Underpinning Walls in Old Houses

Now if you’re reading this because you have a settlement problem then stop, take a deep breath and try to relax. I know cracks, settlement and underpinning walls can induce bowel clenching fear into the strongest heart. But fear not; it’s often quite a simple repair. Note, I said simple, not easy! It is almost certainly going to be hard work and it’s fiddly to do in confined spaces. But it is doable if you have the time and a little patience. It’s not even terribly expensive material wise, concrete …

top 10 diy tools image in a line

Top 10 DIY Tools for Home Improvement

This list of DIY tools originally started because someone asked me the other day what tools I used the most. Not my favorite, or the best, or the most expensive, but what tools I used every day. This got me thinking about what I actually carry on me at work. At least half of the tools on this list are in my pockets all the time. Hmm, I thought, this would make a great ‘top 10’ list of simple DIY tools for someone starting out. This might surprise you, but …

Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and to say thank you for all your support over the past year. I do enjoy answering your many and varied DIY related questions throughout the year. I hope to continue next year to help you become the handy person you know is lurking about in there somewhere! I’m all done with work now until the new year, (apart from catching up with some invoices maybe). Looking forward to going fishing tomorrow for a little while, and then a gentle …

blue masking tape

Blue masking tape: Top 10 tips

I’ll be honest with you, for many years I didn’t use masking tape.  Being young and full of myself, I thought, (dare I say it), that it was strictly for amateurs! Oh the ignorance of youth. Then I discovered , and now I know better. And I know better because masking tape got better. Or rather I found a better one, i.e. the aforementioned blue masking tape. It’s massively superior to regular yellow masking or painters tape. If you don’t have a ‘blue’ masking tape in your neck of the …

don't put tools on the ground

Tools on the ground? Never!

Quick tip… I’m working on an apartment conversion these days and as I finished using my (expensive)  to cut some shelving, I went to put it down, and realised I hadn’t put anything on the ground to protect it. It’s a rule of mine to never put tools on the ground! I popped the saw back on the workbench whilst I reached for a couple of off-cuts from the big scrap pile to put underneath it. Why do I bother? Well, on this job the ground is a mixture of granite …

mark all drywall screws before remove drywall

How to remove drywall

Easy method: find and remove drywall screws.. Yes, yes, yes; I know you can remove drywall by punching a hole in it and pulling it to pieces with a hammer, but what if you need to be a bit more careful? This week I’m working in an occupied home and I need to remove part of a wall and then fill in an existing doorway. I obviously don’t want to make a lot of unnecessary dust right? Plus I’ve got a million small jobs to do in around a dozen …

Metric wood screw dimensions explained

Metric wood screw sizes and why they beat imperial… The old imperial method of measuring screws by gauge makes little sense to some of us today, (like most imperial measurements) and the logic of their origins is known only to Wikipedia (he says smiling!). So, now we are getting to grips with the common sense of metric wood screw measurements. (Arguments against on a postcard to the usual address please!).  Right, so what do the numbers mean? Lets take a look at the packaging to start with… The basic info …