The recent stories have been more about new builds.

My leasehold house has 892 years left on it and it costs £2.50 a year. The leasehold document looks like it belongs in a Harry Potter film. 🙂

I didn’t even get a voucher last time. 😥

I reckon they only have 1 or 2 of the sale items in, so as soon as it becomes a PSA somewhere only one or two get one and the rest are let down as their stock system isn’t live (or doesn’t work very well at least!)

Why on earth should a solid wood floor be sanded in situ? If it’s made well it won’t need at finishing once fitted.

Sorry but you’re talking a load of crap right through your post. I’ve got both in my house, both 20mm thickness, the engineered stuff has a 6mm solid wood top. There is no way you can tell the difference between the two.

Of course most people who have laid a laminate/ engineered floor think it looks great as they chose it and paid for it.

Laminate is easy to spot. Engineered IS solid wood floor on top but with an engineered underside, normally ply or something to make it more stable with temp/humidity differences.

New house I am guessing from the pointless loo and integral garage?

Doesn’t matter what wheel size, what discipline, how fast, how technical. You’re riding a bike and that’s all that matters. Glad you enjoyed it and that your family is well enough to enjoy it too!!!

Big smiles here. 😀

You can get real wood very cheap if you know where to look and are patient.

I got 9sqm for my small bedroom for £50 delivered, 20mm solid oak brand new, and 11sqm for my hallway of engineered for the same price.

Laminate is utter utter crap. I used to sell the cursed stuff, put it in my first house and I swore I’d never have it in a house again. So unbelievably naff, I can spot it from 50m away every time. Looks crap, feels crap. Only redeeming feature is that it’s cheap, I’d rather have a bare floor. I don’t earn much money but I’d save for a year to have solid wood (or engineered) and live with a bare floor while I waited.

Check that the ones you are getting have a very good IP rating so they are really waterproof. Inbought one from Homebase once that was £30 and was surprisingly high specced for IP rating for its price. Was a while ago though so they might be different but worth checking potential purchases.

These have certainly given me some idea-butter to spread on my brain-crumpet.

I actually love this!!

I’d take up Somafunks offer of that BMX, that looks very nice indeed.

Newrobdob – our 13 year old has said he would like a lighter bike than his 3 x7 halfords bso boat anchor he currently has and our 9 year old (in 4 weeks) wants a “light bike with gears so i can pedal it”

I think the bike I’ve got would be a bit big for a 13yo and anyway it’s a girls bike with pink bits on it which might not go down too well. 😉

Quick question – do any of your kids need bikes? Thinking older kids.

I have bought a few PDW bells for myself and for presents and I love them. Look good, nice clear ring

Just been reading up about Kubica, maybe I wasn’t paying attention when he last raced but I didn’t realise how good he was tipped to be.

You’d be daft as a team boss not to take him on once he’s fit – great story behind him, possible huge talent still waiting to see it at it’s best and if he’s managed to get through what he’s been through I can his determination and work ethic to win will be hard to match.

If I was Mclaren I’d be signing him up ASAP – replace Alonso – maybe the coming of age of the Mclaren Honda relationship linked with the talent of Kubica could be an amazing alignment of the planets…??

Good luck to him, nice to see him back.

Aaah the joy of a freshly cleansed porcelain throne, any traces of “basking sharks” long since flushed and scrubbed away. Mmmm

I wonder if the people who like ultimate grip on pedals have previously used clip less pedals, and people like me (I prefer less grip so I can move my feet around) have a bmx background or have never used clipless pedals.

I used SPDs for a short while in the 90’s and didn’t get on with them and after a 5 year stint riding street and flatland bmx I was very confident on flats BUT I find some pedals are just too grippy. And some are way too big – I’ve got Nanos on my main bike but I might go back to V8’s as they just seem too big (size 10 feet).

The trade paint we’ve been buying is miles better than the standard but it isn’t really any more expensive, well not loads anyway. The fact that you need less coats to get proper coverage more than makes up for it and probably makes it cheaper anyway.
I used Macphersons trade white eclipse emulsion for new plaster, watered first coat down by 30% and nearly got away with only 1 more coat to finish the job (was slightly patchy but that might have been my crap painting technique), i was amazed by its coverage.

Lead loc pipes are a total nightmare but your only choice here. Every plumber I’ve used hates them and they can take many tries to seal properly. My go to plumber nowadays says they either work first time or are the worst part of his job!

Ruled out turtle leprosy first thing.

Aha! Denial, the first stage of turtle leprosy.

We had out pebbledash house painted in Dulux exterior paint. They thought it would take 3-4 coats to cover it….
It took 2 and it’s fantastic. Great finish, I’m impressed.

They probably used Dulux trade exterior paint, their trade stuff is wonderful paint, covers so well.

I am sure Exposure will sort out a new one for you. I’d be tempted to send the whole lot to them to test everything is ok.

Although I’m not a doctor I am pretty sure that’s turtle leprosy. Classic signs.

I used to sell paint and did a bit of research on Valspar paint. As far as I can find out it’s brand name that was well renowned in the USA and I reckon B&Q bought the rights to use the name which might be why people thought it might be good when it came out.

If you’ve got money to waste on a vanity plate, don’t waste it, give it to charity or a person in greater need than you instead.

There’s always one,… 🙄

In the pit of hell where it belongs.

Crap to put down, looks crap, feels crap, doesn’t last, can’t clean it easily.

Can’t be great that it’s only redeeming feature is that it’s cheap. 😉

No wonder when that’s what it appears to be made of!

I span my RWD Volvo when I accelerated (not hard) round a corner in our local town and their was some diesel on the road. Never got a chance to correct it and thankfully not any harm done apart from to my pride. A greasy road in a 500bhp RWD mid engined monster would make an accident inevitable with a novice driver.

These things are so powerful nowadays that a bootfull of right foot at the wrong time and you’re in a field in microseconds, fancy computers or not. Coming from even powerful “normal” cars they can be a huge step up, no matter how big the tyres are they can break traction so easily and be spinning before you even know what’s going on.

Lots of houses up north are leasehold, but not those dodgy ones they do nowadays. My leasehold I think has 887 years left and its costs £2.50 a year.

Do you remember the huge flue we had on the house in Hockerton for the Rayburn? They are very chunky!!!

I’ll always remember Dad showing me it before mum came home, adding “I wasn’t expecting it to be that big”, pointing to what appeared to be a fairly good reproduction of Saturn 5 strapped to the side of the house. 😀

I always think someone’s lost an argument when they swear. No need for it and no excuse for it. People swear when they don’t have the intelligence to think of a normal word to say, or don’t have the self control not to say anything at all.

Find them when they are there, explain that they are welcome to use them but if any litter is dropped you’ll just flatten them. Gives them a chance to do the right thing and if they don’t you haven’t lost anything. Worth a try.

If you’re on good terms with the landowner it’s worth a go.

I have a solidor and an ex policeman friend who is also very geeky about security said they were very very good, the locks on them being the best he knows of.

I find it really odd that they’ve effectively committed business suicide here. Why didn’t they offer a service for 3rd party hosting that was more affordable? Making it the crazy maximum of hundreds of pounds only is going to make people who can easily afford it go elsewhere as it’s just a bit mental. Surely offering say a $10 a month option with limited storage but 3rd party hosting would net them waaaay more money than this completely over the top change?

I bought a Genesis bike where all the years bikes were sold by MARCH if I remember correctly. Bit of a shambles really.

If it was me I’d replace the cover myself and say no more about it.

I “work with” skip companies as part of my job and I wouldn’t give them any excuse to be angry at me.

What on earth is a keepy uppy?

I’ve been riding 30 years on MTB and bmx and I know what a manual and wheelie are but never heard of a keepy uppy.

Chester Thunderkeks

Jeremy Fartwarbler

Oswald Crappenguff

Looks better than most new builds.