Page 5 - Latest Articles - amosjoinery.co.uk

Man studying a map and taking notes at a desk with a laptop, walkie-talkie, and yellow hard hat nearby.

How I Earn £4,300 a Month as a Field Planning Assistant

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

I remember the first month my payslip landed at £4,300. I was in a dusty pick-up truck parked on the...

Man measuring insulation in a wooden attic with a tape measure and notes on the floor beside him

Loft insulation depth in pre‑1990 homes: why 270–300 mm matters

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

The loft hatch lifts with a gentle crack, and that unmistakable attic scent drifts down: dust, dry timber, and a...

Hand pouring soda from a glass bottle into a sink drain next to a plastic cup and a smartphone on a tiled surface.

The one-minute cola trick for a slow shower drain

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

Steam clouded the mirror, the water level in the tray inched towards my toes, and a peaceful morning turned into...

Man in boots standing on a dirt path overlooking farmland with a river, wildflowers, and a wooden fence with signs.

How Land Use Policy Changes Can Reverse Ecological Decline

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

Not the roar of traffic or the clatter of plant, but a thick insect drone, so constant it could pass...

Spacious modern interior with curved staircase, large windows, a man pushing a trolley, and a wheelchair user on stairs.

Auguste Bossu’s Houses Without Stairs on Boulevard Daguerre, Saint‑Étienne

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

On Boulevard Daguerre in Saint‑Étienne, two round apartment buildings from the interwar period still draw curious looks. Both were designed...

Two people looking at a tablet and map overlooking a beach with white cliffs and the sea in sunlight

National Trust AI risk maps: smarter coastal visits in 2025

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

Britain’s coastline never sits still. Storms chew at the cliffs, tides ride higher, and footpaths sag where the ground has...

Five construction workers in high-visibility vests and helmets observe a large spherical structure being lifted by a crane.

China lifts a 261-tonne reactor dome in 94 minutes

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

In the middle of a vast construction site, a steel dome slowly descends from the sky-guided to the millimetre, watched...

Person applying a liquid finish with their hand on a wooden board in a workshop with natural light.

Beeswax and Almond Oil Wood Polish: The Carpenter’s Simple Recipe

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

Everyone wants that soft, satin warmth on timber-without the sharp chemical pong or a coating that goes tacky by the...

Man analysing a city model with a large crack, laptop showing rising graph, in modern office environment.

NEOM, The Line and the cost threshold that breaks mega-projects

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

The first time an economist broke down the figures for a so‑called “city of the future” for me, we were...

Group of diverse young people laying paving stones and planting seedlings in urban garden.

Surface sealing, depaving and the urban heat island: how cities cool again

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

On a narrow side street in Vienna, heat shimmered above a supermarket car park, the tarmac taking on a muted...

Hand placing a bar of soap into a wooden drawer next to folded towels and a soap dish on a countertop.

How to Fix a Sticking Wooden Drawer with a Bar of Soap

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

The drawer made that noise again. A deep wooden moan, as though it was genuinely affronted that you dared to...

Man holding a framed photo overlooking a river and dam at sunset from a balcony railing.

Inland Seas: How Massive Dams Create Reservoirs and Rewrite Lives

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

The driver gestures towards the broad sheet of blue and gives a helpless shrug: “There used to be a town...

Person kneeling while organising tools in a black and yellow toolbox on a garage floor next to a cordless drill.

Castorama deal: Fatmax 46 cm cantilever toolbox for autumn projects

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

Colder evenings tend to spark a new wave of home improvements, while also exposing the same old problem: tools scattered...

Person tending to plants in a city rooftop garden with buildings in the background during daylight.

What 75,000 green roofs are changing in our cities

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

At street level in Paris, everything shimmers. Horns blare, the tarmac radiates heat, and the air tastes of fumes. Climb...

Young man sitting on bed using laptop in a sunlit bedroom with wooden furniture and a sunburst mirror.

Reine Mère shows Jura-made French wooden furniture can be affordable

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

We’re still drawn to warm, touch-friendly materials and furniture that feels at home for years rather than a single season....

Engineer in helmet and vest checking plans near tunnel entrance with excavator and trucks in mountainous area.

China’s 22‑kilometre highway tunnel: progress or provocation?

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

At the roadside, a crane drifted through its swing, made to look small by a black gash cut clean into...

Hand holding a set of keys near a kitchen sink with an upside-down glass on paper towels.

The simple glass and paper trick to stop drains stinking after a sunny spell away

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

That unpleasant whiff can start building up while your home is shut up and quiet. As temperatures rise, heat accumulates...

Engineer wearing a hard hat examining a concrete sample with soil and aggregate on a table in a modern office.

Coffee biochar in concrete: turning spent coffee grounds into sand replacement

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

Urban centres brew vast quantities of coffee and lay even larger volumes of concrete, yet these flows almost never intersect....

Child kneeling on floor arranging small rocks on a spread clay surface with potted plants in the background.

Microcement vs Tadelakt: Why Lime Plaster Is Taking Over in 2025

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

“Microcement again?” he sighed, looking from the couple to the half-stripped living room around them. They paused. A year ago...

Family of three overlooking a town with hillside terracing and construction site in the late afternoon light.

Japan, the Country That Moves Mountains

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

A plume of brown dust lifts above the fringes of Fukuoka and drifts over a line of almost indistinguishable new-build...

Person cleaning black powder with brush on wooden table near gas mask and wooden slice in kitchen.

Why September Is the Real Deadline for Chimney Sweeping and Wood Heating

James H. Amos • August 15, 2026

As the nights start to draw in and the temperature drops, millions of homes turn back to their wood burners...