my wife swapped to skiing a few years ago, ive been snowboarding 20 years plus and have never had the inkling to ski.
she never really got past the early beginner stage on a board but she can get around ok on skiis.
she claims skiing is easier.

I’m sure he is Footflaps but I use self self employed sparks nearly every week and if I told him I’m paying him £128 a day he’d tell me in not so polite terms “no, find someone else”
Someone who is a full time subby on site, yes, but not someone who runs their own company.

The niceic don’t make the regulations up. So your mortgage co prob quoted them as they are the only private governing body they’ve heard of. As stated there is a few others.
Use whoever you want, but I’d run it past your mortgage co first and if they give you any hassle ask them to explain why it has to be niceic.
Alani if your in the north east and will work for £128 a day self employed, can wire a house in 4 days and sign off your own work, give me a call and I’ll take you on full time.
The sparks I use have always charged per outlet and stuck a bit extra on for awkward stuff.
I’ve paid from £25-45 per point plus vat in the past.

I rent a few places out. Mix of comercial and residential.
I’ve never used a letting agent. Gumtree, hospital notice boards etc. are good place for free adverts. As long as the property is in a reasonable area and is presentable it will rent.
I’ve just had a flat and a house come up and they’ve been taken within a week.
You can credit check them yourselves via http://www.tenantref.co.uk/, £29.50 which the tenant pays and don’t be fooled into “I promise I’ll pay” when their report comes back and they are high risk, it’s not worth taking a chance.
AST tenancies can be downloaded off the net, if you need one let me know.
Inventories – a spreadsheet on exel is all you need.
Deposit – you have to protect the deposit, but if you use http://www.mydeposits.co.uk/ you keep the deposit in your bank.
Find a good gas plumber, electrician and a handy man type and get stuff done ASAP if the tenant asks.

If your renting to your daughter, shoot me down in flames but put the money in the bank and say nowt. Put a little aside and keep all receipts just in case and act dumb if out happens.
Yes get a gas check, elec isn’t mandatory.

Drill a 7.5 mm hole. 100mm deep. Brown wall plug and a few 100mm screws.
Job done.
If your worried about the plasterboard caving in at the bottom stick some expanding fix and foam through the holes in the plasterboard before drilling the blocks. Let it go off for a hour then bash on.

I didn’t say they were better, I said everyone wants them hidden.
On a percentage of kitchens I fit , 9 out of 10 want hidden (be it free standing behind doors or inter grated)
Apart from American style fr/fz’s
My w/m and t/d are hidden in an 800mm tower unit because I also think free standing are better, but my other half didn’t want to see them and niether did I.

Overheating is often caused by not following the manufactures instructions on adequate ventilation.

I supply or supply and fit kitchens full time. if i was pricing a £10k kitchen and told the punter to get free standing appliances they’d chase me out of the house! Everyone wants them hidden some how.
Yes they’re more hassle to get out but if fitted correctly it’s only an hours work to swap a dishwasher or a washing machine etc.
If your thinking of granite, use a local supplier. Good granite isn’t cheap. Expect to pay about £400 per linear metre (600mm square edged) and £30 for upstands, plus cut outs, sink holes and grooves.
I’ve got granite and it’s fine, it’s been in about 7 years and if it was laminate, it probably would be looking to be replaced by now.
Curved units and pull outs mmmmmm……….. It’s going to cost!

Ygm

Quality tops, wood, granite or corian or something similar.
Appliances – boots the chemist or the coop, there all selling them!
Second hand – as long as there’re clean go for it.
Some of the cushion/vinyl floors look pretty good but you need a good flat base for them.

Karate here as well! I think I’ve prob broke them all at some point.
Hospital said on the first visit, unless it’s really bent just tape them.
I’d get it checked tbh.

I’m local and there ain’t that much about to be honest.
As said chopwell is good for a couple of hours or head a bit further out.
There is a few bits of hills and muddy parts dotted about but it’s mainly bridal ways etc to link them up.
Newcastle mtb club ride every Thursday from beside asda in Benton. Good way of finding a few routes.

Fire door for is to maintain fire protection from the garage.
As your going to put a wall up, the wall will be the fire protection. Double plaster boarded and skimmed if on wood.
I’d personally just block it up with a damp course at the bottom.
Is the garage ceiling plaster boarded already.

What’s wrong with blocks wrapped in insulating tape? As long as there accessible, just use the correct rating for the load.
Or as said wagos or crimped.

For solid wood.
Square edged, just butt them using bolts and a bit of silicone.
Rolled edge, cut just enough off to get past then bolts and a bit of silicone. (You’ll need a jig and router.)
Don’t forget to leave a bit of room for expansion and make sure they are fully secured with L brackets/screws with washers that allow movement.

I fit kitchens 99% of my working time.
A good jigsaw will do the job with good, new down cutting blades.
But…… Good jigsaws are hard to find. I’ve had every make going and only had 2 that were any good.
Makita or festool.
Also the blades don’t last for more than a metre or so if cutting tops as they’re full of compressed crap.
A hand saw will do, I used to do worktop joints with a saw before these fancy jigs came out!

I love staffies, used to have a bull terrier as a youth and if I had the time and space I would have another.

I wish I had a mouse. It might of chased it and let us free!!

round our way they are known as a range rover clitoris, you’ll have to guess the rest.

personaly I quite like them, bit of a chicks cars tho.

Just busy cooking a beef Penang. Another 20 mins and it done!

Footflaps.
Seen it in a flyer they sent me but I’d be concerned about the price of blades.
When fien brought theirs out (I’ve had one for years) you could only buy fien blades, I think they had some sort of copyright on the tool itself, but it was time limited and bosch etc jumped on the bandwagon and you can now get blade that are ok for a £1 or 2. The fien ones were about £13 each! I remember lending mine to a sparky mate with 5 brand new blades in the box. Said he only had a 2 min job to do. He gave me £20 when he brought it back because he had used all my blades!

Just realised I hadn’t posted link for a home made bench
http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-jigs-tool-enhancements/cuttingwork-table/
It’s a bit more elaborate than mine but the same idea.

I’m liking the mug!
I’m a self confessed festool junkie. Started with the ts55 and now have a pretty hefty collection including a van racked with systainers.
It’s pricey, but the amount of customers that comment on it speaks for itself.
At the end of a working day it’s all stacked up neatly in the corner with little mess to clear.

Unfortunately not. I did think about buying the big 2000w router, dismantling it and using the base as a coaster but I didn’t think it would work out well.

Of course!

I fit kitchens, I’ve done the ply and two trestles.
Tbh it was bought for me as payment for a kitchen that I done for free (2 weeks worth).
It is very good, very accurate and as mentioned the bits that come with it cost a fair whack by themselves.
It’s superb for repetitive parallel cuts, every one is perfect, and just the right hieght for putting a cuppa on!

£489 less the vat = about £418
But it ain’t just a table!

For cutting up sheet material I have something like this but it’s made with 18mm mdf ripped to 120mm straddled across 2 trestles.
But for smaller stuff I have one of these https://www.festool.co.uk/products/pages/product-detail.aspx?pid=495315&name=multifunction-table-mft-3-mft-3

Reading this with interest.
Always fancied building my own house and I’m in the process of buying a plot that has permission for a 5 bed detached house on it.
I have all the drawings that were done by the owners architect but need to do some changes that req full planning.
I won’t be using an architect apart from producing the changes on plan.

94/5 rockhopper. Nitianium tubing rigid forks.
Ghost amr 7500 2012.
Tripster atr 2014.

I’ve got a metabo flip saw, got it very cheap from b&q a few years ago.
It’s had very little use apart from ripping small but long stuff down (worktop upstands etc)
There isn’t much I can’t do with the ts55 and a mft3 that I can with the saw in table mode.

I’ve a lot of festool kit. Saw, jigsaw x 2, t18, plane, router, rotex, sds off the top of my head, I’d love the kapex but it’s a lot of money for a novice.
They do hold the value tho.
Just sold a 7 year old ts55 on eBay for £245 and replaced it with a new one for £283?

Has anyone successfully claimed back the vat (or part of) on these as a vat registered business?

My daughter is 13 and pukes everywhere we go!
Neary always on planes. Tablets/wristbands etc have made no differance.
Trains/bus just the same.
Cars – certain cars are worse than others but sitting in the front definatly helps.
Never took her on a boat yet. Prob have to issue ponchos to everyone within firing range.

Miele for us. Had a dyson. The vacuum user wasn’t impressed.

Re discount.
I paid £1600 for mine reduced from £2400.
I had to buy it with out trying but it paid off as it’s bang on for size. Changed stem to a 50mm (from 80mm), popped some haven bars on, reverb and a spoon and it’s nice.

I’ve got a ghost amr7500. Had it about 2 years and it’s been ace.
Not sure of the spec of that model but mine came with full xt. Hubs, chain the works.

I served my time as a plater (heavy steel fabricator), although not a welder, I’ve used all types. Gas is prehistoric, tig is mainly for pipework etc and MMA for heavy steel. Mig is IMO, the best all rounder for DIY use and has a short learning curve.
But….. As with everything, the lower priced models are pretty poor, I’ve got one and it’s a pain sometimes and then works fine ten minutes later!
If your using it a lot, rig it up to a co2 bottle as the small gas bottles don’t last long.

Started a kickboxing style karate class at 36, 7 years later and I’m possibly going for my second dan in November.
IMO most people will give what they get when sparring, me included. We do a sparring/grappling class on a sat morning and I usually train with a 17 year old (k1/mma) who is 3 stone heavier, I normally lose!

As per last post. Just been out watching my daughter perform in a show. Went for a cheapie Italian lunchtime special afterwards.
SIL and her 2 boys and also the MIL.
The bill comes and I throw in half (3 of us) and the MIL throws in the other half.
SIL walks out having not paid a penny.
Boils my piss!

I have over the years but wised up pretty quickly.
My sister and BL borrowed £400 to buy an old car with the promise of payment ASAP. Got my money back about 18mth later after they sold it for £800. Free car for a year and a half plus profit and not even a pint!
Her sister and BL don’t ask to borrow, just expect you to pay without any guilt. Used to go out golf/beer/etc and he never had any money with him, you pay and I’ll drop it in later……. Started taking just the right amount of money out in the end.
She is no different, meals/nights out/in, always has to go to the speed bank but never makes it.
And don’t get me started on people wanting stuff done for free!
I find it best to upset someone by saying no than having to ask for it back!