3 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 readWhat do the numbers on a drill clutch actually mean?
The ring behind the chuck is a slipping mechanism, not a power dial — what the numbers are, what the drill and hammer symbols do differently, and how to pick a setting without a chart.
beginner10 min3 min readWhat is an RCD and how do I test it?
What an RCD protects against that a fuse does not, the quarterly test button, and what a failed test means.
beginner15 min4 min readWhich drill bit should I use?
The material decides the bit, and using the wrong one wrecks both the bit and the hole.
beginner15 min2 min readWhich ladder is right for the job?
Step ladder, extension or platform — matching the ladder to the height, and reading the ratings that matter.
beginner15 min4 min readWhy does my freezer ice up?
Ice is airborne moisture that got in and could not get out — so the cause is always a way in (seal, door, warm food) or a failed way out (defrost drain, defrost heater).
beginner40 min5 min readWhy does my hot water run out so quickly?
Working out which system you have, then the four things that actually cause a short supply.
beginner30 min4 min readWhy does my loft have condensation?
Why the water is coming from inside the house rather than through the roof, and the two things that fix it.
beginner1 hr4 min readWhy does my oven cook unevenly?
Hot spots are a different fault from an oven that runs at the wrong temperature — how to map yours, and what each pattern points at.
beginner30 min4 min readWhy is my thermostat not turning the heating on?
Distinguishing a dead thermostat from a lost connection from a boiler that is not responding — in the order that costs nothing to check.
beginner30 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 stop mould coming back in the bathroom?
Why bathroom mould recurs after cleaning, and the ventilation and habit changes that actually prevent it.
beginner1 hr3 min readDo I need an impact driver as well as a drill?
What the hammering action actually does, the jobs where it transforms the work, and the ones where it is wrong.
beginner12 min3 min readDo thermal curtains and blinds actually work?
What the lining actually does, why fitting matters more than the fabric, and how they compare with the alternatives.
beginner15 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 board a loft without squashing the insulation?
Boarding straight onto the joists crushes the insulation and creates a cold bridge across the whole boarded area. Raising the boards keeps the insulation working.
intermediate4 hr2 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 find a stud in a wall without a detector?
Tapping, measuring and the socket trick — finding timber behind plasterboard using nothing but observation.
beginner20 min4 min readHow do I fix something to a tiled wall?
Drilling tile without cracking it, which plug to use behind, and the mistake that splits a whole tile.
beginner30 min4 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.