The latest news RELEASES, PRESS RELEASES and developments from diy doctor and our associates
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Archived News Page Stories Follow Below:
Local companies partner to champion DIY skills
Two Frome businesses have combined forces to launch a competition and celebrate the skills of local DIY enthusiasts.
Home improvement enthusiasts in the area can test their practical knowledge in a short online quiz and if their scores are high enough, battle it out in a live task to win a £200 of equipment and become Frome’s DIYer of the Year.
The competition devised by information website DIY Doctor and sponsored by Catherine Hill’s Sergeant Ironmongers has been launched in response to national media stories around a growing shortage of home improvement and handyman skills.
“The spend in the home improvement sector doesn’t necessarily support this finding” commented Mike Edwards, founder of www.diydoctor.org.uk, formerly based in Frome and now Mells, Somerset.
He added “Feedback via our website shows there still to be a strong population of DIY enthusiasts, keen to learn new skills, so we’re keen to showcase these and provide a fun experience for those wanting to put their skills to the test.”
An article published in the Daily Mirror this year forecast the loss of basic home improvement skills by 2048, as a growing number of ‘technosexual’ men would prefer to learn how to fix a computer instead of a plug.
The founder of the website was keen to stress that the competition is open to all.
“In contrast to some of the negative media surrounding male skills, there has been a lot written about the increasing numbers of women applying to train as electricians, plumbers etc. I really hope that we see a high level of female interest in this competition.”
DIY enthusiasts can enter by visiting www.diydoctor.org.uk/diyquiz and answering 15 practical questions; it is open to residents of Frome and those living within a 10-mile radius. The closing date for entries is 31st May.
Three finalists will then be selected to compete in practical, everyday challenges involving painting and carpentry to decide the overall winner. The finalist event will be held on Saturday 4 June outside Sergeant Ironmongers on Catherine Hill and judged by the shop’s owner Steve Cox and DIY Doctor principal, Mike Edwards.
New Honeywell water controls guide helps you find ideal products for each installation
The new Honeywell Water Controls Guide is a free non-technical 24 page booklet which helps installers and specifiers find ideal valves and accessories for each water installation. The Guide shows the extensive ranges of Honeywell valves for pressure reduction/regulation, thermostatic mixing, backflow prevention and automatic system balancing, as well as filters and strainers. They range from brass-bodied plumbing products to large cast 
iron valves for the water mains supply, in direct and pilot operated models.
The well-illustrated Guide is a valuable reference resource, showing application advice, features and benefits for each product. Guidance on compliance with relevant Regulations is provided where appropriate.
As well as many familiar, trusted Honeywell products, such as the compact D06 pressure reducing valve which has sold well over 15 million units Europe-wide, readers will see other valve types and special assemblies which they may not already associate with the Honeywell brand.
For a free copy, email water.control@honeywell.com or phone 01344 656172. Details of Honeywell Water Controls are also available online at www.honeywellukwater.com, where users view and can download technical literature, user guides and FAQs on the full range of Honeywell water controls.
Products described in the new Honeywell Water Controls Guide include:
- Pressure reducing valves to maintain downstream water at a constant pressure, even when the inlet pressure fluctuates. Benefits include reduced water wastage and reduced system noise, as well as protecting pipework, valves and appliances from damage caused by excessive water pressure.
- Thermostatic Mixing Valves (TMVs) which ensure water temperatures at outlets to baths, basins and showers cannot exceed a safe preset temperature by blending hot and cold water. Honeywell manufactures TMVs to meet the stringent Buildcert TMV3 standard required for healthcare premises, as well as TMVs to the “domestic” Buildcert TMV2 standard.
- Kombi 4 automatic thermostatic balancing valves, which greatly simplify hot water system commissioning in buildings with many outlets, at a low-cost.
- Backflow prevention valves using the Reduced Pressure Zone (RPZ) principle which prevent the possibility of contaminated fluids flowing back into the mains water supply.
Sleepover Space Saving Ideas and Discount Code!
If you're in the middle of a DIY project at home, whilst raising a family and also holding down a full time job, what appears to be a blessing in the form of a Bank Holiday can often turn out to be just as busy as a normal working week. Amidst the scattering of raw materials, rolled up carpets and tape measures, having family over to stay or entertaining the kids could potentially lead to a very squashed household with little room to spare to accommodate guests to sleepover.
There are a few solutions to this situation, depending on what type of visitor you have.
Here are some top tips for space saving ideas when entertaining over Easter:
- If you're on a budget and your little ones have invited over the cousins to stop overnight, a cheap and practical bed solution would be a foam cube bed. These handy cubes double as a chair/stool as well as flopping out into a single bed perfect for kids up to the age of around 12. Look to buy a colour that would hide dirt the most - sometimes black is not the best colour, a chocolate brown or tan colour could be a better choice!
- For older children a larger foam chair bed, or a double sofa bed would be a good consideration. With the low weight of a foam type filling, these fun furniture items are both practical and modern, as well as providing a comfortable sleeping area for teenagers and light adults. If a sofa bed is for a newly decorated child's bedroom, select a colour that would suit changing tastes as the years go on - a classic navy blue for a boy, and a lavender or pink for a girl.
- Bunk beds and mid sleepers are very reasonably priced beds for small rooms where space is a premium. Look for a bunk bed with a changeable ladder and that also splits into 2 single beds should the need be required in the future. Mid sleepers are great as an alternative single hi-rise bed, with space underneath for a chair and a small desk for studying and storage. If you choose a standard pine wood, one idea is to paint or varnish the frame to match the bedroom colour scheme.
- When thinking of space saving adaptable furniture for a living room, futons are a very popular choice.
There is a huge variety of futons on the market and the outlay to buy a new futon is economical when you consider how many years you will own one. Whether your taste is for a solid pine wood base, or a sleek silver metal frame, one of the biggest benefits of a futon is the fact that you can replace the mattress whenever you feel like it. Depending on whether this will be for occasional use as a bed, and more as a sofa, or vice versa, take a moment to choose the mattress depth, around 9cm is a standard futon mattress depth, or look for a luxury thicker futon mattress around 14cm deep. - Leather sofa beds. Upmarket residences with a minimalist interior design tend to choose a sofa bed with a covering that compliments the surroundings. Leather is always a desirable covering, and materials have developed so much in the last decade that these days you can buy a faux leather sofa bed and it would be difficult to tell the difference between that and real animal hide. National department stores and online sites such as eBay and Amazon are great places to find a faux leather sofa bed.
So, when Easter comes around this year, remember to be prepared for accommodating guests and visitors and choosing the right kind of dual-use seating and sleeping furniture right the first time round will save many headaches in the future.
If you are looking to order online, DIY Doctor has teamed up with Comfy Living Futons and Beds with a special 10% discount code - just enter DIYDOCTOR at the checkout before 20th April to take Easter delivery and an automatic 10% deduction from any purchase from the website www.comfy-living.co.uk
Neweys Online offer free Elkay Carbon Calculator with every order over £60
The UK's leading distributor of electrical supplies, Neweys Online, are pleased to announce that every customer that places an order over £60 online will receive an Elkay Carbon Calculator for free.
Normally worth £30, the Elkay Carbon Calculator will allow customers to assess how much Carbon they can save by calculating C02 emissions and energy usage, whilst also acting as a useful tool in cutting any expensive energy bills calculating any possible savings.
In a time in which more of an onus than ever before has been placed upon becoming more energy efficient and environmentally aware, the calculator could also serve in helping the household become greener.
Features on the calculator include a blue back lit display, an auto power-off and a high level of portability all of which is integrated into an easy to use interface. The promotion begins on the 30th March and all orders must be received by 8pm on 13th April 2011 which is when the offer ends.
Carbon Calculators will be allocated on a one calculator per customer basis. It should also be noted that the offer is only available while stocks last and is strictly for online customers only. Neweys Online is the online store from Newey & Eyre, the leading electrical wholesaler in the UKNeweys Online offers a dedicated and efficient service, and stocks more than 10,000 products from 100's of brands including Cable Management, Lighting and Wiring Accessories. Customers can order their electrical supplies online up to 8pm for next day delivery or they can choose to collect their goods from one of 150+ Newey & Eyre branches, nationwide.
Top 10 Award Winner!
DIY Doctor has been named as one of the Top 10 websites in the 'Lifestyle - House and Garden Industry' category for 2010 in the latest Experian Hitwise UK Top 10 Awards programme. Other websites in the top 10 include B&Q, Wickes and Focus as well the BBC and Channel 4. The annual Experian Hitwise UK Top 10 Awards recognise excellence in online performance through public popularity, awarding websites in more than 160+ key industries online popularity as it shows we are continuing to provide a much needed free resource in the UK.'
Mike Edwards, founder of www.diydoctor.org.uk, said 'We are extremely pleased to have been named in the Experian Hitwise Top 10 for a second time, and it is great to be recognised for public Results of the Experian Hitwise UK Online Performance Awards are based on the Internet usage of more than 8 million UK Internet users with winners receiving the greatest market share of visits throughout 2010 in their online industry.
