Sep 09
We may only be in the first half of September, but it would definately appear that summer is over, and so we should all be turning our minds to any autumn jobs that need attention before the weather turns more wintery.
Our project on Autumn Maintenance Checks gives some good pointers including attending to any external decorating, making sure you get your boiler or other heating serviced, do any loft insulating needed, check all windows and doors are draught proofed, make sure any extractor fans are working to avoid condensation, checking and clearing guttering, cleaning patios and paths and making sure any exterior lighting is working. There is also instruction on dry lining walls.
Aug 15
As with last weeks blog post on painting woodwork, painting masonry requires as much, if not a little more, preparation.
Brickwork, render, stonework and blockwork can crumble during the winter as the water gets into tiny fissures and freezes. As water freezes, it expands. The expansion process cracks the masonry a tiny bit more. The crack then lets in a little more water and the process repeats itself all through the winter.
preparing brickwork for painting
This, in construction physics terms, is called Freeze-Thaw action.
To guard against this, regular summer maintenance is called for and our blog post on repointing brickwork will help here. We also have a project called preparing brickwork for painting and you can get there by clicking on the link.
At the bottom of this page you can find out how to replace a damaged brick, how to clean surplus mortar from bricks and we even have a project on how to clean efflorescence
Jul 28
DIY Doctor will be running the ‘Tricks of the Trade’ section of the National Home Improvement Show again this year.
We will be delivering several presentations during the three days on How to Skim Plaster a Wall, How to Tile a Bathroom, How to avoid Cowboy Builders and a DIY Disasters comedy show. The Tricks of the Trade section is sponsored by Quotatis.
The show runs from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd of Octorber at Earls Court in London, and is the place to go to discover practical ideas for your home improvements. Whether you are looking to extend, save space, restore or decorate your home, you will find innovative and practical ideas to inspire you. You can even get advice on a one to one basis in the Ask the Experts area, or learn how to tackle a DIY project with us, DIY Doctor, in the Tricks of the Trade zone.
For loads more information on the show and to buy tickets go to the National Home Improvement Show website.
Jun 17
DIY Doctor are now offering tradesmen work via lead generation, which can save you a lot on wasted advertising.
When a home owner wants some work done on their house or garden, and they feel it is beyond their DIY capabilities, they can come to our Find a Tradesman page and register, for free, to receive free quotes from competent, reliable, trustworthy and insured tradesmen to do the job.
This way, as a tradesman, you can pay for as many business leads as you would like, but you know the customers:
- genuinely want the job done
- already have a budget in mind
- are local to you, in the area you have chosen
- want work done in your chosen specialism
All you need to do is click here and fill in the sign-up form to apply to join the list of recommended tradespeople. All you need is to provide valid public liability insurance and references (so Cowboys need not apply).
May 17
For a long while DIY Doctor has been trying to combat the effects of Cowboy Builders in our industry. We have published articles on Cowboy Builders and how the country loses millions of pounds because the majority of tradespeople in this country do not have any form of insurance to protect their customers.
We have now joined forces with Quotatis who will not allow tradespeople to join their data-base without the relevant insurances. They are also thoroughly vetted and references are followed up to ensure you only receive free quotes from the best of the bunch.
Click into any of our project pages or look at our Find a Tradesman page to be sure to beat the cowboys.
