What DIY have you done today?

[Harry Bloomfield]

Only trouble is, the white paint looks weird against the nicotine hue over the rest of the walls in my smoking-den.

I stopped around 10 years ago, but never had a smoking-den - I smoked everywhere. I redecorated throughout, but there are still little corners where the discolouration shows through.

 

[ETAF]

toilet has now all been sorted , as detailed on another thread, took a few weeks to do that

i try to do clean the gutters and lubricate all the windows and doors - 3 times a year (Easter, aug BH & christmas time)
Aug bank holiday, i cleaned out all the gutters , removed a bucket of rubbish - dirt/sand/leaves - we get a lot of sand in the gutter as we live only .5km from the sea
also lubricated all the windows and doors in the house hinges, slides, locks.

This week , I repaired a back/side fence, replaced all the horizontal capping rails , which had been rotten , broken 4x4 post with a metpost, also sorted out the gate and gate post - also stained with onecoat medium oak which i purchased from toolstation when on a very good offer - pretty worried when first put on as it went orange but has darken a lot now , and looking quite good.

this morning - i went round the garage and shed and lubricated with GT85 all the hinges , locks and overhead garage door runners and pivots

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

This week , I repaired a back/side fence, replaced all the horizontal capping rails , which had been rotten , broken 4x4 post with a metpost, also sorted out the gate and gate post - also stained with onecoat medium oak which i purchased from toolstation when on a very good offer - pretty worried when first put on as it went orange but has darken a lot now , and looking quite good.

this morning - i went round the garage and shed and lubricated with GT85 all the hinges , locks and overhead garage door runners and pivots

You have too much time on your hands - Preventative Maintenance.

 

[ETAF]

You have too much time on your hands - Preventative Maintenance.

true, but retired , so do have a lot more time, and trying to get as much sorted so that as i get older , i dont have to do all these things again, as i cannot now afford to employ anyone as the cost of living in overtaking my company pension and cost to get people in round here has reached silly levels of labour costs

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

true, but retired , so do have a lot more time,

Likewise, but even so..

and trying to get as much sorted so that as i get older , i dont have to do all these things again, as i cannot now afford to employ anyone as the cost of living in overtaking my company pension and cost to get people in round here has reached silly levels of labour costs

Rather than the cost, with me it's a general lack of trust of employing people plus the aggravation involved. Much easier to do it myself.

 

[Odds]

Likewise, but even so..



Rather than the cost, with me it's a general lack of trust of employing people plus the aggravation involved. Much easier to do it myself.

I think that's why 99% of us get into d.i.y. The cost of materials cn be expensive but the labour costs involved on a large project are a major factor. It's no good asking a pro to come round and do simple stuff anyways so if you're handy with a hammer and use the hands God gave you with a bit of common sense you end up saving loadsamoney.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I think that's why 99% of us get into d.i.y. The cost of materials cn be expensive but the labour costs involved on a large project are a major factor. It's no good asking a pro to come round and do simple stuff anyways so if you're handy with a hammer and use the hands God gave you with a bit of common sense you end up saving loadsamoney.

Not just that, but there are also massive savings to be had from simply dealing with problems as soon as they occur, or at least realising there is an issue. An ignored water leak can do an awful lot of expensive damage, if ignored.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

A sleigh style double bed base I recently bought, as an update to an older divan which included storage drawers, the new one lacked any storage.

Rather than having the old base collected for disposal, I broke it up to salvage the useful bits of timber, but kept the full of bedding 2x drawers, whilst I gave it some thought about what to do with them.

After a bit of thought and measurement, I worked out there was just enough height under the new base, for the drawers to sit below. So I fitted the salvaged castors to each drawer, which now makes them roll easily under the bed base, providing the side is propped up clear. My next trick, is to make the bed easier to lift at the side and prop. Prop for the moment, is just a cut piece of timber with a V in the top. I just happen to have a spare brand new gas strut, which might well be perfect for the job - bolted at the top to the side of the base, simply pushing at the bottom against the floor via a bracket not fixed to the floor.

Yes, I know - I have too much time on my hands..

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I just happen to have a spare brand new gas strut, which might well be perfect for the job - bolted at the top to the side of the base, simply pushing at the bottom against the floor via a bracket not fixed to the floor.

That didn't quite work as well as I anticipated. The gas strut was the perfect length, but lacked having enough ooomph to help lift it. It certainly assists the lifting to access the drawers, so not a complete fail, but it is not powerful enough to hold it up, it still needed a prop when raised.

The strut was one of a pair I bought, the pair were cheaper than any single struts I could find. Bought as a replacement for a failed gas strut to help raise the from locker door on my caravan.