Category: Building Guides
Skip Hire
A guide to skip hire in the UK. Including what to look out for when hiring and how skip hire works.
5 Tips for Avoiding Cowboy Builders
If you have decided that a project is too difficult, dangerous or time consuming to do it yourself, it is time to call in the professional. Hiring a tradesman rather than doing something yourself often means that you will be handing over a substantial sum of money and letting a stranger into your home. It […]
Ready Mix Concrete
There are a few DIY jobs which might require large amounts of concrete at one time, including creating concrete driveways or laying the concrete slab foundation for a garage or outbuilding.
Applying Joint Compound
Whenever you use plasterboards as the finished surface of a wall (when no plaster is going to be applied over the top) you need to seal and disguise the tapered joints where the boards meet.
Lintels
If you are planning to add a doorway or window to a load-bearing wall, you will almost always be required to support the load of the wall above the planned opening with a lintel.
Using Floor Levelling Compounds
When laying any type of floor covering onto a solid floor, it is important that the subfloor is sound, level and flat. By ensuring that the subfloor is in the best possible condition, you will create a far better finish and help to keep the flooring in better overall condition. There are several possible different […]
Self-Build Guide
Building your own home can be both one of the most rewarding and the most stressful things you will ever do in your life. There are numerous benefits to building your own home, as well as many pitfalls waiting to catch out the unprepared.
Home Improvement Safety Tips
These Home Improvement Safety Tips cover the very least you should think about before even opening your toolbox.
Fitting an Insulated Wall Lining
There are several ways to insulate a party wall to cut the sound that is transmitted, but one of the most effective is adding an insulated lining.
10 Tips for Building Stud Walls
Planning, building, altering or removing a stud wall are all home improvement projects that are manageable by most competent DIY-ers. Being able to completely change the layout of a room, add storage space or a bathroom or turn two rooms into one, without having to call in an expensive builder has got to be worth considering.
Stud Wall Regulations
Although you generally do not need to seek planning permission to build an internal stud wall, you will need to follow certain building regulations. Building regulations are in place for the safety of the householders and anybody visiting the property.
Types of Foundation
Using or being able to identify the correct types of foundation needed for a particular building project can mean the difference between success and failure. Without a solid foundation, any walls or other structures are liable to move over time, and even collapse if the ground is unsuitable enough. Understanding the type of foundation your […]
Understanding Internal Partition Walls
When you are planning DIY jobs which involve altering or fixing to internal partition walls, it is important to understand their construction. The type of internal partition wall you will find in your house is largely influenced by the age of the house, but also things like whether the house has been renovated or altered […]
Using a Cement Mixer
Mixing concrete and mortar by hand is fairly easy to do and offers a good amount of control over the consistency of the mix. However, if you have a large amount of concrete or mortar to mix, it is often worth hiring a small cement mixer to make things easier.
Basement Waterproofing
Keeping your basement dry can be a difficult task. But it’s not surprising when you consider that your house is surrounded by water. The soil surrounding your house contains water from rain and snow.
Replacing a Cracked or Spalled Brick
If you live in an old brick built house, it is inevitable that at some point some of the bricks will need replacing. Assuming that the area to be replaced is not too large this is a relatively easy job.
Finding Wall Studs
When hanging a picture, putting up shelves or attaching anything to a partition wall, it is important to find and fix into one of the wooden studs that make up the wall structure. There are several methods you can use to find the studs in a partition wall, depending on what tools you have to hand.
Roofing Tiles and Materials
If you are replacing your current roofing material, it is best to use a replacement similar to that which is already there.
Home Insurance and DIY
Many people try and tackle their own home improvements in an attempt to add value to their homes. However; insurers are warning people that over-ambitious DIY projects can actually result in causing more damage that costs a huge amount of money to put right.
Maintaining a Garage Door
Despite the fact that a garage door is extremely heavy and dangerous, it is amazing how many households pay little attention to this fact by letting it fall into a terrible state of disrepair. In fact when you consider that with the door is in the open position there is around 75-200kg of weight dangling […]
Reclaiming and Reusing Timber
Using reclaimed timber for home improvement projects is very popular at the moment. The use of reclaimed timber, for lintels, floorboards, mantelpieces and other exposed features, can really add character to your home, particularly if you live in a period property. You can buy reclaimed timber which has been refinished ready for reuse, but this […]
How to Apply Undercoat Plaster
When plastering walls, getting the undercoat plaster layer right is an important part of the process.
What Is Concrete?
If you are a keen DIY-er, it is more than likely that you have mixed and used concrete yourself. It is seen as an easy-to-use construction material for everything from walls to driveways, but what is concrete?
Removing a Non-Loadbearing Stud Wall
Removing an internal, non-loadbearing Stud wall can be great for opening up a living space and allowing more light into dark, underused rooms.
Waterproof and Weatherproof Sealants
Waterproof and weatherproof sealants generally come in two different forms: liquid and paste or mastic.
Plastering External Corners
Unless you know what you are doing, plastering external corners (such as a chimney breast) can be difficult. If you do not use mesh angle beading on the corner, this will be almost impossible and any knocks will quickly break the plaster away.
Planning a Solid Block Wall
There are several reasons why you may want to build a partition wall from solid blocks, rather than the potentially easier and quicker stud partition wall. Solid walls will give far greater acoustic and thermal insulation than a stud wall (even if the stud wall has insulation fitted) and will certainly feel more solid.
Guide to Wall Construction
A complete guide to the many different types of wall construction you may encounter in your house.
Blocking Up Doorways in Brick Walls
When blocking up a doorway or entryway in a brick wall, it is important to make sure that the new section is tied into the existing wall. This can be done in a variety of ways, as we will show here.