Adding a second window lock to an older cottage: worth doing?
Original timber casements usually came with a single latch. Modern insurers often want two locking points. Here's how to add a second lock without ruining the look.
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Practical tips on looking after your home plus a fortnightly roundup of what's on across Cirencester and the Cotswolds. Written by Martin Heap, your local handyman.
Outdoor lighting that survives a Cotswold winter
Cheap garden lights look lovely in June and stop working in November. Here's what actually lasts through the rain, frost, and the next February.
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Setting up a proper BBQ area: what to think about before building
A permanent BBQ spot is one of the best investments in a Cotswold garden. Built in the wrong place, it becomes the corner nobody uses. Five things to get right before you pick up a trowel.
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Ramp options for a stepped front door: four choices, real costs
Not everyone who needs a ramp wants a permanent concrete one. There are sensible options from £60 to £3,000. Here's what suits what.
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Outdoor tap leaking? Three fixes before you call a plumber
Dripping from the spout, weeping from the wall, or a pipe that's burst since winter. Each has a different cause and a different fix. Here's how to tell.
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Decking maintenance before the real summer: what actually matters
Most decking problems start underneath, not on top. A quick once-over before the July heatwave stops half the issues people have in August.
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Garden gate won't close properly? Four usual culprits
A gate that doesn't shut on its own has almost always got one of the same few problems. Post leaning, hinges dropped, latch misaligned, or the ground's moved. Here's how to tell which.
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Getting the garden ready for summer guests: a sensible half-day list
Not a garden makeover. A morning of small jobs that make the difference between a garden that feels loved and one that feels a bit neglected. Here's what I'd do.
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Trip hazards in a period cottage: where to look, what to fix
Uneven flagstones, loose rugs, that one tricky step into the kitchen. Most falls in older houses are predictable. Half of them are fixable in an afternoon.
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When it's time to renew bathroom silicone (and why the black bits are a problem)
Silicone that's gone black or lifted at the edges isn't just ugly. It's a sign water is getting behind the bath. Left too long, it gets expensive. Here's when to act.
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Replacing a dripping kitchen tap without calling a plumber
If the tap's leaking from the spout, it's usually the cartridge. If it's weeping from the base, it's the O-ring. Neither needs a plumber, both need the right bit of kit.
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Where to fit a grab rail in an older bathroom: three places, two rules
The placement matters more than the rail itself. Get it right and it gives real confidence. Get it wrong and it's in the way every time someone reaches for the soap.
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Why doors stick in summer, and what to do about it
The door shut fine in March. Now it's June and you're leaning on it. Wood swells, the house moves, and the gap that was there in spring has closed up. Here's the sensible fix.
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Kitchen cabinet door won't close flush? It's the hinges.
Two tiny screws adjust every hinge. Five minutes and a Phillips driver and the door lines up properly again. Here's which screws to turn.
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Guest bedroom refresh for summer visitors: five small jobs worth doing
The kids are down from Edinburgh in July. Or the friends from Holland. Or the grandchildren for a week in August. A half-day's work makes the spare room feel properly welcoming.
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Regrouting bathroom tiles: the right way, and the fast way
Nine times out of ten the tiles are fine. It's the grout that's gone grey, crumbly, and a bit suspicious-looking. Here's how to fix it without ripping half the bathroom out.
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When's the right time to repaint exterior woodwork in the Cotswolds?
May and June, if the wood's ready. August if you missed the window. February is never the answer no matter what your brother-in-law told you.
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Who replaces a stair carpet in Cirencester? And what should it cost?
It sits somewhere between handyman and carpet fitter. Most people don't know who to ring. Here's how to work out what you need, how to price it, and what questions to ask.
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How to make an old sash window less draughty before summer
You'd think a draughty window would mean a cold house. In summer it means a hot one, because the same gap that loses heat in February lets it in in August. Here's what actually works.
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What's on across Cirencester and the Cotswolds: 26 April to 10 May 2026
A bumper fortnight, this one. Bank holiday horse trials at the Bathurst Estate, a rugby evening at the Whiteway, a 25km charity walk along the River Churn, the Sound of Music sing-along, and a Twilight Market on the Market Place. Plenty to keep you busy.
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What's on across Cirencester and the Cotswolds: 15 to 29 April 2026
A short roundup of what's caught my eye over the next fortnight. A spring feast on the Market Place, a folk gig in Tetbury, a wreath workshop and a mums' brunch club. Something for most tastes.
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How to clean a Cotswold stone patio without ruining it
Pressure washers and Cotswold stone are a bad match. There are better ways to get it properly clean, keep the weathering character, and not have to redo it every year.
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What's on across Cirencester and the Cotswolds: 17 to 30 April 2026
Between jobs I try to get to as many local bits and pieces as I can. Here's a roundup of what's been happening across the back half of April. Markets, charity walks, sewing workshops and the odd film night.
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Wobbly garden fence panel? Here's what's usually wrong
A gentle push and the whole panel rocks. Nine times out of ten it's not the panel, it's the post. Here's how to work out which and what it'll cost to put right.
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What's coming up across Cirencester and the Cotswolds this April
A roundup of recent events across Cirencester and the Cotswolds. Drumming circle, aerial circus, fried chicken at South Cerney, and a few things further out worth keeping on the radar.
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Can you fit a keysafe to a listed property in Cirencester?
Short answer, usually yes, with caveats. Longer answer involves listed building consent, police-approved boxes, and why you don't want to drill into the front elevation if you can help it.
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How often should you clear the gutters on a Cotswold cottage?
Short answer: twice a year, and more often if you've got sycamores nearby. Longer answer involves moss, jackdaws, and why your neighbour's leak is probably your problem.
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Looking ahead: what's on across Cirencester and the Cotswolds this spring
Here's a roundup of what's been happening across Cirencester and the Cotswolds recently. Sing-alongs, history talks, craft markets, plus the first proper outdoor events of the year.
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Why your stone window sills look damp, and what actually fixes it
Every spring I get the same call. "The sills are sweating again and the paint's flaking." It's condensation, mostly. And the fixes are simpler than you'd think.
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Thinking of knocking down a small front wall? Start here.
A neighbour in the Cirencester Community Group asked about clearing a small wall that blocks a front door. Sensible question, and there's a bit more to it than just swinging a hammer.
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Fitting a turn-key lock to an internal door: what you actually need
Someone in the Tetbury group asked if a handyman could fit a turn-key lock to a door. Short answer: yes. Here's the longer one, because the right lock for the job depends on things a lot of folk miss.
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