How-To Guides for UK Trades & DIY
50 step-by-step guides with tools lists, materials, costs, and common mistakes. Every guide is written for UK practice — Building Regs, BS/EN standards and metric measurements.
How to Apply a Skim Coat
Step-by-step guide to applying a skim coat of plaster to walls and ceilings.
How to Bleed Radiators
Step-by-step guide to bleeding radiators, identifying air locks and repressurising your boiler.
How to Build a Brick Wall
Step-by-step guide to building a brick wall including foundations, bonding and pointing.
How to Build a Garden Wall
Step-by-step guide to building a garden wall with footings, blockwork and coping.
How to Build a Raised Bed
Step-by-step guide to building a raised bed from timber, sleepers or blocks.
How to Build a Retaining Wall
Step-by-step guide to building a retaining wall with drainage, weep holes and reinforcement.
How to Build a Stud Wall
Step-by-step guide to building a timber stud partition wall with plasterboard.
How to Build Stairs
Step-by-step guide to building a domestic staircase to UK Building Regulations.
How to Calculate Insulation Thickness
Step-by-step guide to calculating insulation thickness from U-value targets and lambda values.
How to Calculate Paint Coverage
Step-by-step guide to calculating paint quantities for walls, ceilings and woodwork.
How to Calculate Room Area
Step-by-step guide to measuring rooms, L-shapes, bay windows and deducting openings.
How to Create a Soakaway
Step-by-step guide to designing and building a soakaway for rainwater drainage.
How to Dot and Dab
Step-by-step guide to fixing plasterboard with dot and dab adhesive method.
How to Draught-Proof Your Home
Step-by-step guide to draught-proofing doors, windows, floors and loft hatches.
How to Fit Tongue and Groove
Step-by-step guide to fitting tongue and groove cladding to walls and ceilings.
How to Hang a Door
Step-by-step guide to hanging an internal door including hinges, latch and fitting.
How to Install a Loft Hatch
Step-by-step guide to cutting in and fitting a loft hatch with insulation and draught seal.
How to Install a Radiator
Step-by-step guide to installing a radiator with valves, brackets, pipe connections and balancing.
How to Install Cavity Wall Insulation
Step-by-step guide to cavity wall insulation methods, suitability checks and guarantees.
How to Install Coving
Step-by-step guide to fitting coving including mitring corners and fixing with adhesive.
How to Install Dado Rail
Step-by-step guide to installing dado rail at the correct height with neat joints.
How to Install Decking
Step-by-step guide to building a timber or composite deck with subframe and boards.
How to Install an EPDM Roof
Step-by-step guide to installing EPDM rubber roofing on a flat roof.
How to Install Fence Panels
Step-by-step guide to installing fence panels with concrete posts and gravel boards.
How to Install Flashing
Step-by-step guide to fitting lead and self-adhesive flashing to roofs and walls.
How to Install Gutters
Step-by-step guide to fitting PVC guttering with correct fall and downpipe connections.
How to Install a Land Drain
Step-by-step guide to installing a land drain with perforated pipe, gravel and filter fabric.
How to Install Loft Insulation
Step-by-step guide to installing loft insulation including roll, blown, ventilation and boarding.
How to Install Ridge Tiles
Step-by-step guide to bedding and pointing ridge tiles with mortar or dry fix systems.
How to Install Roof Felt
Step-by-step guide to fitting roofing felt underlay with correct laps and ventilation.
How to Install Skirting Boards
Step-by-step guide to fitting skirting boards with mitred and scribed joints.
How to Install Soffit and Fascia
Step-by-step guide to replacing soffit and fascia boards with uPVC.
How to Lay a Patio
Step-by-step guide to laying a patio from sub-base through to jointing.
How to Lay Artificial Grass
Step-by-step guide to laying artificial grass with sub-base, membrane and joining.
How to Lay Block Paving
Step-by-step guide to laying block paving with edge restraints and kiln-dried sand.
How to Lay Carpet Tiles
Step-by-step guide to laying carpet tiles in straight or quarter-turn patterns.
How to Lay a Concrete Base
Step-by-step guide to laying a concrete base for sheds, garages and outbuildings.
How to Lay a Gravel Driveway
Step-by-step guide to laying a gravel driveway with membrane, edging and compaction.
How to Lay Laminate Flooring
Step-by-step guide to laying laminate flooring with underlay and expansion gaps.
How to Lay Vinyl Flooring
Step-by-step guide to laying sheet vinyl and luxury vinyl tile (LVT) flooring.
How to Mix Concrete
Step-by-step guide to mixing concrete with C20, C25 and C30 ratios for different applications.
How to Plasterboard a Room
Step-by-step guide to fixing plasterboard to walls and ceilings with screws and adhesive.
How to Pour Screed
Step-by-step guide to mixing and pouring sand and cement floor screed.
How to Prepare a Surface for Painting
Step-by-step guide to preparing walls, woodwork and ceilings for painting.
How to Remove a Load-Bearing Wall
Step-by-step guide to removing a load-bearing wall with steel beam, padstones and building control.
How to Render an External Wall
Step-by-step guide to applying sand and cement render to external walls.
How to Repoint Brickwork
Step-by-step guide to raking out and repointing brick and stone mortar joints.
How to Tile a Bathroom
Step-by-step guide to tiling bathroom walls and floors with waterproofing.
How to Tile a Roof
Step-by-step guide to tiling a roof with battens, underlay and tile fixing.
How to Tile a Shower Wall
Step-by-step guide to tiling a shower enclosure with tanking and waterproof joints.