What "man jobs" have you done today?

Weekend of doing things for people. Visited my single mum friend and finished the toilet flush job that had a leak - just needed silicone (!) cleaning out of the socket for the flush pipe and a new rubber bung. Visited my mum to lay some mouse traps although ended up just chatting to her for a couple of hours. She's not well and just needed a visit I think.

Then tonight I had bought my partner some weights for her birthday. Her exercise group closed their doors last week so I've set up a space in the garage for the weights and yoga etc. I figure she will be making use of it sooner than I will carry on the garage conversion!


(The laser needed storing but will make a good stand for a TV and a Google Hub)
 
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Diggsy said:
Absolutely you can! I’ve done that a lot of times before. Mark out the area you need for the box, then drill several holes inside of what you marked. Chip away what’s left with your bolster (assume you meant that rather than chisel) - fairly easy job to be honest. If I were you I’d probably drill a couple of mm inside of the edge of the box if you know what I mean…that allows you to finish it off with a nice sharp edge without going outside it.

Another wee tip I picked up a long time ago is to scribe the line in the plaster at the edge of the area you’re going to be removing - go over it a few times with a sharp Stanley type blade - that tends to stop the plaster edges blowing out on you.
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Fairly confident the junction box I wanted to spur off in the garage is for lighting, although doesn't actually seem to go to any lights currently.

Reading online, spurring off a lighting circuit to install a socket is okay providing a 5A fused spur switch is added to protect the lighting circuit from being overloaded. The socket would only be used for a lamp by us. However, I can't seem to find a 5A fused spur switch online. Only really seems to be 13A available to buy as a unit. Thoughts?
 
Macky said:
Fairly confident the junction box I wanted to spur off in the garage is for lighting, although doesn't actually seem to go to any lights currently.

Reading online, spurring off a lighting circuit to install a socket is okay providing a 5A fused spur switch is added to protect the lighting circuit from being overloaded. The socket would only be used for a lamp by us. However, I can't seem to find a 5A fused spur switch online. Only really seems to be 13A available to buy as a unit. Thoughts?
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Buy a 13a and swap the fuse. Label accordingly. It isn't great practice at all.

LuckyBenski said:
Weekend of doing things for people. Visited my single mum friend and finished the toilet flush job that had a leak - just needed silicone (!) cleaning out of the socket for the flush pipe and a new rubber bung. Visited my mum to lay some mouse traps although ended up just chatting to her for a couple of hours. She's not well and just needed a visit I think.

Then tonight I had bought my partner some weights for her birthday. Her exercise group closed their doors last week so I've set up a space in the garage for the weights and yoga etc. I figure she will be making use of it sooner than I will carry on the garage conversion!


(The laser needed storing but will make a good stand for a TV and a Google Hub)
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What flooring is this? I thought the garage was a liveable room now?!

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Anyone have a recommendation for a garage shelving unit? I have some cheapie ones which aren't great - looking for something slightly tougher maybe, but mainly a lot deeper. It's to store paint - ATM I have a long thin thing and it's a waste of floor space.
 
Buy fuses and swap them over.

Adding sockets to light circuits is always a questionable choice and you'll get responses on either side of the argument.
Macky said:
Fairly confident the junction box I wanted to spur off in the garage is for lighting, although doesn't actually seem to go to any lights currently.

Reading online, spurring off a lighting circuit to install a socket is okay providing a 5A fused spur switch is added to protect the lighting circuit from being overloaded. The socket would only be used for a lamp by us. However, I can't seem to find a 5A fused spur switch online. Only really seems to be 13A available to buy as a unit. Thoughts?
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dlockers said:
What flooring is this? I thought the garage was a liveable room now?!
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It is liveable if you must :o It just needs electrics, plastering and a ceiling before it's done. I need to do the same floor job in the porch (much smaller) so I'm happy to pause the garage for a bit.

The flooring is from Halfords, and is excellent value - I used it to get the boxes off the floor when the garage had groundwater pooling in it. Then used it when working on my car outside, and general DIY for kneeling. Now it's really a floor! I got 2 for £20 on a deal and it worked out way cheaper than anything online. I love it but probably not as a permanent floor?

 
Macky said:
Fairly confident the junction box I wanted to spur off in the garage is for lighting, although doesn't actually seem to go to any lights currently.

Reading online, spurring off a lighting circuit to install a socket is okay providing a 5A fused spur switch is added to protect the lighting circuit from being overloaded. The socket would only be used for a lamp by us. However, I can't seem to find a 5A fused spur switch online. Only really seems to be 13A available to buy as a unit. Thoughts?
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If it were me doing it, I’d run it off the nearest socket in the garage, rather than the lighting circuit, now you know that’s what it is.

Whilst you may only ever use it for a lamp, you can’t be sure everyone else will.

Better still, make it a part of the socket ring, rather than spurring it off, but that’s not too critical, and would be a fair bit more work too.
 
Sockets on a lighting ring are legal but not very wise IMO. I've done it but only with sockets well above head height, to power our broadband modem and router. Big red label on the socket also. Basically put it somewhere no one could reach with a ladder, and while up there wouldn't have anything to plug in.
 
Annoyingly no sockets in the garage that I can see. The consumer unit is in the under stairs cupboard which has holes drilled through into the garage which could then be run to the correct location to drill back through into the hall way. Though not sure of the best way to do this though re: electrical connections.

Edit - this has made me realise I definitely want sockets in the garage. I think tapping into an existing socket circuit will be the way to go here.
 
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dlockers said:
^ I am conceding I may actually need a skip. I have all of these -
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I've just paid £240 for 8 yard skip which is just about brimmed. Came with a door too which was handy.

Like you anything a local recycling centre would take I'd be tempted to ferry down there if it's close by. Though I had 4 concrete coal sheds, dozens of patio slabs, bricks, rotten shed roof/OSB, said wardrobes above and lots of other random un-wanteds which just weren't practical to put in a car.
 
I spent a while re-painting my skirting boards after the carpet fitters absolutley ****** them up with black marks. Was really annoyed because I had them all finished because I didn't want to have to paint them with the carpet down :mad:
 
Macky said:
Annoyingly no sockets in the garage that I can see. The consumer unit is in the under stairs cupboard which has holes drilled through into the garage which could then be run to the correct location to drill back through into the hall way. Though not sure of the best way to do this though re: electrical connections.

Edit - this has made me realise I definitely want sockets in the garage. I think tapping into an existing socket circuit will be the way to go here.
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Sounds like you’ll have a much bigger project on your hands than initially thought. I’d say it’s worth getting a sparky in to install a new ring for the garage. Wouldn’t be overly expensive if your consumer unit has space available.
 
Diggsy said:
Sounds like you’ll have a much bigger project on your hands than initially thought. I’d say it’s worth getting a sparky in to install a new ring for the garage. Wouldn’t be overly expensive if your consumer unit has space available.
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No spare ways on the CU unfortunately. I think back to the drawing board!
 
dlockers said:
I think we are being overly dramatic - a 5A fused plug for a lamp off of a lighting circuit is hardly world ending.
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It’s not so much that, it’s the potential for other more powerful items to be unwittingly plugged in there. Also, @Macky wants sockets in the garage anyway, so it’s worth doing it for that purpose.
 
Finished painting the small bedroom and have almost got the chipboard floor down. Went to Tapi carpets to look at carpet and underlay for it(about 8ft-6ft), cheap £300, expensive £550. Going to try a couple of the local businesses aswell.
 
tonys said:
Finished painting the small bedroom and have almost got the chipboard floor down. Went to Tapi carpets to look at carpet and underlay for it(about 8ft-6ft), cheap £300, expensive £550. Going to try a couple of the local businesses aswell.
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Definitely go local. I had a quote from Tapi for £1200; the local place came in at £800 for the same carpet (branded differently).

Diggsy said:
It’s not so much that, it’s the potential for other more powerful items to be unwittingly plugged in there. Also, @Macky wants sockets in the garage anyway, so it’s worth doing it for that purpose.
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Ah missed he wanted sockets anyway - worth it's own ring/radial then, or at least a fused 13A spur.
 
Further organising. Overloaded my wood cart with the leftover roofing battens. Had a brain wave to park it where the mower and scarifier lived.

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Which gave a subsequent brain wave on where to store the twice a year used scarifier.

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