Hello. I have a dilemma. I have the front room of my house currently lifted for floor works and have noticed that the mains water pipe comes in from the front of the house (from the boundary water cock) on about 3m of 15mm copper pipe.

There is then a joint in this front room that connects it to a 22mm galvanised steel pipe.

The steel pipe then runs under a supporting wall through the rest of the house to the kitchen, where the internal stopcock is.

Water pressure is really, really good both downstairs and upstairs and after leaving the house for days or even weeks the water always flows clear, so no signs of rust or blockages.

Since the house is 1930's built, though i have no idea when the pipes were installed (noting there's already this copper pipe change in place). Is it worth changing this steel pipe now?

Also is the 15mm incoming pipe okay or should I increase to 22mm? House is on a combi boiler.

The dilemma is that it would mean tearing up the rest of the floors in the ot

UK centric because this is probably related to dampness in the room which I am guessing is a common issue for a lot of us. One of my doors has, I can only describe as, swelled up such that it doesn't close snuggly. I'm guessing it's because of the moisture it's taken on or something. It just hits against the door frame. So whilst it is "closed" it never really fits into the frame and you can see gaps around the edges. I should mention the door is wood. No idea what type, it's fairly light so cheap wood I think 🤔.

What's the best thing to do here? Sand it down? Any tips on that? I've never done that before. Repaint after sanding? Get one of those furry door strips to stop heat leaking through the newly sanded door? Should I leave it because I might do more damage than its worth in the long run?

Cheers.

Has anyone else experienced this?

That second when you realise that you really can't just wing it, and you actually have to calculate something, or take it more seriously.

Buying a few rolls of insulation for the loft, then having the moment of "wait, this isn't just two rolls worth, I have to actually add this up, and order for delivery"

Loading up the car for a trip to the dump, then noticing that it's riding a bit low, and finding out that 9 bags of rubble is actually 50% of the total kerbweight.

I wasn't even aware of this one until it came into force today.

My local tip has listed it as "Up to two 50L rubble bags at a frequency of 4 visits per household over a 4 week period"

Honestly, that's pretty fair. If you have a big lot of waste, a skip is still worth it. (a 6-yard is about 70+ rubble sacks worth)

But for smaller projects, this is great. And hopefully should reduce fly-tipping a little.

Edit: Swapped the "oh no, council tax might go up" BBC article for the gov.uk press release. BBC article here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65977938

In 2018, I built a deck, using a massive box of screws, a slightly knackered corded hammer drill, a philips bit I found in the cupboard when I moved in, a rusty old saw, and some decking I got off Gumtree.

I was sawing everything by hand, trying to keep things straight. Driving screws in with a drill that had only two real speeds, fast, and lightspeed. And the bit kept disappearing into the chuck, as it only held so tightly.

A few years later, I started buying proper powertools, and did another deck. And oh my word...The difference.

Cutting a 2x3 takes seconds with the circular, and the line is actually straight. Driving a 100mm screw is no longer a 5 minute job, now I have an impact driver. And not having to run an extension cord for every little job? A proper perk.

I don't think I could go back to doing DIY without my new friends. Has anyone else here had a similar revelation after finally buying the right tools for the job?