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Home improvement guides
Practical, reviewed advice for planning repairs and projects, choosing the right pro and knowing what to ask before you hire.
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494 guides
- Guide
Snow Removal guide
Snow clearing in Britain is an occasional service rather than a seasonal industry, which is exactly why it is hard to arrange well.
10 min read21 September 2026 - Guide
Winter Maintenance guide
Winter maintenance is the standing arrangement that keeps a property usable through the cold months: the paths and the drive treated before they ice up, the drains and gullies kept clear when the leaves have finished…
11 min read21 September 2026 - Guide
Pool Contractors guide
Hiring someone to build, refit or look after a private pool in Britain is an exercise in choosing well rather than checking a register, because no register exists.
10 min read21 September 2026 - Guide
Pool Installation guide
Begin with the honest picture, because it changes how you go about this. A private swimming pool is a rarity in British housing.
14 min read14 September 2026 - Guide
Pool Renovation guide
A pool renovation in Britain is usually triggered by one of three things: a liner or finish that has reached the end of its life, plant that can no longer be repaired because parts have gone, or an owner who has…
11 min read21 September 2026 - Guide
Pool Repair guide
Most British pool repair work happens to pools somebody else built, often decades ago, and frequently to pools that have been out of use for a while.
12 min read14 September 2026 - Guide
Pool Opening guide
Opening a pool is the set of jobs that take it from a covered, dormant basin back to water somebody can swim in: the cover off and cleaned, the plant recommissioned, the lines refilled, the filter restarted, the water…
9 min read21 September 2026 - Guide
Pool Closing guide
Closing a pool is the autumn job that decides how expensive the spring will be. It covers lowering the water to its winter level, cleaning and treating the pool so it does not rot over the dormant months, draining and…
10 min read21 September 2026 - Guide
Pool Maintenance guide
Pool maintenance is the standing routine that keeps a pool usable: testing and correcting the water, dosing disinfectant, brushing and vacuuming, checking and cleaning the filter, watching the plant for the early signs…
9 min read21 September 2026 - Guide
Pool Cleaning guide
Pool cleaning is the physical half of looking after a pool: brushing and vacuuming the basin, skimming the surface, cleaning the waterline, emptying baskets, and backwashing or cleaning the filter so that what you have…
9 min read21 September 2026 - Guide
Pool Heating guide
Heating is what decides whether a British pool gets used. Unheated outdoor water in this country is swimmable for a handful of weeks a year in a good summer, so the heating decision is really a decision about how long…
10 min read21 September 2026 - Guide
Pool Covers guide
A cover is the cheapest piece of pool equipment that changes how the pool behaves. It slows evaporation and therefore heat loss, keeps leaves and dirt out, reduces the chemical demand that comes from sunlight and…
9 min read21 September 2026
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