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Having just done all this, don't get a UPS for the purpose of powering a router. A UPS is designed to provide a fair amount of power (think a computer) for a few minutes, enough to shut it down cleanly. That's all. It doesn't last long, nor is it designed to. It's also REALLY inefficient, so...

I considered the full-blown generator route, but I would need three-phase and ATS. And plenty of time and effort to check/test it every so often, and replace fuel. I went for the other end of the scale. I have a good-quality sine-wave inverter I can run off the car or tractor, which is big...

They do work, and are fairly easily available - put "solar car battery charger" into Amazon/ebay to see some choices. They work for keeping it topped up, but don't have the power of a mains charger. If it's frequently struggling (and you say it's an ancient lawn tractor) how old is the...

Never heard of Willis heaters, very simple, very clever. RichardG, are you moderating the power of the immersion heater to use the available PV, or is it just a dumb 3kw load? (Immersun etc. moderate the power so it's more efficient). If it's just a dumb load, then could you replace the...

I have a Flir C3. Very good. Battery life not great, you'd need to recharge between houses. It links to a phone wirelessly so you can transfer images. Much better than the compromised Flir models which connect to a phone, and will be out of date in a year or so.

Standard kitchen laminate worktops are very tough, and you won't have to worry about liquids/paint etc. Easy to replace in a few years if it's too full of holes. A huge range of colours/styles too.

For smaller water containers, it's often cheaper to buy the "liquid with free container" rather than a dedicated container. All supermarkets sell 5L bottles of mineral water, often about £1. The bottles are quite strong (when full of water) and an easily manageable size. A couple of those...

If you are in a rural area, find a local sawmill or fencing stockist- they will have plenty of solid posts and boards you can run through your thicknesser and it's much cheaper than the shiny low-quality pieces at B&Q. If I'm in a rut I will reach for Wickes - not ideal, but delivery is quick...

I suspect an IFA would advise you to steer well clear. If you really want to 'invest' in solar, then there are existing options such as BSIF (Bluefield solar, not a recommendation, but it's been around for many years) and then you can put the dividends against your electricity bill. And it's...

akirk, you might find kitchen drawers carcasses/runners fit the space perfectly? I think the IKEA ones are slightly shorter, and might fit into 580mm depth.

I have the AC400 machine too. Annoying that the timer can only be set with the remote. It's reassuring having it running when generating dust.

I have a lot of F-clamps (basic ones), and the Irwin Quick Grip clamps. You say you have the Quick Grips- there is a £5 coupler which joins two together. So I can join two of my 900mm clamps into a 1800mm clamp, in theory. Would a couple of the couplers give you the size you need? I also...

The cheapest ones don't have ball-bearings (which you need). I bought the Halfords "Professional" ones about ten years years ago (a deal for the set of three), which have worked well. They were middle-to-high in their range at the time, not the top end. Brands keep changing, but don't buy the...

If you have your own supply of wood, then definitely keep the biomass boiler. If you don't then it's slightly tougher. But here are some thoughts based on indirect experience: 1. if you have the biomass boiler fitted outside and the pipes are accessible, you can (fairly) easily add more...

Is that going outside? How will the books stay dry (out of the rain, and out of the damp)? It looks very good. I did a similar structure for selling boxes of eggs - ended up attaching slates with construction adhesive, very easy & quick, looks very smart. Someone will have a few spare slates...

Have a look at the "5 cuts" method on Youtube - that's how to make sure your 90 degrees are actually 90 degrees (they probably won't be, to start with). Then do the same thing, but to the dimensions you want. The DW745 has sliding mitre fence, which can be set at "90" degrees.

I've driven short distances many times with sheet goods on the roof, just buy a couple of 4x2s at the same time to give it strength, do several sheets at once (for added strength) and add a lot of ropes / ratchet straps. It helps having an estate car, so there's minimal overhang, and stick to...

The anchor mast is still there on top of the Empire State Building in New York, waiting for passing traffic.

How big is the cabinet and what sprayer are you using? 100 litre is probably minimum. If you're just starting out your research and it's for DIY, look first at electric spray guns (e.g. Wagner from Screwfix to start with). Compressor spraying is much more complex/expensive than it looks! My...

Can you just use exterior-rated PVA? I use D4 or "502" from Toolstation, which seems to work fine. I haven't heard of using exterior MDF for a garden gate before, will be interesting to see how it turns out?