General Chat

The felt is 30 years old & brittle, the wood round it is rotten, we need a new roof.
£2,000

Then my new light oak kitchen units, that are stored in one of our spare rooms can be fitted :-D

Carol. if its just the Lead thats cracked, pop into B&Q you can get a spray that should do the job. Or a Paint on repair.

drip... drip... drip... it's raining again, better go move the bowls :-( :-(

I know it is just the lead that has split..... ladder + hammer? me on roof in the rain? No... I will just go find another bowl :-D

A council building inspector told me that the black mould from the floor to a height of 18 inches wasn´t rising damp.
It was condensation that gathered at the top of the wall & ran down.
When I pointed out that there were no marks on the wall higher up, he said the moisture was running down behind the wallpaper......which was still firmly stuck to the wall!!

Maggie, was that blokes name "Fred Karno" :-S

John, what did you do to spend 8 years in Pentonville? :-D

I was brought up in a small village, living in a tied farm cottage, with my sisters & brother.
If it was light Dad was out on the farm, doing his job as water bailiff on the river or in the garden. He taught us how to grow vegetables & flowers, how to care for the chicken & ducks, how to fish & chop wood.
Our Mother could do anything that needed doing, cooking for all of the men working in the oast houses during 'hopin', cleaning/doing the brass/flower arranging in the church, painting & decorating our home, making our clothes, constructing rabbit hutches.
They taught us all to be independent, what was edible & grew in the wild & how to smile & get on with our lives. We never went hungry, were never bored, knew we were loved & that if something needs doing just get on & do it.
We were also taught that although Gipsy’s & ‘Londoners’, who came to work on the farm sometimes, said things that we did not agree with, or found hurtful, we should never name call, retaliate or be disrespectful towards them. The latter I did find hard, when being called ‘a flea ridden Country Bumpkin’ by a girl whose hair was alive with nits. :-0

So right, Dizzi and Carol. My mum always used to do d-i-y when I was growing up. Dad was a hunter-gatherer (clerk in Building Society). And wife has always done it, whilst I have hunted and gathered.

Was a bachelor living on own for about 8 years before I got married and cannot remember how I coped then. :-S :-S Was living then in Pentonville :-)

:-D Dizzi

When the kitchen was built 30 years ago, the inspector came to check the footings.. they were not quite required depth on one corner. So made him a mug of tea & while he was drinking it, I got down there & sorted them. ;-)

JOHN
CAROL WILL TELL YOU
I HELPED INSTALL CENTRAL HEATING IN MY HOUSE
DID THE HARD WORK BUILDING KITCHEN.I CARRIED
THE BRICKS FOR BUILDER WHILE OH LENT ON A SHOVEL
MIXING CEMENT,

AND IM SURE MORE WOMEN DO THE DIY AROUND THE HOUSE
THAN MEN

Dizzi. My roof tiles and gable end need checking. Any chance of getting down to S Wales later this year?

Perhaps get back into practice first on Carol's flat 12 x 12 first ;-)

You sound a lot chirpier this morning. It was light at 6.30 last night and that improves my spirits a lot :-)

don't let anyone near your roof untill they can give you 2 or 3 references for other jobs they have done or ask around the neighbours for anyone they have used

30 years ago we had a kitchen extension built came home one day to see this old fella up on top doing the felting
i asked the builder if he should be up there
he told me he was 70+ years old and when he stops working he will never do another flat roof
never had a problem with that roof to this day

i wouldnt trust them. have been ripped off in the past, a well know window company, asked when i rang them "your husband will need to be with you for the survey" i put the phone down. no intention of telling them i didnt have a husband. i got a company who didnt ask if i was alone. after asking friends and family,for recommendations after having the windows done. i have had my bathroom and kitchen done without being ripped off. well pleased with what has been done.

Dizzi - behave :-D

CAROL WAIT TILL SUMMER AND ME AN YOU
WILL FIX IT,,,, ;-)

I called a central heating company out for a quote just for a new boiler.

The man stood by the radiator in the front room and asked where did I want the radiator putting !!!!!

:-D Sharron

When they removed my leaking gas fire - something they were doing for everyone - a fireplace was exposed.
I had a choice (Oh mercy me!!!) to have the gas fire replaced, or leave the fire.
I opted for the open fire.
They cleaned up the edges, then were putting a nasty blue glazed brick like structure around as a surround. I said I didn't want one, I had a rather nice cast iron surround.

Workman came to (for some unknown reason) Pur another back on the fire, to ake it smaller. Work man then said I coudn't light the fire until I had a surround, as it wasn't a fireplace until I had one of those.
He then went on to say my small understated victorian surround 'Weren't a proper fire surround'. Strange as the Victorians had used them perfectly well.

I pointed out that the hole in the wall, attached to a chimney, with a grate and slab of concrete (hearth) in front actually WAS a fireplace. In reality, no surround was needed.

Naa came the reply - the smoke won't go up the chimney. This was said just after he'd tested the chimney to make sure the smoke went up it!!!!

Dimwits!!

:-D :-D

They did have a ladder roped onto their truck.

;-)

Can't tell a dick from a brain eh?

I was chastised by a workman for sticking a (permeable) layer of man made wadding behind the air vent near the ceiling in my living room, to slow down the howling gale that came through.

'You can't do that' he said 'It's a Carbon Monoxide vent - to let the Carbon Monoxide out'.
'Well', I said, 'It's useless then, If the Carbon Monoxide reaches that height I'll definitely be dead'.

Puzzled look from workman...

'Carbon Monoxide is heavier than oxygen - the vent needs to be near the floor', I explained.

'Naa' came the reply. 'It's a carbon monoxide vent'.....

.......I went out to kick the grass.....