Home DIY

Like any shop

I'd pass on him too, sounds like he was trying to make a bit too much profit on materials and got called out. Most builders worth their salt can float material costs until work commences. We're about to start our extension but had a last minute change to our design, architect was cool and charged £100, structural surveyor was cool and charged £100, I have a nasty feeling the builder ain't gonna be cool because it's the eleventh hour and is going to bend us over knowing we really don't have an alternative. Fingers crossed.

This weekend's project completed...

They're two fairly distinct trades, if you want them done properly by a certified professional, get separate teams. Most sparks can recommend a decent plumber and vice versa.

Never put a screw through a pipe or nail into a wire ever again...

http://venturebeat.com/2016/08/16/the-walabotdiy-lets-remodelers-see-through-walls-like-superman/

Well that's taken the fun out of DIY.

Can I get a flat white and a cherry muffin please.

throw cash at a plasterer, paint it white over a weekend, spend a load of money at your local hay/muuto/string stockist and job done.

Saved us 3 grand on our kitchen doing it that way (providing materials - they just provided some of the labour). Which after about 2 months is now sort of finished.

From this:

It wasn't that clean when we exchanged in I can assure you - they left a load of tat everywhere:

Including this impracticably small but annoyingly intrusive pantry:

To this:

(white grout in the end not grey, as that was all he had with him and I didn't want to see him again after he'd delayed us by 3 weeks).

Today:

It needs a few final bits of filling/decorating etc. I'm also going to put up wooden shelves and a pot rack/hanger on the far end above the toasted/kettle. Possibly a small metal shelf/something to the left of the extractor for books etc.

It's not without it's problems but it's a fuck-sight better than it was when we moved in.

^ forgive the tiny white fridge in the corner. We've got a big black Haier now but the white one is providing overflow duties for a barbecue this weekend.

the white fridge in the corner cannot be forgiven - upsets the fengshui

that looks very good, how much all in if you dont mind?

I am suitably chastised.

About 9 all in but there was more than might be obvious. Broke down as:-

2k for the units, sink, work surface from diy-kitchens.com

1.5k for oven, hob, extractor, dishwasher, fridge-freezer, washer-dryer, radiator, tap.

500 for tiles and paint?

5k for the rest:

The rest: Labour (plumber, electrician, tiler, carpenter etc) new glazed front door, new back door, locks and handles for both, 8 LED downlights, handle for kitchen-to-living room door, new outside tap, new consumer unit, knocking down the pantry and making good by hanging timber (also included building notice and engineer calculations pack), new outside tap, adhesives, fillers, etc, MDF for boxing, grout etc.

Thanks for the summary

blows kisses

Although the paint took a long time!

great info, thanks! Kitchen will be our next/last project next year :)

Currently the decking is being done with bit of garden re-layout, new shed and a sail cloth as roof for the bbq area. @Chalfie my guy is good, based in Lee, are you still looking?

Can anyone recommend a quality glaziers in SE London? Looking to replace a few uPVC windows...

@amey: yes please.

@Fahrgestell i used the guys in herne hill to repair a broken pane.
http://www.walshglazing.co.uk/contact
unsure if it's the same thing...

Did you go for Milboard?

Currently pricing it up for ours.

We didnt. First house .. dont see outselves living here more than 5 years so no point .. will just have to spend few hours per year to paint it ;)

Ours is 25 sq m. With compressed timber it was just under 2K including fitting. Composite would've been 4K; not mad amount of money if you are going to stay longer term.

I thought you were going to ask for a Punk IPA.

Currently opening dining room into what was built as a wet room for the previous occupants. Dining room is around 4x4 with no windows, so I'm knocking it through to add the 3x2 of the wet room.

Ordered massive velux for wet room roof, large casement window for end wall of wet room looking onto garden. Bricks ordered from Denmark to match existing Victorian stock; these will be used for the wall that supports the casement window.

Wet room has solid concrete floor which needs to be taken down to around 1.2m deep so that we can lay proper foundations.

Need to also install a double mains socket in the wet room section (which at this point be the back of the dining room).

Removing existing wooden frame/door/window and looking into wet room:

Friend has just moved into a new flat and asked did I could look at a few sockets which didn't work at all (never a good sign).

This is as I found one of them. Note that incoming loop connections are on red/black cable: