Home DIY

Goes without saying once the mdf is protected I'll aspire to tidy and organise it.

Big thanks to @Markyboy for suggesting the Fisher Hammer in screws. Made life so much easier and will definitely use them in future.

It’ll need to be double wythe with some ties between the two faces to give it any sort of strength, even then, your brickie might want to put a pier at each end. That shouldn’t be more than two/three days labour unless he/she has to dig out proper footings.

I’d go for reclaimed brick personally because new brick looks too new for pretty much everything. You’ll need ~120 bricks per sq m of wall so 360 for a 3m x 1m wall (double wythe). Plus a header course across the top, plus at least two courses under the finished ground level.

You should get it done for under £1,500.

The hard standing is the easy bit. You need a solid base of MOT tamped down to 100mm thick and then lay whatever you want on the top onto 4:1 sand cement. Indian stone flags are nice and not expensive.

Jeez, the knowledge never stops! I’ve been looking for something to replace my redbricks with and have been struggling, solid gear look ideal. Finding something lightweight with a sole plate seems to be impossible. If I can find a mid ankle one I’ll be set.

And there it is!
https://www.snickersuk.com/product/solid-gear-sentry-mid-safety-boot/

If you assume the drill bit will wander a little,
you need a little built in adjustment.
For stuff that no-one will see, (slightly) oversize holes through the baton,
and a penny washer under the screwhead to hide any 'up & down',
and to spread the holding force.

👍

IME the ratchets die if you don't loosen them before kicking off your shoes. At least on my safety boots. And the nice ladies at the builders merchant said I wasn't the only one with dead ratchets.

Yeah for sure, I always drill a clearance hole, rather than a pilot hole when screwing anything down. If I’m adding a batten to a wall, I want the hole in the batten to be a bigger diameter than the thread of the screw. The head of the screw will provide the holding power, and the screw will clamp the batten to the wall much better if none of the thread has engaged in the piece you’re attaching.
A very simple thing that is often overlooked or misunderstood. Having a clearance hole also gives you the minor adjustment you talk about. Get it half tight and tap with a hammer until level and then fully tighten.

I’m preaching to the converted, but it’s always worth saying.

The head of the screw will provide the holding power, and it will clamp to the wall much better if none of the thread has engaged in the piece you’re attaching.

This never occurred to me and I assumed the opposite.

If you had thread engaged in both pieces, the piece you’re attaching won’t nip up well, until the thread is stripped out of the piece you’re attaching. Which is why you can tighten a screw really tight, but still have a gap. You can also just back the screw out until it’s only in the piece you’re attaching, push them tight and then tighten, but it won’t be clamping as forcefully if there’s thread engaged on both sides.

A lot of the holding power will come from creating friction between the two mating surfaces. More clamping force = more friction.

Thanks, very comprehensive. Yeah have a good supply of bricks. From the work just done.
Is the £1500 just labour or with materials including the bricks?
What might it be if I supply the bricks?

This also never occurred to me and I also assumed the opposite.
Ta

That was including the bricks. Are you in London? Reckon a bricklayer would charge you £250 down there. Much less up north.

Obviously you’ll need sand and cement.

Glad they worked for you, looks like a neat job

Finally finished my project. Changes to arrangements for my kids staying with me and my son deferring his university place for a year meant the bedroom I had eyed for my office is no longer available. Sick of working at the kitchen table I decided to build a mezzanine for a double mattress in my bedroom and free up all of the floorspace, creating an area to work. Need to sort out the rugs and buy a two-seater sofa and I'll be happy.

The mezzanine was built on a 5x2 frame on two load-bearing walls with 5x2 upright supports in the corners. I put three 5x2 joists across the frame, sitting on joist hangers that sit on the frame and are cut an inch into the walls. I then boarded it 18mm ply, cut holes to allow the mattress to breathe and varnished. The mattress sits on top of a sheet of dry-mat to allow more air circulation. There's an extension lead attached to the hidden side of the ladder and recessed into the board along the wall.

Really pleased with it - a lot of headroom at the head of the bed, hardly any ambient light gets in so I'm sleeping really well, and I managed to negotiate getting in and out without incident after 4 pints.

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The knowledge accumulates with age! I have been comfortable in the pairs I have but I do use Adidas skateboard shell toes when I don't need protective footwear. The skateboard version use tougher materials and I like vulcanised rubber soles.

Nice job - did you make the steps/ladder?

@Markyboy

I'm quite careful with mine but I will have to make sure I unlatch them before taking them off in future. How long did they last and did you get a replacement?

6-8 months of daily use. Had the ratchets replaced twice. I haven't been kind to them in any way. Went back to laces after the last pair.

Thanks. The steps came in kit form and just had to be cut to size and assembled.

Top work.

And you can get an SPD version

where did you buy the kit from? the steps into my basement could probably do with replacing

ha, that's exactly why i was asking

Did this yesterday. Just need some hardboard for the shelves.

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https://www.laddersandscaffoldtowers.co.uk/acatalog/Space-Saver-Staircase.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIweby8vbA7AIVSed3Ch0Q2AIKEAQYBCABEgLU1vD_BwE

Ignore their claims about next day delivery, it took a week and the delivery company they use are jokers, but the product is sound if basic.

@cozey
@dt