Owning your own home

Door bells.

We're planning on getting a new front door and currently just have a cheap wireless thing I grabbed from Argos when we first moved in.

The door surround will be replaced. So it seems like a good time to put a door bell in.

However, it seems like a fucking shit shower of a purchase. All the wireless ones look as naff as our current ones, or else it's some gash Ring thing.

The only nice neat little things seem to be wired, and it strikes me as OTT to get sparks and a plasterer in just to have an unobtrusive doorbell.

Anyone got any leads on this?

Cheers.

Theres actually asbestos in the air apparently and we breath it in, the only asbestos you really wanna worry about is the blue and brown. Thats on another level of bad shit, I think ive only seen brown once.

Also dont worry about it if its not broken up either.

Pretty much everyone who arrives at my house, delivery drivers in particular, seem to just thump on the door. The whizzy Arlo video doorbell has cobwebs growing all over it. I'd go for a good sturdy door knocker.

OH says no knocker.

I just want something small and utilitarian like this:

OH says no knocker.

Yeah, my OH said no knocker. But it's not her house, and she doesn't live here, so as soon as I've got it polished to match the other door fittings, it's going on. My house, my rules.

Unfortunately I share mine and the door project is being spearheaded by them.

This is the closest I've found, but it's from some sketch website.

I wonder if I could mod one.... A load of black plastidip and a rummage around ebay?

Decide where to site the transformer, you might be able to avoid having a new circuit or socket put in for it. Then the bell wire goes between the bell, wherever you want that to be and the light up push button you've posted and the transformer. Hiding that is the most time consuming part but it's fairly easy for a decorator. I wouldn't ask a joiner fitting a door to do it though. You could avoid an electrician although some are very good at this sort of thing.

Sometimes trunking as a temporary measure and get it in the wall when you decorate.

It is a good time to do it if you're replacing the frame though, the fitter should be able to get the wire to the floor or ceiling depending on what works best.

Unfortunately I share mine

Your OH doesn't live in a different country? Crazy.

I suspect there's a fundamental conflict between small and wireless. Small doesn't leave much room for batteries. And once the batteries go flat, you'll wish you had a door knocker.

Cheers. That's helpful.

But can you also see that you've kinda shown why it's a massive pain?

I'm struggling to think how to hide the wiring. We've got wooden and tile flooring on the ground. I do now have a multi tool, so maybe I could get it under the skirting. Medium term we're going to replace all the flooring on the ground, so I guess that would be the redecorating opportunity.

My folks used to have a battery powered bell (by a couple of D cells) with the pusher wired into that. I wonder if they still exist?

I guess the other option is to have a wire run through the frame and tucked away that can later be connected up.

[Edit: note to self read https://www.piglets.org/blog/2014/07/21/extending-a-wired-doorbell-with-a-wireless-one/]

Get a traditional wind up bell which fits to the door rather than the frame.l? Previous flat had one worked well

https://doorbellworld.co.uk/index.php/windup-doorbells-c-23?osCsid=6bd04eed7804ad2d090d8d4c94abedd9

Or don’t bother, we have neither a bell or a knocker and it’s worked fine for eighteen years.

It seems a lot of effort to get a slightly prettier doorbell. I've just got those ones where the bell has a battery and the other end plugs into the mains and they're fine. This kind of shit

Cheers.

Agreed.

That's the sort of thing we currently have. I was just hoping someone made something that looked a bit nicer/less cheap. It doesn't need to make a Bauhaus cum or anything.

https://www.toolstation.com/byron-wireless-doorbell-set/p26613

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I wired a nice brass push button into the switch contacts of my wireless doorbell. Works a treat. Just need to tidy up the wiring on the inside of the door. I'll find a picture.

@hugo7 I just opened up the wireless button housing (which you need to do to change the battery anyway) then worked out which two contact points on the switch set off the doorbell when shorted and soldered two long tails to those. The other ends go to the contacts on the back of the brass button. Drilled a 4mm hole all the way through the frame and used a forstner bit to make a recess for the back of the brass button unit. The wireless button still works too.

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I can see why it's a massive pain but I'm old and my life is all about this type of job! There are so many ways to go about it but they are all destructive in the short term.

Not much point when we move regularly every half decades, plus I can only get flashing alarm with battery/main type.

Cheers.

I'm going to have a look at the inside of ours. Failing that I've found another that looks smallish that I'll respray black if we get a black door surround (still TBC).

Our buyer has asked us to service the boiler before we complete. He's taking the piss a bit isn't he? Boiler brand new last year btw.

Lol

He's taking the piss a bit isn't he?

Yes. I'd ignore it. I would ignore it really, really hard if you've exchanged already.

Cheeky. Maybe you could top up the toilet rolls and light bulb supply too as they are going to be very busy with the moving in.

Just checking I wasn't being unreasonable in thinking they could jog on! Thanks folks.

Have you exchanged already? If so, you can reply with Jog On in caps.