Show us yer house and house-related meddlings

[hiccup]

I screwed two cube shelf things to the wall in my son's room today. They are now full of books, and I'm wondering if I used long enough screws.

For a few months our (plastic) front door has been catching slightly on the door frame when it's closed. Today I stared at the hinges in a thoughtful sort of a way for a while, and then noticed that the top one had a kind of threaded bolt thing showing, which the other hinges didn't. I tightened the bolt bit with a spanner, and now the door doesn't catch on the frame anymore.

Feeling pretty pleased with myself tbh.

 

[WouldBe]

I screwed two cube shelf things to the wall in my son's room today. They are now full of books, and I'm wondering if I used long enough screws.

If it falls off the screws are probably too short.

What size screws did you use?

 

[hiccup]

If it falls off the screws are probably too short.

What size screws did you use?

The longest ones I had. I guess they were 2 inch ones. Something like that.

 

[WouldBe]

The longest ones I had. I guess they were 2 inch ones. Something like that.

They should be big enough.

 

[Johnny Doe]

Slabs up!

 

[mauvais]

Dare I ask: why?

 

[Johnny Doe]

Dare I ask: why?

It has been done badly so some slabs were cracking when we parked on it...

 

[Johnny Doe]

See?

 

[teuchter]

So you're selling the car and planting the front garden up with some greenery? Good work!

 

[farmerbarleymow]

So you're selling the car and planting the front garden up with some greenery? Good work!

Let's hope that's the plan. Some nice greenery would make the house look much nicer.

 

[Epona]

It is an awful lot of paved area. When I see spaces like that I am mentally calculating how many and what size/shape of veg beds I could get in there. I don't have a garden but my god I would like one.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

It is an awful lot of paved area. When I see spaces like that I am mentally calculating how many and what size/shape of veg beds I could get in there. I don't have a garden but my god I would like one.

And it also contributes to flooding given it reduces the soaking capacity of the land when it rains.

 

[teuchter]

For once the opinion on u75 is unanimous and Harry Smiles will do the right thing and we can all look forward to the photos of the zero paving front garden.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

For once the opinion on u75 is unanimous and Harry Smiles will do the right thing and we can all look forward to the photos of the zero paving front garden.

Ideally he'll demolish his house and replace it with nice landscaping to improve the overall tree cover of the nation. He can live in a tent.

 

[Johnny Doe]

For once the opinion on u75 is unanimous and Harry Smiles will do the right thing and we can all look forward to the photos of the zero paving front garden.

I'm afraid it's finished now, but next time I have cause to get any work done, I'll have the whole property razed to the ground and replaced with a big raised flowerbed, of course

 

[danski]

Hello. Looking for some advice regards external timber treatment/finish.

My fabulous table needs refinishing as the exterior varnish I used was water based ffs. It showed a front door on the tin covered with water droplets so seemed perfect. Not.
Went mouldy and I’ve had to strip the lot back.

Anyway, not sure what to do.
It’s top is pine scaffold boards and I’d quite like them to stay fairly true to colour although not fully as it’s rather anemic right now.

Can I apply an oil then varnish as reading up this sounds a like the most protection.
If so, any recommendations? I remember reading of Osmo on here and it’s also mentioned in this guide Exterior Finishes; Which One Should You Choose? - The Knowledge Blog

I think Cid knows this stuff??

Cheers xx

 

[teuchter]

I think in the end there's going to be problems anywhere water can sit on a horizontal wooden surface. If you look at any traditional timber architecture it's all about avoiding places where water can sit. Varnish for a door will rely on the fact that water will only be there temporarily. I think this will especially be a problem with softwood like pine... Hence tropical hardwoods often being used for outdoor furniture etc. You'll also notice that outdoor furniture usually has quite thin slats with gaps between them, unlike the broad boards you have there. Minimises the likelihood of water gathering in puddles.

There will be others with more authoritative knowledge than mine I'm sure.

 

[danski]

I think in the end there's going to be problems anywhere water can sit on a horizontal wooden surface. If you look at any traditional timber architecture it's all about avoiding places where water can sit. Varnish for a door will rely on the fact that water will only be there temporarily. I think this will especially be a problem with softwood like pine... Hence tropical hardwoods often being used for outdoor furniture etc. You'll also notice that outdoor furniture usually has quite thin slats with gaps between them, unlike the broad boards you have there. Minimises the likelihood of water gathering in puddles.

There will be others with more authoritative knowledge than mine I'm sure.

Yeah, not the best design!

I do have a cover now for prolonged periods of rain so as long as it's ok to be caught out occasionally I'll survive.
I realise no matter what I do though, I'll have to maintain every couple of years at best.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Ideally he'll demolish his house and replace it with nice landscaping to improve the overall tree cover of the nation. He can live in a tent.

 

[teuchter]

Yeah, not the best design!

I do have a cover now for prolonged periods of rain so as long as it's ok to be caught out occasionally I'll survive.
I realise no matter what I do though, I'll have to maintain every couple of years at best.

As long as the cover doesn't just trap damp inside and stop it drying out.

You could also just leave it untreated to weather naturally to grey.

 

[danski]

As long as the cover doesn't just trap damp inside and stop it drying out.

You could also just leave it untreated to weather naturally to grey.

Oh, yeah, definitely good airflow when cover is on.

 

[bellaozzydog]

I karchered the decking and any flat surface outside with my new toy

Dug some barwell sleepers into the borders. Weeded and raked them then sowed with bee friendly flower/grass/weed seeds

put a layer of oil on the decking

just got the rest of the borders to weed and dig then start on the front garden



Managed to burn my lawn with white spirit cleaning a surf board which is much more efficient at killing shit than round up

 

[Looby]

Has anyone had flooring laid with large furniture they can’t move out?
I might be missing something but I think unless we have the sofas removed and stored for a few days, we can’t have new flooring done in the lounge. I wish we’d thought of this before we replaced the sofas. The new ones are bigger and there’s nowhere in the house to put them.
The whole of the downstairs will need to be boarded before flooring is fitted and most can’t be walked on for a couple of days. We’re stuffed aren’t we?

 

[danski]

Has anyone had flooring laid with large furniture they can’t move out?
I might be missing something but I think unless we have the sofas removed and stored for a few days, we can’t have new flooring done in the lounge. I wish we’d thought of this before we replaced the sofas. The new ones are bigger and there’s nowhere in the house to put them.
The whole of the downstairs will need to be boarded before flooring is fitted and most can’t be walked on for a couple of days. We’re stuffed aren’t we?

Speak to your fitters.

 

[Looby]

Speak to your fitters.

Yeah I did talk to the Tapi carpets bloke who was measuring upstairs and he was quite negative about our options if we can’t move the sofas out. They’d fit in the dining room if we took the table apart but they wouldn’t get round the door.
That’s why I’m asking here.

 

[strung out]

Tie them to the ceiling

 

[Boudicca]

Has anyone had flooring laid with large furniture they can’t move out?
I might be missing something but I think unless we have the sofas removed and stored for a few days, we can’t have new flooring done in the lounge. I wish we’d thought of this before we replaced the sofas. The new ones are bigger and there’s nowhere in the house to put them.
The whole of the downstairs will need to be boarded before flooring is fitted and most can’t be walked on for a couple of days. We’re stuffed aren’t we?

I've had carpet and floor layed around furniture several times before. As long as they can do half, then move the sofas over and do the other half, it works OK. They like to lay it on thick to make sure you clear as much as possible. The big sheds can be a bit picky because they pay the fitters so little, the independents are usually more flexible.

 

[bellaozzydog]

Has anyone had flooring laid with large furniture they can’t move out?
I might be missing something but I think unless we have the sofas removed and stored for a few days, we can’t have new flooring done in the lounge. I wish we’d thought of this before we replaced the sofas. The new ones are bigger and there’s nowhere in the house to put them.
The whole of the downstairs will need to be boarded before flooring is fitted and most can’t be walked on for a couple of days. We’re stuffed aren’t we?

When I did the laminate floor in my lounge i took the big stuff out of the double glazing. Just popped the whole lot out the frame and put the furniture under a tarpaulin in the garden

 

[Looby]

I've had carpet and floor layed around furniture several times before. AS long as they can do half, then move the sofas over and do the other half, it works OK. They like to lay it on thick to make sure you clear as much as possible. The big sheds can be a bit picky because they pay the fitters so little, the independents are usually more flexible.

Yeah I should get someone else round. I’m ordering samples at the moment. They said carpet would be fine but for wood or LVT they’ll need to board it first and all that.
Upstairs we’re having it done over two weekends so we can empty one bedroom at a time.

 

[WouldBe]

Yeah, not the best design!

I do have a cover now for prolonged periods of rain so as long as it's ok to be caught out occasionally I'll survive.
I realise no matter what I do though, I'll have to maintain every couple of years at best.

Stick bricks under the legs at one end when not in use so any water runs off.