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Show us yer house and house-related meddlings

miss direct said:
I have an almost free day today so am trying to get things done in the flat.

I want to change the front door lock (the whole thing is kind of loose, doesn't feel secure, and seems a good idea all round) and get a new lock/lock change on the shed, so I can keep my bike there rather than blocking the hallway. Is this something I can do myself, or a friend who's relatively handy, or do I have to call a locksmith? If I call a locksmith, will they provide everything or am I expected to go out and buy a lock? Any idea what sort of price I am looking at?
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Check your lease - our front door and lock belong to our freeholder (the council, in our case) and any change to it would be down to them (they replaced the door in 2010 and billed us for it when they were doing up the common areas/external parts of the block). If your front door leads directly to the outside world then it is probably yours, but if it leads onto a communal hallway it may well be the freeholder's - so check whether you need their permission or to ask them to do it.
 
Epona said:
Check your lease - our front door and lock belong to our freeholder (the council, in our case) and any change to it would be down to them (they replaced the door in 2010 and billed us for it when they were doing up the common areas/external parts of the block). If your front door leads directly to the outside world then it is probably yours, but if it leads onto a communal hallway it may well be the freeholder's - so check whether you need their permission or to ask them to do it.
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I think with my flat, I technically own the door but not the door-frame.

I think I did make contact and ask if it was OK when I did get a proper mortice lock fitted.

But yes, it's worth knowing what you need to seek freeholder's permission for / tell them about (and if in doubt, make contact before you do something)
 
Well, the gas man never turned up yesterday, so will have to chase that. Not feeling too hopeful about the prospect of having a new boiler before I leave next week, but if it's booked, I might be able to persuade a friend to come round and be present while it's done.

Got loads of little jobs done yesterday. Managed to replace the lock on the shed, but can't budge the lock on the front door, so looks like I'll have to call a locksmith. Got the for sale signpost down. Sanded the bottom of a cupboard door so I can open it without scraping the kitchen floor. Put useful hooks up in the hallway. Secured all bird feeders with tape so squirrels can't pinch the whole thing. Getting there, slowly.

Just rang the council to ask about changing the lock, said I can do whatever I want.
 
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Good work. I suspect the squirrels will be wise to your game though, the little sods.

My boiler was fitted while I was out at work, I let them in and then told them to lock up and put the key through the door. Helps if you can trust them of course. It’s usually a 1-1.5 day job. If the person is free immediately to fit a boiler that’s probably a bad sign!
 
That's gorgeous!

I have had another quote for a new boiler: £2190 - Worcester boiler, 10 year parts and labour guarantee. That's better than the previous quote and I think I have to go for it asap. This heaty blowing thing I've been using is burning through electricity.
 
miss direct said:
That's gorgeous!

I have had another quote for a new boiler: £2190 - Worcester boiler, 10 year parts and labour guarantee. That's better than the previous quote and I think I have to go for it asap. This heaty blowing thing I've been using is burning through electricity.
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What did they have to say about the old bolier?
 
miss direct said:
That's gorgeous!

I have had another quote for a new boiler: £2190 - Worcester boiler, 10 year parts and labour guarantee. That's better than the previous quote and I think I have to go for it asap. This heaty blowing thing I've been using is burning through electricity.
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Have you checked out Worcester Bosch website? They quote £1900 max. Link in this post.
kabbes said:
You want to get the best one you can, really, because nothing makes you sadder quicker than having shitty hot water flow.

Worcester-Bosch look like they do a direct replacement for a maximum of £1900 installed.

www.worcester-bosch.co.uk

Gas boiler replacement | Worcester Bosch

New gas boiler replacement is easy with our FastTrack Installation service. Get your gas boiler replaced with a Worcester Bosch Greenstar 2000 for a maximum price of £1900,
www.worcester-bosch.co.uk www.worcester-bosch.co.uk
Click to expand...
 
Checked the quote again and it says plus VAT...what does that mean? 20% more than the quoted price? If that's what it means, then it's basically the same price as the other guy quoted.

Wish it wasn't all so confusing.
 
I said yes in the end, as couldn't find any clear information anywhere about how much this should cost. No-one I know has had a boiler fitted recently, and I only know about 3 people in Sheffield to ask. Hopefully I'll get at least one warm evening in the flat before I go away again.
 
miss direct said:
Checked the quote again and it says plus VAT...what does that mean? 20% more than the quoted price? If that's what it means, then it's basically the same price as the other guy quoted.

Wish it wasn't all so confusing.
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Yes, VAT is added on the top of the quote if it's ex VAT or + VAT.
 
I went through the Worcester site in the first place which is how I found this second guy.

It does say "indicative price" on that £1900 quote....the boiler I've been quoted is a Worcester 4000 with 10 year guarantee, so a bit better than what's on there.
 
Maybe, but two different gas men (or whatever they're called) have said exactly the same, plus it is old (if I dig through my paperwork I'll be able to find out just how old) and clearly hadn't been serviced or maintained by the previous owners. I'm kind of resigned to getting a new one now.
 
if it's a condensing boiler that's not been serviced regularly, it could easily cost a grand to repair (or at least that happened to us with a fairly new but unserviced boiler according to a plumber we trusted).
 
Boilers do sometimes need to be replaced - a new one should be good and trouble free (and probably more energy efficient) for quite some time - if you can afford it, I think it's worth doing.
 
New day, new issue.

I want to change the front door handles. They are loose and limp. I've worked out how to get them off, which is easy, and now I need to buy a new one. However, the inside handle has a massive hole because the lock has one of these: 1635788111474.png (don't know what that's called). Looking at door handles online, none of them have large holes. This is a mystery. I called a locksmith who told me he'd charge £130 to change the lock - I asked about changing the door handle, and he said locksmiths don't do that because it's so easy to do yourself..... help?
 
miss direct said:
New day, new issue.

I want to change the front door handles. They are loose and limp. I've worked out how to get them off, which is easy, and now I need to buy a new one. However, the inside handle has a massive hole because the lock has one of these: View attachment 295154 (don't know what that's called). Looking at door handles online, none of them have large holes. This is a mystery. I called a locksmith who told me he'd charge £130 to change the lock - I asked about changing the door handle, and he said locksmiths don't do that because it's so easy to do yourself..... help?
Click to expand...
If you want help, you need to give some helpful information. There are loads of different kinds of handles and locks. You need to post some proper photos so people can have some chance of knowing what you are on about.
 
Meanwhile the incredibly tedious saga of trying to get a cooker that will fit my kitchen continues. Having checked the manuals for every 50cm wide cooker on all the major websites, I have choice of two Bekos :( a Montpellier :confused: which doesn't get very good reviews, or Argos have a Bush which looks ok but they don't install so I'd have to get someone to do that separately :mad:

The problem is not with my cupboards but with the fact my kitchen including cooker is on a plinth and all the decent brands state "must not be installed on a platform" (despite the fact it would be chained to the wall) :rolleyes:
 
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