Rob99

These guys seem to have them in stock https://www.otpsupplies.co.uk/shop/plumbing-drainage/87-12ao-solvent-weld-branch-110mm/

I'm making up a number of door and window frames but don't have any corner clamps to hold everything together while the glue all sets. I know how to make sure the corners are 90deg so want something which I can use to clamp all 4 corners individually, and I also wondered about being able to clamp all 4 corners together, think I've seen something like a ratchet strap somewhere? The individual corner clamps I also want to be able to use to clamp sections of plinth that I'm making up for the kitchen island too. When I google it there just seem to be hundreds so looking for a bit of advice on what works and what's good. Thanks

In answer to the original question, yes you can still do a DIY installation. Loxone have closed their website to retail buyers but, as a Partner myself, I'm very happy to source any of the items you would want through my Loxone business, including a full VAT invoice for those of you who want to reclaim the VAT at the end of your build. I too looked at Loxone several years ago and loved it so much I started a small Loxone business. We now have heating, lighting, ventilation and security nicely controlled. If we had done a new build rather than extend then I'd have also included blinds, multiroom audio and probably home cinema, all nicely integrated. As a DIY install it can be relatively straightforward, providing you plan carefully. Programming and configuring is fairly straightforward too if you have a reasonable grasp of IT stuff. You certainly don't need to be a software developer! There's also plenty of community support and, if you get stuck I'm happy to provide some advice. It's also a question of whether you want individual things to be controllable, e.g. using an app, or whether you want an integrated system where things just "happen" without you having to find your phone or tablet to turn the lights on or regulate the heating. I was very surprised at how quickly we all became used to lights coming on when we entered a room! Clearly some businesses need the mark up on installs etc, hence the eye watering £30k plus quotes for simple systems (I've even seen an install quote of over £150k in one case!) but they all have to support employees etc. I'm not profit motivated, so can keep things sensible, especially for people who are competent at DIY, and really like the kit, but can't justify the price from a full partner installation. Happy to help.

I've used hundreds of the 221's in my house, especially on my RGBW ceiling downlights which have 5 connections. Disconnecting and dropping the lights out to decorate was just a doddle. I rarely use choc blocks anymore. My electrician swears by them too. I've also used a couple of these wiring centre's which have the 221's clipped into them, very user friendly.

They made that look soooo easy!!

When my electrician replaced my consumer unit he also replaced the tails between the meter and the new board. It's in the regs so he had to do it.

I'd expect the hire company to be sensible and just re-issue you with a zero rated invoice. After all, if he charges and collects the VAT from you he has to pay it over to HMRC anyway.

We have the white Click range and like the look of them and I like the fact they have little white plugs to cover the screws holes. Our electrician said he fits nothing else as he finds them very reliable. We've used them before in a previous house and in our conservatory. I agree with @jack about the quite heavy switches on the sockets but not an issue. Only negative I would say is that the screws for the cable connections are not "quite" the full width of the hole and you have to be careful that the copper wire doesn't end up squeezed along the side of the screw as it won't be fully secure. Other brands I've used before (to be fair they were MK) didn't seem to have this issue. It wouldn't stop me having them again though.

In some circumstances it might create a bit of a cold spot behind the box. Our extension wall on the side where the new meter box is installed has 150mm thermal blocks and insulation backed plasterboard lining as it is extending an existing poorly insulated wall and doesn't seem to be a problem. I would probably be a bit more concerned about a cold spot if it was a new build and would probably have designed the incoming services differently.

I agree, dissimilar materials are almost impossible to match. In this case I'm hoping it will be close enough as the existing kitchen units are painted mdf, which is what I am using for the bespoke bits. I'm going to take my time with lots of coats, well flatted off in between.

Yes, that's true, I'd not really thought about the others as have only really used RAL in recent years. I guess I've made an assumption on cost as I assumed it would be more specialist than just getting B&Q or similar to mix up some emulsion based on standard colour swatches and pre-determined formulas. I've had rattle cans made up before for cars but have always specified the colour code, never asked if they could "match" something. Good point, our units are very matt finish so must be a low gloss % My OCD would go off the scale if they didn't match where they are next to existing. For the most part the bespoke bits, mainly oversize doors to conceal washing machine and dishwasher will be in the utility room so if it's a reasonably close match to the kitchen it should be fine, although it would be nice to get an exact match if possible. At the moment the unit fronts seem to change shade slightly anyway with the varying amount of light coming into the room during the day. I only need a couple of small bits of the "lagoon" but I might be able to do something with a couple of bits of left over plinth if I'm really careful about cutting them.

We had our gas meter moved when we built our front extension and went for a box built into the side wall. Much neater and less obtrusive than the ground box we used to have stuck next to the front door! You don't need to get the gas company to install it, our builder did it. Gas pipe was relocated by Southern Gas Networks and then our supplier fitted a new meter in the recessed box ready for the gas engineer to connect to the new boiler. All very simple in the end.

Our Wren kitchen is in 2 colours, Chalk White and Lagoon (bit like a teal blue) I need to make up some additional bespoke bits and want to be able to match colours by painting the bits of MDF but I cannot find anywhere whether the colours are a specific RAL number. The RAL "Lagoon Blue" isn't the same colour as it seems quite a bit lighter and more blue than green. Wren haven't been any use ("sorry, don't know what RAL is"!!) and their repair kits that came with the kitchen don't have any colour references on them. I know I can probably take some sample pieces to a specialist paint company and get them analysed and then mixed up but that'll be expensive and it's much easier if i could just buy a few spray cans of the correct RAL colour. Anybody have any ideas? Thanks

Ok, can't justify an aluminium door set and having looked again at ones with uPVC frames don't like the fact you have 2 frames and a connecting piece. Had that with our french doors and hated the chunkiness of it. So now reverted to plan A re-using the existing door and finding a new frame. Have found a frame kit from XL Joinery (link here) which, although it has 2 sidelights, can be reduced in size to suit our need for a single sidelight in a 1350mm opening. Seems to be priced in several places at just under £300. Anybody any experience with these frames? Easy to assemble or a real PITA? Thanks

We have a pocket door between kitchen and utility which slides completely into the pocket. It has recessed handles to each face and a finger pull on the edge so you can just pull it out of the pocket and then use the larger handles to close it. I do agree they can be a faff and are best when not in regular use. We had one because a standard door would get in the way in our utility and also because we tend to leave it open most of the time. With our old layout I took the old utility door off completely but there were occasional times when we wanted it closed. Our solution was the pocket door and it works well for us.

Phew....worst day of the year to be indoors.... I usually complain about running my kids about but not tonight........2 hours in air conditioned luxury

Thanks @PeterW that looks pretty good. Who's the supplier for those?

Thanks for comments..... Ok, so here goes, bit embarrassing but having just trawled back through the details on the aluminium door it seems the price we had been quoted included VAT already, but I then added it on again......doh. So, not quite as bad as £4,500, actually closer to £3,600 but still a lot of money. Having fessed up to the wife she's now thinking why can't we take another look at a complete new door and frame although we've agreed it needs to be something less than £2k to be affordable. @dpmiller @Temp - we're ok on the door width as our house isn't a new dwelling so that bit of Part M doesn't apply (although if we go complete new door set I will probably go for 900 width anyway) @PeterW - yes true but we've never been great lovers of the uPVC door frame, mainly as it always seems to have such a bulky frame and threshold @AnonymousBosch - oh dear I've now made the mistake of looking at Gaulhofer...........? @nod - we've previously looked at solidor, seemed pretty good but we just couldn't find a style we liked the look of, all a bit too traditional compared to what we were thinking of. The door we had the price for previously was something similar to this:

In a classic bit of non-thinking (bizarre when I think of how many OCD moments I have daily with our extensions and refurb) our front extension has a 1250mm wide opening for the front door screen. Didn't think it would be an issue as we intended on having a made to measure aluminium door and sidelight, until we discovered that what we liked was around £4,500...!! Our existing composite door is actually perfectly fine and is a standard 838x1981 so we're going to re-use it for now knowing that we can replace with a new standard size door later if we find one we like, but I'm having no end of trouble trying to find somewhere where I can obtain a frame to suit the opening. Standard sizes seem to be 1200/1350/1500 wide etc. I've looked into using a joinery firm but the ones I've contacted so far all talk about £500-800 supply only without glazing and fitting. I'd even settle for a softwood frame if I had to. Anybody had this or similar issue with non-standard external opening? Thoughts? TIA

Do they say why you can't use solvent weld or is it just a "recommendation"? If that joint isn't going to be accessible then I would want to make darn sure it was never going to leak and solvent weld is the obvious solution. However, if you can't do that then floplast do a type of push fit waste fitting although I'm not sure what size as when I bought some to do some temporary plumbing none of my other "standard" size waste pipes would fit. Might be worth taking the shower waste along to a an "old school" plumbers merchant if there's one near you and ask them to find a connector that fits. Do geberit suggest what firing to use?

Rather than all that hassle, just buy her a portable heater (or a new coat ?)

Thanks @Stones that's very helpful, cheers. i just love the way people share knowledge and experience on these forums Off to buy some fix a floor methinks

Thanks @Onoff This was the first room I did and although I levelled out a few big patches I must have just missed this bit.......annoying.

Thanks @Onoff that sounds like it might work. Does this stuff flow fairly easily?

That's a really poor job your builder has done. A classic case of "this'll be fine, it's only a small pipe". You say there has been a steel beam installed below and the wall removed. If that's the case does that joist sit on that beam or, if not, does the beam now take all of the load of that side wall? It may be that the joist now takes virtually no load apart from the ends of the floor boards. If that's the case then you can at least be reassured that the builders incompetence hasn't created a structural issue.