スコットランド
Junior Member
Delicious gruel
Posts: 3,934
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Post by スコットランド on May 18, 2022 13:10:32 GMT
There's a funny unpleasant smell coming from our ventilation system, I better call and tell them to fix it and come in Hazmat suits.
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Post by Sarfrin on May 18, 2022 19:06:34 GMT
Hive mind - I got a couple of quotes for some insulation which was a bulk of all the rooms measured. Asked each company for a break down of the rooms, so I could decide if I just wanted to do certain rooms. One company - no problem. Sent over breakdown of different configurations. Second company - they have said they'd have to charge for that and add VAT. Is that a load of bollocks? I also had to chase them for a quote and it was only after I put in a complaint that one appeared. If you're getting the runaround when you ask them to quote it won't be any different if you ask them to do the job. |
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Post by Danno on May 18, 2022 19:20:13 GMT
Yeah, do they want the job or not?
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geefe
Full Member
Short for Zangief
Posts: 8,323
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Post by geefe on May 19, 2022 8:34:19 GMT
Yeah. Both very good points and much the same as I thought.
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Post by freddiemercurystwin on May 19, 2022 8:44:41 GMT
Yeah, do they want the job or not? No, in reality they probably don't want the job, given how busy decent builders are they can pick and choose, that said if they should probably just decline it instead. |
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Post by snackplissken on May 19, 2022 8:46:47 GMT
There's a fine line between having to chase for a quote, and being way too eager to want the job. Having various roofer quotes this year I went with someone who could do the job within 3-4 weeks time, rather than one guy who kept texting me saying I can fit you in within 2 days.
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Post by Dougs on May 19, 2022 9:04:51 GMT
We can't even get people to reply. They occasionally cone round to quote but then never follow up. 2 messages is all I give them before moving on.
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Post by freddiemercurystwin on May 19, 2022 9:28:46 GMT
It is the nature of it atm though, there are builders and the like down here who are booked up well into next year.
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Post by Dougs on May 19, 2022 9:32:32 GMT
Aye. I don't care, but at least tell me that so I can go elsewhere.
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nexus6
Junior Member
Posts: 2,527
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Post by nexus6 on May 19, 2022 9:37:21 GMT
Aye. I don't care, but at least tell me that so I can go elsewhere. Yes exactly this - fair enough you’re busy. Communicate that when you come round or when you get in touch. Or decline to come round to quote. |
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dmukgr
Junior Member
Posts: 1,519
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Post by dmukgr on May 19, 2022 9:43:12 GMT
Same, it is a nightmare trying to get anyone at the moment and of course I want various jobs doing that all have to be in a particular order, so if you do get a reply it isn't from who you want first :/
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Post by dominalien on May 19, 2022 9:44:35 GMT
It's all down to lack of manners imo. They get many queries, choose the easiest/best paid/least hassly jobs and just ghost all the other people.
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Post by Dougs on May 19, 2022 9:52:39 GMT
Same, it is a nightmare trying to get anyone at the moment and of course I want various jobs doing that all have to be in a particular order, so if you do get a reply it isn't from who you want first :/ Yeah, as part of new bifolds that we want put in, some drain/waste pipe access needs moving. Am just telling them to sub it out and price it in as a) they have an existing relationship and b) I just cannot be arsed any more. It will cost more in the long run but I am not sure I even care that much. |
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Psiloc
Junior Member
Posts: 1,567
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Post by Psiloc on May 19, 2022 10:02:09 GMT
Built my own fitted wardrobes over the past week. Just need to put some silicone around the edges to finish it off. They look really good and I can’t quite believe it’s over.
Need to install the new bannister when I can be arsed. Readers of the AV thread may remember why!
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geefe
Full Member
Short for Zangief
Posts: 8,323
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Post by geefe on May 19, 2022 10:31:57 GMT
Having worked in construction training providers, I am in no way surprised by the attitudes of many
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nexus6
Junior Member
Posts: 2,527
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Post by nexus6 on May 19, 2022 11:04:40 GMT
My problem with getting people/orgs to do work for you is just how casual the whole things appears to be.
For example, I was needing a fence put in to stop my wild beasts running free some years back. 3 guys turned up to quote, one or 2 didn't bother. One of the three says they'll get a quote to me but never did. Another did a text message quote. The final guy had his pad of paper and wrote it out there and then after taking some measurements.
None of the 3 were willing to write down what they would actually be doing for that price. I'm an architect, I like drawings as they are a great way of describing what you want/what you will do. They all ran a mile and were never heard from again when I asked for this.
So you have a basic agreement but with no way of controlling what you actually get. I often get annoyed when I hear friends etc saying they're 'getting a man round' to do some work. I say what colour is this going to be, what timber finish, what shape etc and often the response is 'well, whatever the man turns up with'
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Post by khanivor on May 20, 2022 13:30:44 GMT
I’m a contractor. I’ll try to get to potential customer within a few days, a quote to them by end of next day.
All basic costs are obvious upfront. Any repair work is noted to be hourly as opposed to by square footage
I get about 95% of the jobs I quote
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geefe
Full Member
Short for Zangief
Posts: 8,323
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Post by geefe on May 20, 2022 19:31:30 GMT
You are defo in the minority
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cubby
Full Member
doesn't get subtext
Posts: 6,368
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Post by cubby on May 22, 2022 22:21:26 GMT
Was in the middle of putting some shelves up in the kitchen and my dewalt drill starts sparking and smoking. Didn't even know that was a thing but it's not good. Really don't want to buy a new one, but repairing it looks like a ball ache.
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Post by freddiemercurystwin on May 23, 2022 1:03:17 GMT
Sounds like new SDS drill time to me! I bought an angle grinder today for some metal railings I have to put up, I haven't used one for about 25 years, scary as fuck, hate the bloomin things but needs must. I'd quite like an impact driver but they ain't cheap.
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minimatt
Junior Member
hyper mediocrity
Posts: 1,684
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Post by minimatt on May 23, 2022 6:20:29 GMT
if you don't mind corded the screwfix own brand titan sds+ drills are decent - about £60 with a few chisels & bits thrown in - they're honestly not that great but for beasting out holes they can't be beat. Regular sticking up shelves, unless you live in a granite castle, I'd have thought a regular combi drill would get you there, and be more accurate to boot?
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Goban
New Member
Posts: 320
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Post by Goban on May 23, 2022 6:41:59 GMT
I'm an architect, I like drawings as they are a great way of describing what you want/what you will do. They all ran a mile and were never heard from again when I asked for this.' Drawings...lol. |
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minimatt
Junior Member
hyper mediocrity
Posts: 1,684
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Post by minimatt on May 23, 2022 8:22:02 GMT
Ok, for.... reasons... I've time on my hands at the moment and the need to do something vaguely useful. We need a sideboard. In the olden days I was quite poor. Actually, not true - in the olden days I was quite comfortable, then quite poor, then very poor, then well off, then borderline rich, then extremely poor, then middling - it's, well, it's a thing. Anyway, in the poor times I ended up making most of my furniture because baliffs would have seized all the old stuff. I'm not bad at it, which is to say, I can make stuff a bit better quality than Ikea or Oak Furniture Land (ok, a lot better than Oak Furniture Land) at a competitive price if you consider labour to be free - and at an abysmal price if you cost your labour. Like I say, time on my hands.
The plan. Sketchup is great, and the 2017 version is free.
The carcass made from a single sheet of 18mm ply. Cost of that now! £45 for a pretty grotty 8'x4' sheet. Face frame from bits of pine left over/lying around - it'll be filled & painted so not too bothered about this - if you were buying I'd guess no more than £10 worth of strip wood.
The doors are proper wanky floating panel to account for expansion, rails & stiles from more of that "free" pine stripwood lying around. Cat helping.
Oak used was also free because I'm a charming motherfucker who briefly lived on a sawmill. Top is 1" thick oak, door panels now fitted and drawer panels yet to be made are ~15mm oak. As it's all offcuts glued up it's hard to say what retail price would be, maybe £40 worth for the top, £20 for the panels? Top used every clamp I own to glue up and it wasn't enough - there are a couple of tiny gaps filled with sawdust & glue that nobody will notice but I'll know are there. The offcut from trimming the top to size used to make the feet.
 
Story so far, just the drawers left to make and the top to permanently fix. Oak knots filled with araldite mixed with coffee grounds. Hardware is I *think* about £25 for the hinges, handles & drawer runners (Ironmongery Direct, I'll find the order). The paint colour is "Mole Breath" (I'm sure named after a database admin I used to sit next to) by Farrow & Ball (is it still middle class wanker paint if you buy it in B&Q?) at - jesus christ i just checked, £29!? plus primer I had lying around so I'm choosing to pretend was essentially free.
About 30 hours work so far if you don't include glue/paint drying times. Another 10 will get the drawers done. So about 40 hours all in? Even if you value your time at a tenner an hour (I'm easy, but I'm not cheap) that's £400, plus about £200 retail cost of materials (~£170 so far plus guessing a half sheet of ply for drawer bodies). So yeah, you're far better off just going to Ikea  |
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mrpon
Junior Member
Posts: 3,739
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Post by mrpon on May 23, 2022 8:24:20 GMT
Bloody good work!!
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Post by dfunked on May 23, 2022 8:36:59 GMT
Yeah, fantastic work. Love a detailed post like that.
Bonus points for cat.
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Post by Dougs on May 23, 2022 8:42:15 GMT
Can't beat the satisfaction of a job well done though eh! Top work. I definitely want to get more into woodwork, something very satisfying about the medium.
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dogbot
Full Member
Posts: 8,738
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Post by dogbot on May 23, 2022 8:48:28 GMT
Thats great, that. 😎
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Post by Dougs on May 23, 2022 8:51:13 GMT
Meant to ask, for the knots, can you not buy "knotting" anymore? Although it's only an option if you're painting wood as it stains badly.
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minimatt
Junior Member
hyper mediocrity
Posts: 1,684
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Post by minimatt on May 23, 2022 9:00:03 GMT
Meant to ask, for the knots, can you not buy "knotting" anymore? Although it's only an option if you're painting wood as it stains badly. yeah the pine knots on the face frame & door rails are painted with "colron knotting solution" which I've had in the back of a cupboard for ever, I'm pretty sure you can still buy it but it never runs out - it's the dark splodges on the front face frame
the oak knots look purdy left alone but the big crevaces need filling otherwise biscuit crumbs will get it, I've always used coffee grounds as it's sorta the right colour plus a teensy bit of the right sort of texture mixed with epoxy (just one of those twin tubes of araldite is enough, unless you've got bloody big holes)
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Post by Dougs on May 23, 2022 9:05:13 GMT
Good tip.
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