**Official SINGLES THREAD 9-11 MAY** On Singles and DIY

9th May 2008 | Snugs

[snugs]

Yesterday I said that the inspiration for this thread came from my insurance claim, here are a few photos of the damage and the work.

The damage in the bathroom

Corn dollies we found in the loft which we believe were put there when the house was built as a good luck charm

Phil on the scaffolding because he took advantage of it being up to replace our guttering and do some other work that was not covered by the insurance.

The damage on the roof

[A knight without armor]

Those things remind me of witchs’ brooms.

[snugs]

I doubt if many of the electricians, builders, gas men etc donated to political campaigns as most of them are one man bands not big companies.

It is more of typical left bureaucracy and we are looking out for you nanny state which in reality in most cases has not made the work any safer or better.

In theory I suppose it is better to get a registered gas fitter to rig up a cooker or gas fire or connect electrics to the main supply or major electrical or professional builder/engineer do or oversee major building work which is what they are basically saying but now not only do you have to get this done but prove it when you sell your house otherwise you will need to get a full safety survey done at your costs not the buyer's cost.

Basically it comes down to the government wanting to regulate and in their mind make sure you are not selling a property with either substandard or unsafe gas/electrics/structure etc., instead of trusting that home owners would do that. I suppose again we all suffer for the few that flout the rules. I believe there maybe some get our clauses such age of property, number of bedrooms etc but eventually I suspect all houses will come under the rule and if you have not had any major work done recently then you will have to get a survey of the various services and structures done.

[ottbmare]

I do live near you, dear—Maryland is such a small state we’re all pretty close—but am a little too old for you. ;-)

My know-how was gained through those nice clinics they have at Home Depot that show you how to nail down your own flooring, put up drywall, lay ceramic tile, etc. Then I practiced. Then sometimes it didn’t work out and I cried, tore it out, and did it again. You can skip the crying part if you want.

I have to admit that even though I’m proud of the work I’ve done, some of it doesn’t compare to what a skilled professional can do. Tradesmen who know their craft are really admirable, whether they are plumbers, electricians, sheetrockers, or (especially) carpenters, and on those rare occasions when I’ve had someone in to do work I couldn’t handle, watching them was as inspiring as it was instructive.

[ottbmare]

Nice job on the bathroom; did you do that yourself?

[snugs]

You sound as if you have had a good experience of getting people in to do work in most cases I have found their work less than I had hoped for.

It is the small details they miss the finishing off. Even though I admit they do better than I can and even better in some ways than my mum did though in her younger days her paper hanging and painting was pretty good.

Nowadays I compare them with Phil and have to admit he is much more exacting and does a better job the only draw back with him which he admits is speed he will take probably 5 or 6 times longer than someone doing it everyday. The end result though is probably 5 or 6 times better.

[snugs]

That is not my bathroom just a photo I picked up on the net this is my bathroom not as posh as that.

[Rca2000]

Most here know me, and know I do electronic repair for a living. As such, I have NO problem doing repairs of nearly any home appliance, including air conditioners, furnaces, stoves, microwave ovens, washers and dryers, etc. And I have known how to do wiring (CORRECTLY) since in my teens. I have no problem adding or replacing any 120 volt outlet or switch, and usually do NOT turn off the power to do so. 230 volts..now I DO often turn off the power for that..but ONE time I had to do one “hot” and it WAS successful(The box was NOT accessible).

As for TV's and stereos and such..since I fix ‘em, I have no problem getting one or more for myself and my family(mom and sis) to use. OF course, I can fix anything that goes wrong too.

Now carpentry , I am NOT very good at, and I hate plumbing. Car repairs, I can do some of them myself.

Today was an OK day. I took mom to the flea MKt. and she got a “new” (actually nearly antique) planter and a hanging basket for mothers day. I also sent a couple of “e” cards to a couple of friends of mine who are mothers, for mothers day.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I’m assuming that your loft is the English equivalent to our attics? (Over here, a loft is a type of apartment, usually built in old warehouses and other structures that had a previous life as something else.)

[snugs]

We use the word for several things. Lofts to most people are the same your attics, attics tend to mean a loft converted into a room in Britain.

You also have a loft in a barn when the hay used to stored. Also we have apartments (flats) as you mention normally called loft or attic flats or apartments.

Last year I fence blew down and our neighbours put a new one up for us (we of course paid for the materials) on the left you can see our pigeon loft.
As loft can also be a building in a garden for pigeons we have a pigeon loft in our garden which is really just a large shed designed especially for pigeons.

[Nowhere Man]

Now carpentry , I am NOT very good at, and I hate plumbing. Car repairs, I can do some of them myself.

I know what's it's like, I can't hit a nail to save a life and if I build a structure, it would fall apart in 5 minutes. B-) Plumbing, I'm "iffy" at, I can usually do it. A few months ago, I had to clear out a blockage under the stationary tub in the basement. Let's just say I made a mess, took me 45 minutes, and when I came back upstairs, Mom (while making dinner) said, "get a shower, you smell like a septic tank." B-P But when you don't have the funds, you got to do it yourself, now that I'm looking for work again, well, that's the road I got to take. Once I get my unemployment rolling, I'll have to buy some rotors and shoes, we can start fixing the front brakes on my Explorer. I'll have to fix her by piecemeal and then get her inspected.

[Nowhere Man]

In theory I suppose it is better to get a registered gas fitter to rig up a cooker or gas fire or connect electrics to the main supply or major electrical or professional builder/engineer do or oversee major building work which is what they are basically saying but now not only do you have to get this done but prove it when you sell your house otherwise you will need to get a full safety survey done at your costs not the buyer's cost.

Basically it comes down to the government wanting to regulate and in their mind make sure you are not selling a property with either substandard or unsafe gas/electrics/structure etc., instead of trusting that home owners would do that. I suppose again we all suffer for the few that flout the rules. I believe there maybe some get our clauses such age of property, number of bedrooms etc but eventually I suspect all houses will come under the rule and if you have not had any major work done recently then you will have to get a survey of the various services and structures done.

It sort of reminds me of Rodney Dangerfield in "Back to School" where he explains real economics to his economics professor. "Well, it's like this, you got to pay the plumber a little extra, give a little kickback to the electrician's union," and so on. I think the guy is right. B-)

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

We also use the term loft to mean storage place for hay.

More fun translations:

stove (US) = cooker (UK)
potholder (US) = oven cloth (UK)
truck (big rig) (US) = lorry (UK)

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Do you have any burners on that thing (maybe under the covering on top), or is it just an oven?

[snugs]

It is a ceramic hob

[snugs]

I hope you soon get another job be thinking of you.

[snugs]

Electrical work is a useful knowledge especially electronic as unless you have this specialist knowledge it can cost a fortune to repair things as most the repair shop says new PCB costing virtually the amount you paid for the item in the first place.

[snugs]

Stove is an old fashioned English word for a cooker my nan used to refer to our cooker as a stove and my dad still does. Interestingly though he also refers to our electric and when we had one gas fire as a stove.

A potholder in Britain is the square shape oven cloth. We also have oven mits or gloves.

We also say truck in fact I would say if you are under 50 in Britain you would use the word truck and lorry over 50 probably mainly lorry. We often use the term rig for the cab only.

[snugs]

[snugs]

Here are the before photos of the areas that were partly re-decorated under our insurance claim I still have the paintwork to do in certain areas and also to organise new carpets.