Do it yourself General Building Index

• Basement conversions explained
  
  
• Books
  
  • Selection of general diy books, electrics and plumbing
  • Construction books for home and garden
  • Some eco-friendly diy books
    
  
  
• Brickwork
  • Calculating the number of bricks required for walls and piers
  • Building a garden wall
  • Checking as you build a wall
  • Foundations for a garden wall
  • Pointing styles and techniques
  • Replacing bricks in cavity walls
  • Repointing walls - a step by step guide
    
    
• Brickwork Bonds
  
  • English bond wall
  • Flemish bond wall
  • Stretcher bond wall
    
  • Stretcher bond wall with piers
    
  • Stretcher bond piers
    
  
  
• Bricklayer's Tool Kit
  
  
• Building Regulations (England and Wales) - when do you need approval
• April 2002 changes to the regulations
• see also
  • Planning Permissions (England and Wales) - what you need permission for
    
  • Planning Permissions (England and Wales) - producing your own drawings
  
  
• Cement, concrete etc
  
  
• Central heating - see plumbing
  
  
• Chasing cables and pipes into walls
  
  
• Cladding - external timber and uPVC plank cladding explained
  
  
• Concrete:
  
  • Calculators for concrete volumes - squares, rectangles, circles and triangles. Metric or Imperial
  • Calculators for working out the quantities of cement, sand, gravel or all-in ballast required for a volume. Metric or Imperial
  • Mixing concrete - a 'how to guide' for mixing concrete by hand, with a mixer or using ready mix
  • Planning concrete - the thickness, slope etc for different uses of concrete (paths, patios, driveways etc)
    
    
• Condensation - the causes of condensation
  
  
• Condensation - how to overcome condensation
  
  
• Cornice and Coving:
  • Cornice and coving - the different materials and adhesives
    
  • Cornice and coving - cutting the mitres for internal and external corners
    
  • Preparing for putting up cornice/coving
    
  • Putting up cornice/coving
    
    
• How to avoid cowboy builders and tradesmen
  
  
• Dry rot - how to identify and treat dry rot in timber
  
  
• UPVC fascias, soffits and bargeboards
  
  
• Fixings for different types of walls - how to make strong fixings to brick, block, stud, plasterboard, lathe and plaster, and dry lined walls
  
  
• Fixings for hollow wall and surfaces
  
  
• Fixings for solid walls
  
  
• Flat roofs
  • Laying a felt roof (three layer, cold adhesive)
    
  • Repairing Felt Roofs
    
    
• Floods - precautions for around the home
  
  
• Flooring
  • Floor soundproofing
    
  • Self-levelling floor compound for concrete/solid floors
  • Vinyl flooring
    
    • Floor preparation
    • Planning to lay vinyl tiles
    • Calculating the number of floor tiles
    • Setting out
    • Laying the vinyl tiles
    • After care
      
      
• Gas installations etc.
  
  
• Glass
  • The different types of glass for use around the house
  • Using glass around the house
  • Removing broken glass from windows (single glazed)
  • Fitting new glass to windows (single glazed)
    
  
  
• Glossaries - terms and terminology explained:
  • General Building
  • Roofing
  
  
• Glues - all sorts explained
  • Natural Glues
  • Nonreactive synthetic glues
  • Reactive synthetic glues
    
  
  
• Maintaining rain water Guttering
  
• Guttering for rain water
  
  
• Hammers - various types and their uses
  
  
• Handsaws - various types and their uses
  
  
• Hot air heat guns - for stripping paint and more
  
  
• Imperial/metric conversions factors or quick look up tables
  
• Conversion Calculator
  
  
• Insulation:
  • Loft Insulation - the materials and how to install them
    
  • Insulating water tanks and pipes
  • Insulating internal walls with boards
  • Insulating pitched roof spaces
    
    
• Interior wooden doors
  
  
• Kitchens
  • Kitchen Design
  • Kitchen units - what's available in units and accessories
    
  
  
• Ladders - types and choices
  
  
• Loft Insulation - the materials and how to install them
  
  
• Man made, wood based boards
  
  
• Mould - what causes mould and how to overcome it
  
  
• Nails - all the different types
  
  
• Partitions - Plan before you build will save a lot of effort
  
  
• Partition (sound proof) - building a partition to reduce noise
  
  
• Plaster ceilings - the different types explained
  
  
• Plaster repairs:
  • Lath and plaster wall repairs - step by step guide to repairing holes in lath and plaster walls
  • Plaster wall repairs (large) - step by step guide to repairing large areas in plastered walls
  • Plaster wall repairs (small) - step by step guide to repairing cracks in plastered walls and external plaster corners
  • Repairing large holes in stud walls or ceilings - step by step guide to repairing large holes in plasterboard stud partition walls and ceilings
  • Repairing small holes in stud walls - step by step guide to repairing small holes in plasterboard stud partition walls
    
    
• Plaster walls - lath & plaster, straight plaster, stud walling and dry lining construction explained.
  
  
• Plasterboard:
  • Types of plasterboard explained
  • Cutting and fixing plasterboard - cutting straight line and cutouts, fixing with nails and screws
  • Filling plasterboard joints - finishing the joints with tape and filler
  • Finishing plasterboard corners with metal plasterboard corner strips
    
    
    


• Roofing:
  • Glossary of roofing terms
    
    
  • Pitched roofs - cut and truss roofs explained
    
    
  • Felting and battening - a step by step guide to putting on the felt and battens for a slate or tile roof
  • Repairing plain tile roofs - a guide to the practical aspects of repairing plain tile roofs
  • Repairing slate roofs - a guide to the practical aspects of repairing slate roofs
  • Replacing ridge tiles - a guide to replacing loose and dislodged ridge tiles on the roof
    
  • Using interlocking tiles - a guide to the practical aspects of roofing with interlocking tiles with side overlaps
  • Using ridge tiles - a guide to the practical aspects of fixing ridge tiles to slate and tile roofs
  • Using plain roofing tiles - a guide to the practical aspects of roofing using plain tiles
  • Using slates - a guide to the practical aspects of roofing with slates
    
    
  • Using Corrugated Roof Sheeting
    
    
  • Laying a felt roof (three layer, cold adhesive)
    
  • Repairing Felt Roofs
  
  
  
• Self-levelling floor compound for concrete/solid floors
  
  
• Stud Partition
  
  • The basic framework
    
  • Cladding with plasterboard
    
  • Finishing off
  • Tips on drylining - from the diydata forum
    
  
  
• Pests in and out the house and their control
  
  
• Planning Permissions (England and Wales) - what you need permission for
  
• Planning Permissions (England and Wales) - producing your own drawings
• see also
  • Building Regulations (England and Wales) - when do you need approval
    
    
• Router cutters - different types, material and uses
  
  
• Routers - the various features, what to look for, how to maintain
  
  
• Safety for the do it yourself person
  
  
• Sandpaper & glasspaper - types and their uses
  
  
• Sealants - types explained
  
  
• Smoke alarms - different types and their features
  
  
• Sound Proofing
  
  • Background to soundproofing your property - why and how to soundproof
  • Floor soundproofing
  • Noises from your neighbour and how to soundproof party walls
  • Partition (sound proof) - building a partition to reduce noise
  • Suspended Ceiling to improve sound proofing
    
  • Suspended Ceiling to improve sound proofing (alternative method)
    
  
  
• Spanners and wrenches
  
  
• Stucco/Rendering mixes
  
  
• Stucco - uses and application
  
  
• Suspended Ceiling to improve sound proofing
  
  
• Vinyl flooring
  
  • Floor preparation
  • Planning to lay vinyl tiles
  • Calculating the number of floor tiles
  • Setting out
  • Laying the vinyl tiles
  • After care
    
  
  
• Wall Fixings for hollow walls and surfaces
  
  
• Wall Fixings for solid walls
  
  
• wetNfix - repairs for wall plugs
  
  
• Wet timber rot - how to identify and treat wet rot in timber
  
  
• Windows (single glazed)
  • Removing broken glass from windows
  • Fitting new glass to windows
  
  
• Wood screws - the basics
  
  
• Wood screw clearance and pilot hole sizes