Makeitstop

So they are using a mini piling system such as grundomat yes? Driving rather than drilling is considerably cheaper, but even so, your piling costs are low, so well done on that. I had quotes for my job that were cheaper for both piles and beam using driven system that was lower than piling alone when using odex. Its nastily pricey.

Am I reading that correctly as 26 piles?....All at an estimated 8 metres?....And that's odex? For £8900?

Well, for my own job, I can get pre welded cages for under £1k and the concrete isnt much on top at all. The piling cost is a killer though for six piles.

Also @ Puntloos... Wood certainly can crack, and occasionally does unfortunately.

I saw a big dekton island top that was spectacular. Beautiful colouring and finish. Looks a very good surface but does come at a premium.

@ Puntloos... Pro Dave used two pack to finish his wooden tops, so theres no risk of staining whilst that finish is intact. That is a hard "surface finish"" and not as many wooden worktop suppliers may suggest, as in an oil finish. Oil finishes are not a surface finish because the oil is meant to penetrate the surface, whereas surface finishes, such as lacquers / varnishes and so on are not. Oil finished wood can and will accept liquids penetrating to some degree, depending on how well oil has been applied, and also, both how thorough and how long ago that finish was done. Oil finishes do tend to require replenishing, and are generally nowhere near as resistant or durable as surface finished timber (done well that is)

I have an odex job coming up soon. @ £9200 for six piles, I know its definitely not the cheapest method. It is a very effective method though, and on problem ground, solves many problems. What I'd give to be able to bung in a simple strip foundation.

Sometimes removing and refitting stops causes more work than is necessary though. Looking at the images above, I'd wager the existing paint will not remain nice and neat on the liner when the stops are removed. Often it's the case they split paintwork when coming off, tearing bits of old paint that then requires shitloads of abrasion to flatten up ready for redecoration. That can even happen when you cut along joint line with a nice new Stanley knife blade, so it can be tricky. Shifting the hinge isn't an entire bodge, but it should be neater than that. The small void left at edge of hinge can be filled with a good filler (hard but with some flexibility) and repainted, so you cant even see it has been done. Screw holes should be totally filled with timber dowel and re-sunk properly so they are perfectly flush to hinge surface.

The avatar alone tells me you are a quality individual.

A five year warranty may be seen as a company having faith in what they produce and sell, or, could simply be a way of getting consumers to lean towards their products, whether they be worthy of the warranty or not. It's super tricky reading too far into that. For me and my own experience, I have to say that Bosch Siemens for cooking appliances have been reliable. Still, that was probably more than 20 years ago, so is maybe out of date. I'd imagine that many cheaper products will be just as good, although arguably not as sleek and attractive to look at. As was mentioned above, I too think theres a degree of brand snobbery in appliances. The trick is in seeing past that and buying gear that looks right and functions well.

The web has brought some amazing things to our lives and also some utter shitefest tripe. I'd put you in the former category...... naturally.

Couldn't answer as to whether 80cm would be too small. I guess you need to decide that for yourselves. Many people manage fine with 60cm standard hobs, though what "extra" is in an 80cm hob I don't know. As for brands, Miele always come a t a real price premium, though whether that's justified for "all" their products, I don't know. Bosch are same company more or less as Siemens from what I've seen in kitchen appliances, but are generally priced slightly lower for some reason. I think a lot of "premium gear" is priced on perceived value, and is maybe not always guaranteed to get you a better product in functionality, reliability or longevity.

I like this answer a lot.

My Brother bought an AEG induction hob and it was faulty, although he didn't know that until it was fitted, some six weeks after he took delivery. Unfortunately, the place he bought it from (kitchens direct I believe) wouldn't sort it as a simple replacement, as he'd not "checked and tested" it in their permitted timeframe. The shambles that ensued in trying to resolve it did his nut, but it was eventually sorted. Having said that, I'm sure it was a one off and that the product is in fact a decent one. However, as far as i know, AEG are now part of the Electrolux group and are "not" what they used to be imo. I have had several AEG products over the years, with older ones being solid and reliable (old integrated dishwasher that is still working after maybe 15/17 years) and later (dishwasher in new house) being utter garbage and was replaced after only 18 months. Siemens are a different animal from what I know and are a superior brand generally, although how much of that is styling and fit / finish on their products or actual real world superiority, I don't know. We had a Siemens gas hob and oven years ago that lasted many years and worked really well throughout their respective lives. Make of that what you will, but I'm not sure I'd want to pay double for one over the other for a hob.

I have to admit, I have a limestone in a rear patio and I love it. Its soft underfoot, non slip and is not in any way coarse or unpleasant to walk on barefoot. In contrast, I have fitted porcelain in a small patch at the front door of a rental property and even though it was sold as a non slip rated product, it's nowhere near as good as the limestone I have at my own house. There is something I prefer in natural stone too, but maybe that's just me.

Can I ask why?

Is the redwood paler than your finished oak doors and mantle, or, is it a darker shade? Its virtually impossible to make a piece of raw timber "paler" by applying any kind of surface finish. So, if your redwood is a darker shade than your oak, you've had it sorry. Also, oak isnt simply one shade, as British / European timber is darker and more varied usually than American oak. To get a very good match, you probably need to use the same timber across all. If you want to do it cheaper but be able to get a similar colour and appearance to grain also, then ash may be an option. Chestnut can also be an option, but ash would be more readily available and likely cheaper too.

That is 100% Japanese knotweed. Not only can you easily tell by the leaves, but also by the visible flowering that occurs late summer early autumn. These are white / off white and are as the image above shows, although these have fallen away almost completely now. Treatment should be done when it's in full flower for best results, but as long as it's in leaf, it'll still do some good. Treatment needs to be repeated for a few years to eradicate it totally. It's fairly easily dealt with with good weedkillers, though for me, it's not you that's going to need to deal with it. I don't buy it that the growth there is only from the last two months. The other vegetation around it looks way more established and settled to have had topsoil dropped over it recently. Anyhow, if it's on someone else's ground, it's not for you to prove you didn't put it there.

Agree 100% with this above. From the outside, it's easy for everyone to chip in and say "bin them off", when in doing so, it means a stressful time in finding suitable (and competent) replacement. Having said that, if everything you've experienced so far is taken as a whole and digested on the basis of the reality here, then sacking them might be a wise move. The problem in doing that for those in the middle of a project, using a contractor / trades to do specific essential tasks, is the frightening notion of being left alone. In that situation, it's natural for anyone to want to take the "apparent" path of least resistance to progression. That will no doubt often look like... "better the devil you know". The trouble is, that when you have a team that has proven itself as being less than competent or willing to provide decent progress, and, that is arguably severely lacking in ethical standards, you are in a dangerous position. I think if it were me, I'd also be inclined to try to get to where you want to be using this team. At the same time, I think I'd have seen enough already to be very direct with my approach to managing them going forward too. The time for tolerance is passed I reckon and you should see this as last chance saloon for them. As I said though, very easy for others to state an opinion when it isn't our build.

Piss poor state of affairs. I dont have any idea what this sort of crap would do my head. Good luck Tom. I hope it all works out well when you are past the current shit shower you are having to tolerate.

Yep, totally appreciate that, but surely a better way to bring up concerns with the client is to have an open frank conversation about how the work is looking as though it'll end up costing your business, rather than showing it profit, and suggest a possible resolution going forward. Requesting that the client not only cut you in on, but backdate that percentage cut of some saving they have made through shrewd sourcing / purchasing sounds well off to me. Arguabaly, from that alone I'd be wondering how ethical they were.

You say these guys have experience of your type of build, and yet, they've apparently come to the realization that they've "underquoted" you. Now, they want to take a bite of savings you've "already" made from your own efforts towards material cost efficiency, when in fact, that option was agreed with them from the outset. As has been suggested, I would have seriously deep concerns trusting them from here on in, either in their "experience" or ethics. If you can afford to bump them, I'd be doing just that. Having said that, it may well be worth a discussion first, with a view to counter their suggestions with your own. Others here will no doubt offer all sorts of sound advice and various options on how to approach it. I hope it works out well no matter what, because it sounds disappointingly stressful.

I'd like to say I'm getting it but I don't. Would be useful to fully understand it, as I could give more consideration to what an SE has provided for an extension I'm looking into, which has a reasonable opening to be cut in the existing house, which "is" on piles. I'm sure he knows what he's doing, but it would be good for the stress levels to check it.... ha

Blimey, I was wondering that too, and thought he must have one hell of a large steam box. Super interesting design

Good news, nice one Chris.