ToughButterCup Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 "How's the build going?" Is the most common question I get asked by people who walk past our build. One gorilla of an instructor once whispered in my ear. "Lad, you have got two speeds: dead slow and stop" So, in reply to 'Hows the build going ' I say. " I'm on my own, and doing the vast majority of it myself: well, me BuildHub and YooChube. " Well, Sergeant Williams you were, and still are right. I'm making slooooow progress. My only 'excuse' is that I'm really, truly doing it myself. And , uncomfortable truth to be told, feeling sorry for myself occasionally. Yes, I have the odd hour or two of help and Debbie always offers to help out. But, there's not a lot she can do. (Lifting a few tonnes of concrete aside) DIY. How many of us (non-builders) are doing the vast majority of their build mostly on their own? 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexphd1 Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 We are in the same slow boat.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone West Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 31 minutes ago, recoveringacademic said: DIY. How many of us (non-builders) are doing the vast majority of their build mostly on their own? You're going great guns. It took us eight years to do our build. It's taken us over three months to dismantle the old bungalow and we still have the back garden to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 I am sure you all know I (plus help from SWMBO) am doing it "solo" Still ticking along. Not much in the way of blog entries lately as I have started a lot of stuff that is not yet finished so no blog entry for a while. I am currently held up waiting for the plasterer, one of the very few tradesmen I am "employing" just as I had a room ready for him to do, I phoned him only to find he was about to go off on 2 weeks holiday. I now have 2 rooms waiting for when he can fit me in. Until they are plastered and painted, I can't get on and lay the last of the UFH then lay the oak floor and start using those rooms. Until that is done, the house is being heated entirely by the UFH in the family room at the moment. Getting ready to install the flue pipe for the stove, flue should be here this week, scaffold is up ready, just need a decent weather window which is not so easy this time of year. Too cold and icy "up top" to even think about it at the moment. We have had a reprieve from the council tax valuer. He phoned the other day to see how we were doing, having noticed on one of his snooping visits we did not appear to be living in the caravan any more. So I started describing where we were and as soon as I mentioned no rooms have doors on them yet, he decided to postpone valuing it until early next year, so a few more months on band A council tax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 (edited) The listed building we are talking about on the other thread had big work being done on it from 1976 until at least 2008. A combination of self-managed subbies and self-do, mainly by dad. WIth bits from me. We sold it as basically very sound, ready to have a richer person throw 200k or so at it to make it 21C fitted-out and warm. F Edited October 30, 2018 by Ferdinand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 8 years to do a bathroom here...lucky I don't get sidetracked! ...but then there's nothing I won't attempt. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triassic Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 I definatly doing most of it myself, I’ve got help from my newly retired wife and a couple of local semi retired tradesmen. I’ve done all the digging of the foundations, laid the insulation and cast the foundation slab and basement walls. So far I’ve been at it around 12+months. I’m hoping the next 12 months go a bit quicker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bitpipe Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Obviously not the majority of the build but have done a few entire elements myself (and I had very little experience) such as all the trenching for the leccy redirection, insulation of basement, MVHR install and some of the latter stages of landscaping while I wait for the contractor to have time to come back. Even a small job takes ages but there is great satisfaction in doing something yourself vs throwing money at someone to do it, even if it is something of a false economy when you're still working ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted October 30, 2018 Author Share Posted October 30, 2018 Hmmm: makes me wonder whether there's any mileage in - for key parts of our builds - a Labour Exchange. Off the top of my head, for my build, I can think of at least four things that would be sooooo much easier with just a bit of help. Just a bit of muscle and good humour. I'm not talking about specialised (say) Sparky work, or the clever bits of plumbing that many here seem to do. In exchange for a similar amount of time and effort on 'your build' .... Or is that too hard to organise? Or make work? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 I find friends don't visit so often, if every time they turn up you start with "oh while you are here, can you give me a lift with this, yes that's correct, right up to the top of the scaffolding, what do you mean you don't like heights......" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivienz Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Mine absolutely isn't DIY and there was never any intention of it. We are pre-retirement and have our own small manufacturing business that means it's quite a stretch being a man down and I fully understand that I would never and will never be capable of undertaking a task like this myself. My admiration for the skills in the hands of trades people is untarnished. That said, I'm content with my role in running the build and believe I'm doing as much as I can. Likewise, if you choose to be hands on and need to take it more slowly, why beat yourself up over it? Your task is substantial enough already without inflicting mental cruelty on yourself while your at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Davies Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 (edited) Start of most of my conversations: “How's the build going?” “Slowly.” This year's it's mostly been the wind which has caused slowness. Had separate contractors/fabricators do: 0) House design details, planning and building warrant application. 1) Entrance track and site clearance. 2) Custom galvanized steel brackets for the frame. 3) Concrete pads for the posts and bolting on of the steel brackets. 4) Digger + driver for a few odd days to help put up rafters. 5) Sarking, membrane and counterbattens. Looking for somebody to do more on the roof (in the short term more membrane then later profile steel with some careful thought needed to details round the Veluxs so probably not any old roofing contractor); have somebody in mind to do the drains, BioPure, etc; will need an open-minded electrician for a few days at some point. I'm not sure what else I can comfortably sub out. It seems to me that often it's harder work to deal with the building trade than to do the job yourself. OK, they'll probably do it much quicker once they're actually on site and make a tidier job of it but still… Edited October 30, 2018 by Ed Davies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Davies Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 40 minutes ago, recoveringacademic said: Off the top of my head, for my build, I can think of at least four things that would be sooooo much easier with just a bit of help. Just a bit of muscle and good humour. Absolutely. Somebody you could just get to help for a few 10-minute sessions a day then switch off in between would be ideal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Mine was never supposed to be diy we are over 60 and not fit or practical. We would never have gone into it if there had been possibility of DIY as we know we cannot do it however it has now turned into a degree of diy for me rectifying cock ups etc.....it is very challenging and I am limited with the physical side of it no matter how many utubes etc I watch. I am currently trying to find plumber and electrician to rectify install issues on ufh and mvhr. Not easy as local bods shy away when you mention mvhr passive house etc.......trying to get plumber by stealth just saying its a waste and not mentioning mvhr, going to ask my hairdresser if her husband (electrician) will come and help me on ufh.......install electrician has put stat for en suite next to manifold board inside cupboard (yes I did query at the time) so it wont kick on as temp inside cupboard is over 30......you couldnt make it up! When last house was built (by builder who is still a good friend) we had snagging and I had input on loads of stuff but I never had to crawl around on the floor trying to seal gaps, screw things up, stop leaks et al......maybe the quality of british workmanship has gone down or the expensive bods who style themselves as specialist in this type of build are just stetson wearers who have identified a good earner from people who dont know any better.......me! So yes I am now a DIY but with severe limitations on the practical side and it will take me an age to get it all finished. I did find a lovely old boy in the village last week, carpenter, came and sorted out a few issues for me hasnt even sent me his bill yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nod Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 A friend told me at the beginning some two years back You do everything yourself With the help of my wife we nearly have Its a vicious circle though with paid work having to come first at times and turning building work down to leave time for the house If we did it again I would take six months off to fit the house out Also a bit frustrating for my wife We took delivery of 220 metres of floor and wall tiles and they sat in our house for a month while I was doing work for others Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 1 hour ago, nod said: We took delivery of 220 metres of floor and wall tiles and they sat in our house for a month while I was doing work for others That’s the way a self build rolls though, and a month is nothing. I still have tiles to be fitted 8 years on! ?. You have done something amazing to have done so much yourself, you truly have. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted October 30, 2018 Author Share Posted October 30, 2018 2 hours ago, ProDave said: I find friends don't visit so often, if every time they turn up you start with "oh while you are here, can you give me a lift with this, yes that's correct, right up to the top of the scaffolding, what do you mean you don't like heights......" That precisely why I'm suggesting planned labour exchange. Maybe it's not a runner though : I have the strong feeling that we all invest too much in our own builds to have anything spare for anyone else. Pity. The other biggy is (say) @Alexphd1 needs a bit of help and I can go up to his place, and he can come and sort something here in Lancashire. Between us that's four days travel. The Buck Stops Here, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamieled Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 But don't forget that not everyone will necessarily be building at the time you are. I've found helping out on occasional jobs in the past to be of huge benefit to my generally ropey knowledge of building. As I won't be starting on my place until next year I'd happily consider offering a bit of assistance for a weekend or two, in exchange for having a nosey about and a chit chat! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 2 minutes ago, jamieled said: I'd happily consider offering a bit of assistance for a weekend or two, in exchange for having a nosey about and a chit chat! Right everyone, form an orderly queue....! @Nickfromwales can we add @jamieled to the BuildHub loan scheme...?? In all serious though, getting out and about and onto other sites is sometimes the best way to learn and find the hard way what its all about. Nothing like moving 800 dense blocks by hand to make you consider timber frame.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 I really regret not helping @JSHarris when he was struggling to instal his MVHR ducts on his own, I was waiting for planning so kicking my heals a bit at the time. Just an extra pair of hands with some jobs makes it oh so much easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted October 30, 2018 Author Share Posted October 30, 2018 3 hours ago, lizzie said: [...] I did find a lovely old boy in the village last week, [...] , came and sorted out a few issues for me hasnt even sent me his bill yet. Not that many of us about @lizzie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nod Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 I’ve a friend who has a joinery shop and we tend to help each other out So handy when I need odd sized timbers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 1 hour ago, joe90 said: I really regret not helping @JSHarris when he was struggling to instal his MVHR ducts on his own, I was waiting for planning so kicking my heals a bit at the time. Just an extra pair of hands with some jobs makes it oh so much easier. Don't worry about it, @joe90, the MVHR duct install was just a bit tedious, because of the way the ridges on the ducting kept getting snagged on the Posijoist webs. The real killer was getting the hefty (~150kg plus) Sunamp upstairs. Lots of ingenuity needed, including making up a lifting frame and utilising my old climbing ropes, ascenders etc, plus a tirfor winch. Took all day... Getting the old Sunamp PV back down stairs was relatively easy, I just strapped it to a sack cart and lowered it down the stairs using a figure of eight belayed to the cart with a carabiner and the tail of the rope slung between my legs and over my shoulder, like old school abseiling, to control the descent. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpd Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Total DIY and six years into it....... no regrets as I love the work. Being seriously ill for over two years really destroyed my planned budget and that now causes the frustration of trying to find enough funds for materials. Just purchased 75 sheets of osb and got given 75 sheets of plaster board so very happy with that as it will keep me busy for a few months. I often have volunteers around to help on the project and could not manage without them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nod Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Looking back Ian’s labour sharing idea would work Many of our tasks are so easy When you done them before I think a pointer in the right direction is all some of us need My son and his parter have bought there first house Each evening we have been skimming over the artex Tonight I’m ripping the bathroom out She’s ordered Carndine flooring She’s just come in and said bad news All my floors need screeding £900 After a few minutes she said What’s screeding Guess what tomorrow’s night job is She’s no good at screening but as good as anyone at pulling the carpets up and peeping the floors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now