What "man jobs" have you done today?

[fobose]

Nice one, what's next on your list mate?

At some point you'll run out of stuff to do!

I recently painted my top floor hall way/cupboard and door. The master bedroom door next to it looks very yellow so that needs to be done next as it looks odd when both doors are shut (next to each other).

I've still got plenty I want to do though, hopefully we can get everything done this year if possible apart from the garden.

• Guest bedroom wall painting then glossing
• Stairs/landing carpet replacement - I haven't done this before so will pay a guy I trust
• Wife's built in wardrobe rejig/ refit (change layout)
• Ensuite shower tray/tile/screen replacement - I may pay someone to do this as I go back to work full time soon
• Ensuite gloss work and paint walls if needed
• Master bedroom gloss work

Garden

• Re point patio
• Hide the large long/tall brick wall (plants/ trellis / something)

 

[HungryHippos]

I recently painted my top floor hall way/cupboard and door. The master bedroom door next to it looks very yellow so that needs to be done next as it looks odd when both doors are shut (next to each other).

I've still got plenty I want to do though, hopefully we can get everything done this year if possible apart from the garden.

• Guest bedroom wall painting then glossing
• Stairs/landing carpet replacement - I haven't done this before so will pay a guy I trust
• Wife's built in wardrobe rejig/ refit (change layout)
• Ensuite shower tray/tile/screen replacement - I may pay someone to do this as I go back to work full time soon
• Ensuite gloss work and paint walls if needed
• Master bedroom gloss work

Garden

• Re point patio
• Hide the large long/tall brick (plants/ trellis / something)

Ah you've been off work? No wonder you've been so busy!

I need to do something about my garden really but still hard to say what. The patio is badly laid and the pointing is terrible, but replacing it is expensive.

The step up is a bit annoying can't make a nice flat shape, and if I want to make it flat it would involve a lot of material removal.

The long planter section at the back would also be troublesome to remove, so I may have to re-use it even though I am not the biggest fan of it. It contains a small pond that had fish in it, the fish are gone but I'd like to remove the pond whatever I do.

I'm not a gardener type so prefer low maintenance and small plants etc. I'll need to have a long hard think about it.

Inside of my house is more or less sorted though, I'd like some new oak doors internally but it's not a massive priority. Patio door at the back could do with being replaced by a UPVC one that seals better, front door seems OK-ish but could be nicer.

 

[fobose]

I am in work every other day but for slightly longer days. I am meant to be 'WFH' when I am at home but there is only so much I can do (hence the decorating).

My whole patio could do with replacement too. It looks very similar to yours. I dont think replacing mine would add value so for me a repoint will be all I will do.

It sounds like you have a lot to think about with yours. No doubt you will get it all done and then move

 

[HungryHippos]

I don't think I'll be moving anytime soon, part of the reason I've spent extra money/care/attention etc on this one!

This was my old garden but I don't think I can repeat it given the shape of the current one.



Old house was nice but the area wasn't for me, hence the move and stuff since then.

 

[fobose]

That looks really nice. Is that fake grass? If I were to change my patio, I would go with something like those slabs.

 

[HungryHippos]

That looks really nice. Is that fake grass? If I were to change my patio, I would go with something like those slabs.

Yeah I hate cutting the lawn so was fake grass, but good quality stuff not the cheap stuff

These were the tiles, not cheap but good quality as well, a good couple of cm's thick.

https://www.tilemountain.co.uk/porcelain-tiles/p/surface-outdoor-mid-grey-porcelain-slab-3263.html

The ash grout really sets them off nicely as well do recommend.

Although saying that they won't really work with the creme/beige rendering I have outside on the current house

 

[fobose]

Very nice. I think my patio is 5m x 8m so quite expensive to change for me. I specifically had my AC unit wall mounted in case I do change the patio though

How wide was the grout? It looks very narrow there which almost make it look like tiles in a bathroom/kitchen etc (looks great).

 

[HungryHippos]

Very nice. I think my patio is 5m x 8m so quite expensive to change for me. I specifically had my AC unit wall mounted in case I do change the patio though

How wide was the grout? It looks very narrow there which almost make it look like tiles in a bathroom/kitchen etc (looks great).

Yeah as the tiles are porcelain they are basically the same as indoor tiles but thicker and able to withstand bigger temp swings, as such you can place them right up to the walls and use a 4-5mm grout line with something like ezjoint (what I used). But there are other jointing compounds that are similar.

The tiles have a slight drop off to drain water away from the property boundary, so the water heads towards the fake grass/bark edges. It's something like a 3 degree slope over a metre or something, slight enough not to be noticed.

As you know my outdoor unit is bolted to a couple of the slabs on the floor. I may actually leave those in place whatever I do, instead I could look at putting something in front of the outdoor unit that covers it a bit but doesn't inhibit air flow.

Oh before I forget if you do get porcelain tiles look into it a bit, install is similar to normal slabs but normally needs a mortar bed and some kind of slurry/glue under the tiles to stick them down.

 

[norm]

I'm very lucky though, it could have been far worse. We all need a wake-up call from time to time and this is mine for this decade... I hope. But I've obviously put paracetamol and sellotape next to my bed just in case things get worse in the night.

Maintain three points of contact when using a ladder. You're lucky you didn't break anything as that's what I was expecting when I read your post.

 

[NVP]

Me and the family came back from a week away to find our neighbours had some cowboys put up a fresh fence for them.

Upon finding a few loose nails in the grass and on the patio I banned my 1 and 3 year olds from the garden and ordered a metal detector and magnetic rake.

I did the whole garden today, grass patio and pebbled edges. I'm absolutely shocked at the haul. I'd say only 20% of the things I found were from the fences, everything else is from the previous owners I guess.

Spoiler: Pictures

This is just a handful I took out of my bucket for the picture...

Now I've lived here for 4 years, the grass has been scarified twice, I've never seen any of these before, that's how hidden they were

At least my boys can run around in their garden again now. Madness.

 

[LuckyBenski]

That's a ****ing Stanley blade! Crikey.

Abandoned wood screws are my pet peeve as I used to share a yard with about 20 garages. Most people had classic cars/campers but a few of us (me included) used to build stuff in there. So it was an established rule not to leave screws lying about as tires would catch them. Could always tell when someone else had come in and dumped their crap.

 

[NVP]

Oh man tell me about it, my unit is in a yard shared with a few mechanics (not just cars) and some guy who re-fabrics sofas, and there's always nails and screws everywhere.

Worst was after I bought a new build. For the next few years whilst they completed the whole place there would be building waste scattered all over the half completed roads. No run-flats on the car back then and with it being an M5 there was no spare wheel either so it was a call to the AA every time.

Why people gotta be so inconsiderate and down right reckless?

 

[fobose]

I finished filling the two holes for the lighting works in the lounge/ dinning room and put some watered down paint over them to start the blend process. I am going to give the rest of the ceiling a quick rub down with 120 grit sand paper to knock off any pimples and then start to cut in I bought an extendable roller pole from screwfix this morning so that should make rolling much easier.

 

[theone8181]

I finished filling the two holes for the lighting works in the lounge/ dinning room and put some watered down paint over them to start the blend process. I am going to give the rest of the ceiling a quick rub down with 120 grit sand paper to knock off any pimples and then start to cut in I bought an extendable roller pole from screwfix this morning so that should make rolling much easier.

I recently bought one (after doing 6 rooms without one). A revelation is all I'll say. Not have to move stepladders around is great. Just need an extendable paintbrush now for cutting in along the ceiling (Can just reach on tiptoes lol).

My man jobs today include caulking around a window, fixing my bike stand and attempting to cut a 2 inch thick paver with a 4 inch angle grinder and realising my colossal math fail.

 

[HungryHippos]

I finished filling the two holes for the lighting works in the lounge/ dinning room and put some watered down paint over them to start the blend process. I am going to give the rest of the ceiling a quick rub down with 120 grit sand paper to knock off any pimples and then start to cut in I bought an extendable roller pole from screwfix this morning so that should make rolling much easier.

Doing some touch up work this weekend myself, some painting/filling, blinds to be added to the bathrooms, got the boxing in the cupboard to paint that was added when the en-suite shower controls were put in.

Nothing too exciting really, my paint work overall is pretty good but not 100% perfect, although chasing perfection is a fools game I think!

This is my upstairs cupboard, just got some spare bedding in at the moment. I may add a removable shelf above the boxing (effectively using the boxing at the back like a batten). It's probably not where joists are, but I don't think I'd be using it to store anything too heavy.

 

[fobose]

I recently bought one (after doing 6 rooms without one). A revelation is all I'll say. Not have to move stepladders around is great. Just need an extendable paintbrush now for cutting in along the ceiling (Can just reach on tiptoes lol).

My man jobs today include caulking around a window, fixing my bike stand and attempting to cut a 2 inch thick paver with a 4 inch angle grinder and realising my colossal math fail.

Doh! I did my whole last house without one but luckily the rooms were quite small so it wasn't too hard on the neck (I can just about reach being 5'11). What will you do about the paver, get a bigger grinder?

Doing some touch up work this weekend myself, some painting/filling, blinds to be added to the bathrooms, got the boxing in the cupboard to paint that was added when the en-suite shower controls were put in.

Nothing too exciting really, my paint work overall is pretty good but not 100% perfect, although chasing perfection is a fools game I think!

This is my upstairs cupboard, just got some spare bedding in at the moment. I may add a removable shelf above the boxing (effectively using the boxing at the back like a batten). It's probably not where joists are, but I don't think I'd be using it to store anything too heavy.

Is the boxing visible in the cupboard from your pic? I can't quite make out if its just a different colour paint on the lower section or if its bare wood in need of painting? That cupboard is desperate for some shelves I think! If you are sure you can't find any studs, I would use these. They are what I always use and they are really strong - I put 6 in to hold my TV and I could lift myself (63kg) off the floor hanging on the bracket (I might have used the longer 52mm version though actually). I have some small neodymium magnets which I rub across the wall until they find the plasterboard screws, then you know there is a stud if you get a whole line up the wall

My wife would probably agree with you about chasing perfection. She thinks the lounge looks great after I painted it. I think it needs another coat on the ceiling. It looks great in my pic but in natural light you can see lap marks. I should have painted across the room rather than the length of it (my bad, haven't painted a ceiling in 7 years). The 2x repaired holes have vanished though which is the main thing.

 

[HungryHippos]

Yeah chasing perfection is not on the agenda, especially as I'll probably mark it up again at some point by mistake.

Not against a sweep down the road though, fix up stuff that stands out in one go after living with it for a bit!

The bottom half of the back of the cupboard is wooden boxing. Sticks out about 2-3 inches off the wall, so could use the back bit like a batten for resting a shelf on. Depends where the stud work goes though.

 

[fobose]

Be careful of the boxed section. It might be really thin plywood (6mm or less!). Might be a pipe waiting for your drill bit/screw behind it!

Honestly, grab those magnets I linked too. You won't regret it, they are so handy! I just found this stud with them in my lounge.

 

[HungryHippos]

The boxing is plywood, just to be clear I am not planning to attach anything to the boxing. I was just saying I could use the top lf the boxing like a batten to rest the shelving on top of.

Either way it's not a right now thing I have a fair bit of storage space around so not in a rush to add more, just a future things idea!

 

[fobose]

Ah my bad, I must have misread. Mind you, i think the plywood would be attached to some stud work, so technically you could use that to fix batons for shelving all the way up the wall to make use of the whole space.

I do like to have a lot of storage. I think you can never have enough. Looks good when you come to sell too I think, especially if done right!