Faults & symptoms
Faults, symptoms and what a lasting repair involves
Symptom in, cause out. Each page separates what you can see from what is actually wrong underneath it.
Why internal doors stick or stop latching
Homeowner wants to know why an internal door has started sticking or missing its latch.
Fixing a sticking or misaligned internal door properly
Homeowner wants to know what a proper repair for a sticking door involves, beyond planing it.
Why a staircase creaks and feels bouncy underfoot
Homeowner wants to understand why their staircase creaks or feels bouncy and whether it's serious.
What it actually takes to fix a creaking, bouncy staircase
Homeowner wants to know what a durable repair for a creaking staircase involves.
Why kitchen doors and drawers drift out of alignment
Homeowner wants to know why kitchen cabinet doors and drawers have drifted out of line.
Properly realigning kitchen doors and drawers
Homeowner wants to know what a proper repair for misaligned kitchen doors involves.
Why fitted wardrobe doors rub or start to drop
Homeowner wants to know why tall fitted wardrobe doors have started rubbing or sagging.
Fixing sagging or rubbing wardrobe doors for good
Homeowner wants to know what a lasting repair for sagging fitted wardrobe doors involves.
Why cracks open along ceiling cornice lines
Homeowner wants to know why a crack has appeared along the junction between wall and ceiling and whether it's serious.
How to repair cornice cracking so it actually stays fixed
Homeowner wants to know what a proper repair for cornice cracking involves.
Why bathroom silicone keeps failing and going black
Homeowner wants to know why the silicone around their bath or shower keeps failing repeatedly.
Properly fixing bathroom silicone that keeps failing
Homeowner wants to know what a proper repair for repeatedly failing bathroom silicone involves.
Why a shower leaks into the room below
Homeowner wants to know why a stain has appeared on the ceiling below a shower and what's causing it.
What a proper repair for a leaking shower involves
Homeowner wants to know what a proper repair for a shower leaking into the room below actually involves.
Why render sounds hollow and blows off in patches
Homeowner wants to know why render on their house has started sounding hollow and detaching.
What a proper render repair actually involves
Homeowner wants to know what a proper repair for blown, hollow render involves.
Why a valley gutter overflows in heavy rain
Homeowner wants to know why their valley gutter overflows only during heavy rain and what's causing it.
What a proper valley gutter repair actually involves
Homeowner wants to know what a proper repair for an overflowing valley gutter involves.
Why guttering sags and spills at the joints
Homeowner wants to know why their guttering sags or spills water at the joints and marks the wall below.
Properly repairing sagging, overflowing guttering
Homeowner wants to know what a proper repair for sagging or overflowing guttering involves.
Rotten fascias and soffits: what's causing it
Homeowner sees flaking paint and soft timber at the eaves and wants to know why.
Repairing rotten fascias and soffits properly
Homeowner wants to know what a proper fascia and soffit repair actually involves.
Why water pools on a flat roof
Homeowner notices standing water on a flat roof and wants to understand why.
Fixing a flat roof that holds water
Homeowner wants to understand what a genuine repair for flat roof ponding involves.
Damp staining on a chimney breast: the likely causes
Homeowner sees brown staining around a chimney breast and wants to know the cause.
Fixing damp staining at a chimney breast properly
Homeowner wants to know what a lasting repair for chimney breast damp staining involves.
Condensation and mould in the loft: what's driving it
Homeowner finds frost, droplets or mould in the loft and wants to know why.
Fixing loft condensation and mould for good
Homeowner wants to know what actually stops loft condensation returning.
Why a loft floor flexes and cracks the ceiling below
Homeowner notices a bouncy loft floor and ceiling cracks below and wants to know why.
Strengthening a loft floor properly
Homeowner wants to know what a proper fix for a weak, bouncy loft floor involves.
Diagonal cracks above a door or window opening: what they mean
Homeowner sees a diagonal crack above a door or window and wants to know what's causing it.
Repairing cracks above a door or window opening
Homeowner wants to know what a genuine repair for cracking above an opening involves.
Why a boundary wall bows and leans
Homeowner notices a leaning garden or boundary wall and wants to know why.
Repairing a bowing boundary wall properly
Homeowner wants to know what a lasting repair for a leaning boundary wall involves.
Cracking in a new concrete slab: what's behind it
Homeowner notices cracking in a recently poured concrete slab and wants to know why.
Repairing a cracked concrete slab correctly
Homeowner wants to know how to properly repair cracking in a concrete slab.
Damp at skirting level: what's behind the tide-mark
Homeowner sees damp and blistering paint at skirting level and wants to know the cause.
Fixing damp at skirting level for good
Homeowner wants to know what a lasting repair for skirting-level damp involves.
Why timber floorboards cup or gap seasonally
Homeowner notices floorboards cupping or gapping and wants to know why.
Repairing cupped or gapped floorboards correctly
Homeowner wants to know what a proper repair for cupping or gapping floorboards involves.
Why cracking appears where an extension meets the original house
Homeowner sees a crack at the join between old house and new extension and wants to know if it's serious.
How to properly repair cracking at an extension junction
Homeowner wants to know what a real fix for extension junction cracking looks like, not just a filled-in crack.
Why a converted garage floor stays cold and damp
Homeowner has a converted garage room that never feels warm and wants to know why.
Fixing a cold, damp garage conversion floor properly
Homeowner wants to know what work is actually required to make a converted garage warm and dry.
Why fine cracks appear in a new build's first winters
New-build owner sees hairline cracks appearing and wants to know if it's normal.
How to repair new-build shrinkage cracks properly
New-build owner wants to know the correct way to repair shrinkage cracks so they don't come back.
Why equipment overheats inside a built-in media wall
Homeowner's AV equipment keeps overheating or shutting down inside a media wall and wants to know why.
How to fix an overheating media wall properly
Homeowner wants to know exactly what work is needed to stop their media wall overheating.
Why an under-stairs cupboard smells damp and feels cold
Homeowner has a musty-smelling under-stairs cupboard and wants to know the cause before fitting new storage.
Fixing a damp under-stairs cupboard before fitting new joinery
Homeowner wants the damp issue fixed properly before commissioning built-in storage for the space.
Why a kitchen worktop joint swells and darkens
Homeowner notices swelling at a worktop joint near the sink or hob and wants to know the cause.
How to properly repair a swollen worktop joint
Homeowner wants to know what a proper repair to swollen worktop joint involves, not just a cosmetic fix.
Why the bathroom extract fan never clears the steam
Homeowner's bathroom fan runs but steam and mould persist, and they want to know why.
Fixing a bathroom extract that won't clear steam
Homeowner wants the actual repair steps to stop their bathroom staying steamy and mouldy despite the fan running.
Why sash windows rattle, stick and won't stay open
Homeowner has sash windows that rattle or won't stay up and wants to understand the cause before calling anyone.
How to properly repair sticking, rattling sash windows
Homeowner wants to know what work is genuinely needed to fix sticking, rattling sash windows.
Why a structural opening deflects after the works are finished
Homeowner notices doors binding or cracks over a beam after a wall was opened up and wants to know why, and how serious it is.
How a deflected structural opening actually gets repaired
Homeowner wants to understand the correct process for repairing a deflected structural opening.
Why cladding boards cup and pull away from their fixings
Homeowner notices cladding boards bowing and fixings standing proud, and wants to know why.
How to properly repair cupping cladding boards
Homeowner wants to know what work is genuinely needed to fix cupping cladding boards.
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