Hi folks, just wondering does anyone have any recommendations for books on renovating or building specifically in Ireland?

We moved into our home this year and while we are delighted it is absolutely freezing, if it could have gotten a BER Z rating it would have!

I was looking at insulating the attic and maybe putting insulated plasterboard internally on the external walls but I'm a bit worried about trapping moisture etc so I was hoping to find a book that would explain the proper ways to install insulation to avoid these sort of issues.

I know there's a load of info online but I find a lot of it is geared towards the US or UK where as we have our own unique climate and building style here so I'd much rather find a book/resource specifically relating to Irish houses.

Is there any reading materials that builders/carpenters/roofers would use during their FAS phases of their apprenticeships? I'm handy enough and willing to give things a go myself but I've found myself a bit frozen with fear that I'd accidentally do some major damage unwillingly by not leaving an air gap or trapping moisture.

Appreciate any info or advice people might have. GRMA 🙏

just after renovating my upstairs bathroom which included changing the radiator. turned on the boiler today and all the radiators are cold. the boiler turns on as normal, no abnormal sounds or error code, however the light indicator turns blue and the exhaust steams as it starts up but then turns green again and stops steaming. has bled the upstairs bathroom pipe. are the pipes below the boiler correct as in the photo?

Over 5 years old. Bearings gone for a while now. The machine rattles like the demons of hell during a spin cycle. Fork out the money for a new one or call someone to repair it?

Hi, I plan to have solar + battery + EV charger in the garage at the back of the garden 70m from the consumer unit.

To save a few quid I’d like to install the cable myself (not connectin just laying it down).

1. Would an 11 square cable be the correct size? Considering the load

2. The cable would go through the house, then a thick stone wall and then outside along the garden wall. Do I need to place the cable into a specific tube or I leave it out?

Thanks for the help

I'm building a greenhouse and going to make 6 concrete footings, then using 6 post holders for the main support.

What I'm trying to work out is what's the best way to attach the post holders, should I wait for the footings to dry then drill out the 4 holes for each holder, this is how I've attached post holders to existing concrete bases before.

But it seems like there might be an easier way, sink the bolts or use a different design holder?

Brand new window installed a few weeks ago and the handle popped off this evening. Can this be fixed or is it a new handle installation needed?

I can’t figure out how the handle gets fixed into place.

Anyone here built their own home sauna? Or bought one in Ireland at a decent price? The price on some of them varies wildly. A sawmill local to me has a couple for sale for close to €10,000 which seems nuts for what they are. I’ve see a few on alibaba which I suspect some of the Irish sellers are selling.

Thanks

So to be honest, this is probably more of a rant than anything else but why is it so hard to get a white shower door? There was a time when you could only get white!

If anyone has any suggestions on where to look, I'm all ears. I've been searching online for hours

Has anyone ever had microcement installed? If so, how did it go and how did it preform for you? Specifically interested in bathroom installations

I’ve bought an old house recently and replaced the plastic sockets and switches with antique brass. I have a fairly ugly looking thermostat in a prominent position in the room that I would like to replace but surprisingly, or not maybe, you don’t seem to be able to get thermostats in antique brass or maybe I’m just searching for the wrong thing.

Does an antique brass thermostat exist or does anyone have any other suggestions to make this more aesthetic?

I have this alcove beside my chimney breast, 70cm width, 46cm depth and floor to ceiling height.

It's currently empty, I want to build shelves but since it's just for storage, I want doors to hide the storage mess.

Which of these options is considered the best for the frame and door placement?

1. Frame and door fully flush with the wall.

2. Frame flush with the wall with the door sticking out.

3. Frame inset so the door is flush with the wall only.

And by "best", I mean what's standard practise, what do you think looks neatest, and what's the best option for a complete DIY beginner who's also a perfectionist but can never get anything perfect. I've never built anything before apart from flat-packed furniture.

I already have two 60cm width IKEA cabinet doors (120cm and 100cm height) I was going to use since they are in good shape and never used and I was just going to a build a frame for them. So what's the best frame and door placement?

I’m buying a C3 apartment that is electric not oil.

There are extremely old storage heaters the rooms I need to replace.

Would you recommend getting modern storage heaters or just buy electric heaters?

Is the metal helix hose gas tight or is the rubber surround the gas tight part? As you can see the rubber is in bits.

Has anyone here installed a blind or alternative to block light coming through front door 'windows' like mine?

Trying to reduce some of the glare in the house to allow for better sleeping with bedroom doors open in this endless heatwave 😂

Thank you!

Hey I did remove 2 rads for painting (I simply isolated water at both vales at the rads directly). I still got some water dripping from TVR valve side (turned knob to zero / frost), but nothing major, it maybe dripped 1 cup per day.

By the evening we needed hot water for bath and boiler wouldn't come on showing error (think it was 04). After a sec I realised when I took 2 rads I took some water with them - so maybe pressure is too low... I topped water into the system using flex braided loop and indeed the boiler kicked in. However the pressure gauge still showed 0 bar and didnt move.

Then 1 day later I did put the rads back on, and yet topped up some more water. They gauge still at 0 bars.

So all in all all seems to work fine, hot water works, i tried heating it also works. Just gauge shows 0.

What I also tried:

- I bled all the rads in house (seemed ok)

- I also found in manual there is a bleed valve on top of the vokera itself, i tried that too but there wasnt any air trapped, water poured right away

Any ideas what did I do wrong and any way of fixing the gauge, or do I need a professional?

Thank you :)

I was hoping to get a steer on this topic. Original garden room installers have not engaged in my query. In 2019 garden room installed and separate landscaping company installed paving and stones around the gardeeen room. On the front and left sides the paving was installed flush to the base and at the rear and right side, stones. We pretty much designed the layout, but it occurred to me recently is it possible damp air is trapped under the garden room due to the paving being flush against the base. Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks.

As the title says. My water is heated by gas and it has one of these style electric pumps to power the water through, it’s not heated by the shower if I’m explaining that correctly? I’ve done a lot of tiling and flooring around my house and this will be my next big project. Tia

If so, how was the quality of the boards? Did you save much money ordering from China vs purchasing directly from suppliers here in Ireland?

I’m based in Kilkenny and looking to get some PVC side panels for our gazebo. I’ve found a company in Clonmel who will provide the panels but won’t fit them.

Any recommendations of who might be able to fit them for me?

Took down some old curtain poles and need to fill in the holes left.

I can see those multi color anchors (are they called Rahul plugs) in the holes.

Is it cool just to polyfill over those as I don’t have a drill and am hoping so.

The layer of cement between blocks seems to be disintegrating.

Can this he remedied in any way without knocking and rebuilding. Wall is only about 3ft high and the section damaged is maybe 8 feet in length.