Onoff

Down to one mouse...we think, or a least a lot less. Hoping maybe a trap will sort. I reckon a big issue is where they removed the original skirting exposing the ends of the floor boards where they don't quite meet the wall. I'm hoping to pay another visit. One more cupboard to get behind then maybe angle iron time!

Bedec?

Nothing wrong with my grouting, it's the tiling that's crap!

What with Jesus being a carpenter and all that? ?

Sadly the truth hurts...

Yes, it's an issue potentially. On my garage this has happened. The felt at the ridge is holed/collapsed. Going to change to a dry ridge and hips.

One for when you do your fence:

I can't rate my Lidl Parkside collated screw gun highly enough though it's mains powered. I'm going to invest in one of these in my continued quest for ever cheaper, no name tools! [£20.24 48% OFF]Drillpro Upgrade Chain Screw Gun Drill Adapter Chain Nail Gun Adapter for Electric Drill Tool Accessories from Tools on banggood https://banggood.app.link/q7VtTpj9veb Tbh I reckon I could design and print an adapter to take the front end of the Parkside gun and attach to a cordless drill......

Plasterboard screws are cheap, go nuts... Then spoil it all with crap tiling! ?

You could go SPD and all double pole RCBOs... SBS-Price-List-2021.pdf

How about a good squidge of "sticks like" in the gap, before the beading goes on?

I wonder what percentage trades put on for such pocsterisms?

Does "wood preserver" break down the resins/glue that bonds OSB together? I've used No Nonsense wood treatment on OSB3 and it seems to have thickened and "grown" on the small wendy house roof that I've not yet felted but has a tarp over it.

I hope these mice realise I've my own stuff to get on with! ?

Hand fettled some cranked, 1mm copper sheet for the battery connectors. Tight fit so tapped them in with a soft punch. Vice marks...should have used soft jaws I know! They need to be drilled to accept the wires: Unfortunately the tight fit/my hammering caused the print to start to split and delaminate. The slots were only 1mm wide as is the copper. Now then, anyone care to spot the deliberate mistake? Not insurmountable, I could just split the tool to get the adapter in. I have to any way to solder the wires on. Looks like a redesign is on the cards!

Update...call from the tenant just after 10pm, could hear noise from behind the washing machine. Went over and pulled the kickboard off. Mouse ran out and into the airing cupboard under the door. Got everything out of there and after a bit of a chase THINK it went out the open back door. At least it can't get back in the air brick. Fingers crossed a local moggy gets it! ? Pulled the WM out and found a hole where it had chewed through the expanding foam applied months ago for draught proofing. It appears it was trapped in the house and trying to get back under the floor as all the debris was top side. (I didn't pull the WM yesterday as it was full of baby clothes and didn't want to disrupt them too much). Packed the latest hole tonight with bunched up fine stand copper wire (all I had) and gun foamed in place. If the issue reoccurs I'm going to cut and fit lengths of aluminium angle iron where the floor boards meet the wall (and screw it down to the floorboards). Tenant reckons nextdoor and nextdoor but one have them too. He was very apologetic for calling so late. Whatever it takes, who needs sleep? ?

Never had issues really with PLA warping. Pretty sure it's due to the special qualities of the Anycubic Ultrabase that's "dimpled" for want of a better word and coated with something magic... ABS...different story! Still haven't cracked that. Reluctant to use ABS slurry as it needs scraping off periodically and I don't want to damage the Ultrabase! Got some Kapton tape in desperation but again don't really want to stick it to the Ultrabase. Also bought a hugely expensive piece of chamfered and cut to size, borosilicate glass & clips to go atop the Ultrabase. Plan is to coat that with ABS slurry or the (again) magic tin of "hairspray esque" stuff I bought. A roll of PETG sitting here, untried as yet.

Tbh it's given me the push to do my own air bricks! I shall have to have a count up.

Ah yes, Rat Week! Fly Week will follow soon enough! ?

Update. I popped over to the tenant today and meshed over the 3 air bricks temporarily with some galv mesh held in place with dobs of CT1. Stainless mesh will replace it later on. One bit of good news the tenants report they came downstairs this morning to no signs of mice overnight. I'd like to think I maybe did find the hole(s). Time will tell.

Garden's coming on! ?

I'm assuming those old fashioned air bricks make it easy for them to get in? The holes must be 1/2" square.

Received an email from a tenant about mice. Victorian terrace, 2 up, 2 down with a rear ground floor extension. Seems in the cold weather they've moved in! Other residents along the road are reporting similar. The pest control guy reckons the source is an empty property next to mine. I've contacted the landlord and he's said he'll go round and put fresh bait down though as there's no food on the premises they can't be coming from there... The two main rooms downstairs of my let are suspended wooden floors. Basically a lounge at the front with newly fitted carpet then the kitchen diner at the back, the two rooms separated by the stairs with a cupboard underneath. The kitchen/diner has quite a decent spec laminate floor but it appears the last owner's kitchen fitter put the units up on the old floor boards then only did the laminate up to the cupboards not under. Consequently there's gaps at the edge: I previously went round before letting, getting behind all the cupboards hoovering any fluff, rubbish etc and intumescent foam filling any gaps between board edges and wall. (I appreciate they can eventually chew through foam). Went over yesterday and with an endoscope and by pulling a couple of kickboards off, found a couple of holes under the units I'd missed before. Stuffed with wire wool and intumescent foamed over. Did similar where the mains electric comes up through the floorboards under the stairs. Not immediately obvious but gaps around that "bigger than a pencil". I'm also thinking the air bricks might be an ingress point? I've ordered some 5mm stainless mesh I'll cut to size and CT1 in place. Meanwhile I'll pop back and fit some galv mesh of similar size temporarily. One like this a couple of metres off the deck and two similar at low level. Wait and see now if it makes any difference. I'm quite happy to get a pest controller in but guessing he'll only he putting poison down and hoping for repeat business rather than stopping them getting in!

Finished, it'll do. Only 10% infill which is down to my boy not me. Seems very lightweight. Took about 6 hours.  These "ragged" areas were supported. The quality is to my mind a bit carp. Tbh you don't see these when the adapter is fitted but it still bugs me! Be interested to see prints of other people's "supported" faces.  I'll make the copper strip inserts tomorrow hopefully.

I've a similar drive area I need to do something with. Currently age old compacted scalpings and wood fire ash (don't talk to me about punctures from nails in the ash thanks to the previous owners). You could get the basic block paving for that area for around £500. 30p each, £12.50/m2: https://www.selcobw.com/catalogsearch/results?query=Pavedrive+paver To that you need to add your edging and sand and cement etc to lay them on. This is the best place for best practice, for anything "paving": https://www.pavingexpert.com/ A word of caution though! Before you get too excited you will possibly need to consider the drainage off of that area and might even need planning permission. It's all to do with where the water runs off. You could be looking at drainage channels & a digger for a soakaway to be put in. Then that these miss your mains/gas/electric services underground. (I think btw the previous link are permeable concrete pavers). Is it just your drive you want to do or the front garden too? https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/45/paving_your_front_garden