r/DIYUK

Moved to our new build one year ago. This is the evolution of our garden over the year. We did it all ourselves. There are still many things to do, but we are already enjoying the space!

Some plans and plants didn't survive. Either because we changed our mind along the way, or because the winter killed them (such as a lovely lemon tree that we planted in the ground).

The latest addition was a small pond and jungle themed plants in the top right corner. Looking forward to the big lush foliage in the summer.

Did a similar post to r/gardeningUK and people started asking about the build, sleepers, etc. so I thought it would be good to share it here for general advice on the DIY aspect.

Ask Me Anything!

I’ve used a stud finder, a few stud finder phone apps, magnets of differing sizes and weights, knocking repeatedly. I *think* there might be a stud on the right hand end of this chain of holes but I only suspect this because of an ever so slight difference in resistance!

It’s a lath and plaster wall with wood nails for the lath apparently! Is there any other way to find an actual stud to secure a bed to!?

My neighbour has replaced his fence between our gardens . He owns it and has said I can paint it if it doesnt come through to his side.

An impossible task? any advice?

When trying to drill a simply hole through brick, it's a nightmare. I've purchased new drill bits and still have the same problem. My hands will fill numb by the amount of pressure I have to apply.

Is this drill good enough?

I'm the best at DIY so maybe it's the technique but seeing other tradesman go through brick with ease has got me thinking.

I've just had some windows fitted but have noticed that on every single upvc frame there is an area that seems to be cut out / shaved. None of my previous windows have this.

Does anyone know what this is for?

We were recently doing some digging in the garden and have found what appears to be a man hole that goes down quite deep. This is in a victorian property, and we were not aware of its existence.

Further down the garden, there is a victorian rainwater collection tank, and I am not sure if this relates to that, or whether it is a sewer junction or a septic tank.

What's the consensus?

We think we are going to get a drain survey to see if that confirms anything.

This shower up in our loft conversion is never usually used but I’ve been using it the last few days as the other bathroom was out of action.

Picture 3 shows a leak appearing on the ceiling below it.

Problem is the tray is sunk into the floor so you can’t get under it to see what’s going on. The silicon around the edges looks sound.

I was thinking of going from the hallway ceiling below but because it’s a loft conversion I think there is about a ft of various extra beams and wood.

Is it mad to let it dry out then point water at various parts of the shower (starting with straight down the drain) and see what causes a damp patch below?

Ran water directly down the drain for 20 minutes and no wet patches on the ceiling below so hopefully that rules it out but inspecting the grout there are cracks in the vertical lines. Could these be causing my damp ceiling below?

I guess it’s a hell of a job to take out the old silicon and grout and redo it all? Tempted to get a pro in…

hi. drain off valve to our unvented hot water tank is leaking.

pressure has dropped to about 0.4 bar.

is there anything I should be doing until I get a plumber out (I dont want to try tightening it myself and making a leak a waterfall).

keep heating/water off? should I be topping up the pressure? or just shut it all down? turn off valves?

thanks

My wife and I recently embarked on our biggest project yet. Full kitchen strip and redesign, it tested every single piece of DIY knowledge and experience I have. There were soo many things to consider along the way and due to really needing the kitchen back in order ASAP, it had to run like clockwork.

It’s not perfect (if I pointed out some things I know were not easy to perfect and it shows) but we love it. Genuinely surprised what we achieved and how it turned out. Really it was all in the pre-planning as usual. We also had some help with general labouring/decorating and/or coaching along the way By my brilliant likewise DIY enthusiast dad. And my father in law who was a painter decorator during his working life. I detest painting, so it was really helpful to have him around also if we needed him.

Hope you like it. I have a full build montage video on YouTube if you’re interested, but I’m aware we can’t post YouTube links here. Happy to answer any questions people have about this stuff, as I know I’ve seen it being bought up a few times on here.

How does anyone use the shower with this type of screen? I had one in my old house, the shower was unusable because so much water would escape from the bottom corner where the hinge is.

I had to remove it and install a bifold / 2 panel screen. I got advice from a plumber and he said they are crap.

Now moved into a new build last year, and my heart sank a bit when the developer showed me the bathroom! Knew instantly this was gunna be a problem…

As with most new builds the house has a ridiculous number of bathrooms so we don’t currently use it other than to wash the dog.

I just cleaned it and it was a bloody nightmare, as soon as the shower head touched the glass to rinse the soap off the floor got drenched. Spent more time drying the floor than cleaning the bath!

I told the developer a while ago and he got someone in to add more silicone (visible in pic 3) and it’s done nothing. I actually think it might have made it worse as water is probably getting trapped in the screen.

Just curious if anyone has actually been able to get these to not leak? Have I just been unlucky and both times it’s not been installed correctly?

Hey guys, the one thing that the electrician said was to make sure when we put the plasterboard on we cut the gap smaller than the electrical box, unfortunately we didn't.

Is it an easy fix? Are there bigger boxes? This will be for a washing machine that will be hardwired in.

Hello. (Proper novice here) I had a bathroom fitted around 6 months ago. Round my sink plug hole, it’s gone like this.tried scrubbing it but to no avail. Can I just scrape that out and get some proper mould proof bathroom silicone and apply some new. Would I be right in thinking that’s what I need to do? Thanks.

For context, I don’t cook that much at home, and when I do, rarely do I use more than 2 hobs at once. Bottom socket powers the oven and is 32amp.

Need professional work or could be done myself? Any advice is appreciated, thanks