Main Page
Welcome to the uk.d-i-y wiki!
Here you will find articles on Plumbing and Heating, Electrics, Lighting, Building and more...
You can use the search function (in the sidebar at the left) to find particular topics (e.g. 'limescale').
This wiki is still in its infancy so the range of subjects covered is patchy. Also since most articles are the work of only one or two people they may carry the particular bias(es) of the author(s). (Viewing a page's history tab shows how the page has been edited and how many people have contributed to the process.)
It is hoped that people (this includes you!) will contribute their own particular skills - whether by writing new articles, improving existing ones or just pointing out where improvements need to be made (in content or in clarity).
- No login is required to post new articles or edit existing ones, but you can create a login if you wish. It helps people see who's created what.
- You can discuss this wiki on the talk (discussion) page
- All contributions to this Wiki are considered to be released under the GNU Free Documentation License.
- You can use the search function (in left sidebar) to find anything (e.g. 'boilers')
- Here is a list of all articles (pages) in the wiki
- Here is a list of all categories of article
- Here is a list of new pages in the wiki
- Here is a list of recent changes in the wiki
Contributing
A wiki is a collaborative thing. You can contribute by adding to or improving the content of articles (even if just to corect speling improve and grammar). You can also help by letting other contributors know if an article is unclear, even if you can't help by clarifying it yourself: you can add comments on an article's "talk" page (click on the discussion tab at the top). It helps if you can be specific e.g. "It's not clear whether you should use a widget or a dongle for firkling a round tuit" rather than "article unclear". Talk (discussion) pages are also the place for suggestions for extending an article (e.g. "how about a section on where to get Round Tuits?") or splitting ("maybe the section about where to get Round Tuits should go in the Supplies article?") and so on. Please see Creating and Editing Articles for more info on, er, creating and editing articles.
About this wiki
Do It Yourself (DIY) encompasses a vast range of subjects, with the common factor of ordinary people doing jobs for themselves that are within their abilities but which they would otherwise have to employ others to do for them. Another common factor is that many such jobs require the DIY-er to expand their skills and understanding - sometimes quite rapidly - to carry out the job successfully. Since a third factor is that many such jobs have already been tackled by other DIYers it is useful to learn from the experience of others. In the UK the uk.d-i-y newsgroup has for many years been a valuable resource for exchanging information and, like many newsgroups, it has for some years had a web-based FAQ containing articles contributed and edited by a few individual 'regulars' of the group. Since wikis are by their nature DIY websites this uk.d-i-y wiki was perhaps inevitable ...
External Links
- uk.d-i-y newsgroup (Google groups web interface)
- uk.d-i-y FAQ website
- Glossary of trade terms (from HonestBuilder.com)
- Wikibooks: Do-It-Yourself (from the people who brought you Wikipedia)
- UltimateHandyman.co.uk Illustrated articles on DIY basics.
- DIY Wiki with many illustrated articles (USA)
- Help from a retired builder Thoughtful articles (referencing Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance!)
- Rudiments of Wisdom by Tim Hunkin. Light hearted but informative.