johnhenstock83

we were looking at an undermount sink combined with a solid laminate worktop. unfortunately, the worktop is extremely expensive, we can't justify that price, hence we're going with something similar, but regular laminate. we really like the sink we found initially, but it's sold as an undermount sink. I know that many "undermount" sinks can be installed either way, but how would I find out? there is a lip around the sink, what's to stop me from just resting the sink on top of the worktop using that lip? Single Bowl Undermount Chrome Stainless Steel Kitchen Sink - Enza Isabella BeBa_26182 | Appliances Direct thanks

evening gents, neighbour dropped by the other day, saying he saw a rat in his house (bedrooms). I said I haven’t seen anything and that we never had this issue, which is true. checked the loft today and yes, about 4-5 droppings in a corner, they were not there before. first time owners, I’m panicking a bit. house is clean and we don’t leave food around. alao structurally sound, no gaps or broken drains, to my knowledge (main drains are brand new, plastic). rat probably travels from one house to another through the roof, soffits etc. we have loft insulation, it’s all boarded up (tongue/grove, screws, not easy to remove) and I’m afraid I’ll end up with an infestation. am I overreacting or is this really a huge problem? how to manage? thanks all!

I can see a little there, at the base of it. check what's underneath. regardless of what's above, unless something solid is holding up, it can't be too "structural", two floorboards won't take any significant concentrated load.

I fixed it to both. Fixing it to the door frame only is an eztremely flimsy connection. Door frame and “wall” (stud) is proper sturdy.

evening, I started working on two doors downstairs, utility and wc. architraves go in first, so I got myself some 40mm nails (no nail gun) and no non-sense grab adhesive. the adhesive is pants, doesn't do much, just makes a lot of mess, has the consistency of wall filler. the nails don't hold much either, MDF architraves. my builder said they get fixed to the door frame, I disagree with my non-professional thinking. what's the consensus here? thanks

thanks all for the help. we went with howdens in the end. they were quite flexible about changing a few things around and once a price was agreed, they stuck to it even when changing from a simple baseline unit two pan drawers (£££). delivery in a few days, as opposed to DIY Kitchens, which would've taken at least another few weeks.

Not that hands on 🙂 They might be able to remove negative ones from their website, but not from forums like this one, blogs, trustpilot etc.

I don't know what to say. I watched this video and it's pretty obvious that there are more significant differences than just the cabinets or the hinges. the way the door is wrapped/laminated/painted, the quality of the finish, the presence of protective elements where other brands don't have it etc. ... it's quite clearly day and night to me, but I do agree a cheap kitchen fitted properly will look more expensive. we'll drop by Howdens today, have a proper look and decide later. thanks all

thanks all. I guess all I wanted to know is whether I'll regret settling for Howdens when DIY Kitchens is so much better at literally the same price. In fact, I could get a painted kitchen for £300 more... as for a kitchen designer, I disagree. we're very hands on homeowners, we did our building regs drawings, our floor plans, we're not your typical customer who need to be told what can be done. besides, we spend a lot of time in the kitchen, with friends, and need to satisfy some OCD style needs regarding symmetry etc. any other tips welcome, thanks again!

hello again, it's finally the time for us to place an order and get a kitchen after many months of setbacks. I've been negotiating with several main suppliers (Magnet, Howdens, Benchmarx, Wickes etc.) and we're down to Howdens vs DIY Kitchens. it will be a DIY project, but I had tradespeople around and they all praised Howdens and ALL confused DIY Kitchens with B&Q. I did my own research and I'm really undecided, don't know what to do. from everything I've seen, DIY Kitchens is significantly superior to anything Howdens even produced. Thickness, foil wrapping, drawer size, colour quality, legs, attention to details, carcass stripping etc. this is not there being a slight difference, but a major one in every important aspect of the kitchen. Howdens did price match our DIY quote and they can get the kitchen to me in 2-3 days, which is a bonus, but I keep wondering if I'll regret going for quick rather than something that's obviously leagues above. I'm yet to find a single negative or second place review for DIY kitchens, opinions are divided on literally ALL other brands. who do I go with?

Old topic, I know, but we just got Howdens to price match our DIY quote (13p cheaper haha). While we’re still deciding who to go with, as DIY kitchens is of significant better quality according to many sources and video reports, the kitchen above shouldn’t cost more than £3-4k excluding worktops and appliances. Our kitchen is not only bigger (similar island), but it has quite a few expensive units: tall pull out larders, base pull out larders, wide pan drawer units, wine racks. it all came to less than £4000. £28k and you’re being had, even with the latest generation bosch series 6 appliances. get a quote from DIY kitchens for units ONLY, get Howdens to match. Find your appliances online (e.g. appliances direct) and your worktops online or from a local supplier and get them to match or buy online. let’s put it this way, there are not many kitchens in this country worth £28k, luxury properties excluded.

artificial, typical click laminae, but thick (18mm).

morning, the time has arrived for me to start laying the floor in our new extension. we bought wickes 18mm laminate, cork spacers, tape, tools etc. I've done this before many years back, floor still going strong, no movement etc, so I'm confident I can still manage this time, I just wondered if something can help with the following questions: underlay we got wood fibre underlay (the green stuff), 5mm thick. should this butt against the edge of the wall or does it also need an expansion gap? if yes, how big? I remember reading somewhere that a gap in between each board is desired, is that right? if so, would 2-3mm suffice? we got pvc flame retardant tape or strong alu tape for underlay. which one is best and is tape even required? laminate I'm looking to stagger the boards at one third distance. boards are 1285mm long, so I'd get 3 steps of around 430mm each. is that good or should I stick to one half instead? we have two door frames in the extension (utility, wc). is it true that I need to cut them just above the flooring level and have the laminate slide underneath? it's really hot at this time of the year and the laminate has been sitting in the extension, I'm guessing it's as "expanded" as it gets. is a 7.5mm expansion gap in current temperatures enough? any advice would be much appreciated, I promise to post pictures once done :). thank you!

how? I'm not a trader... is there a trick where you can get away with being a DIY builder?

hi all, a bit of a weird request, but we found a local Howdens who will, in principle, sell me a kitchen as long as I have a trade account. is there anyone happy to share theirs? we already have good quotes from other suppliers (DIY Kitchens, Wickes, Magnet etc.), but I prefer Howdens if I have the choice. thanks!

ah, my old topic just an update, everything went well. the outer skin (which, btw, was tied to the inner skin through very thick, old-school, galvanised ties) was held up by 4 strong boys, which were spread equally and rested on scaffolding boards perpendicular to the block and beam. the builders were extremely relaxed about everything and at times, there was some rubble on the subfloor, so more weight than just the house. the inner skin was propped from the inside with 5 acrows, the floor joists holding everything above as they slotted in. nothing moved, nothing cracked and the beams were in the same day, so aside from several hours during which several courses of bricks were missing, everything was supported at all times. no damage in the house, other than a skirting board that snapped, it got pushed by the strongboy from the outside. so the answer is yes, block and beam is strong enough, usually, but it all depends what's above. our roof rests mainly on the side walls and the inside walls, so not much roof weight was taken by the strongboys. as for the brick wall, there was a very wide upvc window just above, so we're talking less than a few sqm of bricks, that probably doesn't weigh much. thanks all

a cavity tray has indeed been installed, BCO is happy with that. his opinion was that the lintel, being made of concrete, will 1.) absorb humidity from the outside (what???) and 2.) not be as well insulated as a catnic one, despite the builder filling the space between the two lintels with celotex (everything else is mineral wool). I'll tell my friend to get the specs for that product, hopefully that will be the end of it. should they insist on structural calculations, is this something that can be done online, quickly? I know such websites exist for RSJs, what about concrete lintels? thanks

that's what I thought too. what should my friend tell the BCO to make sure they are left alone?

morning all, I'm asking this for a friend. single storey rear extension, PD, approx. 6x3.5m, council building control. there are 2 openings in the extension: one 1.8m for french doors, another one for a normal door, less than 1m wide. construction is breeze block both skins, 150mm cavity, rendered on the outside. BCO is being difficult about the lintels, questioning why a catnic hasn't been used, talking about damp (lol) and other non-sense. may I please double check my understanding that there is no legal requirement for a catnic lintel to be used? I know they are different products, but they both serve the same purpose and given the very small span and the fact that they're literally only holding several courses of breeze blocks and a flat roof, there's nothing that can go wrong. it's like asking why I used a cheaper brand of insulation instead of going with celotex, when they both have the same properties. what is the actual requirement and why are they picking on something that's not even proper structural stuff? there's nothing above it, the doors are small, there are 2 lintels, one on each skin, resting on engineering bricks etc. ... can someone advice what to do in this situation? thank you

you'd normally leave some DPC overlap inside, around 1ft, to be able to connect it to your damp proof barrier. having said that, I'd agree with @Temp, it's not the end of the world. what you're basically doing with the DPM is to create a "tray" or a "bag" that seals your floor from touching anything wet/damp. since it goes above the DPC, the wall directly opposite the screed should not be wet anyway, so I guess you'll be ok.

it's drying away, slowly... very slowly. I think it must haven been some humidity leftover from either the skim, the insulation, anything else. thanks all for the help!

hello, I'm laying laminate in our new extension, around 35sqm. I've got everything I need (wood fibre underlay, 12mm thick laminate, tools), but I can't seem to find an end trim. there are roughly 20mm from the slab to the top of the lower bifold threshold. ideally, I'd like the laminate to be "encased" in a metal trim along the bifold, for a seamless transition. where can I buy a 3.5m (other lengths work too) end trim? if possible, aluminium, but plastic works as well. if possible, anthracite, but black/oak would do too. this is what I'm looking for, but no one sells it in the right thickness (between 12 and 17mm). open to alternatives that look nice and are not too bulky. thank you!

no water meter, but no water pressure loss either, everything operates as usual. bathroom is upstairs and sits on an old wooden floor, any drip would be properly visible on the white downstairs ceiling. ceiling dry, walls dry, pipes dry, I am 100% confident there is no leak. it's simply impossible for that location to be affected by any leak, physically impossible. even if there was an undetected leak, those water drops would have to travel to exactly that spot and that would leave traces or cause damp along the way. house is on a plain, no hills, no rain lately, no DPC breaching, damp patch is too far inside the house to be affected by anything outside anyway. weird, isn't it? if the builders breached the floor slab, I'd expect the damp patch to grow substantially, not cause a bit of (extremely slowly) contracting surface humidity (more like a cold, slightly damper than dry patch) as opposed to proper wet. weird, isn't it?