News
Why you should not pour pasta water down the drain
Gareth Whitcombe
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When cooking pasta, most people automatically tip the hot water down the drain. Yet this routine can gradually damage pipes,...
News
Concrete Bags as Driveway Kerb Edging: A Simple DIY Trick
Gareth Whitcombe
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Many homeowners know the frustration: driveways and paths on Instagram look as though they belong in a catalogue, while at...
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Pressed Wood Logs: Do Compressed Wood Briquettes Deliver More Heat?
Gareth Whitcombe
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Orders are soaring in DIY stores and online shops: compressed wood briquettes, also known as pressed wood logs, promise substantially...
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How PXY and ER Control Wood Formation in Plants
Gareth Whitcombe
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Wood supports homes and stores more carbon than nearly any other living thing on land. Its production begins in a...
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Mini Bathroom Renovation: Smart Design for a 15-Square-Metre Paris Studio
Gareth Whitcombe
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In a studio flat measuring just 15 square metres in Paris’s 13th arrondissement, renovating the bathroom was the top priority....
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Wood Briquettes: Up to 300% More Efficient Than Traditional Firewood
Gareth Whitcombe
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As electricity and gas prices fluctuate, many households are turning back to fireplaces and wood-burning stoves. However, rather than stacking...
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Neolithic People Used Roman Dolomite-Based Plaster 8,000 Years Earlier
Gareth Whitcombe
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The Roman Empire reshaped humanity for centuries during its rule and left a legacy that has influenced civilisation ever since....
News
Why Boiling Pasta Water Damages Your Sink Pipes
Gareth Whitcombe
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After cooking, tipping pasta into a colander and letting the bubbling water rush straight down the drain is standard practice...
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Remove Wall Plugs Without Damaging Plaster: The Screw Method
Gareth Whitcombe
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A simple trick can leave the surface smooth again. Anyone rearranging their home notices it straight away: where a board,...
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Wood Briquettes: More Heat from Less Material
Gareth Whitcombe
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More and more households are questioning their use of traditional firewood and turning instead to a product that was once...
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Roman Concrete Could Improve Sustainable Modern Cement
Gareth Whitcombe
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Ancient Romans may have left us valuable lessons in producing sustainable concrete capable of surviving for thousands of years. A...
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Hot Water Boiler Programmer: Save Electricity With Timed Heating
Gareth Whitcombe
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Sounds like a trick – but it is technology. Many households are feeling the impact of rising energy prices in...
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14 DIY Wood Ideas to Free Up Every Worktop
Gareth Whitcombe
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Many people will recognise the problem: worktop space keeps shrinking, even when the home itself is not particularly small. Oil...
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How Many Stacked Cubic Metres of Firewood Do You Need Per Winter?
Gareth Whitcombe
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If you rely on a wood-burning stove or fireplace insert through the colder months, the same question comes up every...
News
A Different Rock Could Dramatically Cut Cement Emissions
Gareth Whitcombe
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Cement is seldom part of discussions about climate change. However, the sector generates approximately the same amount of carbon dioxide...
News
Osaka’s Mirai Ningen Sentakuki: The Human Washing Machine
Gareth Whitcombe
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What sounds like a scene from a science-fiction film is already operating as a working prototype in Osaka: a fully...
News
Smoky Glass Kitchen Splashbacks: Why This Retro Trend Is Back
Gareth Whitcombe
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Anyone who thinks of dark, tinted glass in the kitchen may immediately picture the orange-brown fitted kitchens of the 1970s....
News
Wood Briquettes: More Heat for Your Money and the Environment
Gareth Whitcombe
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For winter heating, most people tend to think of traditional firewood bought from a builders’ merchant or supplied by a...
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Cactus Waste Could Create Greener Construction Materials
Gareth Whitcombe
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Construction sites are not places most people would associate with cactus plants. Yet engineers believe waste left over from prickly...
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Why You Should Never Pour Boiling Pasta Water Down the Drain
Gareth Whitcombe
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Almost everyone knows the scene: the pasta is cooked, the pan comes off the hob, it is tipped into the...
News
Wall Plugs That Really Hold: Professional Tricks for Difficult Walls
Gareth Whitcombe
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If you have ever drilled into an older property or crumbly plaster, you will know the frustration. The good news...
