The whole register

The complete list. Each entry says what the job is, what it needs and how you know it worked.

Draughts

The job	Section
Find the gaps first Almost everyone seals the wrong things. A smoking taper carried slowly round a closed room on a windy day finds the actual leaks in about ten minutes, and they are rarely where you expected.	Draughts
The letterbox A hole in the front door by design, and the two ways to deal with it.	Draughts
Floorboard gaps A whole floor's worth of small openings, and what fills them without cracking.	Draughts
The loft hatch An uninsulated panel in the middle of the insulated surface.	Draughts
An unused chimney A permanent open vent, and the removable ways to block it — never a permanent one.	Draughts
What not to seal Airbricks, trickle vents and anything serving an appliance. Ventilation is not a draught.	Draughts

Water

Section page →

The job	Section
A butt off a downpipe A diverter cut into the downpipe, a butt on blocks high enough for a can, and an overflow that goes somewhere sensible.	Water
The overflow The part people skip, and where the water goes when they do.	Water
Keeping it clean A lid, a filter and why standing water needs both.	Water
Greywater limits What can and cannot be reused around a garden, stated conservatively.	Water
Lagging the pipes Foam sleeves on accessible pipework in an unheated loft.	Water

Compost

Section page →

The job	Section
A heap that heats The difference between a heap that composts and one that just sits is air, moisture and the ratio of green to brown.	Compost
Green and brown Nitrogen and carbon in plain terms, and how to judge it by hand.	Compost
Turning Why and how often, and what the steam means.	Compost
What not to put in Conventional guidance, stated plainly and not stretched.	Compost
Bokashi A sealed bucket and a bran inoculant for the things a heap cannot take.	Compost
Leaf mould The slowest and easiest of the lot: a bag of leaves and two years.	Compost

Mending

Section page →

The job	Section
Mending instead of replacing The small repairs worth learning, chosen because they are quick, reversible and need almost no equipment.	Mending
A puncture Find it in water, roughen, glue, patch, wait. The waiting is the part people skip.	Mending
A zip Most failures are the slider, not the teeth.	Mending
A chair joint Clean out the old glue first or it will not hold.	Mending
Darning a hole A woven patch rather than a pulled seam.	Mending

Growing

Section page →

The job	Section
Saving seed Take it from the best plant, let it ripen fully, dry it properly and label it — the labelling is where most of it goes wrong.	Growing
Which plants come true Why some saved seed gives you the same plant and some does not.	Growing
Drying and storing Paper, not plastic; cool, dark and dry.	Growing
Testing old seed Ten seeds on damp kitchen paper tells you whether to bother.	Growing
The windowsill What genuinely works indoors, and what only looks like it will.	Growing

No mains electricity, gas, water mains, boilers, flues, roofs, ladders past single storey, structural work or anything requiring a qualified person. If a job could hurt somebody, it is not in this register.