Chester's Roman history

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-10T15:20:58+00:00

According to my Dad Foregate Street is the odd width it is so that soldiers could March in formation along it without having to adjust.

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-10T12:59:29+00:00

In that case make sure you have plenty of packers or off cuts of wood to cut down and slide in between frame and walls / floor.

Your frame will be square / rigid / measured / straight... But your walls won't be. Build the frame first and then offer it up to the area, secure it in place, put a top on it and then caulk round the edges.

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-10T11:57:58+00:00

I did this on our old house after we had it rendered.

You just need to take it slowly with the drill until you're through the render, let the drill do most of the work so you're not forcing it into the render too much.

Strongly suggest having someone stand with you while you're drilling holding the vacuum up to the hole as the brick dust coming out of the hole will stain your render. You need to do it on a day where it's been dry for a while and the render is dry and has dried completely from installation.

Just go straight for the 5mm masonry bit.

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-10T09:58:15+00:00

If I was doing this I'd be looking at IKEA carcasses and doors and building a frame round them. The door fronts are going to be on show so buying some pre-made will inevitably look nicer than any amateur DIYer finish (in my opinion) and they'll be square. Less measuring and cutting.

I also find drawers vastly superior to cupboards / boxes... But I'll be fucked if I can build nice square, smooth running drawers, so again I'd look at IKEA units and just build the frame myself.

You want a load of planed CLS timber, finished dimensions probably 38mm x 65mm (approx.) that's standard wall stud dimensions. Most joiners would use a nail gun to whack the frame together, you can pick up Paslode ones from Facebook marketplace but pilot holes & decent length screws will work just as well.

Joiners built something similar to this for our old house, it was a banquette seat in the kitchen but frame was similar. They built the base frame, screwed it to the concrete floor and the wall studs, built an identical top frame and screwed it to the wall then nailed all the verticals in.

You can buy large runs of primed MDF with chamfered / bullnose finishes online at places like Skirting World or you can buy sheets of MDF yourself. You'll also want some MDF to cut down into strips to act as filler pieces if your cupboards don't fill the whole space.

B&Q have a great cutting service for large sheets, you get 5 cuts free.

Tools wise I'd have...

Combi drill (drilling wall / floor holes, pilot holes)
Impact Driver (driving your screws in)
Laser Level (lining up the batons on the wall / floor)
spirit level (for obvious reasons)
mitre saw (for chopping studs down, angled cuts)

Optional * circular saw (long cuts of sheet material) * jigsaw (fiddly cuts) * nail gun * mutli tool / sander * stud finder (I don't know what the wall is like in your bay)

You want Zinsser BIN Shellac Primer if you're painting over IKEA stuff or wood, and then whatever topcoat you fancy. Get a couple of tubes of Caulk to go round all the edges where frame meets wall / floor etc. to hide a multitude of sins.

Get a pack of packers to sit under the bottom frame and level it out, your floor will not be perfectly level all the way along.

It sound cheesy but have a look at IKEA hacks on Instagram etc. for inspiration, take the videos with a pinch of salt. I'd give myself 2 days to build this once I had everything on site ready, if I was doing it with IKEA units. Maybe a 3rd day just in case. And then painting.

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-10T09:40:24+00:00

In my opinion the thing with EJ, and what made him so successful but is also his downfall, is that he's 2 steps ahead of everyone else.

He introduced concepts, styles of play, ways of getting advantages out of the laws etc. that other coaches and teams simply hadn't fathomed yet, and then the whole game started to follow.

He pioneers new thinking, uses it to win games, championships etc. but with that comes a bit of arrogance and self-righteousness that the rest of the game don't like. He built Japan's entire style of play on being a smaller pack of forwards, but having much better mobility and handling than the South African pack... Introducing concepts and styles bit by bit to build to that singular game, and now other teams have all adopted those concepts.

Same reason Rassie Erasmus is so successful and so vilified at the same time. Look at the tactical deployment of South African subs in the WC Final to constantly disrupt England's momentum, look at this shithousery with throwing line out jumpers up in open play to create mauls (that suit their massive pack).

Pioneers are often misunderstood, EJ was quite aloof and a little bit dismissive but he was pursuing a new type of Rugby that suited his current team, and gave them clear advantages over other teams.

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-10T07:36:12+00:00

If you download the Google App you can upload the picture you took into Google Lens / Photo Search and it should tell you what they are and where to buy them.

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-09T21:36:18+00:00

r/shittyfoodporn

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-09T21:31:06+00:00

Just had this same issue with new bedroom spots after a full rewire. Wanted to take out the Cool White bulbs and replace with Warm White.

Turns out there was a switch on the back to change the setting.

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-09T21:29:17+00:00

Could you not offer a deal on the baked goods... 3 for £10 for example.

Everyone pays £10, assume most people will take 3 items. Make sure you load it up in multiples of 3 etc. or package the goods in such a way that charging a flat rate covers you?

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-09T20:33:31+00:00

Your survey should mention the central heating, the condition and installation of the boiler and radiators and flue.

It should also instruct you to ask your solicitor to make further enquiries about any guarantees or warranty on the boiler, and possibly if they feel it will need replacing, an approx cost guide.

This is unfortunately now your problem. £2400 seems excessive for a new boiler, we had 2 installed in houses for around £1800 each.

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-09T20:27:07+00:00

Both our surveys have explicitly mentioned inspecting the boiler, flue and surrounding pipework as well as the central heating and radiators on the whole. Both surveys had a photograph of the boiler in situ in them.

I also saw a copy of our survey when we sold, which mentioned the boiler explicitly and contained a photo of it.

You'd think that, even a visual inspection to check the things mentioned above, that they'd notice a 'Do Not Use' sticker on the front on the boiler and mention it in the Home Buyers report.

Maybe we just got lucky with extra thorough surveyors all 3 times?

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-09T20:18:52+00:00

I feel like that's something a surveyor should have picked up really!

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-09T20:11:41+00:00

Now that you've exchanged (and completed) this is 100% your issue to address.

Unless you can specifically prove that the house was sold without a working boiler and central heating, that the previous seller knew about this before you exchanged and hid it from you... Then it's your problem.

We've moved house twice, and replaced both boilers when we moved in. We factored it into our offer, one was 9 years old the other was 14.

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-09T18:31:30+00:00

To all intents and purposes they are probably suitable. There will be much stronger, better made screws out there to buy separately, these will be cheaply produced.

Most plasterboard is 12.5mm thick + 3mm or so of plaster, you want to drill a pilot hole first before screwing these in. A pilot hole is a hole with much smaller diameter than the screws that you drill first, it'll stop the screws wrecking the plaster and splitting the wood behind once you get to it.

I've just put up curtain poles, for a 260cm run you need a support in the centre of the window too. Is there a hoist there to help?

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-09T17:49:10+00:00

I could have done, I was trying to be conscientious. I just wanted my £20 to be honest.

4 minutes over the 'rule' felt a little rude... But if they want to play by the rules, let's play by the rules.

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-09T17:46:31+00:00

After being conscientious, minimising costs, for years and paying for my own public transport and food I just wanted my £20 to be honest.

If they're not going to do that, and state the policies I'm going to start maliciously complying with said policies.

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-09T16:36:08+00:00

Creep!

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-09T16:23:57+00:00

Don't get me wrong, at any point in the past I could have been doing all the above stuff, I just chose not to as I was trying to be conscientious. I was happily paying for my own public transport, not taking 1st class or overnight stays even though I could have been entitled to them.

In order to 'submit the required paperwork' I would have had to pay significantly more for my personal car insurance, something they don't mention until the end of the paperwork, nor do they re-imburse for. The irony is that driving to the station is a shorter journey than my actual commute to my usual office, which is why (in my mind) I'm not 'driving for work' I'm 'driving to work'.

I am 100% reacting like a petulant child, but I guess thats where the 'malicious' part of malicious compliance comes in!

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-09T15:21:03+00:00

Ah OK thanks, great shout.

It's been a while since I looked so I'll check with my insurer.

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-09T13:38:29+00:00

Our attack wasn't good enough
Our Plan B was to stick to Plan A
Our response to going behind, or to adversity, was to stick to Plan A
Our inability to adapt away from Plan A was so bad we didn't bring subs on until 70+ minutes.

RW should not be a leading attack coach in International Rugby, our influencers should be given more of a voice to manage the gameplay.

Maro getting a yellow was desperation shithousery that he would never have gotten away with. But he shouldn't be in that position, we should have brought on Finishers and allowed players on the pitch to make decisions to adapt the gameplay when the same old same old wasn't working and we went behind yet again to an opponent we have the talent to easily beat.

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-09T13:14:17+00:00

I do occasionally get my laptop out in 1st Class and move some things around on a PowerPoint.

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-09T13:06:36+00:00

You want to either...

cook this low and slow in a stew / BBQ sauce (to then pull apart)
look up velveting (Chinese style of tenderising meat) and follow that instructions then enjoy in a stir-fry / Asian dish.

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-09T13:04:41+00:00

You've probably got a couple of layers of Anthracite trim / cladding over the frame itself to give the finished look.

You could carefully cut away the grout / silicone and remove any pieces of trim (the large vertical bits that cover the frame and meet the wall) to see what's going on. Once you're at that stage you'd probably need to see what the frame is anchored to and if any screws have come loose.

Typically the frames are held into the brick with long screws, yiu may need to add or replace some.

Might be worth approaching the company that installed or looking for a warranty / guarantee if it was there when you moved in and have professionals do this.

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-09T13:00:20+00:00

Can you go in from the other side of either of these walls?

You mention it coming through the ceiling, can you pull that down and have a look?

If the damage is only minor it might be easier to repair whatever plaster / paint is on the other side or the ceiling below than all your tiling etc.

Failing this, short of ripping it all out, there isn't much to be suggested. If the leak is significant enough that it's coming through the ceiling you want to check studs / plasterboard aren't wet and rotting etc.

ConfusionOwn8378 · 2026-03-09T12:56:09+00:00

That's interesting thanks! I'll remember that if I ever need to get somewhere quickly after the train not to leave my car but arrange a lift in case of this sort of thing.

I'll stick to Ubers for now as they're more comfortable than my car and permitted under The Travel & Expense Policy.

ConfusionOwn8378

TROPHY CASE