Dec 30
Winter maintenance for your home is vital. We have a project identifying several jobs to be done at this time of year. These include:
- clearing you gutters - we know, no-one likes doing this, but it is worth it if it avoids blockages which could cause water to freeze and cause damage to pipes and buildings
adding drain tidys to keep leaves etc from blocking your drains- cleaning paths and patios to avoid them getting slippery and dangerous
- ensuring you have adequate outside lighting, ideally fitting PIR’s which will turn themselves on when they detect movement
- check your roof for missing tiles or damage
- go round the house filling any gaps you find round doors and windows as well as between floorboards
If you need to get a professional tradesperson in to do any home improvement jobs, you can get free quotes via our Find a Tradesman service, which finds appropriate, insured tradespeople in your local area .
Dec 20
DIY Doctor would like to welcome Gapseal to the website as they introduce a new project on how to seal and draughtproof the sash windows in your home.
Gapseal is designed to seal gaps from 2mm to 9mm thick and is very easy to fit. Draughtproofing your windows is a great way to prevent heat loss in your home and therefore of course helps reduce your energy bills – so it’s win-win!
To find out more and to get step by step instruction on fitting Gapseal go to our project page.
Nov 11
The proposed government policy called ‘Green Deal’, designed to improve the energy efficiency of homes, will be consulted on by ministers later this month.
Under the scheme, apparently families will be offered ‘cashback’ of up to £150 as an incentive to get involved. Householders can then have their homes made more energy efficient by having loft and wall insulation fitted as well as double glazing, and pay for this in installments. This cost would of course be offset by lower energy bills.
The idea of ’cashback’ is under discussion as a form of incentive, although Labour’s climate change spokesperson Luciana Berger said that “it would be wrong to classify it as a true incentive given it would have to be paid back over time by consumers who took up the deal.”
So, watch this space……….
Aug 12
The most common summer job (according to our users) is painting the woodwork and masonry of the outside of the home. We will deal with painting masonry another time but today we can take a look at the best way to prepare your timber windows, doors, fascia boards etc for a coat or two of paint.
Preparation for painting is more important than the painting itself.
You may be happy to do the same job three or four times a year but if, like us, you would prefer to do it right, once every three years, then good preparation is the key.
We have a whole list of projects on the website to help you prepare, and then paint your woodwork and these are listed below. Just click on the link you want to go to.
There are many more painting projects on the website as well as projects on how to clean paint brushes and how to paint both metal and timber garage doors.
As you view each project, look to the left and at the bottom of each page where you will see a list of projects related to the one you are reading. By following these related projects you will be able to gain all the knowledge you need to work your way round the house.
At the very bottom of each page is a tool store where you can click any buy all of the tools and many of the materials you need to complete the job.
May 16
We are pleased to announce that Karen has completed the redecoration of her front door – and we think you will agree that she has made a very good job of it too.
An early start on Saturday gave her the chance to give the door a final sanding to flatten a couple of high spots where brushstrokes in the application of the undercoat were a little obvious. Having stripped the door to prevent exactly this uneven finish, a fine sanding was enough to get rid of these.
The door was then given a brush down followed by a final rub over with a wax tacking cloth. This is a cloth impregnated with wax that will pick up any remaining dust from sanding a piece of work but without leaving any residue.
The door was then painted in sections – have a look at our project painting a panelled door for the best way to do this.
Obviously the door could not be closed for several hours, so it was propped open using wedges to prevent any uninvited guests during the afternoon!
By Sunday afternoon, the paint was dry enough to fix the newly polished lock and door furniture.
Here is the final result:
Karen says ‘I’m pleased with the finished result, and although it’s taken longer than I anticipated the eco-friendly paint stripper I used made it much easier. After the first undercoat, it was clear that I would have to take this off again as the overall finish would have been worse than when I started. It made all the difference stripping it back to bare wood. I just wish I hadn’t been tempted to take a short cut in the first place! Still, I’ve learnt a lot and am now ready for the next challenge. ‘
Well done Karen – and having seen the garage door we think this is likely to be her next project!
