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
- Re pointing 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-leveling floor compound for concrete/solid floors
- Vinyl flooring
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
- Non reactive 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-leveling 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