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• Butt joint – This is a very simple joint, but it’s also the weakest. With a butt joint, two pieces of wood are simply ‘butted’ together, and attached with glue, nails or screws. It is most commonly used to attach narrow boards side by side, in order to make one wide panel. Joiners often use this technique to make tabletops or cabinet doors.
• Box or Finger joint – A box joint joins two boards at their corners, using a decorative ‘teeth’ effect, whereby the boards are slotted into each other. Because of its pretty look, joiners often use these joints for jewellery boxes or other ornamental features.
• Dowel Joint – This joinery technique is an extension of the butt joint, and utilises wooden dowels to help strengthen the bond between the two boards. Some joiners pass the dowels right through the other piece of wood, and sand them flush with the surface for a more visually appealing look.
• Dovetail joint – This is an extremely strong joint, but is also one of the most complex joinery techniques. The joints are attached by cutting small dovetail shapes into each one, which will align with the other half. This also gives a large surface for glue, making the bond even stronger. Its most common use is to attach drawer fronts, but it’s also sometimes used for more decorative pieces.
• Half-lap joint – A very simple joint, where the wood is joined by removing half the width from each board so that they overlap each other completely when joined.
• Miter joint – Like the butt joint, this isn’t a particularly strong joint. But it is a very simple and quick way to connect two pieces of wood together at any angle required. Each edge of wood is cut to half the overall angle, and the two pieces are joined together using glue, nails or screws.
• Mortise and Tendon joint – This is an extremely strong and widely used joinery technique. One piece of wood will have a small slot cut into it, known as a mortise, while the other will have a piece at its front cut to the same size as the mortise. This is known as a tendon. The two will then slot together. Joiners use this method for building tables, panelling, tables and cabinet doors.
• Rabbit and Dado joint – Another simple joint, used extensively by professional joiners, which works by inserting one piece of wood into a groove in another piece of wood. The Rabbit and Dado joint is extremely strong, and is used widely in the construction of bookcases and cabinets.
• Spline Joint – Joiners most commonly use this kind of joint to strengthen the weak butt or miter joints. It works by inserting a strip of wood into two matching channels cut into two matching pieces of wood.

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Regular Servicing

Regular servicing – at least annually – is important, especially with older boilers. Potential faults can be spotted before they cause central heating problems, and the system can be checked to ensure it is still working at its most efficient. This will ensure your home is being heated properly, safely and cost effectively.

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A service should include the following:

• Checking your boiler to ensure it meets current regulations.
• Removing boiler casing to ensure the main parts are working correctly, and removal of dust/debris.
• Flue terminals checked to ensure they are sealed properly and have no obstructions.
• Gas valve checked to ensure boiler is combusting properly.
• A boiler servicing report should be provided showing the checks undertaken and the results.

Power Flushing

A preventative measure that may be performed as part of the central heating service. Water with cleaning additives is flushed through the system to remove corrosive materials and sludge that may have built up. Flushing will help distribute the heat more evenly, and should help reduce the energy required to pump water through the system.

If noises are heard from your central heating system – such as clanking sounds -  then it is likely that sludge and other deposits have built up to a level where water circulation and heating efficiency is impaired.

Power flushing should be left to an expert.

Checking Your Radiators

If the heat is not evenly distributed throughout the radiator – if the top is cold and the bottom is hot, for example – then your radiator requires bleeding. You can do this yourself: various web sites will show you how, but if you are not confident seek the services of a professional.

If bleeding is required frequently, it may indicate air getting into your system. Ask a professional to check out the source.

Central Heating Noises

As mentioned in ‘power flushing’ above, noises such as clanking can indicate a build up of sludge, deposits and maybe air in the heating system. One or more radiators may require bleeding.

Boiler Pressure

Check your boiler’s pressure if possible. If it drops below the prescribed levels, then a simple valve adjustment may be required or it could indicate a leak in the system. Either way, seek out the services of a professional.

Run the Central Heating Regularly

Perhaps only applicable to older boilers and systems, but it is worth running the heating system periodically even when not actually required. Once a month is ideal to prevent possible seizures.

Stains and Discolourations

If you find any stains and discolourations around your boiler or flue, call a professional immediately. This could indicate a leak.

Professional Expertise

Do NOT be tempted to undertake work on your boiler or central heating apart from the basic visual checks described above. Consult a Gas Safe Registered (formerly CORGI) heating engineer.

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First of all, you should consider the fact that if you do not look after your carpets, they may need to be replaced more often which can be costly. Keeping your carpets clean can help to keep them more durable as dirt and debris stuck in them breaks down and can break the carpet down with it. In addition, it’s far nicer for guests to come into your home when the carpets are clean, as this makes your house look more tidy and looked after.

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But more importantly, there are health reasons to keep the carpets clean in your home, especially if there are vulnerable people in the home such as young children. First of all, dirty carpets can attract bugs and creepy crawlies, which is really not something you want. The carpet traps dirt, dust, dead skin cells and scraps of food. Of course, many of these things are food to insects, and because carpets are inside the home where temperatures are warm and bacteria can grow, it’s the perfect environment for critters that you’d rather not have there. Some insects such as dust mites also leave droppings which are allergens and can cause allergic reactions in humans, especially those with asthma. Cleaning the carpets removes the dirt and food scraps that the bugs feed on.

Having your carpets cleaned professionally on a regular basis also helps to stop mold from forming in the carpets. The home is warm and may have moisture in the air which is absorbed by the carpet, so it’s the perfect breeding ground for mold and fungus. Mold and fungus can lead to skin allergies and can cause rashes. Having the carpets cleaned every few months can prevent the build up and formation of mold and fungus, and the chemicals used when the carpets are being cleaned professionally can ensure that no fungus contamination occurs in the home.

Another great advantage of cleaning the carpets is that it can keep the carpets fluffy and in good shape. Carpets get flattened out by being walked across day after day, and so having it cleaned can freshen the fibres up and give them their original shape so that they look full of life.

If you have pets, pet fur and dirt can be a breeding ground for ticks and fleas, so it is essential that you get the carpets cleaned to remove this. Not to mention the smell if pet fur and dirt is not cleaned up on a regular basis, which is not very pleasant for guests.

It is far easier if you need your carpet cleaning to have it done by expert professional cleaners, as they will have all of the necessary equipment for removing stains to ensure that there are no marks on it, and they will also have the knowledge of how to use the equipment to its full potential, and years of experience in cleaning carpets properly to avoid damage.

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Obviously, there must be an adequate difference in pressure between room and roof for this to work, so chimney height, holes that reduce the pressure and even over-effective double-glazing in the room can have an impact.

It is essential that a fireplace has adequate ventilation to the outside, as it must be able to remove from the room the carbon monoxide created by a fire. Why so important? Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas, which kills by slowly replacing the oxygen in the bloodstream. The recommended level of the gas in any room is no more than fifty parts per million. Above that, drowsiness and sleep can result, followed by a very unpleasant outcome. If your chimney is showing signs of wear from the outside, consider calling on a roofing company or chimney repair expert to look at the chimney for you.

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It is also wise to buy a CO detector if there is an open fire or stove in any room in the house. This is similar to a smoke detector, triggering if the level of CO rises to a dangerous level. Luckily, it is also easy to spot the most common signs of problems that may cause carbon monoxide to accumulate.

If a fire does not ‘draw’ even when the chimney is warmed up, or pieces of brick, mortar or soot drop into the hearth, it is time for action. The most likely cause is that the flue is restricted by soot or debris, and possibly the flue is damaged in some way. This can cause a considerable fire hazard as well as gas build up, especially in older properties where joists may be built into the brickwork of the stack. Again, consider using the services of a roofing company or someone who is experienced in chimney repairs.

It may also be sensible to have the chimney swept. An experienced roofer or chimney installer should then check for any obstruction or damage. It is likely that they will carry out a smoke test to ensure that there is adequate draw to rid the room of fumes. A CCTV check will determine if the flue or chimney is damaged. Ensure that a chimney specialist, not a jobbing builder, carries out any construction or repair work.

Another symptom of problems is the chimneybreast becoming excessively hot, or stains appearing on the wall. This may also occur in the room above and is a sign that condensed tar or acids are eating into the brick or mortar.

If the inside of the flue is seriously damaged it may be possible to insert a flue liner to solve the problem without the need to rebuild the chimney stack. Liners may be stainless steel or ceramic tubes, flexible or rigid, depending on the requirement. Once again, consult an expert to check for damage. A trained, professional installer will be able to certify the work once it is completed.

Finally, if you suspect any problem with CO or smoke from the fire in a room, take action immediately. Death from fire or carbon monoxide poisoning is a very real threat.

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You guttering will require occasional maintenance if the above situation is to be avoided. A leaking gutter is at best inconvenient and at worst potentially damaging to your property.

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Why Effective Guttering Is Important

Guttering is designed to gather the rain water running off your roof, and channel it away from the building. Without guttering the rain would run straight down the walls soaking the brickwork, and fall onto the ground close to the building potentially working its way into the foundations.

Neglected guttering can eventually lose its effectiveness through becoming clogged with debris such as leaves, silt washed off the roof, bird nests and more. If clogging becomes too acute, blockages are likely, water cannot run freely along the gutter, and will overflow and leak out into the roof and/or down the walls.

The weight of the debris, sludge and trapped water can cause the guttering to pull away from its mountings on the roof fascia boards. Expensive repairs are the net result.

In the UK, our climate with usually high levels of rain fall makes heavy demands on guttering. Regular checks and cleaning/maintenance will help avoid major remedial guttering work and possibly structural repairs.

What Maintenance Should Be Undertaken?

Inspection and cleaning: If you plan to do this yourself, prepare properly and do not rush. You will need a ladder, so ensure you observe basic safety principles in its use.

Check for obvious signs of ‘silting’ and evidence of loose fixings where guttering may be detaching from its mountings. When removing the debris, scoop the matter into a bin bag. It’s better to use several bags with light amounts of debris rather than fill up one bag to capacity – the weight of the bag can be dangerous up the ladder and awkward to take down when you descend.

A hose pipe can be used to flush away debris and to try and clear blockages. Do not overdo it: guttering is not designed to take water at high pressure. Similarly, do not be too aggressive with scooping debris out – guttering can crack easily.

Professional Guttering Services

If you do not fancy the idea of tackling cleaning/maintenance tasks yourself, maybe the best tool for the your guttering maintenance is the Internet. There are many companies offering specialist roof and guttering cleaning/maintenance services. Any worth their salt will offer a no obligation quote for a general check over, and for any specific work required.

Some window cleaners offer a basic gutter inspection/cleaning service they combine with cleaning your windows. It could be worth enquiring if yours does.

If you have a sloping roof, there are two main types of roof insulation available – in the forms of a warm loft or a cold loft. With a warm loft, you insulate immediately under the roof, thus warming the loft space as well as the house. This option is generally more expensive, but will keep the temperature of the house more stable – giving a greater level of heat retention in winter, and helping to keep the house cool in summer.

A cold loft is where you insulate immediately above the ceiling of the top storey of the house, thereby preventing heat from your house from escaping into the loft. Although a cold roof can get hotter in summer, it’s worth bearing in mind that there are energy-efficiency grants available for cold loft roof insulation, which will save you considerable amounts of money.

If you’re doing a DIY job, then cold loft insulation is by far the simplest option. If there is already some insulation in your loft, check the depth of it. The recommended depth of insulation (glass or mineral wool) is 250-270mm. If existing insulation is below 100mm, it’s probably best to throw it away and start again as it’s probably pretty old. If it’s over 100mm, then you can ‘top it up’ with new wool, which is easily done, as modern insulation tends to be sold in depths of either 100 or 170mm.

Before you start, remember to clear the loft out so as to have a clear surface to work with. Start by insulating the main floor area, and don’t forget to insulate the loft hatch itself! Using a block of polystyrene insulation, and sealing any gaps around the side with draught proofing strips easily does this. Remember to cover any pipes with pipe insulation to prevent burst pipes (as the loft will be colder than the house). You can only insulate under any tanks if they are at least 10cms above the insulation. Otherwise they could freeze. Insulation should go up the side and over any tanks. Leave electrical cables exposed or, if there is enough slack in them gently raise them and put insulation underneath. Finally, if you have any recessed halogen lights in rooms below the loft you must protect them with loft caps or loft covers before insulation. Otherwise you run the risk of a fire!

If you want to carry on storing things in your loft, make sure to use an insulation product that has a wooden or polystyrene layer on top of it, as objects cannot be placed directly on normal insulation. Whilst polystyrene is not as hard wearing as wood, it will provide the best insulation.

Awareness of some basic aerial factors will help make the most of new and existing TV equipment.

‘Digital Aerials’ Do Not Exist

There is no such thing as a ‘digital aerial’. An existing aerial installation should work perfectly well with digital TV equipment. It is even possible that your existing aerial will work more effectively when connected to digital equipment than analogue due to the extra strength of digital signals. So if anyone says you ‘need a digital aerial,’ it is completely untrue.

Aerial Quality

There are big differences in build quality between aerials. An aerial installation should last many years, and may be outside on the roof battling the elements, so a sturdy well made one is well worth the investment. Find an installer with a decent track record and comes recommended.

It is not as simple as asking your aerial installer to fit ‘the best aerial you have at any price.’ The best aerial will depend heavily on the signal strength in your area and, if poor, which transmitter serves you.

Aerial Groups/Widebands

With regard to frequencies and tuning considerations, there are two options with your aerial choice. Due to the difficulty of one aerial performing well across the whole frequency band TV broadcasts use, individual transmitters group their broadcasts into one group of frequencies. Each group has a letter designation, so if your transmitter is on, say, ‘A’ group frequencies you would require an aerial tuned to this band of frequencies.

An alternative to this is to install a wideband aerial. As its name suggests, it covers the entire frequency range so should be suitable regardless of your transmitter’s frequency band. Therefore, a wideband appears the obvious choice – but it is not as simple as that. Much depends on the signal strength of the transmitter: a wideband aerial will not necessarily perform as well as a ‘grouped frequency’ aerial in a given frequency range.

If the signal is strong enough, a wideband aerial should perform satisfactorily. With more areas switching to digital, widebands should be more useable as the digital signal is generally more powerful than the old analogue one.

Signal Strength

Do neighbours receive a good signal? What type of aerial do they use? Is your transmitter nearby?

Siting

As you can imagine, where you site your aerial will make a huge difference to reception. A roof installation will be better than a loft insulation, which in turn will be better than an indoor aerial.

Professional Installation

While you may use a professional installer, awareness of the above factors can help you make the best choice of aerial and prevent you spending more than you need to.

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If the building is in an industrial area, the roof may be corrugated, asphalt or metal. In rural areas, agricultural buildings may have solar panels installed in the roof to provide an income for the owner. Some companies will lease the roofs of large agricultural buildings in order to earn the Feed in Tariffs (FiTs) which are earned when electricity generated from renewable sources is fed back to the National Grid.

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For residential property, there is a wide range of roofing materials, from modern solar tiles to old fashioned quarry tiles. The planning offices of local councils may insist that the builder uses local materials during the construction process. If the building is in Wales, for example, they may insist in using Welsh slate when constructing the roof. In urban areas, especially in terraced streets, the roofing materials must be sympathetic with other properties in the street and not detract too much from the colours and styles of neighbouring properties. In rural areas also, the style and type of roofing materials proposed are a big factor in whether planning permission will be granted.

The energy efficiency of a building is high on the agenda nowadays and some of the traditional roofing materials such as slate and quarry tiles are not good heat conductors. That is not to say that they should not be used, but they can be used with renewable energy products such as solar panels, solar tiles and wind generators mounted on the roof alongside the more traditional materials. Planning regulations also take into account landscaping and the visual impact of a building under construction, and roof lines and roofing materials used must fulfil the requirements of the local planning office and building standards.

Wherever the property is and whatever the style, it is essential that the roof is watertight and this will depend largely on the type of roofing materials used. The roof must be lined with insulation products to prevent heat loss from the roof. Roofing contractors must comply with building regulations relating to the energy efficiency of a property, and this includes the roofing materials used inside as well as outside the roof. By using quality roofing materials and a reputable roofing contractor, the risks of a leaky roof are minimised, ensuring a dry property free from deterioration due to the vagaries of the weather.

But the skilled joiner has a wide range of joint types available, each with a specific purpose and dependent on the job in hand.

Simplest of all is the butt joint. This is simply one piece of wood butted into another, normally at a right angle, or square to the other board. It is fastened using mechanical fasteners. This type of joint is often used in wall framing on construction sites or other simple bits of joinery. As with any wood joint, an accurate cut when preparing the two pieces is critical. The joint itself is secured by strong wood glue and, especially with hardwoods, by woodscrews.

A slightly more sophisticated version of this joint is the mitered butt, often seen in skirting boards. Here the two boards are joined at an angle, giving the advantage of no end-grain on view once the joint is made, but it is less strong than the simpler butt joint.

Another simple, but very useful, joint is the half-lap. Each piece of the join, normally of the same thickness, has half of the wood removed. Using this style, the two boards can be fastened together with adding any thickness to the piece. Most joiners will use this technique for right-angled joints, particularly in furniture such as desks and cupboards, where the extra strength is required.

The mortise and tenon joint has been popular for centuries with professional joiners requiring a right-angled join. It is both strong and simple, comprising one piece of wood, the tenon, inserted into the other, the mortise, and fastened, normally using glue. On old pieces of furniture, it is common to see the tenon protruding from the joint and fixed by a wooden pin. Some modern joiners still use this method to give an aged effect.

Finally, the through dovetailed joint, which is seen by all joinery craftsmen as the king of joints. Dovetail joints can be very difficult to create, even for the experienced joiner, but dovetailing jigs have made this much easier in recent times. This is, without doubt the most sophisticated and aesthetically pleasing join.

The through dovetail is the most common dovetail joint used in drawer construction. Check inside any wooden dresser or chest of drawers and you will see one variation or another of the dovetail. Half-blind dovetails, where the sides of the tails are visible but not the ends, are used when the sides of the drawer must connect directly with the face. Dovetails on drawers should only be visible when the drawer is opened, but hidden when is closed.

An experienced joiner will be able to help to decide which of these, and the many other ways of joining wood, is most appropriate for your job.

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Many think a quick once over with the vacuum once a week will do the job. Maybe it will for a while, but even in the cleanest of homes with little carpet use there will come a time when proper carpet cleaning is necessary. Cleaning is not just for the obvious reasons such as removing a spilt red wine stain or some dried mud deposited by someone who did not wipe their feet properly.

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Much is happening invisible to the naked eye to cause your carpets to deteriorate and, very likely, cause a health hazard.

Dirt

Carpets attract dirt deposits like a magnet, and while vacuuming will help, it is not enough to stop the build up of small dirt deposits in the pile of the carpet. Dirt particles act as an abrasive, and every time you tread on the carpet you grind dirt into the carpet fibres and it cuts through them like a knife. After a while, especially if even routine vacuuming is neglected, the fibres deteriorate as they are cut up and the carpet wears out.

Regular vacuuming and a periodic deep carpet clean to remove the dirt particles is essential to preserve the look and effectiveness of your carpet, and prolong its life.

Pollutants, Chemicals, Pollens, Bacteria and More

Outside air and the environment contains a multitude of chemicals, pollens, dust, fungus, exhaust fumes, germs, cigarette smoke and more. To varying degrees, all or most of these can end up on your carpet from people carrying them in to transmission through open doors and windows.

Over a period of time this can compound to the point where your carpet could be, unbeknown to you, teeming with bacteria and building up an odour of smoke and other toxins. Vacuuming may help a little, but a regular deep carpet cleaning is the only way to keep this cocktail of hazards at bay.

Dust Mites

So small they are invisible to the naked eye: at least ten would fit into the full stop at the end of this sentence. They live in various parts of the home amongst the soft furnishings, and there are many in the average carpet. They pose a health risk in the home if allowed to flourish unchecked – they have been identified as a major cause of asthma, for example.  Regular vacuuming helps, but again professional carpet cleaning is the only sure way to control the growth of mites.

Unknown Carpet History

If you have moved house, you have no real idea of how clean the carpeting really is. It may look clean – but when did it have a thorough deep clean? There may be millions of dirt fibres and mites buried deep in the pile. A professional carpet cleaning will reassure you.

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