Recent content by dpblack

Seriously it wasn't complicated. If there are no ceilings or plasterwork, you can get the cabling routing/layout done in a jiffy. He got the builders and the chippy (who he also upset with his crappy attitude) to do most of the work for him. The only thing he took most time over was the consumer...

Swampy, I agree and I think £400 cash was fair enough for 2 days labour in Plymouth. What would you charge to add earth bonding (seemingly at random) to the CH pipes (that don't need it other than the copper lengths at the boiler that are already cross bonded) and kitchen sink and then do...

£1,200 is just the labour cost... it isn't a big place and it was stripped back to brick and joists everywhere. He's only been on-site for about two days in total. He laid out the cable runs, got the builders to do all the work through joists and put in all the back boxes etc., he came back and...

Fairly depressing news. Being honest, it's not really the cost that's bugging, it's just being forced to suck up to a guy who acts like such a massive d!%k. If there was ANY other way at reasonable cost, I'd take it. Seriously, he's done so little on the job, barely gave it any attention and...

Sadly I wasn't preparing for him flouncing off site. I know he took pictures of the first fix but the chances he'll give them to me are pretty much zero. I guess the wiring work was relatively cheap on the rebuild as there were no walls to chase (all re-boarded) and all the floors were up...

I've been doing a pretty big refurb with full re-wire and loft conversion, all under building regs etc. but I've run into an issue with my electrician. He's family (my wife's cousin) and fully qualified etc. but family ties have been a bit strained in the past couple of weeks with other issues...

I guess my only issue there is that I'd either need to profile the bottom inside edge of the timber so that it sits flush on the flange (which has a curve and taper away from the web) or put some packing behind... not sure which way is most common or am I just overthinking this? Just don't want...

Hi there, I've now got 2 lovely 254x146x31 steels running party wall to party wall. I need to place a 200x75 timber into the web of the steel that the joist hangers for my underslung floor joists will attach too. Only the drawing doesn't give any guidance about joining the timber into the steel...

Incredibly the SE agreed that just having hangers for the outer 2 joists of the 3 with the middle one bolted in later was sufficient... looks like I'm in business.

Thanks, thats' pretty much exactly what the Strong-Tie guy suggested too though I must confess I'm a bit nervous about only fixing the packing timber to the steel after the joists are attached... but it sounds like the required solution. Good tip on the lateral restraint... my only issue on...

Well he's a "friend" of my other half and definitely didn't do a mates-rate on this job, nearly £500! Just thought if you did something "unusual" like undersling a massive 8x3 joist (and in one point 3 of them!!!) then you really should provide some guidance. I'll call the manufacturers as you...

thanks, but I suspect it's not enough as the 200mm high joint has to pass under the 253mm high steel beam and still provide 45mm of wrap over plus the (unspecified) thickness of timber on the beam to wrap over onto (anyone any guesses) so the hanger is too short unless I can just face nail it...

Hi there, I'm trying to regularise an unofficially converted loft in a 1920s terrace with standard roof construction. Surprisingly most of it is ok but the floor isn't as it is resting on a spine wall that isn't load bearing. The current floor level is designed to match the top of the truss...