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UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
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#1
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
I've just fitted a new tap to our kitchen sink. It took me nearly 4
hours. That did include altering the pipework. Plus puzzling over the instructions on the rather complicated Bristan Easyfit tap. Great taps, awful instructions. But 4 hours! I'd expect to pay a plumber no more than £100-150, and that might well include coming to quote first. |
#2
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On 05/08/2020 15:58, GB wrote:
I've just fitted a new tap to our kitchen sink. It took me nearly 4 hours. That did include altering the pipework. Plus puzzling over the instructions on the rather complicated Bristan Easyfit tap. Great taps, awful instructions. But 4 hours! I'd expect to pay a plumber no more than £100-150, and that might well include coming to quote first. well we take ages because we want to do a good job don't have the right tools and don't do the same job day after day....once you have done something once the subsequent times are a doddle....usually |
#3
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On Wed, 5 Aug 2020 15:58:02 +0100, GB
wrote: I've just fitted a new tap to our kitchen sink. It took me nearly 4 hours. That did include altering the pipework. Plus puzzling over the instructions on the rather complicated Bristan Easyfit tap. Great taps, awful instructions. But 4 hours! I'd expect to pay a plumber no more than £100-150, and that might well include coming to quote first. The bigger question is how often would they do as good a job as you might (assuming a reasonable level of physical competency that is)? You want it right and may well delay the job whilst locating the right stuff to do it with. A tradesman may have other commitments and can only do what he/she can, what they can get quickly and easily or what's on their van (of come back, costing more money). You might also take longer because you may not have the tools they do or the familiarity of doing the job. Now you have fitted that tap, how long would it take to do another? Cheers, T i m |
#4
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On 05/08/2020 16:18, T i m wrote:
You might also take longer because you may not have the tools they do or the familiarity of doing the job. Now you have fitted that tap, how long would it take to do another? A bit quicker. Maybe 3 hours. It's not my first tap, you know. Just as an example, I decided to alter the pipework, so the flexible hoses wouldn't be kinked. But, there was a big dribble of solder, just where I need to put a compression fitting. So, I got the Dremel, plus the P3 mask, so I didn't inhale the lead. An experienced plumber might have heated it up and wiped it off. I'll try that next time. The more DIY work I do, the more I respect people with the skills to do it for a living. Cheers, T i m |
#5
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On 05/08/2020 15:58, GB wrote:
I've just fitted a new tap to our kitchen sink. It took me nearly 4 hours. That did include altering the pipework. Plus puzzling over the instructions on the rather complicated Bristan Easyfit tap. Great taps, awful instructions. But 4 hours! I'd expect to pay a plumber no more than £100-150, and that might well include coming to quote first. I expect the answer is either; they do it in 20 mins due to experience etc, or they simply turn the job down as its too small to make it worth their while. -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
#6
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On Wed, 05 Aug 2020 15:58:02 +0100, GB wrote:
I've just fitted a new tap to our kitchen sink. It took me nearly 4 hours. That did include altering the pipework. Plus puzzling over the instructions on the rather complicated Bristan Easyfit tap. Great taps, awful instructions. But 4 hours! I'd expect to pay a plumber no more than £100-150, and that might well include coming to quote first. I dont often do taps,but since lockdown I've had to do a number of plumbing jobs, I reckon I'd be able to do it in well under a hour. I did a deck mixer last week, I didnt adjust the pipework, took around 20 minutes. |
#7
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On 05/08/2020 16:18, T i m wrote:
On Wed, 5 Aug 2020 15:58:02 +0100, GB wrote: I've just fitted a new tap to our kitchen sink. It took me nearly 4 hours. That did include altering the pipework. Plus puzzling over the instructions on the rather complicated Bristan Easyfit tap. Great taps, awful instructions. But 4 hours! I'd expect to pay a plumber no more than £100-150, and that might well include coming to quote first. The bigger question is how often would they do as good a job as you might (assuming a reasonable level of physical competency that is)? You want it right and may well delay the job whilst locating the right stuff to do it with. A tradesman may have other commitments and can only do what he/she can, what they can get quickly and easily or what's on their van (of come back, costing more money). You might also take longer because you may not have the tools they do or the familiarity of doing the job. Now you have fitted that tap, how long would it take to do another? Cheers, T i m that's what I said but the long winded version..... |
#8
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On 05/08/2020 16:59, Alan wrote:
On Wed, 05 Aug 2020 15:58:02 +0100, GB wrote: I've just fitted a new tap to our kitchen sink. It took me nearly 4 hours. That did include altering the pipework. Plus puzzling over the instructions on the rather complicated Bristan Easyfit tap. Great taps, awful instructions. But 4 hours! I'd expect to pay a plumber no more than £100-150, and that might well include coming to quote first. I dont often do taps,but since lockdown I've had to do a number of plumbing jobs, I reckon I'd be able to do it in well under a hour. I did a deck mixer last week, I didnt adjust the pipework, took around 20 minutes. I obviously need to go in the remedial class. It took me five minutes just getting the doors back on the cupboard. |
#9
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On Wed, 5 Aug 2020 16:36:08 +0100, GB
wrote: On 05/08/2020 16:18, T i m wrote: You might also take longer because you may not have the tools they do or the familiarity of doing the job. Now you have fitted that tap, how long would it take to do another? A bit quicker. Maybe 3 hours. It's not my first tap, you know. ;-) Just as an example, I decided to alter the pipework, so the flexible hoses wouldn't be kinked. I'm sure plenty of plumbers wouldn't have bothered to do that ... But, there was a big dribble of solder, Was that your doing? just where I need to put a compression fitting. So, I got the Dremel, plus the P3 mask, so I didn't inhale the lead. Can you get lead poisoning that way? An experienced plumber might have heated it up and wiped it off. I'll try that next time. He's likely have a self-igniting gas blowlamp and heatproof mat to hand so probably. The more DIY work I do, the more I respect people with the skills to do it for a living. Maybe it's because I've been doing such things from a kid I respect those people now (doing it for a living, not necessarily how they do it). I was reminded the other day that I ran some SWA underground for a pond pump for a family friend when I was 15 and it's still going (63 now). ;-) Not the same pump though. Dad was a good carpenter but not good / inclined to do anything else so I generally did it. Bought this house 40+ years ago as a 'fixer upper' and the only jobs I didn't do was replace the roof or build a new extension as it wasn't worth me doing it on the grant we were all getting at the time to improve the standard of these older houses (like getting an inside toilet). ;-) I have replaced all the windows and doors in a medium sized house with / for a friend and didn't lose one bit of render. ;-) Fences, concrete floors slabs, brickwork, gas / water plumbing, wiring, built a kitcar, built boats from plans etc, not always because I wanted to, but because it was the only way I could afford to get it done or what I wanted. About the only exception would be plastering, especially ceilings as that really is a 'craft' (especially at the speed some of these guys work). Still only 'Jack of all trades' of course. ;-) Cheers, T i m |
#10
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On Wed, 5 Aug 2020 16:59:29 +0100, "Jim GM4DHJ ..."
wrote: snip that's what I said but the long winded version..... But at least I manage to snip, unlike you who are rarely responding to anything but the last line / word? And 'of course' you will save characters if you don't bother with punctuation or forming proper sentences and you know this isn't ****ter, it's a *discussion group*, so you aren't limited to 280 chrs? I realise why you post here not ****ter ... you aren't limited to 2400 posts a day here! Cheers, T i m |
#11
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On 05/08/2020 18:00, T i m wrote:
But, there was a big dribble of solder, Was that your doing? No. That was left by a sloppy kitchen fitter. just where I need to put a compression fitting. So, I got the Dremel, plus the P3 mask, so I didn't inhale the lead. Can you get lead poisoning that way? It produces loads of tiny particles of lead, so I'm guessing yes. |
#12
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On 05/08/2020 18:09, T i m wrote:
On Wed, 5 Aug 2020 16:59:29 +0100, "Jim GM4DHJ ..." wrote: snip that's what I said but the long winded version..... But at least I manage to snip, unlike you who are rarely responding to anything but the last line / word? And 'of course' you will save characters if you don't bother with punctuation or forming proper sentences and you know this isn't ****ter, it's a *discussion group*, so you aren't limited to 280 chrs? I realise why you post here not ****ter ... you aren't limited to 2400 posts a day here! Cheers, T i m https://twitter.com/jimgm4dhj |
#13
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
In article , GB
writes I've just fitted a new tap to our kitchen sink. It took me nearly 4 hours. That did include altering the pipework. Plus puzzling over the instructions on the rather complicated Bristan Easyfit tap. Great taps, awful instructions. But 4 hours! I'd expect to pay a plumber no more than £100-150, and that might well include coming to quote first. When did you last hire a plumber? Would probably cost you £100 just to get one to think about coming. -- bert |
#14
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On Wed, 5 Aug 2020 18:17:57 +0100, GB
wrote: On 05/08/2020 18:00, T i m wrote: But, there was a big dribble of solder, Was that your doing? No. That was left by a sloppy kitchen fitter. They can often be the worst when covering fields outside the straight fitting work. just where I need to put a compression fitting. So, I got the Dremel, plus the P3 mask, so I didn't inhale the lead. Can you get lead poisoning that way? It produces loads of tiny particles of lead, so I'm guessing yes. I was thinking you might be grinding (heavy partials) rather than sanding (flying dust) but you are right, you don't really want to be breathing it in, *even* if it is only 50% lead (rather than lead-free, tin-antimony and tin-silver etc). Cheers, T i m |
#15
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On Wed, 5 Aug 2020 18:39:41 +0100, "Jim GM4 DHJ ..."
wrote: snip I realise why you post here not ****ter ... you aren't limited to 2400 posts a day here! https://twitter.com/jimgm4dhj totally...so...most the stuff you post here you could post there instead...tee hee Cheers, T i m |
#16
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
GB wrote in :
I've just fitted a new tap to our kitchen sink. It took me nearly 4 hours. That did include altering the pipework. Plus puzzling over the instructions on the rather complicated Bristan Easyfit tap. Great taps, awful instructions. But 4 hours! I'd expect to pay a plumber no more than £100-150, and that might well include coming to quote first. You probably read the instructions - a tradesman won't as they consider they know everything - then end up with parts left over - or wrong sealants or things used. |
#17
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On Wednesday, 5 August 2020 17:02:24 UTC+1, GB wrote:
On 05/08/2020 16:59, Alan wrote: On Wed, 05 Aug 2020 15:58:02 +0100, GB wrote: I've just fitted a new tap to our kitchen sink. It took me nearly 4 hours. That did include altering the pipework. Plus puzzling over the instructions on the rather complicated Bristan Easyfit tap. Great taps, awful instructions. But 4 hours! I'd expect to pay a plumber no more than £100-150, and that might well include coming to quote first. I dont often do taps,but since lockdown I've had to do a number of plumbing jobs, I reckon I'd be able to do it in well under a hour. I did a deck mixer last week, I didnt adjust the pipework, took around 20 minutes. I obviously need to go in the remedial class. It took me five minutes just getting the doors back on the cupboard. It's just practice. After doing it a few times you know what to do & what works, what doesn't. Result: many times faster. NT |
#18
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On 05/08/2020 22:38, T i m wrote:
Can you get lead poisoning that way? It produces loads of tiny particles of lead, so I'm guessing yes. I was thinking you might be grinding (heavy partials) rather than sanding (flying dust) but you are right, you don't really want to be breathing it in, *even* if it is only 50% lead (rather than lead-free, tin-antimony and tin-silver etc). The work was done 22 years ago, so I assume the solder had lead in it then? Cheers, T i m |
#19
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On 05/08/2020 16:59, Alan wrote:
On Wed, 05 Aug 2020 15:58:02 +0100, GB wrote: I've just fitted a new tap to our kitchen sink. It took me nearly 4 hours. That did include altering the pipework. Plus puzzling over the instructions on the rather complicated Bristan Easyfit tap. Great taps, awful instructions. But 4 hours! I'd expect to pay a plumber no more than £100-150, and that might well include coming to quote first. I dont often do taps,but since lockdown I've had to do a number of plumbing jobs, I reckon I'd be able to do it in well under a hour. I did a deck mixer last week, I didnt adjust the pipework, took around 20 minutes. But you never know what problems you are going to face left by the previous installer. For some reason the previous owner here wanted the kitchen sink taps the "wrong way round". In other words, hot is on the right, and cold is on the left. You have to push the quarter-turn taps away to turn them on! That would be bad enough, but the pipework was installed to fit that design; the vertical pipes to the taps from the horizontal distributed H/W supply would now be in the wrong place if it was decided to fit normally-positioned taps. I suppose you could get away by crossing flexible hoses, but it wouldn't look very good in the cupboard under the sink. Otherwise it's a major mess-around with new pipes. -- Jeff |
#20
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On Thu, 6 Aug 2020 07:09:30 +0100, GB
wrote: On 05/08/2020 22:38, T i m wrote: Can you get lead poisoning that way? It produces loads of tiny particles of lead, so I'm guessing yes. I was thinking you might be grinding (heavy partials) rather than sanding (flying dust) but you are right, you don't really want to be breathing it in, *even* if it is only 50% lead (rather than lead-free, tin-antimony and tin-silver etc). The work was done 22 years ago, so I assume the solder had lead in it then? It could well have, even if 'unleaded' plumbing solder was available then. You were right to be safe etc. Cheers, T i m |
#21
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On 06/08/2020 08:18, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 05/08/2020 16:59, Alan wrote: On Wed, 05 Aug 2020 15:58:02 +0100, GB wrote: I've just fitted a new tap to our kitchen sink. It took me nearly 4 hours. That did include altering the pipework. Plus puzzling over the instructions on the rather complicated Bristan Easyfit tap. Great taps, awful instructions. But 4 hours! I'd expect to pay a plumber no more than £100-150, and that might well include coming to quote first. I dont often do taps,but since lockdown I've had to do a number of plumbing jobs, I reckon I'd be able to do it in well under a hour. I did a deck mixer last week, I didnt adjust the pipework, took around 20 minutes. But you never know what problems you are going to face left by the previous installer. For some reason the previous owner here wanted the kitchen sink taps the "wrong way round". In other words, hot is on the right, and cold is on the left. You have to push the quarter-turn taps away to turn them on! You could swap the hot and cold cartridges, and then you'd be pulling the taps to turn them on. That would be bad enough, but the pipework was installed to fit that design; the vertical pipes to the taps from the horizontal distributed H/W supply would now be in the wrong place if it was decided to fit normally-positioned taps. I suppose you could get away by crossing flexible hoses, but it wouldn't look very good in the cupboard under the sink. Otherwise it's a major mess-around with new pipes. |
#22
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On Thu, 6 Aug 2020 08:18:24 +0100, Jeff Layman
wrote: snip I suppose you could get away by crossing flexible hoses, but it wouldn't look very good in the cupboard under the sink. What!? [1] It would take me 5 minutes to empty out under the sink enough to be able to even *see* the pipes and what sort of things do you or any visitors do! ;-) Visitor: "Ere, Jeff, I was just looking in the cupboard under your sink and noticed that you have the tap flexi hoses crossed over. Care to explain ...?" weg 'Most people' don't seem to know where the wall stops and the ceiling, light switch, architrave starts, judging by their painting skills and that's in plain sight so ... ? Cheers, T i m [1] No, I actually get it but whilst I wouldn't have installed any of it that way if I was doing it all myself, I wouldn't have any problems crossing some flexies if I was fixing someone else's f'up with the least inconvenience to me (especially when it's all out of sight). |
#23
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On Wed, 05 Aug 2020 17:35:19 -0700, tabbypurr wrote:
It's just practice. After doing it a few times you know what to do & what works, what doesn't. Result: many times faster. Exactly. My wife was on a video call the other day and had misconfigured her PC so that she was using the camera microphone instead of the noise cancelling boom one. She was asked what the rattling noise was. It was me, on an IBM Model M keyboard. "But what's he doing?" "He's writing a program - brain to keyboard!" -- My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message. Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org *lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor |
#24
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On 5 Aug 2020 at 15:58:02 BST, "GB" wrote:
I've just fitted a new tap to our kitchen sink. It took me nearly 4 hours. That did include altering the pipework. Plus puzzling over the instructions on the rather complicated Bristan Easyfit tap. Great taps, awful instructions. But 4 hours! I'd expect to pay a plumber no more than £100-150, and that might well include coming to quote first. I reckon if you did the same job again in a week it'd take you 2 hours, once more an hour. Leave it a year, you'll be back to 4 hours ;-) -- Cheers, Rob |
#25
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
GB was thinking very hard :
I've just fitted a new tap to our kitchen sink. It took me nearly 4 hours. That did include altering the pipework. Plus puzzling over the instructions on the rather complicated Bristan Easyfit tap. Great taps, awful instructions. But 4 hours! I'd expect to pay a plumber no more than £100-150, and that might well include coming to quote first. A tradesman will (should) have all the tools to hand and have the experience of what is involved to make the job much faster. |
#26
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On 05/08/2020 17:02, GB wrote:
On 05/08/2020 16:59, Alan wrote: On Wed, 05 Aug 2020 15:58:02 +0100, GB wrote: I've just fitted a new tap to our kitchen sink. It took me nearly 4 hours. That did include altering the pipework. Plus puzzling over the instructions on the rather complicated Bristan Easyfit tap. Great taps, awful instructions. But 4 hours! I'd expect to pay a plumber no more than £100-150, and that might well include coming to quote first. I dont often do taps,but since lockdown I've had to do a number of plumbing jobs, I reckon I'd be able to do it in well under a hour. I did a deck mixer last week, I didnt adjust the pipework, took around 20 minutes. I obviously need to go in the remedial class. It took me five minutes just getting the doors back on the cupboard. It usually is the problems unrelated to the actual plumbing job that take all the time! -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
#27
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On 06/08/2020 09:38, GB wrote:
On 06/08/2020 08:18, Jeff Layman wrote: For some reason the previous owner here wanted the kitchen sink taps the "wrong way round". In other words, hot is on the right, and cold is on the left. You have to push the quarter-turn taps away to turn them on! You could swap the hot and cold cartridges, and then you'd be pulling the taps to turn them on. I like it! It's the first example I've seen of lateral lateral thinking! ;-) -- Jeff |
#28
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On 06/08/2020 09:41, T i m wrote:
On Thu, 6 Aug 2020 08:18:24 +0100, Jeff Layman wrote: snip I suppose you could get away by crossing flexible hoses, but it wouldn't look very good in the cupboard under the sink. What!? [1] It would take me 5 minutes to empty out under the sink enough to be able to even *see* the pipes and what sort of things do you or any visitors do! ;-) You can do it in as short a times as that, eh? My, your cupboard /must/ be tidy. Visitor: "Ere, Jeff, I was just looking in the cupboard under your sink and noticed that you have the tap flexi hoses crossed over. Care to explain ...?" weg 'Most people' don't seem to know where the wall stops and the ceiling, light switch, architrave starts, judging by their painting skills and that's in plain sight so ... ? Cheers, T i m [1] No, I actually get it but whilst I wouldn't have installed any of it that way if I was doing it all myself, I wouldn't have any problems crossing some flexies if I was fixing someone else's f'up with the least inconvenience to me (especially when it's all out of sight). Visitors? Who's taking about visitors? I'm talking about "The Management" (aka SWMBO). whose beady eye sees all. You would never hear the end of it - "Can't you do something about those pipes?", etc, etc. ;-) -- Jeff |
#29
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
In article , Harry Bloomfield
wrote: GB was thinking very hard : I've just fitted a new tap to our kitchen sink. It took me nearly 4 hours. That did include altering the pipework. Plus puzzling over the instructions on the rather complicated Bristan Easyfit tap. Great taps, awful instructions. But 4 hours! I'd expect to pay a plumber no more than £100-150, and that might well include coming to quote first. A tradesman will (should) have all the tools to hand and have the experience of what is involved to make the job much faster. but, he will have left a crucial one at home. -- from KT24 in Surrey, England "I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of boredom" Thomas Carlyle |
#30
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On Thu, 6 Aug 2020 11:31:19 +0100, Jeff Layman
wrote: On 06/08/2020 09:41, T i m wrote: On Thu, 6 Aug 2020 08:18:24 +0100, Jeff Layman wrote: snip I suppose you could get away by crossing flexible hoses, but it wouldn't look very good in the cupboard under the sink. What!? [1] It would take me 5 minutes to empty out under the sink enough to be able to even *see* the pipes and what sort of things do you or any visitors do! ;-) You can do it in as short a times as that, eh? My, your cupboard /must/ be tidy. ;-) Visitor: "Ere, Jeff, I was just looking in the cupboard under your sink and noticed that you have the tap flexi hoses crossed over. Care to explain ...?" weg 'Most people' don't seem to know where the wall stops and the ceiling, light switch, architrave starts, judging by their painting skills and that's in plain sight so ... ? Cheers, T i m [1] No, I actually get it but whilst I wouldn't have installed any of it that way if I was doing it all myself, I wouldn't have any problems crossing some flexies if I was fixing someone else's f'up with the least inconvenience to me (especially when it's all out of sight). Visitors? Who's taking about visitors? I'm talking about "The Management" (aka SWMBO). whose beady eye sees all. Ah, I'm lucky, I'm with someone who knows what's important. As long as her Yamaha XV750 Virago motorbike was suitably polished she would be happy. ;-) You would never hear the end of it - I would ... "Can't you do something about those pipes?", etc, etc. ;-) If mine said that (about something that was functional) she'd have to do it herself or pay someone to do it. ;-) Cheers, T i m |
#31
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On 06/08/2020 12:23, T i m wrote:
Ah, I'm lucky, I'm with someone who knows what's important. As long as her Yamaha XV750 Virago motorbike was suitably polished she would be happy. ;-) Virago?! Do they also do a Harridan? |
#32
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On Thu, 6 Aug 2020 12:52:12 +0100, GB
wrote: On 06/08/2020 12:23, T i m wrote: Ah, I'm lucky, I'm with someone who knows what's important. As long as her Yamaha XV750 Virago motorbike was suitably polished she would be happy. ;-) Virago?! Do they also do a Harridan? No, I don't think they do and in any case, I think the name was to supposed to reflect the 'attitude' of the bike, not the rider. ;-) Cheers, T i m p.s. She went from a Yamaha 'B-Whiz' 125 scooter on L plates on her car licence when she was 40 (and pregnant, much to my Mums dismay (on the bike etc)). Then took her CBT on a Kawasaki KH100 and after passing her test (first time at ~42), went to a CG125, Virago 535 V1, 535 V2 and to the Virago 750. Before we bought the 750 the local motorcycle shop offered her to ride one of theirs. We went there on the 535, I initially rode the 750 (to make sure it was ok), then we swapped over and when we got back we couldn't get her off the 750! ;-) She ended up with one and used to also tow a camping trailer. One holiday was motorcycle camping round the South of England / Wales (1500 miles) and another up to Thurso and back (~2000 miles). Happiness for her wasn't a new sofa or tidy kitchen plumbing, it was having her bike prepped and her being able to jump on it and ride it all day. She was also very much part of the work we have done on the house and building the kitcar. Which is why we are together. ;-) |
#33
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
"T i m" wrote in message ... On Wed, 5 Aug 2020 15:58:02 +0100, GB wrote: I've just fitted a new tap to our kitchen sink. It took me nearly 4 hours. That did include altering the pipework. Plus puzzling over the instructions on the rather complicated Bristan Easyfit tap. Great taps, awful instructions. But 4 hours! I'd expect to pay a plumber no more than £100-150, and that might well include coming to quote first. The bigger question is how often would they do as good a job as you might (assuming a reasonable level of physical competency that is)? my plasterer did a crap job (I wish I'd spotted some of the crapness before he left) But it's still a million times better than I could have done HTH tim |
#34
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
"bert" wrote in message ... In article , GB writes I've just fitted a new tap to our kitchen sink. It took me nearly 4 hours. That did include altering the pipework. Plus puzzling over the instructions on the rather complicated Bristan Easyfit tap. Great taps, awful instructions. But 4 hours! I'd expect to pay a plumber no more than £100-150, and that might well include coming to quote first. When did you last hire a plumber? Would probably cost you £100 just to get one to think about coming. 75 quid to replace a gummed up valve in the toilet cistern including parts |
#35
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On Thu, 6 Aug 2020 17:10:12 +0100, "tim..."
wrote: "T i m" wrote in message .. . On Wed, 5 Aug 2020 15:58:02 +0100, GB wrote: I've just fitted a new tap to our kitchen sink. It took me nearly 4 hours. That did include altering the pipework. Plus puzzling over the instructions on the rather complicated Bristan Easyfit tap. Great taps, awful instructions. But 4 hours! I'd expect to pay a plumber no more than £100-150, and that might well include coming to quote first. The bigger question is how often would they do as good a job as you might (assuming a reasonable level of physical competency that is)? my plasterer did a crap job (I wish I'd spotted some of the crapness before he left) Oh, the guys that did the plastering here were messy buggers but I'm not sure you could be anything else at that workrate! But it's still a million times better than I could have done And that's the thing. Ok, I've done a fireplace where I've removed a surround and hearth and re-rendered then plastered the chimney breast etc but not a whole wall and certainly not a ceiling. Unlike the physical bit of wiring, plumbing, tiling, carpentry and small bits of brickwork where you can generally read up and then do a reasonable job, plastering really is an art. Like I've only ever worked on a couple of mobility scooters but yesterday, the one I got for Mum couldn't really complete a small trip with the motor getting very hot, it cutting out (overcurrent trip) and got back with pretty low batteries. After working on it last night and this morning, it did the same trip with ease, Mum said it was 'much smoother' and it come back with what looks like a full battery (and the lights working). And so it should because all the parts I worked on are things I have done many times on different things in the past (RC models, EV's and the electric motorbike I designed, built and raced around 35 years ago). ;-) Ok, you can get lucky with many things, and have it work early on, but few do with plastering. ;-( Cheers, T i m |
#36
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
When was doing contract work I could install a complete new TV aerial in 25 minutes, including cable and testing. It was no-frills but perfectly serviceable. How long would it take a DIYer to fit an aerial on a chimney, align it, fix the cable, test, etc? All Saturday? And even then it would most likely be a crap job. http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/aerialp...iy/index.shtml Bill |
#37
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On 06/08/2020 13:34, T i m wrote:
Which is why we are together. ;-) She sounds great. My DW is not terribly keen on bikes. We borrowed my son's tandem, and it was dreadfully noisy. I was on the front seat, and she was on the back seat. There was this dreadful screeching noise coming from the back seat. |
#38
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On 07/08/2020 03:36, williamwright wrote:
http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/aerialp...iy/index.shtml Bill Oh! It's you! I read some of your stuff online, years ago. *Years* ago! Have you retired? |
#39
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On Fri, 7 Aug 2020 11:27:34 +0100, GB
wrote: On 06/08/2020 13:34, T i m wrote: Which is why we are together. ;-) She sounds great. She's great because she low maintenance. ;-) My DW is not terribly keen on bikes. We borrowed my son's tandem, and it was dreadfully noisy. I was on the front seat, and she was on the back seat. There was this dreadful screeching noise coming from the back seat. LOL! Mine's a good stoker but (she's getting on a bit now so) can't quite 'pull her own weight', possibly not helped by her two full knee replacements and the arthritis. eg, Whist we were going up a reasonably steep hill on the tandem (and towing the camping trailer) we ground to a halt. Pushing a tandem and (single wheel) trailer isn't easy either so I got back on and was able to cycle up the hill solo. But she's generally reasonably willing to give most stuff a go and we have done loads of cycle touring, motorcycle touring, archery, she used to fly power kites with me (all before arthritis and old-age aches and pains started to kick in) and all sorts of boating. She a good mate, if it's not something she can help with directly she's there with the tea and sarnies or getting tools etc saving me having to stop. Whilst working in the back yard on the scooter the other day she was helping me when I needed her and was pulling up all the nature that had tried to reclaim it since we last went out there when I didn't. ;-) When we were building the kitcar, as a special treat I let her grind the valves in, done on a couple of newspapers on the kitchen worktop and plenty of engineering stuff has been in the oven or dishwasher and sometimes put in there for me by her. We were supposed to be changing the water pump and I was delayed (watching Autocross on TV) so she said 'I'll do it then'. I handed her the Haynes manual and off she went. ;-) Like me though, she would rather we be out doing other stuff than faffing about on the house or bothering if that light matches that wallpaper (or whatever other people bother about). It's not like we wouldn't like the house 'nice', it's just that we are only here once and our enjoyment is generally doing stuff outside of it. ;-) The strange thing is, her previous bf was a mechanic but he never involved her in anything (like that), used to just treat her as a possession etc. When we met, I assumed we would do most stuff together she was surprised and outside of a little reticence, has proved to herself that she can do most things if she has a mind to, things she was never allowed / encourage to do previously. We tried the bring our daughter up with the same mindset ... she's a person, not a girl or boy and therefore no reason why (again within reason), she should be on the other end of the wardrobe getting it up the stairs or servicing her own cycle / motorbike or car (and she does all she can). When she was young I would take her motorcycling (on her own bike) or to martial arts club and 'Mum' would take her ball room dancing or to music lessons. I am proud that she buys most of her clothes and furniture from the charity shops, that she's happy with any hand-me-down smartphones I can find her and that she gives most of her surplus stuff (inc clothes) to the charity shop (mostly Isabel Hospice as that's where her half sister died last year) and can paint and rearrange the furniture in her own flat, rather than assuming she would need to get 'a man' to do it. I'm proud that we (this side of the family) have taught her the real value of things, what's important, including thinking of and caring for others. Being 'sensible / shrewd' with what money she does earn means she can do more with what's left after paying her rent and other expenses etc. If she needs to do something, if she can't work out how to do it (or the best way to do it) she calls her old Dad and will listen to my advice ... basically because she know's I'll never BS her if I don't know but more often or not I will know. ;-) It's good that we are sharing vegan recipes and she will get us new vegan stuff to try when she does our shopping (as I do most the cooking (the Mrs clears up)). ;-) I would consider myself a lucky man (to have a partner like mine) and a proud father. ;-) Cheers, T i m |
#40
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How do tradesmen earn a living?
On Saturday, 8 August 2020 02:11:24 UTC+1, T i m wrote:
We tried the bring our daughter up with the same mindset ... she's a person, not a girl or boy and therefore no reason why (again within reason), she should be on the other end of the wardrobe getting it up the stairs or servicing her own cycle / motorbike or car (and she does all she can). When she was young I would take her motorcycling (on her own bike) or to martial arts club and 'Mum' would take her ball room dancing or to music lessons. I am proud that she buys most of her clothes and furniture from the charity shops, that she's happy with any hand-me-down smartphones I can find her and that she gives most of her surplus stuff (inc clothes) to the charity shop (mostly Isabel Hospice as that's where her half sister died last year) and can paint and rearrange the furniture in her own flat, rather than assuming she would need to get 'a man' to do it. I'm proud that we (this side of the family) have taught her the real value of things, what's important, including thinking of and caring for others. Being 'sensible / shrewd' with what money she does earn means she can do more with what's left after paying her rent and other expenses etc. important life skills lacking in 99% of youngsters today |
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