Neighbour’s gazebo keeps blowing into my garden
Twice in the last nine months, our neighbour’s gazebo has been blown by high winds into our back garden. Anyone in our garden could have been maimed or killed. Our neighbour collected the gazebo from our garden both times, says he is sorry and will pay for any damage. He said the base of the gazebo was held down by housebricks, but intends to secure it properly. We wish to avoid legal action, our neighbour is wealthy and can be difficult. If this gazebo goes back up, we will need to wear full body armour to enter our garden and won’t let our grandson play in it. I am so worried. What can I do?
JD
Generally speaking, a neighbour would not be liable for damage or injury caused by the weather. But this has happened twice and the neighbour has not taken any precautions to stop it happening again. You should write to your neighbour explaining that you are extremely worried that if it happens again it could cause damage to your property or injury and that you are afraid to use your garden. You should ask them to take proper precautions to prevent the gazebo from blowing away and that bricks are not sufficient. If they do not take precautions and it happens again, it is likely that they would be liable for the damage or injury caused.
If you want to avoid legal action, you could encourage the environmental health department of your local authority to investigate a potential statutory nuisance. Statutory nuisances will occur where “any premises [are] in such a state as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance”. The council should investigate the complaint and must take action on your behalf if they believe a statutory nuisance is likely to occur. If so, they should issue a notice requiring the neighbour to desist or they could be prosecuted.
Kizzy Augustin, partner, Russell-Cooke solicitors, russell-cooke.co.uk
Fix my glossy kitchen doors
I have a flat with a high-gloss kitchen. One drawer panel under the oven is damaged. I can’t track down the make of the kitchen as the developers have gone into liquidation. Are there any companies that will colour match high-gloss kitchen doors?
Jane Rowson
Magicman (magicman.co.uk) offers repairs to kitchen doors and worktops. It will send a technician to assess the damage and either take the door away or repair on site. They will then respray the door and colour match it. Several of our buyers recommend Plastic Surgeon (plastic-surgeon.co.uk), which offers a similar service from about £200, depending on the extent of the damage.
Looeeeze Grossman, founder, the Used Kitchen Company, theusedkitchencompany.com
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Damp around my chimney
I have a damp problem around both of my chimneys in my bedrooms. I moved into the three-bedroom 1930s detached house in September 2018. It had been renovated before I moved in, and has a pitched slate roof with minimal loft insulation. The problem first showed up in December 2019. I called a roofer who replaced the flashing, but this didn’t solve the problem. He subsequently replaced the flashing around each chimney with a custom-made “yoke”-type flashing, then completely reslated and refelted the entire side of the house and repointed both chimneys. Lo and behold, the damp was back last December. The builder seems at a loss to know what next to do.
Jeff Hawkins
Without conducting a physical examination it’s impossible to be completely sure, but, assuming no other leaks are present, a common cause of recurring staining of this type is the presence of hygroscopic (moisture-loving) salts within the brickwork and plaster of the chimney breast.
These salts develop due to the long-term combustion of fossil fuels and the nature of the chimney breast in a 1930s property, which would be unlined. Over time, combustion gases leech into the masonry and the staining happens due to moisture being attracted to the salts, especially in the wintertime when our homes are less well ventilated.
Removing and replacing the surface plaster of the chimney breast will help, but is unlikely to eradicate the problem as the brickwork of the chimney breast is irreversibly contaminated with these salts.
Ultimately, only complete removal of the chimney breast can get rid of the problem, but this also removes a feature that provides the character to a period property. If removing a chimney breast, it is essential to ensure that any structure remaining above is fully and properly supported.
Alan Milstein, chairman, Residential Property Surveyors Association, rpsa.org.uk
Carpet beetle mania
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I found a carpet beetle in my bathroom. Do I have to rip up the carpet?
LF
Carpet beetles, Anthrenus verbasci, have evolved from carrion-feeders. They are able to take nutritional advantage of the barely digestible keratin proteins, after blow-fly maggots have eaten the more succulent muscles and internal organs. These tough scleroproteins are what make the animal fibres in wool and silk so resilient, but also open to attack from Anthrenus. The beetles mostly feed in household carpets, but also antique tapestry hangings, curtains, furniture (often padded with horsehair), furs, and famously museum collections of stuffed animals and pinned insects. The adult beetles fly well and are frequently found out of doors as well as in. They visit flowers after pollen and the larvae also occur in bird and animal nests on loose feathers and fur, and also under loose bark of old trees where they eat the remains of insects in spider webs. Insecticide dusts are available, but the vacuum cleaner is the best weapon in this war. Colonies can easily establish under large sofas and armchairs that don’t get moved often, and below which the hoover does not reach. Remember to empty the bag though, otherwise the beetles will live quite happily in there, eating all the wool fluff sucked up too. It is the small (2-4 mm) pale bristly furry larvae that do the chewing of the holes. Unless you refurbish with cheap polyester carpets (the synthetic fibres of which nothing can digest), you must probably accept that carpet beetles will continue to turn up in low numbers. Just keep vigilant.
Richard Jones is the author of House Guests, House Pests (Bloomsbury, £9.99); bugmanjones.com
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Advice is given without responsibility
Readers’ clinic
Is there an easy way to clean the spiral hose in a shower?
Christine Holly
Wipe using scrunched-up kitchen foil with a squirt of washing-up liquid on it. To prevent getting dirty again, dry and spray with WD40.
Andrew, Leeds
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Spray with white vinegar (or limescale remover) and place in dishwasher. If you don’t have a dishwasher, scrub in the sink.
Nick Dawe
Unscrew it from both ends and soak for two hours in slightly diluted descaler (Viakal etc). Go over the grooves on the whole length with a medium brush. Rinse and re-attach.
E, Guildford
Use a nail brush to scrub into the spirals, working around and along the length of the hose. Then wipe hose with a damp microfibre cloth.
April
Replace the spiral shower hose with a smooth one.
Sylvia Crabtree
Future question
● How can I efficiently clean hairs from the sink after shaving? So many! It drives my wife crazy.
Reader tips of the week
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The most effective way to remove toilet stains is to pour a can of Coca-Cola into the pan and leave overnight.
Sheila Jefferson
How do you get rid of toilet stains? In a word, Steradent. May require a few goes and a couple of tubes, but it works.
Jan, Dorset
To remove toilet stains, empty the toilet bowl using a small cup and/or a sponge. Sprinkle stain with bicarbonate of soda. Scrub. If you need to try again, use bicarbonate of soda and a spray of white vinegar. Flush. Do not rinse with boiling water as this is likely to crack the porcelain.
Terry, Wells
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Advice is given without responsibility
