Onoff

MiL coming down for Christmas day. I might make my excuses and start the grout!

Merry Christmas to you too. What's next then?

Just arranged for my parents kitchen and bathroom to be done in lino. Cheapest of the cheap. No underlay, no surface prep against the shops advice but it'll (sadly) very likely outlast them. House built circa 1960 so those old square (bitumen bedded?) tiles like a chess board. SWMBO went over to let the bloke in. Reckons he was pretty much seconds rather than minutes fitting it. Said the left him in the kitchen and walked through to the lounge. No sooner had she sat down than the guy appeared and she thought he needed something from his van, not that he was done! Tidy job too.

"Stops" that was the word! Unfortunately I've lost the ones that came with the lining, it's been so long. I've read 6" in for the top hinge, 9" for the bottom one . Then 2mm gap top & sides. Sound about right?

Any benefit in using a rebated door lining like this: https://www.selcobw.com/products/timber-mdf-sheet-materials/softwood-primed-mdf/door-linings/door-casing-set-rebated-38mm-x-115mm-nom-2-6-head-pefc As opposed to to one where you pin the strips on? Long time since I've fitted one...like 30 years.

Lino...been there, done that, though SWMBO usually does it. Plenty of vids on YouTube. Use cardboard for templates around tricky bits. I have before, for small areas like a bathroom actually laid a full lining paper/pizza box/Cornflakes packet pattern in the room to be done all held together with duct tape. I've then rolled out the lino in a bigger room and laid the pattern out Sellotaped on. Make a few diagonal checks. Draw round with a Sharpie and cut with decent bfo upholstery scissors...but that's just me! Professionals I think just push it against the wall with a metal straight edge and cut with a Stanley. They're incredibly quick too, like lightning fast. If you do the skirting afterwards you have 1/2" of leeway to screw up and be able to hide it.

Dust extractor was a total fail! With that cone on the end it blew outward rather than sucking! So it was the old faithful Wickes/Earlex vac, 10mm holes SDS drilled through, 1" apart then the bolster. High spots taken off with a comb chisel. Door frame needs the stubby bits taken off: And the previously plastered bit on the soffit needs to be hacked out: For now the old 30" door is going back on:

An LED will be about a 1/10 wattage wise. If you like the light the existing bulbs give then find the spec and look for the same lumens (lm).

You can get warm white or cool white LED GU10s.

You can likely replace the bulbs with LED equivalents. What are they, GU10s? Take a pic.

Still need to drain a bit off and put the cleaner in...loathe to do it when I've only just got the place semi warm... Looking at other things. It would appear both QE2 controllers were set for gravity since day one. I've slid the switch across to fully pumped like this. So I can now have the HW on independent of the CH! The wiring. Just double checking everything is wired as it should be.

Aren't the Spanish already storing heat in molten salt heated by focused solar? Continues to produce at night too albeit at a lower level.

Mine shaft...isn't that @recoveringacademic's pet name for...

Just liquid screed or resin? Looks like glass! ?

Maybe he'll adopt you?

Depending on your wall / ceiling construction consider whether you have "structure" beneath to later fit grab rails, bath hoists etc. All getting a bit Gulliver's Travels on here...I am so looking forward to being able to stand UNDER the rainfall shower.

Think about the pull down cupboard shelves for your Mum and yourself. Doesn't stop normal people using them!

Good design now will hopefully allow them to stay independent for a long time. Speaking from experience with my own parents (88 & 90). Good lighting enhances visual input which keeps the old grey matter ticking over. Ease of access like walk in showers allow them to attend to their own hygiene needs for longer and may even encourage it. MVHR ventilates the place but subtlety and help keep the dust down when their cleaning skills wane. My Dad was on about getting a mobility scooter but there is laterally no way he could get one in the house.

Döstädning ?

Where would you store the mobility scooter should it come to it? Or is it the case that at that stage there'd no longer be a need to store a car in the garage?

A new house AND Virgin Galactic tickets! You're spoiling them!

Squatters?

+1. Can't see how my wall vcl will ever really "flex". It's sandwiched between fully filled joists and mrpb / Aquapanel screwed over the top. The only cold spot in the walls is through not around the 2G window where it's noticeably colder. My ceiling vcl integrity is somewhat compromised by the multiple penetrations of 4 spots, 2 speakers and a bfo body dryer plus various 20 & 25mm conduits, the wc extract pipe, rainfall head etc. Add to that an occupancy switch etc. All area I've plans to mitigate / improve. With hindsight!

Before I knew better I tried and failed to use double sided DPM tape to join the ceiling vcl in the picture above. Far too thick! So much so that it bowed the ceiling boards at the joint. I ditched it and just used foil tape as elsewhere. Tbh if "air" gets through the foil tape, Sika EBT around where the insulated pb meets the window frame, silicon at the floor and ceiling junctions with the tiles, tile adhesive, CT1 and Wiska gel etc then good luck to it.