Plastic Pipes are now becoming more and more popular over cooper ones. They can be purchased in large coils which means there will be less joints in your plumbing. Having the added benefit of being flexible it means you save time and energy against fitting elbows as in most cases the pipe can be bent. The pipe can also be easily cut and as with cooper pipes the joints do not need notching out as they can be fed through holes as with cables. Plastic also doesn’t suffer from corrosion and the push fit joints can be re-used by cutting the pipe insert and push the joint straight into it.

Many of us would have some point in time been faced with a issue with our plumbing system. If we have electrical bonding in bathrooms then that needs to adhere to strict regulations. For example, under the bathroom sink there should be a green and yellow bonding wire that is connected to a metal object which could become live if there was a electrical fault in the house. All items need to be connected back to a earthing connect. Nowadays plastic pushfit pipes and fittings mean there is no need for a earthing wire as plastic does not conduct electricity.

There are different reasons why buildings suffer from Damp and there are several reasons behind the problem. Issues can arise due to rising damp, penetrating damp, condensation and basement drainage. Rising damp is cause by upward movement of ground water up through the pores of a wall – the process is called Capillarity. This is described as similar to the movement of water up from the ground and root of a tree to the top. Rising damp can be caused by a problem for the damp proof course in the building or a blockage at the base of a cavity wall. The rising damp then causes a problem with the decoration and finish on the wall for example – it has potential to rot joist ends, skirting boards or the bottom of the door frames.

In winter one of the problems which householders can face is freezing of pipes – to correct the problem you need to first identify the location of the freeze – once this has been done other things like draughts, holes in the wall etc are indications on where the water has frozen. Before thawing the pipe you need to check the pipes condition as it could have split or the fittings come away by the expansion of the ice – if this is the case then the melting ice will cause a leak and the section of the pipe repaired. Ensure water is turned off as this can cause further damage.

When thinking of painting over a newly plastered surface there are some tips and notes which you need to take into consideration. The plaster needs to have time to dry thoroughly before you pain over it unless you are using special pain designed for new plaster. The main difference between this and normal vinyl paints is that it lets moisture evaporate through allowing and helping the drying process. Depending on the size, thickness, humility and weather conditions the time will vary project to project. Before painting or wall papering new plaster should be primed which continues to allow the surface to breath.

Before you start make sure the floor is level and smooth, if your floorboards are uneven then fit hardboard sheet s over them and remember to fill in any gaps with filler. Now to start to lay then carpet use fitting gripper close to the skirting boards (6mm) this is so you can tuck the edge of the carpets under the skirting. Now if you’re fitting an underlay you should lay the sheet of underlay across the room and join any edge with double sided tape and trim around the edges so the underlay butts up to the gripper strips. You have to start to lay the carpet by unrolling it and lining it up with a section of wall making sure it is straight. Next smooth out any creases with a knee-kicker to stretch the carpet and pushing it on the gripper, using a rolling pin or your hands to push out any small creases start from the middle of the room and outwards. Now fit the remaining sides of the carpets to the gripper strips. Using a bolster push the carpet onto the gaps between the skirting and the gripper strips. To finished you have to cut off the waste carpet using a utility knife, you should hold the knife at a 45 degree edge to the skirting board, using smooth strokes to cut it so you can just tuck the carpet under the skirting. You will have to push the carpet very firmly against any other obstacles e.g the door frames and trim with you knife. To make the corner neat by cutting a triangular section from the waste of the carpet so the edges of the carpet will lay ready for the final trimming please remember to replace your utility blades regularly so every cut you make is clean and you do not have to force the blade to cut.

Always lay the boards lengthways towards the light source of the room the shortest tongue board should be placed against the wall and start from the left hand side and don’t forget too used your spacer in-between the wall and board to ensure the correct gap has been left. When laying the next board, make sure it end-on to the first board and that the tongues have locked together. To lock the boards together slide the board in at 30 degree angle so it will just slot in when lowered. Continue with this pattern until you reach the end of the row you may have to cut the last board so it fits. To make sure the laminate in strong you will have to offset the board to do this you will need to start the second row with half of a board than you will need to angle the long side of the board at 30 degrees to lock in the tongues you will need to press down and forward for it to lock into place. Next you will have to place the short end of the board at an angle against the last board and make sure the boards lock. When you get to the last row you may have to cut the sides down to fit now to do this you will have to put one board at a time over the last row now place a third board on the top with the tongue just touching the skirting and use the edge to mark the line where you will cut on the board underneath. Once you have cut the board and place it into position and remove the wedges. Now to finish the floor you will have to fix the floor trim, make sure you have removed all the spacers from around the edges. Now you have to fit the trim to the skirting not the floor because the floor will contracted and expanded. Cut the correct length of the trim by measuring it if you use the trim cutter it will make sure it looks neat. Apply some trim adhesive to the back of the trim and not the bottom as you do not want it to glue to the flooring press the firm down into place and make sure you secure down with something heavy until it has dried properly.

Laminate flooring is a great thing to have in the home it is very easy to clean and keep clean and it looks great here is a guide on how to fix it. Make sure that the surface is dry, level and firm. If you have an old cement floor you can get self leveling compound which can be used to even all the rough surface. If you have an wooden floor make sure that any exposed nails or screws are nailed flat down or have been screwed all the way in or you could damage the laminate flooring.

Underlay

You need to place underlay on the surface before using the laminate flooring there are a few types of underlay available.

Poly foam is the thinnest type which can be used on any level, firm and dry surface. It may be necessary to lay a damp-proofing layer first.

Combined underlay which is both damp proofing and underlay this is slightly thicker than the poly foam so if your floor is a little uneven this is a good one to use and it also provides better sound insulation.

Wood fiber boards now this is the thickest one and is best on very uneven floors because of how thick it is and it accommodates more irregularities. This will need a damp proofing layer first.

Now you have your underlay laid you now have to lay the flooring LOC (locking laminate flooring) have already been factor cut with interlocking tongues to make it easy to fit and also if you need to move them. Step one fitting the boards can be simple but you need to take you time now the flooring expand and contracts so you need to leave it room around the edges approximately 10 mm from the skirting boards and the laminate so use the expansion spacers for this job.

Washing machines are usually fairly simple to install - they need to be positioned on a flat stable floor, have a power supply, a water supply and a drainage supply.

Water Supply
Most washing machines will need both a hot and cold water supply. The pipes and connectors should be labelled up red and blue for hot and cold respectively.

Electricity Supply
As with most household appliances, access to a mains plug socket will be required to power your washing machine!

Waste Connection
With your washing machine requiring water going in, it will also need a way of getting rid of water it has used. It should have a flexible waste hose attached which will fit easily into a waste pipe or trap.

A well planned and built home garden can look beautiful and be a relaxing place to wind down on a summer’s evening.

You don’t have to be a design guru to come up with a good garden design - the concepts behind creating a design for your garden are quite simple.

Decide what you want to use your garden for
The most important thing to work out is what you really want to get out of your garden. Do you just want a place to site and relax? Do you want to grow your own food? Or do you want your garden to be a showcase?

Assess your resources
Once you’ve decided what you will be using your garden for, you need to work out things like how much space you have to work with, the type of soil in the area and other surrounding influences.

Set up your basic design
A simple drawing of how you plan to lay out your garden and its various features will normally do. Draw out where you want flower beds, paths and patios. You could even think about adding a Ground Force-style water feature!

Now you have your layout you can move onto the actual grunt work - buying the necessary plants and materials and getting the garden in the shape you envisaged.

Finishing touches
Now you have your garden laid out and looking as you wanted, you can begin to work on the finishing touches such as hiding unsightly drains with plant stands, or softening edges by allowing plants or shrubs to overspill pathways slightly.

Be aware that your garden is a living organism, so be sure to allow for the growth of many of your features, and be sure to maintain it in the image you’ve worked so hard to achieve!