North Leeds Plumbing & Heating – Home Improvement and DIY Advice

Finding a place to live is never and easy task and Sheffield is no exception. The ‘Steel City’ has, ever since the Industrial Revolution been the hub of iron and steel production in the United Kingdom; it is also recognised as a premier business destination for retail, IT and financial services. With a growth rate of 5% per annum, the number of skilled medium-income and high-income jobs has grown exponentially, attracting talent from all over the country. Given this robust economic environment, the demand for property to rent has also grown. The city’s two main centres of education, Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield, contribute significantly to the influx of potential tenants. 

Finding apartments in Sheffield 

For anyone searching for a flat to rent in Sheffield there is a wide range of options available to suit every requirement and budget. The most popular types of rented flat are the furnished, single-bedroom, with a separate bathroom or the two-bed furnished apartment with two bathrooms, which is most popular with couples. The majority of these flats are located in and around Sheffield’s business areas and near the city centre at the intersection of the A61 and A57 roads. 

Prices and location 

While most apartment to rent in Sheffield that are located near the business district have rents ranging from £600 to £1,200 pcm, student apartments are far more affordable, costing between £180 to £400 pcm, depending on several factors, such as the age and location of the building, shared facilities and proximity to the university campuses. Several apartment blocks in Bradfield Road, Kelham Island, St. Paul’s Square and Blonk Street carry a mid-range price tag of £450 to £600 pcm. 

With affordable, furnished and unfurnished rental options available, Sheffield properties are in high demand, giving the real estate industry a boost, a positive reflection of the region’s resilient economy.

Things inevitably change over time, with trees growing taller, roads getting wider and noisier, neighbours building extensions that interfere with the amount of sunlight your property receives, and so on. These are all factors that have the potential to destroy or seriously interfere with your enjoyment of your beloved patio.

There are several ways of reacting to such changes. You might consider, for example, moving the whole patio slightly and recycling parts of the old foundation. You could go the whole hog and simply lift the whole thing and reuse the materials in some other way. It may improve matters to construct a screen to one side of the patio to add some privacy if this is what’s at issue, or prune a large tree to allow more sunlight in.

If these options are not viable ones under the circumstances, the patio is too small and in the wrong place, or if you’ve just moved to a new house and hate the patio, period, then it’s probably a good idea to write it off and start all over again from scratch. This is, however, the last possible option, so don’t rush into it and instead try to think a bit laterally and see whether other less traumatic solutions emerge.

An old patio for example might be perfect as a children’s play area, for instance, or as the base of a new garden hut. Even if you do decide to scrap it, then if the materials cannot be reclaimed intact they can certainly be put to good use somewhere as hardcore.

There are many different types of window blind, but most of them are attached to the window frame in the same way. Whether you have roller blinds, vertical blinds or horizontal slats, installing them is a straightforward job that any DIY enthusiast can master. The basic tools you need are a tape measure, a pencil, and a set of screwdrivers.

Before you buy or order your blinds, you need to measure the exact width of the window and decide whether you want the blind to hang inside or outside the recess. The style of blind you choose, or the design of your windows may be a deciding factor. An inside width measurement needs to be covering all the glass but not touching the sides of the recess. An outside width measurement should be at least a few centimetres wider than the window recess. When measuring the length it is best to allow a little extra, as you can’t do anything with blinds that are too short.

A new window blind should come packaged with a set of brackets and screws with it. If you are hanging it inside the window recess, you often have a choice of positions to placing the bracket, such as wall-mounted or ceiling-mounted. The design and construction of your window is likely to dictate this decision. It helps to know how your window frames are constructed because you may find there is a metal plate hidden under the plaster where you wanted to drill. 

Once you know exactly where the brackets will be positioned, hold them in place and mark the drill holes on the wall with a pencil. Depending on what you are drilling into – brick, plasterboard, or wood – you may need to buy the appropriate plastic wall plugs. You can then screw in the brackets and get your lovely new blind mounted.

Mixing up to 2m³ of concrete is not difficult if a concrete mixer has been hired. In addition to the mixer, the DIY practitioner will need handy sources of water and electricity, a shovel, wheelbarrow, sufficient sand and aggregate and, kept somewhere dry but close, the cement.

Start the mixer and tilt the drum to about 45% above horizontal before putting anything in. As a rule, the mixer should always be empty when switched off or it may prove impossible to start and clean.

Begin putting the appropriate amount and proportions of sand and aggregate into the drum. Neither overload the drum nor under fill it so that maximum efficiency is achieved. The proportions of sand and cement vary according to purpose. A general-purpose mix is 1:2:3 cement: sand: aggregate (1:4 if using combined aggregate). Foundation concrete, however, needs 1:2½:3½, while a paving mix will be 1:1½:2½. Building professionals often use a shovel load as a measure.

When about half the ballast ingredients have been mixed, add some water and mix for a couple of minutes. Now add all the cement. The wet mix will reduce the amount of cement dust expelled from the mixer. Add the remaining sand and stone and, very slowly, water, seeking a point where the mix falls away from the barrel about ¾ of the way up the barrel. The mixture is too dry if it goes over the top and too wet if it fails to rise up the side.

Run the mixer a little longer to confirm the mix then tip the barrel as it runs to pour the contents into a barrow waiting below.

The mixer, barrow, and other tools used with the concrete must be cleaned down if they are going to be left for an hour or overnight. Failure to do so thoroughly will ruin all the kit; loose lime will eat metal and the concrete will need chipping off.

Putting up shelves is one of the first DIY jobs that many beginners will tackle, and it is a good choice as the processes involved are straightforward, as long as the preparation and measurement is done correctly.
The first step is to decide how long you want the shelf to be and cut the wood accordingly.  If the shelf is just going onto an empty wall then measuring accurately is not too important, but it is best to get into the habit of double-checking measurements in case one day you need to put up a shelf in a tight space.

Wall brackets to support shelves come in many designs and styles, but the most important piece of DIY information is to know how much weight the brackets can support, especially if the shelf is going to be used for something heavy.  Follow the instructions that come with the brackets when it comes to how deep and wide the holes you drill into the wall need to be, as this will ensure they are securely attached to the wall, providing a solid and long-lasting base for your shelves.

It can be handy to have another pair of hands when putting up shelves, especially when it comes to making sure they are straight.  The holes for the brackets should only be drilled when you are sure that they are in exactly the right position and supporting the shelf in such a way that it lines up with the ceiling.  Get your assistant to check the shelf is level while you mark on the wall in pencil where the holes need to go.

Most people will be unaware that the type of hammer they probably have in their home is called a claw hammer. This is just one type of hammer that is popular for simple jobs, such as knocking in and pulling out nails. There are numerous other sorts of hammer and this article is going to look at some of the most popular types.

Sledgehammer

The sledgehammer is the biggest type of hammer, and the vast majority of its use is for destruction rather than construction. This hammer is perfect for breaking up even the toughest materials, but it can also be used for knocking in things such as fence posts.

Pin hammer

This is right at the other end of the spectrum from the sledgehammer. It is a small and lightweight hammer, used for knocking in very small pins and tacks. It is mostly used in the construction of small cabinets, or in joinery.

Power hammer

If you are going about a serious DIY project that involves a great many nails, then buying a power hammer can be a great solution. For those laying out decking or installing floorboards, this hammer makes the entire process much faster. They are expensive, however, so consider renting one if it is going to be a one-off job.

Club hammer

The club hammer is a lightweight version of the sledgehammer. It is also good for demolition but can also be used for more intricate construction tasks, such as driving a chisel. This hammer will typically be about five times lighter than a sledgehammer.

The cleaning technique will vary depending on the type of venetian blinds you have.  In general, these blinds are easy to clean and should be done once a week to once every two weeks, as they do tend to collect unwanted dust.

When cleaning these blinds, you will want a microfiber cloth or other type of cloth that doesn’t leave lint behind; there is nothing more frustrating than cleaning something and then trying to remove the little pieces of lint.

Before cleaning, always check the blinds for damage.  You can do this by closing the venetian blinds one way and wiping them with a dry cloth, study them thoroughly and then open and close them in the opposite direction, checking them again with a wipe of a dry cloth.

Wipe away unwanted dust

For regular cleaning, it is easy to just use a damp cloth to wipe away unwanted dust, which is easier and quicker than using polish.  You can always finish them off with polish if you have wooden venetian blinds, but a damp cloth will definitely do the trick.

Wipe along the closed slats, removing the dust.  Then open and close them the opposite way doing the same thing.  Once they are dust free, open up the blinds and allow to dry.

You may find marks or stubborn dirt.  A little bit of vinegar in the water works wonders and will have your venetian blinds clean without too much effort.

When it comes to wooden venetian blinds, it is always a good idea to use some polish on them after wiping and the blinds have dried, this just keeps them looking new and fresh.

With aluminium of plastic blinds, just use the vinegar in water to ensure all unwanted marks are removed, keeping them looking as new.

A router is a useful tool to use whilst working with wood. It can save time with cutting lines and can also give wonderful and polished effects. You can use one to make creative designs, as there are a variety of different designs. 

Correct usage is crucial for your safety and also to produce the best effects when used. The cutter is called a ‘bit’ and you can get many different attachments, which you can purchase in an array of designs. 

There are many different types of router available on the market. There are ones with different handles and ones that you can use at different speeds. A more common router is a D handled one. Plunge based routers and ones that are fixed at base are the two main types. In woodworking this tool is considered to be a powerful one that is very beneficial to the user, for both function and also for the aesthetic value that it produces.

A bidet is a handy piece of bathroom furniture if you have the space for it, and it is a lot easier to fit than the bath, WC or shower unit because it is usually lightweight and you can do the job on your own with a few simple tools.

A full set of instructions will come with any new unit you buy for a bathroom, and these should be read carefully before starting on any installation work. It is particularly important to get connections right in the bathroom because of possible health hygiene issues.

The first step in fitting a bidet is to assemble the tap and waste controls that come with it and lock them into place with back nuts. Then add the waste outlet and the spray rose and bed them firmly into place using plumber’s putty, scraping away any excess before continuing.

The flexible spray pipe is then connected between the control on the mixer unit and the rose that sits in the base of the bidet. Once that is done, assemble the pop-up waste control rods. Attach one of them to the mixer control and the other to the waste outlet.

A P-trap is next connected to the waste outlet on the bidet unit. This should be turned at a slight angle, so that it effectively clears the pop-up waste control rods.

As a last step, flexible copper pipes are fitted to the tap tails. This is to simplify the connections to the supply pipes when the bidet is placed in its final position.

As with many things in the decorating world, there is an important difference between the type of plaster that a professional would use and the type you might use yourself. Professional plaster can be challenging to use; it is complicated to mix, requires several coats, and needs a lot of skill to get just right. Fortunately, there are types of plaster that have been specially formulated for the amateur builder.

The two types of DIY plaster

Repair plaster is the first type and, unlike professional plaster, it only requires one coat. It is very easy to apply and can be used to cover areas of a wall that have become damaged. The plaster can be applied in quite a thick layer, up to five centimetres, so you can even cover areas that have been significantly damaged.

The second type of DIY plaster is finish plaster. As the name suggests this is used to create a smooth finish once you have done some work with the repair plaster. It provides a smoother surface for applying wallpaper to or just painting. You can also apply finish plaster directly to other surfaces in order to smooth them out.

The plastering toolkit

There is a specific type of trowel used for plastering, and in addition to this you will require a straight edge as well as something called a hawk. A hawk is the flat board that the plaster sits on, and you often see builders using these.

Applying the plaster

Put some plaster on the hawk and take some onto your trowel. Proceed to spread this onto the wall in a wide sweeping motion. You can use the straight edge to neaten things up. It does take a bit of getting used to, even with DIY plaster, but with a little practice it becomes an easy process.