Mar 30
Earlier today, Secretary of State Edward Davey met with the haulage industry regarding the current industrial dispute.
A DECC spokesperson said:
“Ed Davey chaired a meeting with the haulage industry, the defence and transport secretaries. It was a productive meeting.
The seven haulage companies that are involved in the industrial dispute with Unite attended.
Discussions focused on contingency planning, covering training more military drivers in the event that a strike is called.
There is no strike at the moment, and we are calling for a swift resolution to this industrial dispute.
Both parties have agreed to meet with Acas for talks next Monday. Unite would be required to give seven days notice of any strike action, and Unite has confirmed that there will be no strike action prior to Easter”.
Mar 30
A man found himself pinned to the floor after accidently tripping and firing a five inch nail into his hand recently.
The DIY enthusiast was alone in his house in Shropshire when the accident happened which left him stranded for 3 hours as he was unable to reach a phone and didn’t have his mobile on him. He was rescued when his partner came home from work at 11pm and found him and called the emergency services.
Firefighters ended up removing part of the floorboards to release him before he was able to be taken to hospital in Stoke on Trent.
DIY Doctor have a project on using a nail gun which explains how they work and why and when you might choose to use one. But please remember to take care if you are using one, especially if you are DIYing on your own!!
Mar 29
With the weather improving and more people getting out in their gardens we thought it was a great time to highlight the benefits of composting and that you can make your own DIY compost container if you don’t already have one in your garden.
A compost heap enables you to recycle garden waste and some kitchen waste AND provide you with rich compost for your garden.
Our project on building a compost bin shows how to make a simple timber container with layered sections so it allows you to remove layers as your compost rots down and makes a more efficient container. It gives step by step instructions and there is also a video showing how you can make a compost container from recycled materials.
There are lots of books available on how to make good compost and how to use it, so you can make the most of your compost heap.
Mar 28
The DIY Doctor team have packed up and are on their way to The National Homebuilding and Renovating Show!
We’ve got everything including the kitchen sink (well, bathroom sink actually) for the Tricks of the Trade stage presentations for the next four days……we hope you will be able to come and see us there.
The show is being held at the NEC Birmingham and opens tomorrow (Thursday) and is open to the public until Sunday, everyday from 10am until 5pm.
You can still register for 2 free tickets by clicking here or on the banner below.
It promises to be a fantastic event with advice and inspiration for anyone looking at doing any home renovating or tackling a self build. DIY Doctor will be at the Tricks of the Trade stage with the following timetable of demonstrations and presentations:
11.00am - How to Skim Plaster a Wall
12.30pm – How to Avoid Cowboy Builders
2.00pm – How to Skim Plaster a Wall
3.30pm – How to Tile your Bathroom
We hope you’ll be able to make it to the show……..
Mar 27
The threat of hosepipe bans, particularly in the south of England are causing some people to panic particularly with the current good weather many have been experiencing. But there is an easy solution.
A ban means that householders are not allowed to connect a hosepipe to the mains water supply for any domestic uses. This includes watering plants and the garden, cleaning cars, filling up swimmingpools or paddling pools, or filling up ponds unless they have fish in them.
So far seven water companies in England have announced that bans would be introduced with most starting on the 5th April. These are Thames Water, Anglian Water, Southern Water, South East Water, Sutton and East Surrey, Veolia Central and Veolia South East.
The most obvious solution to the water shortage for householders is to install a water butt to store rainwater. With the amount of rainfall we generally have in this country, a water butt should be a necessity and our project on fitting a water butt gives all the info you need. There is also a short video on setting up your water butt in our video section. As long as you have a downpipe and space to put a water butt, you are away!
