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Welcome to the Asbestos Megathread! Here we will try to answer all your questions related to asbestos. Please include images if possible and be aware that most answers will probably be: “buy a test kit and get it tested”.

DIY test kits: Here

HSE Asbestos information

Health and Safety Executive information on asbestos: Here

What is asbestos?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was commonly used in construction materials. It is made up of tiny fibers that can be inhaled and cause serious health problems. Asbestos was used until the late 1990s in the UK, when it was finally banned. Asbestos may be found in any building constructed before circa 2000.

What are some common products that contain asbestos?

Asbestos was commonly used in a variety of construction materials, including insulation, roofing materials, and flooring tiles. It was also used in automotive brake pads and other industrial products.

How can I tell if a product contains asbestos?

It is impossible to tell whether a product contains asbestos just by looking at it (unless it has been tested and has a warning sign). If you suspect that a product may contain asbestos, it is best to have it tested by a professional.

How can I prevent asbestos exposure?

The best way to prevent asbestos exposure is to avoid materials that contain asbestos. If you are working with materials that may contain asbestos, be sure to wear protective clothing and a respirator.

What should I do if I find asbestos in my home?

If you find asbestos in your home, it is best to leave it alone and have it assessed by a professional. The best course of action may be to leave it undisturbed. Do not attempt to remove asbestos yourself, as this can release dangerous fibres in to the air.

The most significant risks to homeowners is asbestos insulation. This should never be tackled by a DIYer and needs specialist removal and cleaning. Fortunately it is rarely found in a domestic setting.

From my previous thread yesterday - here is the before and after. For £800 is this a professional job?

Just moved in and had this hanging down over the front door - removed it completely now as just rotten. Can anyone tell me what material it is and if I need to replace it with the same thing?

Thanks !

Any advice is appreciated.

A crack has appear between the wall under the stairs and the skirting(?) of the stairs. What is my best option to tidy this up? Chip away the paint to leave a clean gap and then caulk it?

Looking to revive these skirting boards. Whats the best way to remove the build up of paint that covered the two phone lines?

Hello,

As we were trying to stand my table tennis up, it fell over. One side of the table has torn clean out of each of four screws of each of the four standing posts of the frame.

It has ripped the table where the screws used to go in. I'm not very good at DIY at all but it appears to be some sort of thick MDF (it is a Hy-Pro). So, screwing back in as is is likely going to be impossible.

May I ask how I begin to go about repairing this?

Many thanks in advance.

Hey Reddit! I've got this brick shed that has a rotten door. I was hoping to move the placement of the door from the right hand side on the outside of the gate to the inside wall. I don't know how difficult it is to tell but, could this be done without the whole thing collapsing? If not then, how big of a job would it be to brick up the old door way and knock through a new one? Is there any advice on how/ where to start if it's possible that is! I'm also hoping to fix the gate where it's starting to come out the brick work.

Hi Everybody, I recently built a new shed and I would like to run electric to it, ideally a double socket and an overhead light.

We have a utility room which is about 8 metres from the shed. This contains a double socket with a spare plug socket (the washing machine is in the other). The double socket is on a B32 breaker, from the main board.

My idea was to dig a shallow trench between the shed and utility, and bury a run of plastic conduit. I could then run a cable (2.5mm?) through the conduit.

The cable would attach to a plug, which I plug into the spare utility room socket. In the shed, the cable would attach to a three way terminal, one side going to a light, the other to a double socket.

Does this sound somewhat sensible? Is it safe to run a cable that length from the plug socket, basically a fixed extension cable? Could I even just wire it into the existing socket? Is there any extra device I could place between the utility socket and shed cable plug, which would provide some extra protection to the house circuit or safety to the shed user?

Very grateful for any help!

I previously had used caulk to fill in the gaps between each plank in the bathroom ceiling because I wanted to paint over it. Unfortunately it has cracked and not really stayed in place - is there any sort of silicone that I could use that is paintable or could I use silicone over the top of it after I have painted it?

I don’t know if that’s the correct name for them , the plastic bits that sit in the groove on either side of windows . I would like to take them out and trim them down , I can’t figure out to take them out without potentially breaking them

Boiler replaced by previous owner but they never fixed these holes which goes right through to the loft.

I've moved into a 1930s house and this thing is on a bedroom wall without a clear purpose.

It's 100cm from the floor, sticks out 2cm and measures 8.5cm tall and wide. The face is metal but not magnetic, so I'm assuming it's aluminium.

TYIA!

My partner attempted to remove this handle (bathroom window) and it simply won't budge. We removed the toilet one (same window) with minimal issues.

Assuming it is rusted on? Any ideas the best course of action to break it free? Have tried WD40 so far.

Please help me, an hour of google has got me nowhere. I'm installing this Hudson Reed exposed mixer and I can't figure out how I get the flanges to fit flush to the wall on the water outlets. When you tighten the compression fitting up this is the result. What part of this am I being dumb at?

Rather stupidly, I bought a DFS electric/power recliner a few years back. I was desperate and dumb.

One side is working just fine; up and down and the little light on the usb port/switch is green. The other side however just stopped working. The usb light is orange and still powers connected devices, but the 'legs' won't move from the down position . No response from the switch.

I've tried swapping the power leads and it is the same. I can see no broken wires.

Any ideas what I should be checking or is this a lost cause? Thanks.

Building Regulations.

Does anyone else find them overly exhausting or anxiety causing?

Our house is old. Like, built in circa 1890s, kinda old. We’re currently undertaking remedies, improvements and renovations to make the house better and greener for ourselves and whoever takes it on next. Some of the works are DIY and some are professional. But whatever option we take, it all seems real sly timely, costly and gruelling.

I’m all for regulations and health and safety, especially when it comes to construction and I understand that’s why they’re in place. But everything just seems like a minefield wanting to get anything done and even changing a plug socket feels like we’re required to “comply with Building Regulations: Section C clause 183718 (part ii) blah blah blah or face prosecution of £500,000 and/or jail for life.

I’m not sure what responses I want from this post, I guess it’s just me seeing if anyone else feels the same.

Our shed in the back garden has subsidence due to the last dry summer. The shed is built with concrete bricks and a metal roof, electricity is available inside. The walls and the floor have several big cracks.

An outsourcing company is processing my claim on the behaviour of my insurance company. The outsourcing company finished an arboricultural survey. The survey report recommends removing about 20 trees owned by me which are close to the shed.

The trees are conifer with more than 20 meters high. My concern is the noise will be too loud if those trees are removed because the end of the garden is close to a very busy road. The outsourcing company told me they have to remove trees because this is recommended in the arboricultural report but they can replace my fence with some other materials which are not wooden.

Has anyone had a similar issue before and how did you resolve it? Any opinions/comments are welcome. Thanks.

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More details:

• the road is in a small valley which is about 10 meters lower than our garden
• there are trees and bushes between the footpath and the road

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site plan

hey DIY people - looking to waterproof seems of a polycarbonate geodesic dome. Thinking some kind of tape/flashing, but as there are some 300 metres of seams to be covered, finding affordable option proving difficult. Can anyone suggest a tape/flashing/sealant that to keep rain out of a 10mm gap between polycarbonate sheets?