DIY Guides
Step-by-step guides for the jobs our calculators cover — measuring, estimating and planning, with worked examples and the calculators that do the maths.
How to Measure a Room for Flooring
Measuring a room for flooring takes ten minutes and a tape measure — and it is the difference between ordering enough and ordering twice. Here is the method, step by step.
Painting & WallsHow Much Paint Do I Need?
Paint is sold by coverage, not by room — so the answer is wall area divided by coverage, times the coats. Here is how to work it out without guessing.
Concrete & ConstructionHow to Estimate Concrete for a Slab
Concrete is ordered by volume — cubic yards or cubic metres — and the volume is length times width times depth. Here is how to get it right the first time.
Home Renovation & CostHow to Plan a Kitchen Remodel Budget
A kitchen budget is a list, not a number — cabinets, worktops, appliances, flooring, plumbing, electrics and labour, plus a contingency for the surprises. Here is how to build it.
Electrical & EnergyHow to Estimate Solar Panel Output
Solar output is three numbers multiplied together: system size, peak sun hours and efficiency. Here is what each one means and how to find yours.
Doors, Windows & InteriorHow to Measure Stairs and Railings
Stairs are measured by rise and run — and the rule is that every riser must be equal. Here is how to measure a flight and its railing.
Flooring & TilesHow to Tile a Bathroom Wall
A tiled bathroom wall lasts decades when the set-out is right and the tiles are fixed to a sound, dry surface. Measure first, dry-lay second, and never start in a corner.
Flooring & TilesHow to Lay Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is one of the most forgiving DIY jobs — if the floor is flat, the boards are acclimatised and the joints are staggered. Rush any of those and the floor will tell on you.
Flooring & TilesHow Much Carpet Do I Need for a Room?
Ordering carpet is mostly about the roll width. Get the strips right and there is almost no waste; get them wrong and you pay for carpet you throw away.
Concrete & ConstructionHow to Build a Concrete Footing
A footing carries the whole weight of what stands on it. The digging is the easy part — the size, depth and reinforcement must be right, and that is decided by the design, not by guesswork.
Concrete & ConstructionHow to Order Ready-Mix Concrete
Ready-mix concrete arrives by the truck and sets on its own clock. Order the right volume, have the site ready before the truck arrives, and the pour takes an hour. Order wrong and you pay for a second truck — or a wasted one.
Concrete & ConstructionHow to Lay a Gravel Driveway
A gravel driveway is mostly digging and spreading — but the difference between a driveway that lasts and one that turns to mud is the edging, the membrane and the depth of stone.
Painting & WallsHow to Paint a Ceiling Without Streaks
A ceiling shows every mistake: roller marks, missed patches and lap lines are all lit from below. The fix is not better paint — it is the right order, a wet edge and enough light.
Painting & WallsHow to Hang Wallpaper (Pattern Match)
Wallpapering is a measuring job that happens to involve paste. Get the strips and the pattern match right and the walls look seamless; get them wrong and every join shows.
Painting & WallsHow to Hang Drywall Sheets
Drywall is heavy, dusty and unforgiving of bad measuring — but a wall hung square and screwed properly is a wall you will never think about again.
Garden & LandscapingHow to Lay a Patio
A patio that lasts is built from the ground up: a firm sub-base, a level bedding layer and slabs laid tight. The slabs are the last 10% of the job — the groundwork is the other 90%.
Garden & LandscapingHow to Topsoil and Seed a Lawn
A new lawn starts with the soil, not the seed. Level topsoil, the right seed rate and steady watering are what turn bare ground into grass that lasts.
Garden & LandscapingHow to Build a Raised Garden Bed
A raised bed gives you good soil where the ground is poor, and it is easier on the knees. The build is simple — the soil mix is what matters.
Roofing & ExteriorHow to Work Out Roof Pitch
Roof pitch is just a ratio — how far the roof rises for every 12 inches it runs. Measure it from the loft, and the rest is arithmetic.
Roofing & ExteriorHow to Clean and Maintain Gutters
Blocked gutters overflow, and overflowing gutters rot fascias and soak walls. Cleaning them twice a year is cheap insurance — if you do it safely.
Roofing & ExteriorHow to Build a Timber Fence
A timber fence is mostly digging and measuring. Get the posts plumb and the line straight, and the panels almost fit themselves.
Home Renovation & CostHow to Plan a Bathroom Remodel Budget
Bathrooms are small, expensive and full of hidden work. A budget built line by line — with a contingency — is the only one that survives contact with the real job.
Home Renovation & CostHow to Compare Contractor Quotes
The cheapest quote is often the most expensive job. Comparing quotes properly means comparing the same work, the same materials and the same terms — not just the bottom line.
Home Renovation & CostHow to Plan a Renovation Timeline
A renovation without a timeline is a renovation that drags. List the tasks, link the ones that depend on each other, and the finish date stops being a guess.
Measurements & ConversionsHow to Measure a Round or Angled Space
Not every room is a rectangle. Circles need a diameter, L-shapes need splitting, and angles need a diagonal — but the maths is still just area.
Measurements & ConversionsHow to Compare Unit Prices
The bigger pack is not always the cheaper buy. Unit price — the price per gram, litre or square foot — is the only fair comparison.
Measurements & ConversionsHow to Convert Metric and Imperial on Site
Building work mixes feet, inches, metres and millimetres on the same job — often on the same drawing. Converting cleanly is what stops a small error becoming a large one.
Plumbing & WaterHow to Size a Water Tank
A water tank is sized by litres, but it is installed by kilograms. Work out the capacity first, then check the floor can hold it — a full tank is far heavier than an empty one.
Plumbing & WaterHow to Work Out Drainage Fall
Drainage works on gravity alone, and gravity works on the fall. Too little fall and water stands; too much and solids are left behind. The right gradient is a calculation, not a guess.
Plumbing & WaterHow to Estimate Hot Water Use
A hot water system sized by guesswork is either cold by evening or heating water nobody uses. Add up what your household actually uses, and the size follows.
Electrical & EnergyHow to Read Your Electricity Bill
An electricity bill is two numbers multiplied and one number added. Once you can read the units, the tariff and the standing charge, the total stops being a mystery.
Electrical & EnergyHow to Size a Home Battery
A home battery is sized by the energy you need during an outage, not by the biggest battery you can buy. Work out the load, the hours and the voltage — the capacity follows.
Electrical & EnergyHow to Work Out What Size Generator You Need
A generator is sized by its starting watts, not its running watts. Motors draw two to three times their running power when they start — and a generator that cannot start your fridge is a generator that cannot run your house.
Doors, Windows & InteriorHow to Measure a Window for Replacement
A replacement window is made to your measurements, so a wrong number is a window that does not fit. Measure in three places, take the smallest, and let the installer confirm it.
Doors, Windows & InteriorHow to Plan Built-in Wardrobe Storage
A built-in wardrobe is planned by what hangs in it, not by how big the wall is. Count the hanging length first, then the shelves — the depth and height follow.
Doors, Windows & InteriorHow to Insulate a Loft
A quarter of a home's heat escapes through the roof. Loft insulation is one of the cheapest energy jobs there is — but it must be laid safely, with the wiring and the lights in mind.
How to use the guides
Each guide explains the method, works through an example by hand, lists the common mistakes — and links to the calculators that do the arithmetic. The guides are free, and the calculators are free too.