What "man jobs" have you done today?
- Thread starter jaybee
- Start date
Drilled up to the plaster from outside then plaster from inside but it still looked like we'd had a flour fight in the kitchen the wife was thrilled
Soldato
Built a deck for the first time and half way through a 6ft Fence. Enjoying learning new skills. It's not amazing but I love it and felt really proud of myself.
Built a deck for the first time and half way through a 6ft Fence. Enjoying learning new skills. It's not amazing but I love it and felt really proud of myself.
That looks great for a first attempt. It doesn't look too big though. What's the size?
Over the past few weeks we've rebuilt our driveway. It's been a nice project and it's made such a difference to the look of the house. Rather pleased with it all!
This is what we started with. Closest to where the picture was taken (where the soil was all turned over) there was another bush that we took out. It was an awful place to park the car when there was any rain because the ground just turned to mud.
...and this is what we ended up with. We went with 20mm Cotswold Chippings. The subbase took about 8 tonne of type 1 which we compacted down. There's a layer of sand on top of that about 20mm deep and then the grid system so it doesn't rut where the car goes and it should keep the stones in place.
The border to the left of the picture (right of the path) is very nearly perfectly level but the path itself undulates a lot. Unfourtunately, its a shared path so we couldn't work on that as well.
We decided to rebuild the step as well. The house was built in the late 50's and it looks like the step and the concrete slabs around the step were from the original build so they had seen better days. We're really pleased with the step. We actually built over and on top of the old one. As much as it looked horrible, it wasn't moving anywhere. We built the brick wall around it with a gap big enough to sit the 3 slabs in and filled it with concrete so we had a good base for the slabs to sit on. You can see the grid system here as well.
We've got another skip coming today and it's time to start on the other half of the front garden. It needs levelling, some flower beds built in and then new turf to finish it off.
This is what we started with. Closest to where the picture was taken (where the soil was all turned over) there was another bush that we took out. It was an awful place to park the car when there was any rain because the ground just turned to mud.
...and this is what we ended up with. We went with 20mm Cotswold Chippings. The subbase took about 8 tonne of type 1 which we compacted down. There's a layer of sand on top of that about 20mm deep and then the grid system so it doesn't rut where the car goes and it should keep the stones in place.
The border to the left of the picture (right of the path) is very nearly perfectly level but the path itself undulates a lot. Unfourtunately, its a shared path so we couldn't work on that as well.
We decided to rebuild the step as well. The house was built in the late 50's and it looks like the step and the concrete slabs around the step were from the original build so they had seen better days. We're really pleased with the step. We actually built over and on top of the old one. As much as it looked horrible, it wasn't moving anywhere. We built the brick wall around it with a gap big enough to sit the 3 slabs in and filled it with concrete so we had a good base for the slabs to sit on. You can see the grid system here as well.
We've got another skip coming today and it's time to start on the other half of the front garden. It needs levelling, some flower beds built in and then new turf to finish it off.
Soldato
Filled up some long-neglected cracks in the bench at the back of the house, then got out the fence stain/preservative which I'd given it a few coats of already before deciding it needed more effort. The brush had been neglected since yesterday (I am not a proper manjobber) and gone stiff. So I used the tried & tested "lean on it in the pan of fence stain until it sort of recovers" technique which often works for water-based paints.
This might have worked... if the brush handle hadn't snapped, showering me, the conservatory tiles, a rug and one of the chairs in fake tan rain. There was a moment of stereotypical stunned silence, then an awful lot of rushing about.
This has been a public service announcement.
This might have worked... if the brush handle hadn't snapped, showering me, the conservatory tiles, a rug and one of the chairs in fake tan rain. There was a moment of stereotypical stunned silence, then an awful lot of rushing about.
This has been a public service announcement.
My old arbour was rotten and had to go. So I pulled it down and made a new one for the price of a few bits of wood, a saw, some nails and some wood stain. Need to grow something over it now because we had to pull all that down too.
Soldato
Looks great! @Hades How are your posts mounted in the ground? I personally would have gone for bigger posts!
Soldato
Put a goddam fence up, close board and concrete posts
Thanks. Actually I replaced those vertical supports three years ago rather than this time. They were rotten three years ago so I managed to prop up the rest of the previous structure while I replaced them back then. They are still fine so I didn't bother changing them now but did consider it. They are concreted in below the soil level. I do agree they are thinner than I would like, and slightly thinner than the rest of the wood used. But at the time I could not get the right sized posts so made do (I can't remember why the wood was an issue last time). This weekend I am making two long vertical trellises to put against each one for plants to climb up. So they won't look so thin and will help grow some cover up to the top.
Soldato
Thanks its 2.4m width by 1.8m depth. We did want to keep a bit of the grass as we dont have a big garden. I have a vision in my mind for our little entertaining area so that deck is enough for our table and chairs. The bbq and ooni is next to it on the concrete area. I have nearly finished my fence today just the gate It's not perfect but im really happy with it so far. Will pop up some pictures tomorrow.
Soldato
Got about half way through shifting 5 tonnes of top soil. Weather is too hot for this kinda work.
Was way too hot yesterday - was was to finish the DIY shower - one correction to the top shower head piping but it was so hot with a MAP torch in one hand, a ventilator mask on and close confinement I decided to delay to today.
Soldato
Yeah it's pretty horrid. I need to board my loft really but that's a job I'll defo avoid
Caporegime
Need to replace a fence but keep putting it off as I'm not looking forward to the job.
Going from normal nailed panels attached to wooden posts, to concrete posts with gravel board with trellis on top.
Going from normal nailed panels attached to wooden posts, to concrete posts with gravel board with trellis on top.
Soldato
Best to get on it soon @Participant before it gets too hot to work even in the early morning!
Finally finished the shower install - this was a biatch. The house has no parallel or straight anything and I don't have tiles to replace mistakes..
Like a swan ... pretty on the top .. behind is the hard work.
5cm of stud wall space, four 22mm water pipes right behind where the shower centre is, fitted studfast and made a wood chamber to space everything.
And the piping under the bath now doesn't leak, weep or look too shoddy:
I suspect I'll be regrouting at some point too...
Like a swan ... pretty on the top .. behind is the hard work.
5cm of stud wall space, four 22mm water pipes right behind where the shower centre is, fitted studfast and made a wood chamber to space everything.
And the piping under the bath now doesn't leak, weep or look too shoddy:
I suspect I'll be regrouting at some point too...
Associate
Built this
fixed this to the wall
might have got a bit carried away with the drill
moved some pictures
fixed this to the wall
might have got a bit carried away with the drill
moved some pictures
Soldato
- Joined
- 27 Mar 2013
- Posts
- 9,141
I'd do loft In winter as then it's not too bad up there. However warm it is outside, going in a lost is far worse, it's a small area where you will be scrabbling around in with no airflow (compared to outside). Doing it in winter means you get a bit warm doing it but it's not uncomfortable.