Home improvement

Talks someone through assembling flat-pack furniture from the instruction steps they describe, checking parts, orientation and fixings before each stage and catching the common mistakes.

Helps judge whether cracks in walls or ceilings look cosmetic or worth a surveyor's visit, using width, shape, location and change over time, with a monitoring routine and what to tell a professional.

Builds a home contents inventory for insurance with a room-by-room template, a photo and receipt routine, how to value items, and where to keep the record safe.

Builds a printable checklist for viewing a home to rent or buy, covering structure, damp, services, noise and the neighbourhood, plus questions for the agent and red flags.

Childproofs a home room by room for a child's age and stage, tackling the most dangerous hazards first, with products to consider and checks to repeat as the child grows.

Compares flooring options room by room for use, moisture, pets, children, comfort, noise and budget, with installation choices, total cost ranges and the questions to ask a fitter.

Picks the right fixing to hang a shelf, TV, mirror, cabinet or radiator on your wall type, with how to find studs and avoid cables and pipes, load margins and when to get a professional.

Finds ways to cut household water use and bills through leak checks, fixture swaps, habits and garden watering, ranked by estimated savings with the assumptions shown.

Identifies a household pest from the signs, ranks safe control steps from prevention upward, and says when to call a pest professional or the landlord.

Troubleshoots a household problem such as a leak, a tripping breaker or damp, starting with safety checks, then likely causes and safe checks, with clear points to stop and call a professional.

Builds a move-in condition report process for a rental with room-by-room checks, a photo routine, meter readings and a ready-to-send message to the landlord or agent.

Walks a first-time renter through gated steps from budget and search to viewings, application, lease read-through, move-in inventory, utilities and furnishing on a budget.

Diagnoses and fixes a dripping tap or faucet by its type - washer, ceramic disc, cartridge or ball - with safe water isolation, part identification and when to replace the whole tap instead.

Diagnoses low water pressure at one tap or the whole house - aerators, part-closed valves, reducing valves, leaks, old pipes and supplier faults - with simple tests and when to call a plumber.

Diagnoses an interior door that sticks, rubs, drifts open or will not latch, then fixes it from the simplest cause up, with hinge screws, latch adjustments, planing and signs of a bigger problem.

Diagnoses a toilet that keeps running, refills on its own, flushes weakly, leaks at the base or rocks, with safe checks inside the cistern, likely parts and the point to call a plumber.

Plans furnishing a first apartment on a budget with buy-first essentials, second-hand sourcing rules, a room-by-room list and a phased plan that keeps the budget intact.

Prepares you to hire a contractor with a written scope of work, questions to ask, licence and insurance checks, a quote comparison and staged payments. Use before asking builders or trades for quotes.

Runs a home renovation in gated steps from scope and budget to permits to check, contractor bid comparison, schedule and a final punch list. Use to manage a renovation from idea to handover.

Acts as a patient home repair mentor who teaches safe DIY, explains the tools and why each step matters, and says plainly when a job needs a licensed professional.

Improves the physical security of a home through door and window checks, locks, lighting, habits and alarms, prioritised by the real risks, the budget and renter limits.

Plans home modifications that help an older adult stay safely at home, putting falls, the bathroom, lighting and access first, with costs and who can assess the home.

Plans a DIY home project with a go or no-go check, tools, materials with quantities, safety steps, ordered instructions and clear points where a professional is needed. Use before starting a home job.

Plans eco-friendly swaps around the home across energy, heating, food, waste, water and cleaning, ranked by real environmental impact and cost, without greenwashing.

Ranks home energy upgrades such as draught-proofing, insulation, heating, solar and appliances by cost, savings and payback, with grants to research. Use before spending on efficiency.

Builds a seasonal home maintenance calendar for your home type and climate, marking DIY tasks and when to call a professional. Use when you buy a home or want to stop problems before they start.

Builds a renovation budget with line items, price ranges to verify locally, contingency, often-missed costs and phasing options. Use before asking for quotes or committing money to a project.

Plans painting a room from surface prep to final coat, with paint quantities from measurements, the right finish per surface, the order of work, drying times and the faults to avoid.

Plans a DIY tiling job with tile quantities and waste, substrate checks and preparation, adhesive and grout choice, a setting-out plan that avoids thin cuts, and the order of work.

Prepares a household for power cuts with a kit, fridge and freezer food safety rules, plans for medical devices and heating or cooling, and what to check when the power comes back.

Prepares a home for sale with the repairs worth doing, decluttering and staging room by room, a photo-day checklist, viewing routine and a timeline. Use six to eight weeks before listing.

Prepares a home for a storm, hurricane, flood or hard freeze with a timed checklist, supplies, utility shut-offs and the safety checks to make once it has passed.

Builds a plan to stop condensation, damp and mould coming back, with the causes to tell apart, daily habits, safe cleaning, fixes for renters and owners, and when to escalate to a landlord.

Plans removing wallpaper by paper type and wall type - testing, scoring, soaking or steaming, protecting plaster or drywall, hazards in older homes - and preparing the bare wall for paint.

Repairs holes, dents and fixing holes in plasterboard or plaster walls, matching the method to the hole size, with filler choice, patching, sanding and blending so the repair disappears under paint.

Walks through replacing a ceiling light safely - whether you may do it where you live, proving power dead, wiring colours by region, earthing and weight - and when an electrician is required.

Talks through replacing mouldy or leaking silicone sealant around a bath, shower tray, basin or worktop, from removal and drying to a neat bead, curing time and when a leak needs more than sealant.

Sets up an ergonomic, productive home office in the space available, covering desk and chair setup, screens, lighting, noise, cables and a clean video-call background.

Plans how to cut noise in a room for sleep, a home office or music practice, separating cheap renter-friendly fixes from construction work, with honest expected results for each.

Troubleshoots a home air conditioner or heat pump that will not cool - thermostat, power, filters, iced coils, the outdoor unit and drain line - and when a licensed technician is needed.

Diagnoses a fridge or freezer that is not cooling, icing up, leaking or noisy - food safety first, then checks of settings, seals, vents, coils and drains - with a repair or replace view.

Troubleshoots a boiler, furnace or water heater giving no heat or hot water - gas and carbon monoxide safety, power, thermostat, pressure, error codes and resets - and when to call an engineer.

Diagnoses a washing machine or dishwasher that will not start, fill, drain, spin or clean, with safe owner checks of filters, hoses, settings and error codes, and a repair or replace decision.

Clears a slow or blocked sink, shower or bath drain step by step - stopper, plunger, trap and drain snake - with what not to pour down it and the signs of a main drain problem for a plumber.

Builds a room-by-room snagging checklist for a new-build home or finished renovation, then turns the defects you find into a clear, dated list for the builder with priorities and photo references.