What "man jobs" have you done today?

[#Chri5#]

I'm sorting out my home network, so have a new network switch to accommodate. I also wanted to tidy up some cables and give my firewall a better home. My desk has a cupboard where my PC lives (door open when on!) and there was space alongside that. I didn't want to block the bottom vents on the switch & firewall and also thought they might fall over just stood vertically. I had a rummage through my spare timber pile in the garage and fired up Sketch-up...





I'm quite pleased with the result for a Mark I attempt. My mitre saw has roughed up the edges a little, so a bit more time sanding to tidy them up is needed, though I am tempted to get some nicer timber at some point (I used cheap PSE) and make a smarter looking Mark II.

I did buy a band clamp from Amazon to help when gluing the A-frames together and I also got to learn about cutting 60 degree angles on a mitre saw which stops at 45 degrees. A very satisfying few hours drawing and then building it

 

[fobose]

A good use of space there @#Chri5#. I've got my little 8 port switch mounted to the back of the vanity panel on my desk and another wall mounted under my stairs.

 

[Worthy]

I put coving up at the weekend in a room that's slightly under 4m by 3m. First time I've done it, I went with plaster coving and did it on my own. Messy and took about two days to get it all up, filled, painted and sorted. Attempting the long pieces on my own was a daft idea, it would have been miles easier with two. I did quite enjoy it when it was done though, I think I'll get some supercove for the other rooms.

 

[fobose]

Good effort @Worthy. I've never done it on my own before as I know how much of a pain it is. I always use gyproc plaster coving (127) and the 3.6 - 4.2m lengths are pretty heavy on their own. Did you have some long bits of wood to use as wedges?

 

[kai]

Top end of the garden never gets used and is merely artificial grass for the dog to run about on. Now that we have extension, with the bi-folds opening on to grass we tend to use this area more when friends and family are over. There was a lot of wasted space used up by plants etc to the side of the house.



Removed over 2 ton of soil from behind the sleepers yesterday.




This is what i gave the builder yesterday that i designed. Less of the "man job" part that i could do!


Progress. Its deceiving how big the deck is and how much wasted space we had. Its just over 16 m2

 

[DXP55]

Split a bag of logs this morning - they come split but they are still much too big for my small wood burner. Best thing I ever purchased was electric/hydraulic log splitter. Getting expensive now -£60 for 0.7ton bag of mixed. - won't go there again.

 

[Worthy]

Good effort @Worthy. I've never done it on my own before as I know how much of a pain it is. I always use gyproc plaster coving (127) and the 3.6 - 4.2m lengths are pretty heavy on their own. Did you have some long bits of wood to use as wedges?

I had some panel pins in my pocket and that was about it. Ended up having to go over basically all four walls with a wet sponge to get the adhesive off when I'd finished haha!

 

[NickK]

After taking a crack back to the blockwork above the window of the bathroom, I'd rebuilt the plaster. No further cracking so today I spend sanding back the new plaster using a incidental light and several hole fills (radiator and corrected a previous attempt to fill another hole). Then three coats of poly filler base coat, and just put on the first paint coat. Looking good so far. One or two more coats of paint and then it's refitting the radiator etc. Still have to sort out the skirting board, the coving and the ceiling.

Tomorrow the skip arrives and I start the move of 8 tons of sand and topsoil.

 

[Delvis]

Not today but yesterday I finished off tidying the garden and on the weekend laid the turf. Garden makeover pretty much complete.



And for anyone wondering what it was like before. (This is just after I started digging)

All dug by hand. Whole old patio was dug down approx 700mm and wheelbarrowed out by myself.

Lovely job that

 

[Evilpaul]

It's gone, sort of.

All split up into a size that'll fit in the car. Doing it with only hand tools was a dumb idea.

paid for the fence to be replaced, bit more tidying up this weekend and I can then just enjoy the garden for a bit

 

[joelk2]

Lovely job that

cheers, its a massive improvement. grass is growing nicely now too

 

[ik9000]

I think your compost bin is melting.

 

[Evilpaul]

I think your compost bin is melting.

well it is a it warm today!

it’s just a bit empty and lads who did the fencing have moved it a little. Push it back into place and it's reet.

 

[Delvis]

paid for the fence to be replaced, bit more tidying up this weekend and I can then just enjoy the garden for a bit

Much prefer concrete posts, saves replacing the damn rotten wooden ones every x years.

 

[ik9000]

Much prefer concrete posts, saves replacing the damn rotten wooden ones every x years.

ditto. Best thing we did when we put a new fence at the back of our garden. The side one is starting to rot. They'll be next.

 

[tedaC]

Trying to level out the garden a bit, so after removing the decking, dug footings for retaining wall.

built (or at least started to build) retaining wall.

 

[ik9000]

which side is going to be retaining? presume not the side against the house wall?

 

[IvanDobskey]

Hung a door on the bathroom as previous owner hadn't fitted one, unbelievably.
All sorts of problems cropped up, so took me most of yesterday

 

[ik9000]

Hung a door on the bathroom as previous owner hadn't fitted one, unbelievably.

sharing is caring. They were a walk-in kind of family.

 

[IvanDobskey]

sharing is caring. They were a walk-in kind of family.

Perhaps they whistled