FuerteStu

7 TVs in the house so far, 5 people.. if only 4 of them are streaming 4k that's one hell of a bottleneck on the WiFi. Hardwired TVs mean less issues with all the other 50 devices.

I have one 24 port switch in my plant room (cabinet with the consumer unit in the hall).. One day I might get around to labelling it all before I forget what codes I used for all the runs 😂

For me it isn't just the immediate benefits and cost savings.. I know that if something goes wrong in 5 or 10 years time, I'll have photos of the work done and a memory of where things are and there's a very good chance I can save myself a bucket in fixing it myself, or at the worst be able to point someone else to exactly where the issue is.

Doesn't look too unnatural compared to some staircases I've seen.. I built my own because the quotes were coming out insane for mine. But they were an unusual shape and design

I did the garage conversion floor in dry sand and cement mix.. Mixed on the driveway by a volumetric mixer. I calculated I needed 1.8m2, asked for 2 to be safe. Used a laser level and wheelbarrow.. Got it done in about 3 hours. However, the guy must have just emptied his wagon... It was the day before Xmas eve. I had over 2m2 left over on the driveway. Filled up two tonnebags with it and built a ramp to the front door as well.. Had to get a skip in the new year to get rid of it all.. That was the worst part of it all. If you want tips on doing it yourself I worked out a few.

Do we get to name the podcast? I vote for "needs more duck tape"

In my experience, over tightening of bolts is the main issue in metal failure. Not only can it damage the thread on the bolt and cause it to fail, but the abrasion of over tightening can remove the protective layer around it causing another weak point. Torque wrenches are as much about preventing over tightening than they are about tightening to a minimum torque. And don't even get me started on split ring washers and them actually increasing the failure rate of bolts.

Ah, so you mean wall thickness.. Mine was a couple of mm either side when I offered up the lining in the garage conversion, and I was tempted to fit it, then Architrave and caulk the gap.. I ended up trimming 5mm off the lining. Much better job

It's a 2.4m room.. When I did the loft conversion too the roof off completely and did pozi joists top and bottom.

Actually, mines got valves on it.. Like this one

I've got an irrigation setup with similar timer. I used a splitter on mine, which allows me to still use the tap without disconnecting the system!

Like this? Feels strange to be seated on the throne and not facing a door.. Its that unnatural?

I'm borderline on going full wet room, it just having a large shower tray with half screen. There was the possibility of having a bench seat built into the wall next to the shower (for hair washing, leg shaving etc..) like the third picture..

Starting my upstairs shower room and toilet.. Blank canvas. I've already got a layout that works, what I'm asking for are any tips and 'things that went wrong' or 'we wish we had'. Relatively small budget, expecting most of it to go on tiles to improve the 'look'. Maybe I'm just over thinking it, but thought I'd post in case anyone had any advice. It's in a timber frame loft conversion, pozi joists floor and ceiling. one external wall. My plans are roughly. Marine ply floor tanked, tiled. Tanked Tile backer walls, tiled. Centrally placed 4" humidity sensitive extractor, flexi to wall in ceiling. Tall Towel rad next to shower. Soil stack exits top right next to WC.

Undoubtedly. But accountability is something we should be fighting for. Right to repair it's one thing, right to functionality should be in there too. Perhaps a legal precedent case, the public vs Google. Something sold as smart should remain so for the lifetime of the product (20 years seems reasonable)

Nothing will change as long as people keep spending money and nobody complains. Time to start drafting letters to MPs

Whilst I understand that companies projects must eventually be discontinued, if you buy a smart thermostat you don't expect it to be bricked by a company that can afford server space to keep it running. Smart devices should be backed up with a service guarantee for at least 20 years. It should be written into consumer rights.

Magnetise some iron fillings and dust the wall with them? That will find your screws quickly

I trust the beam more than that hook. (not a structural engineer) At worst there will be 20kg hanging from that, and the beam can take it, that hook maybe not. How fancy does it need to look? I'd trust a plate fixing with a ring in it. 4 screws are better than one.

I love in a very hard water area. It's cheaper to use salt rather than two tablets per wash. Without that the glasses go cloudy

The only decent WiFi feature of ours is the notification that the rinse aid and salt is running low. And being able to check how long they're is left on the wash from the sofa.

"are we being sold the wrong things" - yes. The clue is, that you're being 'sold' them. I buy the things I need after doing my own research and asking people who have the products. I don't ever allow a salesperson to give me anything more than the spec.

I ran twin cat6 cables to all TV points, to areas where I might have a PC/console, external corners for cameras, to the boiler cupboard and several strategic places for a mesh network (like under the stairs and on top of kitchen cupboards) All of these route back to a switch in services cupboard. I've terminated in all sockets myself, and only the rj45 ends when in use. Only thing I would do differently would be an additional twin cables by the front door that could be for alarm keypad to be hardwired. And possibly one external out the front if needed at a later date. TVs have data hardwired and no aerial. I don't regret this at all. I do regret getting a cheap Chinese Mesh, but they are on the list of easy upgrade if I ever get fed up with having to reboot once a month because the scheduled restart seems to lose connectivity with some devices.

String with a couple of knots in the end, hoover, switching it on and off. Use gravity and the wave effect of increasing and decreasing pressure.. Usually works. Replace the string with thicker after you've made it through.

The more I read about specific TMS, the more I see it as future treatments for all kinds of disorders and mental health situations.. It actually works.