Home DIY

Option 3, option 1 but go 2 storeys high? Bigger living space, 3rd bedroom (en suite if space)??

If you plant Bamboo in the ground, leave them in the pot but knock the bottom out: they're rampant.

Are you using Mahon for the pebbledash removal? I'm going to have the paint removed from mine one day. I want to have the pointing done in colour-matched lime mortar though.

Essex Brick works (michaelatessexbrickworkandrepointingdotcodotuk)

Mahon was 3 x the price

They've done two of houses on Chichester road if you want to check out their work

Had considered that but thought it could be pretty costly and also not sure how planning would work there - lots of other loft conversions and ground floor extensions in the street but nothing with an extra, extra floor.

Oh, also looking to do our garden while we're at it. It's a good 100sq metres in terraces which are mostly concreted over. Beds on the side. Lots of established fruit trees - figs, pears, apples, palm, a rockery, and a large decked area. It's all a bit run down and covered in rat shit. No lawn. Want to level, new raised beds, and variously deck, re-pave the lot - a good 2 skips to clear. How do landscapers usually charge projects? Area? Time? Materials? Etc?

Cheers mate! That's really helpful.

I am also on stripping floor mission. But I have about 150 sq metres to do, luckily I'm not in a huge rush and can move things around and to patches.

Just hired this beast to give them a deep clean first so they're not completely filthy and hopefully make the stripping a bit easier. I think I'm going to wire brush them rather than sand.

1 Attachment

You're welcome to check out the work at my place - they're starting next week.

How do landscapers usually charge projects? Area? Time? Materials? Etc?

@Colin_the_Bald is your man.

Thanks bro, really pleased with it. I used this stuff:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/liberon-hard-wax-oil-for-wooden-furniture-floors-satin-2-5ltr/7665f#null

But to be honest if I did it again I'd go for a glossy equivalent. Something about the combination of my 'rustic' sanding and the matt oil just makes it look a bit unfinished in real life.

Etch-a-sketch Architects?

MS Paint with a trackpad thank you very much.

Plastering over woodchip, is this a thing? A better option than hiring a decent steamer?

Absolutely not, unless you're a big bodger!

Gotta strip that shit I'm afraid. Luckily plenty of folks on here have done it

Spark-types, are there good reasons why I should not omit fitting a 45-amp (or thereabouts) switch near my new cooker in the kitchen? I'm putting the cooker inside the chimney breast which I'm opening up, but it's doesn't really leave much room for placing a switch without it looking ugly. The MCU is around 3m away from the cooker, so presumably I could isolate there, but maybe that's not very fair on future owners.

You need one for 'mechanical maintenance' purposes.

Regs covering this are:

461-01-01
537-03-02

Thanks. I suppose it does make sense. I may see if I can conceal in a cupboard next to the cooker.

Sorry for more questions:

Has anyone ever cut open above a Victorian doorway to add a window? I'd like one above this door in my kitchen which looks through to the hallway. Wall is brick, but above the door is lath and plaster. There are two studs which form the upright parts of the door frame, and then these are braced and have the laths running across. Do I just cut this out between the upright studs and fit a simple window frame?

Doorway:

As long as nothing structural is compromised.

Freecycle:
Anybody want a bag of halogen spots
I have circa 25 * 12V 35W and 15 * 240V 50W bulbs leftover as I've switched to LEDs.
Ignore the boxes they're in as that what my LEDs came in.
Im in E11 or could take to work at EC3M, seems a shame to landfill them.

2 Attachments

On the freecycle thing anyone need a flush unit?

1 Attachment

Anyone want my Aldi circular saw? £20, very little use. Buying a cordless one so the big corded Aldi one is surplus to requirements. Still got the box and I think there's a spare blade in there.

But to be honest if I did it again I'd go for a glossy equivalent. Something about the combination of my 'rustic' sanding and the matt oil just makes it look a bit unfinished in real life.

If you want it smoother you really need to spend more time on it with the right levels of sandpaper - gloss hardwax oil will probably show up roughness even more.

Having said that, if you want a gloss finish I would expect you could add a layer of a gloss hardwax oil just fine. We did ours with a layer of the Osmo amber tint, followed by a layer of Osmo clear gloss.