What "man jobs" have you done today?

doodah said:
Got a big party this weekend so lots of prep for that. Finished off levelling some reclaimed space behind our garden, new pebbles in our garden (previous were large rocks which would guarantee people tripping over) and made some progress on my first ever DIY construction (well since I was a kid probably).

Making a giant version of Battleships (with shots). Tried a forstner bit first which completely mangled this wood but fortunately a spade bit did the job. Still might make one more pass to make the holes deeper and sand down the holes, whole blocks need one more pass at sanding and then on to spray-painting.

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We don't have the space but look forward to the day I can own a circular saw, sawing is long and I'm not that good.
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Nice, I love making stuff. I would love a circular saw but the danger involves keep me from getting one. I have a wired plunge and rail for making long cuts but I do like the idea of ripping on a table saw, I see some radial arm saw around which still have the danger of saw but the type which less likely to happen to my style of wood working.

Would you bothered to make those shots holder painted nicely? after a few they all look like master piece
 
dlockers said:
Chaps! Quick help...

£900 to board and skim 56m2 including materials...? Doesn't seem outrageous (south east)
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That's precisely the size of my lounge and bedroom (4 x 4 metre room with 2.5m height) including ceiling. For a skim that's well steep but for boards, and including materials, maybe not so bad. For saved effort, I'd be tempted.
 
LuckyBenski said:
That's precisely the size of my lounge and bedroom (4 x 4 metre room with 2.5m height) including ceiling. For a skim that's well steep but for boards, and including materials, maybe not so bad. For saved effort, I'd be tempted.
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Yeah I figure I'd need £220 of boards, so it's more like £680...and then £70 odd for plaster, so £610.... and it is ceiling and walls.........
 
dlockers said:
Yeah I figure I'd need £220 of boards, so it's more like £680...and then £70 odd for plaster, so £610.... and it is ceiling and walls.........
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I'd love to see it a bit less (I'm hoping to get mine skimmed alone for ~300 but could be off the mark). But for a wipe-your-hands end to end finish, very tempting.

Can you tell I've just done 4 days on my hands and knees chiselling DPC and I want a rest :D
 
China Man said:
Nice, I love making stuff. I would love a circular saw but the danger involves keep me from getting one. I have a wired plunge and rail for making long cuts but I do like the idea of ripping on a table saw, I see some radial arm saw around which still have the danger of saw but the type which less likely to happen to my style of wood working.

Would you bothered to make those shots holder painted nicely? after a few they all look like master piece
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Me too after doing this and I like DIY though am very much at the start of that journey. Not sure how the spray painting will go, will post updates. And learned a few things for possible future version, though I need to attach the board pieces and hope they're sturdy enough.

The most important part of the game/build is to make sure guests used something diluted for the shots - one round of the hard stuff will end you and your night.
 
LuckyBenski said:
I'd love to see it a bit less (I'm hoping to get mine skimmed alone for ~300 but could be off the mark). But for a wipe-your-hands end to end finish, very tempting.

Can you tell I've just done 4 days on my hands and knees chiselling DPC and I want a rest :D
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lol so an update on the tale of the £800 plaster job.

1. He texts me this morning to confirm.
2. He asks having committed all in whether I have the materials already.
3. We renegotiate at 900 quid (a 100 quid increase to cover the 300 quid of material, lol. He must have been laughing at 800 quid just to skim)
4. He texts asking if I have a drill he can use ( :cry: :cry: :cry:) but it's ok he has screws.
5. He then says he's running late can I order it from Wickes and get it delivered Friday (I've stayed home from work today....).
6. I say do one, too many red flags
7. He replies baffled as to what the red flags are.

Hmm...
 
dlockers said:
lol so an update on the tale of the £800 plaster job.

1. He texts me this morning to confirm.
2. He asks having committed all in whether I have the materials already.
3. We renegotiate at 900 quid (a 100 quid increase to cover the 300 quid of material, lol. He must have been laughing at 800 quid just to skim)
4. He texts asking if I have a drill he can use ( :cry: :cry: :cry:) but it's ok he has screws.
5. He then says he's running late can I order it from Wickes and get it delivered Friday (I've stayed home from work today....).
6. I say do one, too many red flags
7. He replies baffled as to what the red flags are.

Hmm...
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Aye if he's not got a collated screw gun or at least a normal one he's probably not a proper spread, run a mile.
 
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dlockers said:
lol so an update on the tale of the £800 plaster job.

1. He texts me this morning to confirm.
2. He asks having committed all in whether I have the materials already.
3. We renegotiate at 900 quid (a 100 quid increase to cover the 300 quid of material, lol. He must have been laughing at 800 quid just to skim)
4. He texts asking if I have a drill he can use ( :cry: :cry: :cry:) but it's ok he has screws.
5. He then says he's running late can I order it from Wickes and get it delivered Friday (I've stayed home from work today....).
6. I say do one, too many red flags
7. He replies baffled as to what the red flags are.

Hmm...
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Oh dear. One of those "You're not really a... are you" moments. Which is fine if you know going into the situation!

For £900 I want proper professionals with high standards. If I'm paying someone instead of doing it myself, they have to be better than me at it :P
 
dlockers said:
lol so an update on the tale of the £800 plaster job.

1. He texts me this morning to confirm.
2. He asks having committed all in whether I have the materials already.
3. We renegotiate at 900 quid (a 100 quid increase to cover the 300 quid of material, lol. He must have been laughing at 800 quid just to skim)
4. He texts asking if I have a drill he can use ( :cry: :cry: :cry:) but it's ok he has screws.
5. He then says he's running late can I order it from Wickes and get it delivered Friday (I've stayed home from work today....).
6. I say do one, too many red flags
7. He replies baffled as to what the red flags are.

Hmm...
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Typical cowboy trades. They really wind me up.
 
Spent the last few days rebuilding the garage conversion floor as previous builder didn't lay a damp proof membrane.

First had to clear the room, vacuum thoroughly to remove debris that might tear the membrane, and lay out a level around the room.


Then built a stud frame around the room fixed into the brick, and loose fitted individual "joists". All this needed a lot of trimming and fettling to make it sit flat to the uneven wall, and flat on the uneven concrete floor.


Then had to go around the entire perimeter scraping out mortar to expose the DPC in order to have something to (try and) seal onto. This was a ****ache but had to be done.


Then had to take it all up, vacuum obsessively again, lay the DPM and refit the timbers using sealant/adhesive to marry up the DPM and DPC. Trying not to puncture the membrane of course. Slow and painstaking but at last finally feeling like I might have a dry garage.



And then of course pile up the joists because I ran out of time to refit them. Saturday will be mostly me discovering they don't fit now, trimming them and swearing.

Then PIR insulation goes in the gaps and Building Control want to come and have a look.
 
dlockers said:
Looks really tidy! Will be great once it's done. What's the room going to be?
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Workshop! Literally the entire point of leaving London was so we could afford a house with a garage/room big enough for a workshop. My partner makes jewellery and has a laser cutter which is a big old thing. Being here means she has a workshop, and a clean room/office for designing and packing orders. She's unlikely to hold down a 9-5 for health reasons so having her own business (it's mothballed since the move) gives her some agency and independence :)
 
LuckyBenski said:
Workshop! Literally the entire point of leaving London was so we could afford a house with a garage/room big enough for a workshop. My partner makes jewellery and has a laser cutter which is a big old thing. Being here means she has a workshop, and a clean room/office for designing and packing orders. She's unlikely to hold down a 9-5 for health reasons so having her own business (it's mothballed since the move) gives her some agency and independence :)
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:cool: super cool.
 
LuckyBenski said:
Spent the last few days rebuilding the garage conversion floor as previous builder didn't lay a damp proof membrane.

First had to clear the room, vacuum thoroughly to remove debris that might tear the membrane, and lay out a level around the room.


Then built a stud frame around the room fixed into the brick, and loose fitted individual "joists". All this needed a lot of trimming and fettling to make it sit flat to the uneven wall, and flat on the uneven concrete floor.


Then had to go around the entire perimeter scraping out mortar to expose the DPC in order to have something to (try and) seal onto. This was a ****ache but had to be done.


Then had to take it all up, vacuum obsessively again, lay the DPM and refit the timbers using sealant/adhesive to marry up the DPM and DPC. Trying not to puncture the membrane of course. Slow and painstaking but at last finally feeling like I might have a dry garage.



And then of course pile up the joists because I ran out of time to refit them. Saturday will be mostly me discovering they don't fit now, trimming them and swearing.

Then PIR insulation goes in the gaps and Building Control want to come and have a look.
Click to expand...

Won't the timber just rot with no air gap underneath?

Is there a reason you can't just lay the insulation direct? (presumably level issues)
 
Busy couple of days:
Patched & plastered gap between kitchen door & ceiling.

Mist-coat & 3 coats of PBW on ceiling and walls (to hide the grey & filler), ready for new colour (Dulux Sweet Embrace: a dusky, off-white lilac which should compliment the flooring & furniture).

Had kitchen & lounge lights installed (I held the ladder for Dad).

Installed magnetic, rechargeable under-counter lighting for kitchen.













Today's a recovery day in bed for me, but my brother-in-law is coming to help The Boss paint the kitchen walls - something I can't do from my chair.

We considered just painting over the grey, but the L hand wall alongside the kitchen is in such poor condition, the difference between white filler & grey would have been really obvious. Ideally it needs a skim, but budget is tight after the Wife's coffee machine died (and without it, she's a monster), so it'll have to wait until next year
 
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