Videos

Roger visits a £500,000 newbuild to solve a leaking shower issue that is so common it's almost a national epidemic.

Roger and Robin review and demonstrate the Triton TPL180 Triple Blade 1500w Power Planer which they find to be big but easy to handle.

In this video Roger Bisby demonstrates how to install a Korniche Roof Lantern from Made for Trade which is engineered and developed specifically with the trade and installer at the heart of the process. Although this video is sponsored by Made for Trade this is Roger’s genuine experience of fitting a Korniche Roof Lantern for the first time. The Korniche …

A longer video from Roger this time talking through how to install a bathroom which contains useful information for plumbers, installers and householders alike. Roger is installing a bathroom from Abacus because he likes the way the British manufacturer designs its bathrooms with British plumbing systems in mind making them easy to install.

Following his video review Roger looks at the Makita DLS110Z Twin 18v Cordless LXT BL Slide Compound Mitre Saw in more detail.  I have always had my reservations about cordless mitre saws and that includes all makes and sizes. It isn’t that they don’t work, it is just that they don’t work as well as mains powered machines and, for …

I was working on a roof trying to get it done, I had no plumbing tools on board and suddenly I was plumbing. Uni had tried to sort out her plumbing problem, good luck to her but one look at it told me she was in too deep and… she had people coming to dinner. What are you going to …

Extending 35A is our third project series on Skill Builder and looks back at a single storey extension that Roger worked on many years ago. In Part 4 of our 35A Extension series, we see a young Robin Clevett go to work on the roof timbers in his first appearance with the Skill Builder team.

The Capel Building Project series follows the renovation and extension of an unusual property designed by architect Michael Newberry in Surrey. Carpenter and Builder Robin Clevett is taking the first glass and steel house in the UK which was built in 1957 and extending it and refurbishing it, including the addition of a pool house, while paying homage to its …

In this series of videos, building industry journalist and expert, Roger Bisby provides an insight into how to build an extension by taking viewers through the build of a side and rear extension on a semi-detached property in the South East of England.  In the latest episode – Episode 9 – Roger tries out a rapid drying screeding product on …

Spoiler alert – not all jobs go according to plan and this one had Roger on the ropes. Replacing a central heating pump is a simple enough DIY job, but years of plumbing experience come in very handy when the job gets too wet. The old broken pump goes out to be replaced by a brand new Grundfos UPS2.

Roger revisits a topic that Skill Builder covered many years ago. Skill Builder’s original how to render video has been one of the channel’s most popular videos but some professionals responded to say that they prefer alternative techniques. Roger Bisby considers some of the points raised in response to the first video and shares some details about how to render …

The Extension project is now up to plate level so it’s time for Pythagoras’ theorem. “Plate level is the timber plate which is going to hold the roof structure including the roof joists, hips and roof rafters. “When you put this on you need to spend a lot of time getting this right because carpenters curse bricklayers like mad if …

As tool thefts from vans soar across the nation and there is increasing unrest among tradespeople whose livelihoods depend on their tools, Skill Builder returns to Sussex Installations to find out more about the specific issues associated with Ford Transits and find out what can be done about them. The problems associated with Ford Transits are well known with the …

Do you have one cold radiator that needs fixing? Would you like to try fixing it yourself? Roger Bisby troubleshoots that problem radiator. “If you have a radiator that isn’t getting hot there are a few things potentially happening. “Your central heating might be on and your other radiators are warm but you have one cold radiator. “If you feel …

In Part 6 of The Extension series, which follows the build of a side and rear extension, we see the joists and steels slotted into position in preparation for the removal of a load bearing wall at the back of the house. The wall is being knocked out to extend the existing kitchen and create a kitchen/diner on the ground …

Roger visits his favourite local plumber’s merchant and shows you how to join copper and plastic pipe. There are two videos in this How to join pipes series – this, the first video, looks at how to join supply pipes – the second video will look at how to join waste pipes. For supply pipes and central heating pipes you …

Roger visits his friend Malcolm to put the new Hitachi NR1890DBCL up against the established Dewalt DCN692 to see how much of a difference Hitachi’s new air spring drive technology makes to performance. Features of the new Hitachi NR1890DBCL/JP The Hitachi NR1890DBCL/JP is powered by a lightweight, rechargeable 5.0 Ah Li-Ion battery, so there’s no need to replace fuel cells. …

In Part 5 of The Extension Series Roger and his team make preparations for the first floor.  Roger talks through the key considerations at this stage including installing the lintels and exposing existing joists for bathroom pipework alterations Here’s a link to the Brickbrace video mentioned in this episode. Brickbrace is a system for supporting a wall when you’re going …

This is the fourth part of our second building project series on Skill Builder where we look at cutting roof timbers.