Create a greenhouse in your garden

If you've got room for one, a greenhouse will bring new life to your garden. Start by choosing an open, sunny spot for your greenhouse, with the longest side facing south so it gets as much light as possible.

You may want to invest in a galvanised steel base for the greenhouse frame to sit on - secured by frame fixings. A base is useful because it raises the height of the greenhouse and makes building it easier, but it's not essential. Whether you have a base or just the frame, it must be secured firmly to a level surface.

There are a number of different ways of doing this. One is to push metal hooks into isolated pockets of wet concrete. These attach to the base, securing it to the ground. Another method is to lay a concrete strip footing, and anchor the base by drilling and bolting it into the concrete. You'll need to drill holes through the base, or through the bottom sill of the greenhouse frame in the centre of each bay, remembering to leave room for the glazing.

The best option is to lay a single course of bricks on top of the concrete footing and fix the base or greenhouse frame to the bricks. This looks the nicest and is also the sturdiest. If you're not using a base, you may need to use wooden battens as a buffer between the bricks/cement and the bottom of the frame.

Before building your greenhouse, make sure you have the manufacturer's instructions to hand, and check that you have all the pieces. You'll need to assemble the whole frame and ensure it's straight and square before fully tightening the bolts and screws. For more information, visit the knowledge centre at www.diy.com.

DIY news bulletin

Spend at least 50 in store or 100 online at Focus DIY until May 31 and you'll receive 15% off your order.

However, the discounts don't end there. You'll be given a free Focus DIY summer discount card too.

The card will give you 10% off all purchases (the discount doesn't apply to lawnmowers, gift vouchers and concessions) until August 31 this year, so you'll enjoy reduced prices all summer long.

To find your nearest store or shop online, visit www.focusdiy.co.uk.

Dremel has launched a new cordless multi-tool, the Dremel 200 series, designed for detailed work and with novice DIYers in mind.

The Dremel 200 is useful for light DIY and hobby projects, including engraving, grinding, cutting, sanding, carving and polishing.

It has a 125w motor, two speed settings for better control and accuracy - perfect if you're new to using a multi-tool - and is compatible with all Dremel accessories and attachments.

It comes with five accessories, so you can get started straightaway.

These are a sanding band with a mandrel, another mandrel for mounting different accessories, an aluminium-oxide grinding stone and two cutting wheels.

The Dremel 200 series (34.99 RRP) will be available from www.dremel-direct.com.

Ask the expert

Q: I started to paint some lined walls in my bedroom, but bubbles appeared all over the walls so I stopped. What was I doing wrong?

A: Don't panic - this has happened to me too. Carry on painting and more bubbles and bulges are sure to appear, but they'll gradually disappear as the paint dries. They'll probably appear again when you do a second coat, but again should settle down once it's dry. Lining paper improves the appearance of less-than-perfect walls, so it is more of a help than a hindrance, but it will start coming away from the walls over time, as all wallpaper eventually does, so you may want to consider removing it if the lining paper has been there for years and years.

Seasonal task

Messy DIY jobs, such as sanding or paint stripping, create havoc if done indoors, so if you can move the work outside into the garden, do so and you'll be able to enjoy the warm weather at the same time.