Owning your own home

Jokes thread>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Laminate flooring. Anyone want some. It is sitting in my back garden...
Free.

Any recommendations for builder/window fitter se23? Been moved into our new place for 3months, just noticing paint damage near the window - looks like water is getting in and need it resealed. Any names/numbers of helpful people would be helpful

Some trades are more compatible for one person to encompass than others. If you can build a kitchen from scratch, tile it and paint it to a very high quality finish then you've covered quite a few trades by the time you've finished. I would always try to find people who have experience of the job you're asking them to do rather than getting them to do something that is part of a job just because they're on site.

My Granddad always used to say "leave them wanting more son".

It's no wonder he lost that job in famine relief.

Do you have a picture of the window that you'd like to share.

'Fraid not, I tried to take a pic last night but it was dark and it didn't come out well.

The internal damage is really minor but visible, looking at the frame itself it might just be a slight gap in the sealant under one corner of the outside sill - would it be safe just to fix this up with sealant and keep an eye out?

Hard to tell from that description, not even sure if it's sash or casement, it shouldn't make much difference though I guess. Something like a Dow Corning 791 works quite well between a cill and the masonry. It does need priming with an oil based primer though, if you are going to bother painting it because it's silicon based. You need to attach the silicon to something solid though, you might have more rot than you think without investigation.

Sometimes you find a hole right through the wooden cill hidden in the corner but that's usually if they've been left for a long time. If you have a lot of dead wood hiding behind a layer of paint you can dig it out, dry it and paint a hardener on it, then use 2 part filler or preferably Repaircare epoxy resin.

Replacing a cill is half a days work for most tradesmen but you would need to paint it and make good inside on top of that.

@airhead, thanks for the info! Windows are casement i think (the whole house is only 6yrs old), they don't look like sash windows from my (admittedly limited) knowledge of these things.

The gap on the outside just looks like the edge of the sealant isn't fixed to the window sill well enough - to be honest i'm amazed any water has travelled right through, but there is a kind of line of loosened wallpaper on the inside from the same corner which is what makes me think some has. It all looks superficially in good condition so I'd be surprised if it needed much doing to it, but then again something doesn't appear to be right

Great, I would be surprised if you had serious rot in 6 years. Could be capillary action drawing it through the crack, loosening wallpaper is not that hard with a small amount of water either.

I'm so moving back to Norwich.
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-49559944.html

Nex to Gas Hill, I was showing my sister that house this week.

These are fantastic. I fancy building a bike cupboard out of an old airing cupboard space. mdf it. Anyone who knows what they are doing have any tips? Measure twice cut once and all that... Plan is to half the space with a big vertical piece and then bang in some shelves. Prob just crude joins/supports. What can go wrong? (I have a powersaw).

Ha, no way, my folks live down the road. Is she going to buy it? WHEN I move back I am so buying a place like that - for the price of a shit 1 bed in Hackney.

My mum and brother live round the corner. We were just looking cos it's a nice house in a period style. I like the ivy arch.

@andyfallsoff I don't know the specifics but aren't all new builds covered by 10 yr warranty?

It will be covered by an NHBC warranty: http://www.nhbc.co.uk/Warrantiesandcover/Homeowners/

This is what it covers: http://www.nhbc.co.uk/Warrantiesandcover/Homeowners/WhatdoesBuildmarkcover/

Measure your space and decide what the largest square box that will fit in it is. Do not get this wrong, I use a laser level usually to check that the cupboard will be level and square on the upright, if the rest of the room is really pissed it can make it look weird. Don't forget to allow for a base made of something like 2x2 (depending how far you want it from the floor).

Whatever you do, make sure that the box will fit in the space, square. Make your life easy and add a back to the box, I prefer to have the back inside the edge of the box as it will help you to keep it square.

Download google sketch up and draw your cupboard properly, make sure all the joints line up properly and all the sheets are the correct width, put the shelves in it and make sure you allow little gaps for moving items like shelves, 1.5-3mm depending on how accurate you think your work will be. Make sure your doors have a 1.5mm gap. Yes, you will have to learn to use sketch up which could take a while but it's worth it.

Get the add on for sketch up which produces a cut list for the drawing. Double check you have no stupid measurements in there. Work out how to cut a board 2400x1200mm to get all your pieces. Allow for the very rough edges of the board to be cut off and factor in the width of the blade to your cuts (circa 4mm).

Go to or call your mdf supplier to have the board cut to size on their giant saw, drive it home or have it delivered, keep it dry and don't drop it in the process. Do not lean it against walls for a while or store it where it's too damp.

Make a level base with 2x2 or similar. You may need to plane the 2x2 to get the level or put wedges under it, hopefully you adjusted for this in your drawings.

Join the box together (with screws if you have no other option). For the most solid box use some glue too. Mount it on the base and fix to the walls at either side, ensuring it is straight. Always pilot drill and countersink and don't go crazy with the fixings to the wall, the cupboard should sit there on it's own pretty much especially if you've put a back in it.

Cut the holes for the hinges in the back of the door and mount the plates on the inside of the cupboard. They are based on a mathematical system revolving around 32mm called the 32mm system. You should have understood when you bought the hinges whether they are overlay or inset etc. etc. I have books with hundreds of hinge options in them, you will need to research it. Try the Hafele website. Mount the doors, test operation.

Mount the shelves on 5mm pins, you can get them with or without rubber, they are useful because you may want to move the shelves later on. Place plinth over base. Test operation of cupboard.

You may need to cut a piece of mdf to cover the gap between the edge of the cupboard and the wall, this should depend on how square your alcove is, you can use plaster or filler but it tends to crack out. You will need to decorate this to match the walls or the cupboard depending on which would look best.

Paint the inside of the box, and the doors and shelves removed from the cupboard. If you have a decent sander you can sand the edges of the mdf from 80 - 250 grit in stages which will give you smooth edges to paint on, otherwise using MDF primer from Leyland (Orange tin) paint the mdf and sand the edges back then repeat. you might have to sand the edges twice. Don't forget to denib before you paint with the chosen top coat. Waterbased paints do not survive well on shelves and some manufacturers paints don't cover well, try to use brushes specifically for the type of waterbased paint you are using. Oil paint is very durable and looks good but it takes a long time to dry so expect to leave it a while before you use the cupboard especially if it's not fully dry before you put the doors back on and close them.

Put the shelves in, doors back on, job done.

I might have missed some stuff out but that's a fairly straightforward way to achieve it. Design wise there are lots of little choices you can make.

Well thats me sorted than. Amazing. Thanks for such a comprehensive reply! The only slight issue I have is I have pipes in the space, maybe a foot and a half heigh either side so cant put a box in the very bottom but have to shelve over?

Waterbased paints do not survive well on shelves

A few coats of decorators varnish from Brewers over water based paint creates a good, hard wearing finish

Solid response

That's not a little problem if you want to keep the project simple. I would build a box that goes around the pipes but it could add a few hours complication to the build. The advantage of the method I've outlined is the simple square shape of the front of the box that you end up with.

I've made many cupboards in available spaces that take twice as long because you have to compensate for the walls when scribing shelves and doors need to be slightly odd shapes to compensate for walls too. There are just too many different ways to achieve the end result to be honest. The one that I've outlined is the simplest to describe and achieve because you don't even cut the materials yourself.

Bear in mind you can make a freestanding cupboard roughly the same way. It would be a bit basic though.

Cheers, I fear my walls will be all over the ship. Boxing in the pipes sounds like a good option though. Really appreciate the thorough responses, can't wait to get crackin....

wow! nice write up dude!!!!

Only if the house builder is a member of the NHBC