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Showing content with the highest reputation on 06/12/20 in all areas

  1. As someone from the kitchens business I have read several posts here with interest and some point I would like to add to put in a counter reality. 1. Expecting furniture delivery without damages is frankly unrealistic. Bear in mind that made up units are mostly air, transported on road surfaces where the quality varies vastly and even a sudden braking incident a real cause for damage. Damages always occur and its a bit underhanded for retailers/suppliers to not set a realistic expectation for what may happen during deliver, consequences and realistic timescales for remedials. 2. Furniture doesn't always handle well. Most kitchen furniture will be handled onto a truck at the factory, off at a warehouse, back on at a warehouse and off at the clients house. Each event of handling brings potential risk of damage. Customers who aren't provided a realistic picture of the facts end up with unrealistic expectations and disappointment. 3. Furniture supply chains are often lengthy and much more complicated than what one imagines. There is no such thing as a kitchen made in Britain with doors usually arriving from Ireland, france or Italy, hardware from Germany, Austria or Italy, Chipboard sometimes locally sourced but from timber originating in Nordic or Baltic countries and the list goes on. The weakest link in this chain is usually the doors. 4. Packing kitchens better is definitely a solution but most manufacturers find a balance between the need to be eco-friendly (the best packing materials are not easily recycled and the most recyclable materials not the most robust to prevent damages) and cost sensitive. Often the view is that its cheaper to change a couple of doors on a kitchen than to spend an extra £75 on packaging which still doesn't guarantee anything. 5. Notification of damages - while yes typical period is 2-5 working days there is a good reason for this. Seldom does a fitter own up to dropping a door or panel or nicking it or incorrectly drilling something with the onus of paying for the replacement put firmly in the fitters court. So why would it be fair for the supplier to deliver a kitchen when requested by the customer and then allowing them weeks to report any damages that weren't a fault of the supplier. Our own kitchen manufacturers allow us a fair amount of time and our understanding with out fitters is to honestly tell us if they damage anything - we do not charge them for it but that gives us a real picture of how good our suppliers are with deliveries. 6. Poorly paid delivery teams. Fact. A lot of delivery drivers earn a pittance and cant be bothered if the goods on the load bed are lumps of cast iron or finely crafted furniture. The best deliveries are from companies that own their truck fleets and employ their delivery staff and this can be very expensive. The typical cost of a 12 ton truck to deliver a kitchen from Kent to Manchester with 2 man crew will be c £750 taking into account capital cost, running cost, wages & overtime and diesel. So on a high end bespoke kitchen this cost adds maybe 5% just to deliver the kitchen. Some companies go down the palletised route but it does not work for kitchens. 7. 100% perfect deliveries - Errors happens. A kitchen is typically a collection of components, units, panels etc that come together in the clients kitchen for the first time and have to be technically thought through correctly, ordered correctly, interpreted correctly by the order processors, manufactured correctly in the factory, picked and loaded correctly and unloaded correctly. It sounds more complicated than it it but the level of automation in British factories particularly is very very low making the process far more error prone than it ought to be. Just a reality. I dont want to be seen as defending some very poor practises but thats the reality. About 90% of our business is German kitchens and the rest British. We find that one in 3 kitchens has a remedial. The type and severity varies but none that are show stoppers. We put this down to be very technically sound, thorough with our processes, realistic with our customers and are probably at the upper end of the scale for correctness and completeness of our orders. I personally know of very many companies that are just shambolic. Hope this helps
    5 points
  2. We've had a 250mm Cavity done this week with blown eps bead. I climbed into the attic earlier to have a look as I was sceptical the beads would fill right up to our cavity closer (450mm DPC). I checked the entire perimeter of the house and was pleased to find the beads had billowed up the DPC everywhere. Its given me confidence that around the windows and doors there's a tight fill as well. I may do some trial holes if I can find the time but thus far I'm more impressed than I thought I'd be.
    2 points
  3. If you have the headroom it might be better to work out how tall the new joists would need to be if the existing ceiling joists don't carry any of the load. Then put the new ones in 1" above the top of the plasterboard. Dont bolt them to the existing joists (except perhaps at the ends). That way there is no new load on the existing joists and fewer cracks in the plaster in rooms below
    2 points
  4. We purchased a kitchen - oops! I've been set on handless, but haven't been keen on the J handles I'd seen and I wanted a mixture of wood handleless and another colour though the other half wasn't keen on handleless. I had in my head orange but I couldn't quite get the shade I wanted without customising it (so decided something neutral and paint the walls would be cheaper) and then DIY kitchens didn't do wood effect handleless although the quality of the base units was better than some we had seen. We had seen a couple on the used kitchen site recommended on here, mainly German kitchens and then we saw one eBay as part of the Cucina Colore collection https://mereway.co.uk/kitchens/cucina-colore-collection/ which was advertised with a cost price of £21k which I take with a pinch of salt) and a mix of both handles and handleless which pleased the other half. We knew it had the ovens, hob and sink/tap but didn't know much about the quality so went to the showroom. We were both impressed with the quality, seemed better than DIY kitchens and surprised to find it actually included all Siemens integrated appliances, which includes two ovens (one a steam oven), coffee machine, tall fridge, dishwasher and hob. And then to top it all a Quooker tap and boiler as well, none of which had they advertised! I was mentally trying to tally up the cost of the appliances not to mention the fancy metal pull out bits and bobs in the units and cupboard accessories. Agreeing they would dismantle and then we can inspect again and check they haven't damaged anything (and they will replace anything they do damage), and store and deliver it too, price negotiation started. The other half again was cringing. Have to say, very pleased with the final result! We need to work out where we will put the wall units/shelf as we have a window above the sink so probably on the opposite wall. We also need to add on a cupboard on the end next to the fridge for a similar sized tall freezer (I think it's technically a 3/4 size to match the fridge) and possibly another tall unit next to it just to add on extra space (currently the stretch with the appliances is 3m but we have just over 5m available) but we are made up with what we have. I'm not sure yet if we will keep the worktop or look at quartz or similar (we can always use the existing worktop in our utility). Depends on budget but I don't dislike the worktops that are on to be honest. The flooring you can see is a sample of flooring we carry everywhere we fell in love with a while ago (a worn concrete appearance LVT). So, we are only two weeks in and we have a bath, kitchen, footings and brickwork! No messing around here... Here are some pics.
    1 point
  5. Rawlins sell it. https://www.rawlinspaints.com/home/roof-paints/flat-roof-paints/3874-eagle-desmopol-liquid-polyurethane-membrane.html
    1 point
  6. Yes, all fine thanks. It's only been 18 months though so maybe a bit early to comment on longevity which is probably what really matters. It's been really tested though over the past year with the rain, and the fall isn't the best (builder made an error with the firrings.... grrr - still winds me up) so if there was an issue I'm sure I'd have seen it now. I'd definitely use it again - easy to apply (a roofer did mine but next time I'd DIY) regardless of complexity if surface/upstands/etc, no seams, tough yet elastic etc. The only things that do bother me about it is 1) hardly anyone else seems to use it (the manufacturer told me they sell very little to the UK compared to other countries and, for what it's worth, stating that the UK market does tend to hold on to its traditional building methods so it's been a tough market to break in to), and 2) I do wonder if Desmopol is all that different from those 'quick fix in a can' paint-on roof repairs that even the manufacturers state are for temporary use only. That said, Desmopol does have a BBE certificate and comes with a 15yr (or is it 25?) guarantee that can be extended 5yrs at a time by an additional coat over the old one every 10(?) years so I'm as confident as I would be for any flat roof covering I think. Here's a pic (of the roof lantern really but's got most of the roof in) after around a year:
    1 point
  7. Worth getting quotes for supply and fit!! I bought mine direct a few years ago and have been looking for someone to fit them. Contacted at least 5 'approved installers' and have only heard back from 2. One quoted a decent quote for a day's work (also 2x UNiQ12 units) but thinks it may over-run a bit) but has now gone quiet. The other company quoted £3,000!!! Yes THREE THOUSAND POUNDS STERLING!!!! I've done the bloody hard work by putting them into position in a very tight space, got the plumbing and wiring to where the units are so it's s simple case of just connecting and testing the whole lot. Sunamp are not interested of course. I'm assuming supply and fit aren't off the piss-take scale. At this rate I'll be kidnapping @Nickfromwales for a couple of days...
    1 point
  8. Think this is the system that someone on here once used. https://www.apolloroofingsolutions.co.uk/market-page/liquid-coating/ How do you get brown in the sun? "Come on Brown, it is lovely out here"
    1 point
  9. Issues with not being able to fit noggins ? May have to fit thicker beams to compensate.
    1 point
  10. Ohhhh Gaauuuud folks. How long is he going to take over this one? Opening a book - Any advance on 10:1 less than 86 pages?
    1 point
  11. It’s taken 5 years to get only this far. However this is the first year I’ve actually been able to spend some time out there and think about what to do out there. We’ve planted 20 x 3’ Portuguese Laurels which will take some time and desperately need a fence between us and next door. Raised bed is new, had to get 2 bags of topsoil in.
    1 point
  12. We are just getting started with the garden, we have about 600 sqm of garden space (wish we had more). So far we have planted a laurel hedge at the back of the house to provide privacy as most of our family room, dining and kitchen are at the back of the house. Plan is to grass the whole area first, then start to add various flower beds. We will be planting in a modern modern style similar to some of the Charlotte Row designs https://www.charlotterowe.com/
    1 point
  13. I am afraid I am a butcher when it comes to gardens. I don't have the time or inclination for flower beds and weeding them. I generally only have 3 gardening tools, a mower, a strimmer and a chain saw. At the last house we had a vegetable plot, but that too needed constant weeding, and the quality of what we produced disappointing, mainly due to the poor soil and high water table, even making it as a raised bed it was nearly always too wet. But the lawn has been mowed and trimmed a lot more regularly this year than most. I do miss the well drained light soil we had when down south, almost anything would grow in that.
    1 point
  14. Why should I pay my local council to build a house for someone else. Did you give a new car to anyone that could not afford one?
    1 point
  15. Trouble is what is derelict to some, is a wasted opportunity to others.
    1 point
  16. Down here in Cornwall, some small town have a policy that only 'locals' can have houses built. The definition of 'locals' is so wide that most people can claim it. It has also stopped development dead in some towns. In the town I work in, my council has subsidies housing though a shared purchase scheme. So the locals borrow money on 25% of the property and pay the council a rent on the other 75%. Then they get stung for service charges. And, and this is what narks me, I am, though my council tax, subsidising the building of other peoples homes (I am also topping up council workers pension funds, but the council is not topping up mine). I don't understand 'localism'. I looked at my birth certificate and never noticed that it said I have the right to buy an affordable house where my mother decided to give birth to me. And if that was the case, should it mean that is the only place I can live. I was involved with a planning consultation group a while back, they were objecting to some houses being built. I suggested that the easiest way to stop the development was to buy the land. For some, unknown reason, I became very unpopular. Seems to me that people think that everyone else should pay the price to preserve what they have. If you like a view, buy it, if you can't afford it, tough. Regarding remote locations, that some people desire, there are other ways to make them exclusive, increased transport costs, utility surcharges, council tax surcharges (though I was a fan of the poll tax) etc. There are also ways to make urban living more acceptable. Mainly better design of housing, services and open spaces. There is a bit of a myth that larger houses cost more money, but when 2/3rd of the value is in the plot, and there is a limited amount of money to spend on housing, then the plot prices drop, this evens everything out. As for building on agricultural land, not many farmers sell off there most productive land, they sell off the rubbish. Down here most of the farm land is grade 3b and below. Or usually refereed to as wasteland. The good land is generally used to horticulture, as that is currently profitable. The land below it is generally used for early crops because we are a month ahead of the rest of the country. But that is a bit silly in a global economy, we are not a month ahead of the Spanish, or the USA (no one really tastes the difference between English or Dutch new potatoes, or Welsh and New Zealand lamb, people have just bought into a marketing campaign and pay extra for their stupidity). So I am all for relaxing planning laws, but tightening up environmental ones. We could then end up with better housing, and probably at the same prices we currently pay.
    1 point
  17. Welcome @Alister84. Glad you took my advice to come check out the forum....hopefully plenty good info for you! Cheers
    1 point
  18. A basic drawing of the existing layout would help, but here were just procrastinating as the SE and BCO will dictate what you need so as to issue the relevant certification Remember if you want to get some extra cheeky head height you could go to doubles up smaller joists and make them Flitch beams.
    1 point
  19. Welcome. Your Design Access Statement is one of those very rare things, a document drafted by a team of people who care about both words and images and know how to make them work together well. The whole makes a compelling case for PP. A very good start indeed. Pity about the timing. But delay can always be put to good use. Years of quiet fireside reading on BH await. Again, welcome and ask away.... Ian (PS is there a Blue Plaque up in the town for @SteamyTea yet? )
    1 point
  20. Welcome. We are also replacing a bungalow in Berkshire (Wokingam), just kicking off on site this week. There are other build-hubbers with completed builds close to you in Henley/Maidenhead on the forum... Decided how you are going to build it yet? - Construction method. - DIY vs. main contractor (or something in between)
    1 point
  21. Welcome Steve. Are you at the millionaires end of the street or the other end, the multi-millionaires. Used to work in Marlow, and go kayaking from under the bridge. Have been known to jump off it for a laugh.
    1 point
  22. There's probably a truism here: the biggest discounts will be offered by the places with the biggest markups to start with :-)
    1 point
  23. I'd like to see the people who want to farm on a small scale for their own self sufficiency and profit be able to do that without draconian planning legislation assuming that they are there to build a secret mansion in the countryside. We could really energise rural communities with thriving local markets and local deliveries that rival the big supermarkets.
    1 point
  24. We have a piled foundation and I used a surveyor to set out it cost £350-400ish i would not recommend trying to do it, the accuracy they achieved was spot on. First visit 20 wooden pegs in the ground, very rough accuracy 250mm big in every direction so I could lower the level 1000mm second visit pile layout, 29 metal pins knocked in, accuracy to the mm in every direction. Then the piles went in and I built the ringbeam third visit wall set out to the mm i chose the company most local to my site to save travel costs.
    1 point
  25. So you need to go to CCF direct for it - TP just buy it in and CCF (actually part of TP group) ship it to them. CCF are cheaper and do it all and deliver with a wagon with a Mounty - better than your average clown with a Hiab... Fermacell doesn’t need a bead for a shadow gap as long as you use the factory edge. They are so sharp you can cut yourself on them..! FST just fills the surface of the board to “glue” down the newspaper fibres on the surface, it has no discernible thickness. Tough..?? Get a sample and hit it with a hammer and make a decision ...
    1 point
  26. I disagree with that ... it’s no harder than taper edge boards with a tape and skim finish. In some instances it’s easier as you can create clean edges with a router and bearing bit - especially on corners. Right .... depends is the answer ..! Firstly it is very heavy - it needs two people to manage boards and you also need a board lifter to do ceilings. You can’t do it on your own ..! One of the benefits is that you don’t need to join on a stud - you use JointStik to bond the edges together, this is a cross between D4 glue and Gripfill and comes with a custom nozzle that puts a bead on the edge of the board. These joints are strong, but you need to leave them to dry properly before you do anything else. There are two ways to fit Fermacell to timber, either using the correct screws or by using crown staples. Screws hold better when the timber is uneven but leave a larger hole to fill. Staples are quick and easy and leave a very small gap to fill - very easy to do but if there is stress on a board they may move with only staples. Fermacell is very easy to repair though. If you cut a hole in the wrong place with a hole saw, or even cut an access hole, you can just glue it back in place, filler in the gap, sand and it’s done - you can’t tell it’s been removed. It is also surprisingly easy to cut. Fermacell sell a knife designed for the job and it works on the the score and snap method and is very good. It leaves a slight ragged edge but this takes filler really well so isn’t a problem. When it comes to filling all the screw holes or edges, you will need their filler. It’s much better than anything else and sands to a fine finish too. It’s better put on with a wide spatula or trowel, and it goes a long way. FST - or fine surface treatment - is the oddest product I’ve ever used ..!! Fermacell show it being applied with a squeegee, I use a 12” plastering trowel and you can do a 5m wall in probably 15 minutes. You put the thinnest coat possible on - the boards change from light grey to a slightly darker grey and that’s it ..! A quick sand over with a 120grit sanding board and you can be painting less than an hour after applying. The wall will look like it’s full of filler and screws etc, but a coat of paint and it’s all gone and you have a perfect flat wall. I’ve gone from a stud wall to ready for paint in 24 hours - that’s impossible with board and skim, and pushing it with TE/taping. The downsides are that the dust will destroy any power tool that you use to cut it. Circular saws or jigsaws create a lot of dust, routers are magic for cutting holes for back boxes or making perfect corners but all of them will die in a ditch with the dust. Buy cheap Titan ones and keep going back for the warranty claims ..! Fermacell is very good for perfect square and flat surfaces - anywhere that you want curves or anything that needs blended angles then you possibly need to look at something else or look at how to get skim coats applied to certain sections. I priced a job recently that would have been £4K in Fermacell, and was just less than £2k in plasterboard and skim in terms of materials. When it came down to it, the labour costs were double for the board and skim as there was a lot of curve and detail work but the whole lot came out about the same price in total. If you can DIY and have square rooms etc then you can get a very good finish with Fermacell that is comparable to a skimmed plaster finish with no wet trade delays.
    1 point
  27. Longest thread in terms of pages? Surely my crown has been taken by another Sire! However in terms of years taken...1st photo on Flickr is August 31st 2015. Pretty sure there're earlier ones on Photobucket.....
    0 points
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