The calm, considered guide to everything that goes wrong at home

HomesAndHedge is a UK home and garden problem-solver. For everyday problems such as pests, invasive plants, damp and mould, drainage and wildlife intruders, we help you identify what you are looking at, judge how serious it is, fix it where you safely can, and find the right professional when you cannot.

Something has appeared on the skirting, or in the lawn, or behind the wardrobe, and the questions arrive in the same order every time. What is it. How worried should I be. Can I deal with it myself, and if not, who do I call and what should that cost. HomesAndHedge answers them in that order, in plain English, without the panic and without the upsell.

We cover the unglamorous realities of British houses and gardens: household pests, invasive plants such as Japanese knotweed, damp and mould, drainage and the wildlife that lets itself in. Each guide tells you how to identify the thing in front of you, judge how serious it actually is, fix what you can do safely, and recognise the point at which a professional is the sensible call.

Every figure we quote is linked to a primary source: the Property Care Association, the RHS, the NHS or gov.uk. We sell nothing and we take no details. The aim is simply to be the most trustworthy second opinion you can read before you spend a penny.

Readers most often ask Is it Japanese knotweed?Rising damp or condensation?What is biting me?Is that woodworm active?

The knotweed question, settled

Feature plate. Photography to follow: a knotweed stand against a garden fence.

Reading a damp wall

Feature plate. Photography to follow: tide-marked plaster, morning light.

The lawful, humane response

Feature plate. Photography to follow: a fox at dusk on a suburban lawn.

In this issue

The five departments

01 Household pests Silverfish, carpet beetle, bed bugs, woodworm, wasps, ants, mice. What it is, how serious, who to call. Turn to → 02 Invasive plants and tree disease Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed, ash dieback, honey fungus, bamboo, leylandii. Identify, judge, act. Turn to → 03 Damp, mould and structure Rising damp, black mould, condensation, subsidence, cracks, dry rot. Tell them apart, judge severity. Turn to → 04 Drainage, surfaces and lawn Blocked drains, gutters, roof and lawn moss, patios, waterlogging, soakaways, lawn grubs. Turn to → 05 Wildlife and animal intruders Rats, squirrels, moles, bats, pigeons, foxes. Deal with them humanely and lawfully. Turn to →

The reference desk

Tools and figures

06 Identify and compare Tell the lookalikes apart: knotweed, the three kinds of damp, what is biting you. Turn to → 07 Indicative costs What pest control, damp proofing, knotweed removal and drain work should cost. Turn to → 08 Do it yourself, or call a professional Where the safe DIY line sits, and the jobs that are not worth the risk. Turn to → 09 UK statistics Quotable figures, each one linked back to its primary source. Turn to →

Oliver Mackman

Editor, HomesAndHedge

Oliver leads HomesAndHedge's editorial coverage of home and garden problems. He researches and writes the plain-English explainers on pests, invasive plants, damp and mould, drainage and wildlife, drawing on guidance from bodies such as the Property Care Association, the RHS and the NHS, and is clear about when a job needs a qualified professional.

Last reviewed: 8 June 2026