Chimney repair: spotting failing flashing and pointing safely
How to spot damp, failed lead flashing and mortar around a UK chimney, when to call a roofer or chimney specialist, and what to ask before repairs.
Emergency lighting at home: a simple power-cut plan
Set up torches, head torches and LED lanterns so everyone can move safely during a power cut. Includes placement, battery checks and candle safety.
What is a French casement window (stolpraam)?
A French casement window is a pair of side-hung sashes in one frame with no fixed central mullion, where one sash closes against the other. Dutch: stolpraam, or stolpdeur for doors.
What is a meeting stile bead (stolpnaald)?
A meeting stile bead, Dutch stolpnaald, is a half-round hardwood strip on one leaf of double casements or doors without a mullion, sealing the joint between the leaves.
What is a stolp farmhouse?
A stolp is a North Holland farmhouse type with a square plan and a pyramid roof over a heavy timber core, the vierkant, used for hay storage.
What is igneous rock?
Igneous rock forms when magma or lava cools and solidifies. It is divided into plutonic, dyke and volcanic rock, with granite and basalt as familiar building stones.
What is a timber stud wall?
A timber stud wall (Dutch stokkenwand) is a wall of vertical timber studs sheathed in plywood or similar board and finished with one or two layers of plasterboard.
What is an interior door threshold (stofdorpel)?
An interior door threshold, called a stofdorpel in Dutch, is the narrow raised strip under an internal door that finishes the floor coverings of two rooms, usually in beech or stone.
What is a stoa?
A stoa is a covered colonnaded hall of ancient Greek architecture: a solid back wall, an open row of columns at the front, often lining the agora.
What is De Stijl?
De Stijl was a Dutch art and architecture movement (1917-1932) led by Theo van Doesburg and Piet Mondrian, with Gerrit Rietveld: straight lines, planes and primary colours.