Owning your own home

The worktop slab I had fitted the other week was just stuck to the cabinets. It seemed easy enough that they didn't charge for doing it.

It’s hard to believe that insulation can go up that much considering it’s already fortunes and woods went up 30 percent. I just got 20 sheets of 18ply and it was cheaper than last time I ordered so don’t get that!

Aye but it makes the price look cheaper to you and then at the end it’s like a surprise when it’s a lot more. It’s a bit sneaky and shite way to do business imo

Mine is in 4 bits. The long bits and then two short bits that run perpendicular to the cooker. I think this is the way they all do it do they can maximise granite use.

The Install took 40 minutes for 3 blokes and half of that was drilling the tap hole. They basically rest it on the cabinets and stop it sliding with glue. It weighs a third of a ton so not easy to move once fixed.

was also saying labour prices have gone through the roof too... covid-19/brexit double whammy

he could always be talking pish, granted

Can confirm getting work done is dusty biznezz

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honestly that’s not happened up here in Scotland. Our prices are the same as they were pre Covid. I think loads of folk are fuckin at it

I'm in scotland 🤷🏼

but aye, sure plenty of people definitely are at it and definitely a non-zero chance the builder's talking pish (though he is normally sound enough)

Aye totally, I think anyone jacking up labour prices and blaming covid is at it and even the material costs from what he's said dont really match up from what im buying. I mean a sheet of 18mm ply is usually like £27 quid so if its a 30 percent jump thats like £8/9 quid a sheet on top and I didnt see that last week.

The timber I bought (in edinburgh) at the weekend for skirting had changed from £2.20/m to £3.60/m since October. But the polish builder we've had doing work just emailed and he's still great value

Thats brutal and certainly starts to mount up quickly when you need 100m

Who make good 4 panel solid pine doors? Victorian house so I feel like this is the obvious option. You can see the light through the current one when the sun shines on it, so looking for something with a bit more heft and soundproofing.

Raking out, filling, sanding then refilling hairline cracks in 30 year old plaster/paint before the first attempt with Zinsser to cover up the nicotine stains in the living room (after having had a go with sugar soap). Satisfying and infuriating in equal measure.

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Cordless RO sander hooked up to the Henry kindly donated by @Señor_Bear is the closest thing to a dustless set up I've ever experienced. Also using it to follow the Stanley blade when raking out the cracks. Takes a bit longer when you're being careful but we're in no rush.

Roof is also nearly done after the weather had tripled the amount of time it was supposed to take. They just need to do the pitched bits around the dorma extension. They redid the porch roof as well in the same colour tile as they had left overs of the small tiles they used for the apex roof over the bay. Looking forward to the scaffold hopefully doming down this weekend.

Just in time to send more money to Everest to start making the windows which should hopefully go in in March.

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What company did you use if you don't mind me asking?

https://www.idealloftladders.co.uk/

They've not actually done the work yet due to the problems with working out a hatch location, we've got someone coming to give a second opinion next week to see if we can work out something better.

They seemed good though. Spent a couple of hours here today trying to work out the best way to do it and didn't pressure us at all.

Great - thank you. If anyone else has any recommendations i'm all ears.

We used Ideal Loft Ladders and they were excellent - new hatch, ladder and full LoftZone into all corners was done in a day (it's roughly 30sq. m) with no mess by an incredibly polite two-man team. Pretty sure we went with them after a recommendation from someone on here.

Excuse the slight fish-eyeing of the shot, but here's a panoramic of one side once done...

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I bought 400+m of timber a month ago - prices look to be up by 4% - 5% since then.

I reported a pot hole in our tarmac drive, this morning two random blokes are our outside filling the pot hole with concrete. Using a much harder, non waterproof patch is I am sure, optimal.

The Loft Boys was the other we got the quote from. Also seemed decent from discussions with them but slightly (not much) more expensive

lads, are there any nice... beanbags ? basically I want a slouchy seat I can use to sit in front of the TV and BE A GAMER but which is stowable, so can be put away when not in use

is this even the right thread

https://www.bigberthaoriginal.com are good quality and not too ££.

I have a couple of their outdoor ones.

I would say that they're in no way stowable though. Apart from being lightweight, they don't really pack down at all and they're impossible to store anywhere. Ours just sit in a corner of the garage, taking up space, until the good weather comes around.