Master Basic DIY Michael Edwards 612082_Maste_Basic_DIY_Book.indb 1 26/03/15 1:45 PM This page intentionally left blank Master Basic DIY Michael Edwards 612082_Maste_Basic_DIY_Book.indb 3 26/03/15 1:45 PM First published in Great Britain in 2008 by Hodder & Stoughton. An Hachette UK company. This revised, updated edition published by John Murray Learning 2015 Copyright © Michael Edwards 2008, 2010, 2015 The right of Michael Edwards to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Database right Hodder & Stoughton (makers) The Teach Yourself name is a registered trademark of Hachette UK. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographic rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, John Murray Learning, at the address below. You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data: a catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library. Paperback ISBN 978 1 473 61208 2 eBook ISBN 978 1 473 61209 9 1 The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that any website addresses referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher and the author have no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content will remain relevant, decent or appropriate. The publisher has made every effort to mark as such all words which it believes to be trademarks. The publisher should also like to make it clear that the presence of a word in the book, whether marked or unmarked, in no way affects its legal status as a trademark. Every reasonable effort has been made by the publisher to trace the copyright holders of material in this book. Any errors or omissions should be notified in writing to the publisher, who will endeavour to rectify the situation for any reprints and future editions. Typeset by Cenveo® Publisher Services. Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd., Croydon, CR0 4YY. John Murray Learning policy is to use papers that are natural, renewable and recyclable products and made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The logging and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. John Murray Learning Carmelite House 50 Victoria Embankment London EC4Y 0DZ www.hodder.co.uk 612082_Maste_Basic_DIY_Book.indb 4 26/03/15 1:45 PM About DIY Doctor DIY Doctor (DIYDoctor.org.uk) is a DIY website run by tradespeople. The site offers free information, advice and tips across all areas of home improvements, building and home maintenance from people who do these things for their living. There is a wide range of advice for all experience levels and across an enormous range of projects, including plumbing, electrics, general building, and carpentry and joinery. The following book offers a distillation of the ‘DIY wisdom’ accumulated over many years by many skilled people. 612082_Maste_Basic_DIY_Book.indb 5 26/03/15 1:45 PM This page intentionally left blank Contents Introduction: Why do we DIY? xi PART ONE: THE BASICS 1 Tools 3 Introduction Tool requirements Hiring larger tools Choosing power tools 2 Top ten DIY jobs for homeowners 11 Introduction Rising damp Condensation Woodworm Dry rot Burst pipes Blowing light bulbs Drilling through pipes and cables Radiator problems and maintenance Fire, carbon monoxide poisoning and gas leaks 3 Sequence of work 35 Introduction 1 Check planning requirements and building regulations 2 Carry out other preliminary formalities 3 Plan and build foundations 4 Build up from the foundations 5 Fit the roof, windows and doors 6 Carry out first fix 7 Finish floors, walls and ceilings 8 Carry out second fix 4 From foundations to the ground floor slab 47 Introduction Load-bearing foundations How deep should foundations be? Strip foundations Underground drainage and services Foundation masonry Preparing to lay the ground floor slab 612082_Maste_Basic_DIY_Book.indb 7 26/03/15 1:45 PM Damp proof courses and membranes Underfloor insulation The ground floor slab 5 Brickwork and blockwork 65 Brickwork Brickwork and blockwork bonds Blockwork Mortar Scaffolding Efflorescence and mortar stains 6 Roofs, roof coverings and loft conversions 93 Introduction Pitched roofs Roof coverings Leaking roofs Roof trusses Insulation Lead flashing Loft conversions 7 Home electrics 105 Introduction Domestic electricity supply Types of cable Fuses Electrical circuits Bathroom and kitchen lighting Other circuits Checking for faults Earthing 8 Plumbing, central heating and drainage 125 Introduction Hot and cold water supplies Central heating Drainage 9 Plastering, plasterboard and partition walls 149 Plastering Plasterboard and partition walls viii 612082_Maste_Basic_DIY_Book.indb 8 26/03/15 1:45 PM PART TWO: PROJECTS Basics 161 1 Mixing concrete 2 Laying bricks and blocks 3 Mixing sand and cement mortar 4 Matching mortar colours 5 Pointing and jointing brickwork 6 Replacing a damaged brick or ceramic tile Outside 179 7 Installing land drainage 8 Building a soakaway 9 Brick and block paving 10 Laying edging stones 11 Repointing a patio 12 Concreting fence posts 13 Basic timber decking 14 Building a shed base Inside 205 15 Fixing to masonry 16 Screeding a floor 17 Laying floor tiles 18 Laying on undercoat plaster 19 Applying a plaster topcoat (skimming) 20 Building a partition wall 21 Repairing a hole in plasterboard 22 Sawing timber 23 Pilot holes and countersinking 24 Boxing in pipes 25 Working with skirting, architraves, coving and dado rails 26 Hanging a door 27 Fitting a mortise latch 28 Making shelves 29 Building a cupboard Electrical 263 30 Stripping cables and wires 31 Wiring a plug Contents ix 612082_Maste_Basic_DIY_Book.indb 9 26/03/15 1:45 PM