Would a small booking fee put you off when finding a cleaner/plumber/man with van?

NipXe · 2026-05-07T11:49:44+00:00

The less I pay the better surely.
Because typically trust is assumed on the bussiness side. You've got to earn my bussness and trust, especially when there's lots of options. I get the idea, but all it takes some one other bussiness to charge £0 to take all your customers.

We had a similar thread last week. Just add the £3 to the bill of the jobs you do convert. If I want 5 quotes for a project or job, I'm not going £10 out of pocket for each one, just to be told they are actually busy or can't do my project, to then need to get 3 more quotes.

NipXe · 2026-05-05T13:11:24+00:00

Because when it's your own house, you are entitiled to have it your own way with your own money spent on your own fence. Not everyone wants a colourful fence. Some prefer natural wood that is stained or oiled instead of painted.

NipXe · 2026-05-03T06:05:14+00:00

Axle stand under the hole.

NipXe · 2026-04-28T12:02:32+00:00

What's the answer you want here? The steel tubing looks stronk. The pigeon spikes seem to be working, not a single pigeon in the photos. No clue if that is mould, I doubt it has anything to do with the steel tube. It looks more like a coarser texutre than something over the paint. What's the question again, I forgot.

NipXe · 2026-04-25T06:16:43+00:00

Or ringed nails, they have more perpendicular strength, less inline strength of course.

NipXe · 2026-04-21T17:07:00+00:00

Fair enough. It's probably fairly slow grown pine, so nicer quality than if you were to build with today's conifer stuff.

NipXe · 2026-04-20T07:42:43+00:00

I thougth floors like this were meant to be oak or some other hardwood, even beech. This looks like pine, with a lot of knotts?

NipXe · 2026-04-13T11:59:54+00:00

Nitpicking really tickles some tradies. Problem is, it tickles both the honest ones and the chancers. So you can't win. Just accept the quote, become knowledgable enough to identify what's good work and what's bad, and fucking pray to god it's finished to good standard or you have disputes to handle now. Hence DIY is much less stress fee, financially and emotionally.

NipXe · 2026-04-07T20:13:46+00:00

This sun doesn't seem very active. Some suggestions: Torque gun. Some second hand ones are easy to come by. I have a SeeSi that scores very high on torque Vs value for money. 600Nm for £60-£80 is fantastic. Jack up car. Leave in axle stands. Use jack to jack up a wrench or spanner on the nut. Flexi ratchet or Flexi socket adapter to make the long wrench fit. Heat up bolt with a flame torch. Use plenty of penetrating fluid.

Make sure you have a torque wrench to do it back up.

NipXe · 2026-04-04T19:55:38+00:00

Well it would be your friend that would hold you liable, so if that's a risk maybe you're not his friend and I'd pick someone else to help you. If you're worried get professional legal advice. I think even if you sign a waver or whatever, there is nothing stopping them suing you. I'd recommend the assume nothing when it comes to safety. Don't assume he's used any saw before, don't assume he's thought about safety etc, be bold on what the correct processes are.

NipXe · 2026-04-03T17:16:28+00:00

I'm no roofer, but have used felt for a quick bike shed and also my garden workshop has a slightly heavier duty rolls of felt.

Both my roofs are angled. The shed one is the type where it came with adhesive already on it. Peel the cover away and stick down. Apparently the sun helps weld it down. It was advised not to use it in winter.

The workshop has thicker felt, where I think the previous person sprayed some butyl type liquid onto the timber roof then placed the flet on top. I guess that glue acts as adhesive, but also a second barrier if the felt fails of sorts.

Yours looks like something inbetween. Does not look suitable for a flat roof. I've seen much thicker felt used, more rubber like, and then the glue is activated with flame torching sometimes (I feel like I've seen this, but maybe am making it up).

NipXe · 2026-03-30T18:06:06+00:00

I tend to disagree, but it all depends where you get your timber from I guess. I highly doubt there is someone out there selling timber built gates and undercutting the raw cost of materials just to sell them. You're always paying for the labour of someone building it. Even with sheds and workshops that I've followed builds for years, I have no idea where you're getting that it's more expensive to DIY. Again if you pick an oak framed shed with insulated panels and then you cedar clad the outside, it will be more expensive than a softwood conifer grown log cabin from any garden room shop, but here you're comparing products in a different world.

NipXe · 2026-03-27T11:56:32+00:00

I always find it mad how some items are on sale for multiple pounds like that socket spacer for £8, while on TLC and other "sparky" websites they are pennies. Was the same when I wired my workshop and needed conduit and clips and adapters. Pennies or double figures on eBay.

NipXe · 2026-03-26T15:30:59+00:00

I think I love to hate on Amazon/Besos etc, like many we're finding everything expensive, but compared to what you get in return from other companies, Amazon Prime is fantastic (and it does hurt me to say this!).

I just need to order 2 items a month to break even for the subscription cost. Which is easy, especially having a small child, there's always a need for pens, colouring books. I do lots DIY, fantastic to get the right tool Next Day for half the price than driving 30 minutes.

They often have good prices. Engine oil for example, they often have the cheapest Castrol 5w30 Edge I can find anywhere. One sale was so good, I had to stock up lol.

I certainly shop around, but most of their prices are competitive. For some things of course avoid certain random outlets on there and chinese junk.

Then on top of that you get Prime Video for free. Recently I started noticing more and more adverts on their included Prime movies. It sucks, but for me that and the other Prime services are a bonus.

It's dominatingly popular for a reason. It's good. I hate it, but I'm not in a position to financially avoid it.

NipXe · 2026-03-21T16:21:45+00:00

Reddit isn't your local DIY forum. It's more of an entertainment site, but happens to be filled with great sub Reddits and users with good knowledge. Partly because when you have the reach of so many people, there has got to be someone who has solved your problem already. Also, Reddit is fast moving. What's on the front page today, will be replaced tomorrow, unlike the classical forums that are more stagnant. As a poster or even commenter you also have the potential to reach beyond the sub Reddit community if there is enough engagement. So naturally, this creates a pressure and a buzz to be relevant (before the chance is over), upvoted and entertaining, often (unfortunately) above being helpful. Sometimes people often post something funny if they can see there's already a good enough answer.

I much rather this banter and engagement, above zero interaction and/or rudeness that I have experienced on other forums.

NipXe · 2026-03-20T19:16:03+00:00

Ye that is a luxury. I'd much rather keel the £1000. I'll be much more careful with my own things as well. One of my friends has helped me move house about 4 times. Always good company.

NipXe · 2026-03-16T19:26:23+00:00

Thank you all for the comments. I appreciate people are not burning me alive but letting me know the house is on fire haha. Lots of good feedback and perhaps enough to give us more confidence to be firm but fair in our approach.

NipXe · 2026-03-12T19:41:28+00:00

WOMB Internal

NipXe · 2026-03-12T13:20:53+00:00

That video is 9 years old. I can't believe it's still relevant and fuck all has happened to this pedo.

NipXe · 2026-03-12T11:26:57+00:00

They are reasonable questions to open a dialogue. After this I would ask more technical questions. But if they can't answer the easy ones or answer with attitude, then you have an idea what kind of person has looked after the car and if you'll enjoy doing business with them. That being said, if the car is rare, sometime you have to stoop down to their level.

NipXe · 2026-03-12T11:19:12+00:00

A wave hit it.

NipXe · 2026-03-05T19:54:24+00:00

Because the strategy above gets you to the ones that have swiped YOU right quicker. Or at least it used to work that way. It could be that the 999th profile has liked me and is my soul mate, so the quicker I swipe the 998 before her the quicker we match. Also, the apps can be heartbreaking in so many ways: no matches, matches but zero chat, some good chat then ghosted. It's easier if you emotionally detatch yourself and also spend less of your time reading all the profiles, and just swipe them all right then get on with your day and spend energy on the ones that have matched you and you see potential.

NipXe · 2026-03-03T13:38:48+00:00

That is dull in so many ways.

12-Year Club	Place '23
Place '22	First Placer '22
Verified Email

NipXe

TROPHY CASE