r/DIYIreland

I did my carpentry apprenticeship and time served in London, but we seem yo do things differently here and name things differently. (Like types of sand etc)

Im building a house by myself, walls and roof are done and starting inside (doors and windows due in 4 weeks)

In London a block wall would get 1-2 layers of hardwall plaster then a coat of finish plaster.

I picked went to builders merchants asked for hardwall, guy looked confused then i said hardwall plaster, he printed docket, i went out to yard and guy gave me skim (aka finish plaster) i looked around in the shed and didnt see any pallets of hardwall.

What do plasterers do here?

Hi all, I'm looking for recommendations for a decent, powerful lawnmower. I've been researching different models, but the reviews are quite conflicting. Some are highly rated, while others have complaints about issues that would be dealbreakers for me.

I've about ¼ acre of grass to cut, and I'm looking for something that can handle slightly longer, damp or mildly wet grass without constantly clogging.

Ideally, I'd like:

• Powerful engine capable of handling longer, heavier grass.
• Minimal clogging, particularly around the collection chute.
• Side discharge for longer or damp grass.
• Mulching option for regular maintenance.
• Large grass collector, although preventing clogging is more important than capacity.

My budget is around €300–€400 maximum. I realise this limits my options, particularly compared with the more expensive €1,000+ models.

My biggest priority is something reliable that can cut through heavier, damp grass without constantly blocking up or struggling.

Any recommendations or personal experiences with particular models would be greatly appreciated!

What would you do to your house that future you might thank you for, if you were in the DIY stage of a build before moving in ? Floor boards up upstairs etc all plumbing is new

- I’ve ran a 6 square and cat 6 to attic from garage for solar if I even need

- I’ve ran a 1.5 and 2.5 to attic incase I ever convert them so they are on own breakers

- I’ve ran Ethernet cables to hall, kitchen and landing for wired mesh network

- I’ve ran spare Cat 6 to attic incase for future for CCTV etc

What am I missing ?

Does anyone know where I might get a storage unit for under a bathroom sink to fit roughly 80 cm wide x 40 cm high? It's an awkward space in that the pipe is in the centre as shown in the pic, so it'd need to fit under or around that. I looked at Ikea but I couldn't see anything that would fit.

https://preview.redd.it/hselyv1fttuh1.jpg?width=1525&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a3bbcb5be5e706e614fd1b8174428568048b03c6

I've an old unused vent that I want to cover over as it's letting in a draft.

Any advice on what's the best thing to do?

- fill with expanding foam

- outdoor sealant

- fill with cement

Or a mixture of the above?

Best plaster to do behind wood burning stove current background is cement blocks

I live in a very busy housing estate, I've been here for 3 years and I thought I would have gotten used to the noise at this point but it seems to be getting worse as time goes on.

It's right by the very busy road so there's always the under lying sound of traffic at all hours, there's often building work going on at various times, sometimes drinking people taking a short cut through the estate from nearby pubs. I can deal with all these but the biggest issues for me sound wise is the sound of the neighbors kids screaming, this goes on 24/7.

I work from home and it is becoming very difficult at this point. This summer in particular really tested my patience, I've exhausted all options with talking and reasoning with the parents. They don't give a shit

So I need to do something to try to stop the noise from getting in. I believe the windows are the main issue, they're quite worn and there's large gaps around the frames on some of them. They are double glazed but pretty cheap and have been there since the house was built in 2004. I applied for the seai grant for windows and insulation and got approved.

I know this is mainly to help with heating but I'm hoping it will also help with outside noise. Would new windows help or is there something else I should look at? I tried all the usual stuff people suggest noise cancelling headphones, white nose machine

Hey all, looked through the sub but couldn't find a situation quite like mine.

Context: I bought a 2008 built duplex B3 rated about a year and a half ago. It has the original Baxi gas boiler and 8 rads. We really only use gas for heating in the winter (December to March); everything else is electric and we have no solar. To be honest, we still don't even need the heating right now as the temperature doesn't drop below 21°C in any of the rooms! We recently switched to a day/night plan (35c day / 17c night) and our bills are averaging about €100/month for electricity and €20/month for gas for a family of 3 adults.
The boiler finally gave up on us recently, so I reached out for quotes and Bord Gáis came back last week quoting 5k just to swap it for a standard gas boiler. That sounds completely absurd to me. If it was an upgrade to a combi boiler I might have at least considered it, but €5k for a like-for-like standard boiler feels like robbery.
So now I’m looking at other options: has anyone here actually retrofitted a heat pump into a duplex apartment?
If you have, where does the external machine actually go? Out on the balcony? Up in the attic? I can't find any clear answers online for how it works with duplexes (and I'm assuming the management company would have something to say about it going on an external wall).
To make things worse, I looked into a few installers and they said they charge €800 just to do the technical assessment. If the apartment isn't suitable, they don't refund it. If it is suitable, I'm basically locked into using them for the install. Am I really expected to blindly gamble €800 just to find out if a heat pump is even an option? Also, if anyone knows how the SEAI grants work for a duplex, I'd love to know what's actually available.
Sorry for the long post! Any advice, similar experiences, or installer recommendations would be massively appreciated.

What would people reccommend to keep tools rust free? They are stored in a dry shed but even still getting rust.

Been looking into different oils but im concerned with inner parts of my brushcutter and lawnmower etc.

I feel like there is something basic im overlooking.