Installing downlights: the complete step-by-step guide with sizes, costs and safety
Installing downlights in your ceiling? Complete guide with cut-out size, recess depth, number of spots, bathroom zones and realistic costs.
Building a built-in wardrobe to measure: the complete guide
Building a built-in wardrobe yourself? Board thicknesses, sizes, levelling on wonky walls, costs and the full guide from measuring up to fitting.
What is a sliding bevel?
A sliding bevel (in Dutch zweihaak) is an adjustable square used to copy any angle and transfer it to a workpiece. Construction, use, digital versions and tips for accurate marking out.
What is sulphur concrete?
Sulphur concrete is concrete in which molten, modified sulphur replaces cement and water as the binder. Production, properties, pros and cons, and what it is and is not suitable for.
What is blackwater?
Blackwater is wastewater from the toilet, containing urine and faeces. The difference with greywater, how it is drained and which systems collect and treat it separately.
What is a nesting roof tile?
A nesting roof tile (in Dutch zwaluwpan) is a special tile with an entrance hole under which swifts or swallows can nest. How it works, where to fit it, protection of nests and tips for re-roofing.
What is a zwalp?
A zwalp is a Dutch term for a heavy, square-sawn baulk of timber, usually oak, with the sapwood removed, as used in lock floors. Plus its military and water-related meanings.
What is a zoomlat?
A zoomlat is a Dutch building term for a batten fixed along the edge (zoom) of a component. Its meanings at a valley gutter, at a hip or ridge and on a windmill, with function and practical points.
What is a hem on metal roofing?
A hem (in Dutch zoom) is the folded or finished edge of a metal roof covering or sheet, such as zinc or lead. Explanation, uses and practical points.
What is a sole?
In building, a sole is the underside or base of a component, such as an embankment, a plane or a post. In Dutch, a brick sawn through its height is also called a sole (zool). All meanings with applications.