'Help! I broke it': Fast, easy fixes for every home DIY dilemma

Don't panic, don't tell anyone — and read Home of the Year winner Jennifer Sheahan's tips. Now, practise your innocent face

When installing tiles, you should always keep a few spares; remember this when ordering them, says Jennifer Sheahan. Picture: iStock

When I was 18 and going off to college, I called over to my then-boyfriend’s apartment to meet his new roommates. In an effort to impress, I brought a bottle of red wine—quite the step up from Buckfast. Of course, nobody had a wine bottle opener, but not to be deterred I proclaimed that I could open it with a butter knife by pushing the cork in. 

I pushed it in alright, with a strength I didn’t know I possessed, and red wine sprayed everywhere. All over the white walls, on the ceiling, the couch, into the grout of the kitchen tiles that were all the way across the room. I was mortified obviously.