zoothorn

Ok food for thought admittedly. It makes total sense. But as I said the floor is as bad as the walls (I can just -feel-/ sense there's no insulation under the lino). Ok what does it involve, if I were to do one wall at a time, like the kitchen sink end-? I have the bare block painted white then lets say. The air in the frame acts like insulation? but surely this only figures.. if there's no air/ vacuum like the windows.

I think I have evidence they've been on my property already when Im away. How strange that a new plant suddenly appears in my big border area Im planting. One day not there.. next day wow a mint plant, expert quality/ condition, suddenly apprears all of 6" tall! Now, any connection with mint & cats does anyone know-?

Ferdinand that's what I know the room needs.. but logistics of it/ the hassle & extra big chunk of cost.. & also if Ive got cold coming in thru poor upvc windows (frames surely where cold comes in regardless of however much VG double glass between.. being crap hollow plastic) & poor floor too it might be only a small benefit? eg folks said once the small loft above it wadded out.. 'huge difference'. None at all afaict. And thats effectively one of the 6 sides of a box insulated. So I ask why.. & think that unless all 6 done, & window frames addressed too (so thats 2 new whole windows then) I have a feeling it won't give the comfort you might think, as cold will still pour in up from floor & in thru windows.. & also back door/ but a heavy curtain across will help that. Back door fitted last year- appalling howden's rubbish the seals are falling out, its warped/ bowed, kept swelling so had to be rehung twice.. & it looks dreadful like a faux wood plastic door with their recommended stuff I put on. I kicked up a mighty stink.. & they gave my money back! but Im lumped with it really/ cant face replacing it. So Im reluctant to go to howden's for new cubpoard doors., but choice here few places. Can anyone recommend a good quality, ie not thin steel, stainless steel kitchen sink? maybe £120 or so.

Hi JSHarris- crikey the link is all a bit complicated for me & my simple house; what I certainly can do is give the construction of A & B areas.. which effectively actually I've mentioned all in fact so simple a house it is. maybe I can pick this up on another thread- it would be hugely helpful for advice on this; Im only following my nose as far as it can go on the possible solutions/ Ive come to a brick wall bar 'rip out the top floor internals & start over'.. which tho I know is the proper job/ would be superb Im reluctant to bc A) can't really afford to/ a huge & stress inducing job (constant n'bor stress keeps me busy itself) certainly not a pro job, tho in theory I maybe do myself.. but the time it'd take/ mess.. stressful for a novice w'out help. B) Ive put down new carpet in main bedroom. I'll just concentrate on one small job at a time. Kitchen. Are cupboards I have lkely to have been 'made to measure for my kitchen'.. or more likely to be 'standard size units'? Doors seem to be W 60cm, 50, 40. H 46. Drawers seems to be H 16cm. Industry std dims? If Im going for those acacia wood tops, wood doors will be OTT wood.. so mayeb new doors/ btm strips, tops, new sink/tap. Repaint & re-lino 1st & last jobs.

The house is a basic stone C.1830 miner's cottage 1 big room, low ceiling/ beams.. with 2 bad 80's additions: top floor (2 beds) & the ground floor kitchen/ bathroom. Its so badly built onto, not only is the kitchen & b'room bone-chillingly cold, but huge gaps from the roof down insides of all top floor walls > cold hurtles down enterring big room below @ edges: Ive just finished plugging with expandifoam, now logburner not having to battle so much of a massive cold 'wad'. Still poor tho, as original floor slab is just concrete onto soil (wet too- so extra cold) & thick slate stone walls are like fridges (unlike say cotswold sandstone which always seem warm). Great for the 1 week of year when hot tho! But the upper bedrooms are as much of a disaster as the kitchen/ b'room. Both beds are cocooned with cold walls due to A) the pathetic/ useless minimal 10mm 'insulation' tagged to inner [brick] course & B) inside plasterboard tagged onto wood frame has no insulation/ another 3" minimum gap here, right up to loft (untenable to get at to plug w'foam from loft as purlins etc all hampering access). Hugely unpleasantly cold, especially the march cold period. I had loft chaps add wads of loft stuff last summer.. not a fart of difference. Insulation cavity Co's come out, with a possible grant I can get I know, but due to this crap 10mm rubbish they can''t do anything extra as box is ticked that walls 'have insulation', albeit as they said essentially none/ being the utter minimum at the time got away with. I think there was a period of grants in 80's here wherby folks could add xyz for cheap- the downside being a few Co's got too many jobs they did as cheaply as possible.

Its not a damp internal issue.. the kitchen is dry, but a very unusual area atmosphere. Not now of course. Insulated.. no the houses biggest prob/ it is a 'modern' extention, 1980's, with appaling insulation (10mm 80's stuff onto inner block course = as good as none at all) & so its diabolically cold. Loft above wadded recently, but made no difference due to so much cold whacking in 1) thru walls, & 2) up from floor, & 3) in thru (always poor on insulation) 2 big upvc windows. One window's cloudy inside so needs replacing/ another thread be warned.. but it'd make little difference. We're talking unpleasantly cold cuttlery, worktops/ see your breath at times. Put on the 'leccy wall heater & the mice in loft above it get warm.. but I can only just feel any benefit of it an hr later. Cheap house you see.

Ah I see why the Q.. ok yes I can get 2.4m if needs be in car no probs. And If the 2.2m went down along my laptop worktop, with the corner cut off, Id have a bit to spare. So is the idea of joining this 2.6cm stuff, same-same mitre jobwise as the 44mm stuff? or being wood does it mean a different joint? I would be a bit worried about only 2.6cm & wood.. Im in an extremely moist area here, I mean green mould on the sink I just live with it so frequently it comes back/ outer house walls too/ record inner sleeves & paper pictures most often are wibbly due to climate.. even my lungs had to adapt: an odd almost 'microclimate' in this welsh valley. If such a good price, I'd be concerned surface might bobble/ expand after 2 years.

2.23!

Godamm how annoying.. I'd go straight for that wood top acacia stuff, but no homebase anywhere near me. No post. Only option hire a van.. ups cost 5x inc fuel probably/ so no can do.

Good suggestion.. I do want above-ikea quality tho/ but certainly likely to be cheapest. Crikey I still feel way off even a plan to redo this simple kitchen.. a real sod with no-one to physically see & advise me.

Well I'm now thinking, if this curve is feasable to do like ^ chap's job, then obviouisly go squared edge tops. Not sure if that means a£huge chunk more per 3m section tho/ can't see why it would.. would it?

Ive just found the clip again of a worktop round edge cut (used a precut mdf diy round-edge jig/ plonk ontop to follow to make the curve cut below.. so answers the Q of the pivot point/ only needed to make the jig in his case..) He seems to have done the edge ok.. what do you think? maybe this guy's a very good pro I'm not sure. If this is a good way to go, for me.. then replacing worktops/ a more 'proper job' jumps out at me as being 'the sensible/ the right plan'.

Procrastinattion.. yes I get the point, but I'm a 1st time buyer, no experience of kitchen work, with little budget (but, I use routers alot so capable most likely). I'm on my own totally here, no help to even get an opinion too: so, I have to research to the extra nth you see (Im still undecided on removing tiles/ keep lip/ fill.. or replace all tops) & if nothing's jumping out yet ie 'this is the way'.. I'm not jumping in. And I will ask another Q if I have to. I have samples of the shower wall stuff- good quality ply & formica. Getting the shape to fit the recessed tile-only area.. needs thought. Appreciate the diagram- understand the 45* needs extra stock/ wasting more. So the mitre join is the right approach if I go replace all tops. In order to avoid the angled foreground 'nip off' section.. Id never do this perfect 1st time.. Im thinking a rounded edge/ router from a pivot point to form the 1/4 circle cut. But how's this done w'out making a hole @ the pivot point, in the new counter top?

Thing is Joe, the 1.3 ton load.. a friend in village has this 3x3m same Avon cabin 44m thick walls/ 2x glazed etc.. & just looking at his piers of only 1-2ft or so @ periphery, 4 corners & 1 each at side mids.. you can tell there's huge weight on each. And they're telegraph pole sections/ pretty HD supports. Is there any way you can do me a diagram of this diagonal brace idea? I think Im on board, but joining a to b.. & in lieu of what I'm concerned about re. weight as said here, what is the suggestion for the extentions ontop of the Gscrew tops? I mean what guage & material?

I was a bit alarmed at the KG ''1 to 1.5 tons'' DunsterHouse said on phone. I asked specifically about the 3x3m Avon one I have in mind, with extra thickness to walls of 44mm + double glazing. Im concerned about this weight on say 8 groundscrews. Also won't I need to add piers ontop of the ones on the slope side to get me up to height? I think the idea of groundscrews is they go into the ground almost all the way bar 6" or so protruding.

Im off to do the chicken wire browsing tmrw.. I want electric barbed wire with embedded wolf's musk on the spikes, but I dont think they do that. Anyway, cheers all for helping me out on this thread, the weird turn & path it lead down. I'll gently bring it to a stop now (unless it all kicks off then I'll come back & spill the beans). I feel a renewed confidence after the CPO visit, he did a very good job (& your replies have helped too); they've definitely looked more sheepish since & the provocation has stopped.. for now. zoot

Thanks Jack for your ...tits reply- really helpful & you are right about my reaction. Trouble is Ive always reacted. Its in my nature, Im nr 50 now & I can't change that & I even see people feeding off it.. but still I can't help reacting. Being gentle, kind, polite, welcoming & hospitable.. & getting total hatred back in return- by god I'd challenge anyone to keep cool.

Ah I see what you mean re. the 3-way one.. ggod job. But why if this is so good, would I need a jig though? the jig one you did is the one I -can- see the join of. the very cheek I know. Tbh Im not sure I actually like these mitre joins myself. I can't see the design point of them. They're certainly not 'lookers' are they? or is the idea they're meant to be more or if not all invisible done this way? Im weighing up between 'better job' of a square edged worktop, router a round edg &/ add trim (not too disimilar to some of my work, so prob do ok 1st time.. tho the pivot point hole Im trying to figure out how w'out making a hole in worktop surface) & joining either mitred or 45*. Or keep the wood edge & base of tops as they are, remove tiles/ fill in with some of JSHarris' suggested bathroom board stuff.. or something VG quality. Thing with buying jig is literally the one join I'll ever do with it is this L join. Then its redundant. can the 45* join be done without a jig? can the rebated underside bits for the clampy whatnots be done without a jig?

Onoff looks terrific, but I cant see an L shape there.. but a more complicated 3-way/ section affair. How is a 45* join made, using the jig whatnot's 45* whatsit?

JSHarris- tbh I hate doing biscuit joints.. I can never get the 2 perfectly flush so ballaching sanding happens as a result- hateful job. I must avoid this joint at all costs. Ive just seen some youtube clip of a breakfast bar curved edge (actually using a diy simple jig to get the curve) which seems much more practical than replicating this with a trickier mitre-jointed 45* EDGE profile I have under my elbows here as I type. So is it feasable to make a decent 45* join (thats the ''L'' shape/ joining of two worktops) using a homemade jig I wonder? how is the worktop jig used to make this 45* joint? surely its just a Q of a straight cut.. which only needs a straight edge is my point.

Ok JSHarris that seems another good suggestion. Using routers I'm sure I could do the mitre joint. Is the idea with these to make such a good join as to be almost or actually seamless? the corner nip off 45* job (foreground edge in pic) bit is my big prob, biscuit joints I can rarelty get perfect as the depth of cut never is consistant.. that's with a lowly biscuit cutter I have/ Im not spending £100 on another just for this one job (I'd rarely use it again) & think whatever tools I'll be struggling to get this a pro std finish.. stress job I envisage.

35mm hinge holes? hinges on.. door hinges? anyway appreciate the info. I think its going to be far easier to keep the wood edge, renovate it > replace just the tiled inset area, with something correct for the job. It needs to be solid/ heavy, but cuttable & joinable for my 45* "L'' shape without moisture getting in.. ie not mdf clad stuff, but not solid granite either. I need to do touchy feely idealy.. but limited sources here aberystwyth area Im sure.

Ok thanks chaps- seen/ now I see what the shapes on jig are for.. never heard of a mason's mitre before. Seems alot more complicated than a 45*.. & not as neat? why is this joint chosen instead?

Ive looked it over but cant see what abc is or for on it. I can see, I think with the grey shapes I assume worktop shapes to ultimately achieve by using it, but cannot correspond these results to the jig. I mean what's the hole with '35mm' next to it for? why are there funny shapes to it at btm, one side of straight bit is funny angled. Its just kinda funny lookin.

Run me through the idea of the shape of these jigs would you. I do have in fact a jig I made from mdf I use for routers.. shaped in the form of a guitar tweed amp cutout top specifically. I can make a straight cut just using a straight edge guide clamped: what is the benefit of a wortop jig in comparison? This one seem to have angled edges either end off the straight recess..?