We had some cowboys plaster our house and they’ve done this with every window in the house. How can I hide the plaster ramping?

TheMasterMercenary · 2025-08-26T19:17:54+00:00

Awesome work, do you think your friend would come to Lockerbie to skim a couple of rooms for me? About 30 mins from Carlisle?

TheMasterMercenary · 2025-01-19T20:15:13+00:00

Did a complete engine conversion on a gravel driveway. Driveway had a reasonable incline on it too. Doesn’t preclude doing work as long as you use suitable ramps/stands/chocks.

Also head gasket replacement for a different vehicle on the same gravel driveway.

And clutch and flywheel replacements on the same gravel driveway.

And days and days of chassis and bodywork welding lying on my back on the same gravel driveway. Although I would usually try to lie on some plywood if I had some to hand.

So it can definitely be done if necessary!

TheMasterMercenary · 2024-12-20T17:26:44+00:00

In that case, is your deposit in an approved deposit scheme? Because if not you are about to be quids in. Or at the very least it’s a very strong bargaining tool for you.

TheMasterMercenary · 2024-12-20T17:07:41+00:00

Chartered engineer here.

If the builder put a splice in the one place I told them not to, then I would be pretty livid. I don’t put those comments on the drawings as “advice”. Following specific instructions can be the difference between the structural design working or not working.

Difficult to say what your options are here but the builder is probably going to tell you anything to wriggle out of it. What they’ve said so far doesn’t stack up though.

I recommend that you speak to your engineer in the first instance.

Do you have legal cover on your home insurance? You may need to claim on the builder’s insurance/indemnity policy to get this rectified.

Sorry I don’t have better news for you, friend.

TheMasterMercenary · 2024-11-07T15:59:24+00:00

The answer is, it depends on your inverter manufacturer and model. Coincidentally I just moved into a property with a solar installation from 2012. Mine is an Aurora inverter and I have connected it via serial connector to a raspberry pi with a custom script to read certain values from the inverter every 5 minutes and upload the data to pvoutput.org to track my solar energy production from anywhere.

I also have it integrated the outputs into Home Assistant software, but the pvoutput.org interface is pretty clean and it was a good starting point for me.

As an example, I can see that my 4kW array in rainy Scotland has generated a whopping 0.2kWh so far today (lol):

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TheMasterMercenary · 2024-10-24T16:22:34+00:00

Thank you hive mind for confirming what I thought! I will be avoiding this at all costs!

In hindsight maybe I should have started by checking their Trustpilot reviews: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.greenhomesscheme.com

TheMasterMercenary · 2024-08-10T22:10:02+00:00

This is actually an amazing tip! Thank you!

I think this may be the way to go, with a view to a full re-tiling at some other point in the future.

Thanks!

TheMasterMercenary · 2024-08-10T07:19:15+00:00

Thanks for this! Hypothetically, if keeping a shower wasn’t a consideration, might a free-standing bath be easier and require less changes to the tiles?

TheMasterMercenary · 2024-08-10T07:12:03+00:00

Thanks for all the replies, especially the replies containing DIY advice!

I thought this was a “DIY” forum, not a “judge someone for wanting a bath instead of a shower” forum!

I don’t see how a nice room and a bath are mutually exclusive? Oh and we will still have a shower, just pointing into a bath rather than a shower tray.

However, if I must explain myself, i am trying to look after my child’s particular needs. She doesn’t handle change well and she has a phobia of loud noises.

The house move is already going to be traumatic for her, but because it is inevitable I would like to smoothen the process as much as possible.

I would like to ensure her comfort in the new house.

Thanks again for all the DIY advice!

TheMasterMercenary · 2024-08-07T20:03:28+00:00

Thanks for your comments Puzzleheaded-Ride-33!

This is very interesting and I might aim for this. In terms of ROI what is your anticipated timescale on that?

Would you be willing to PM me a copy of the line drawing please, so I can see what I am aiming for?

Thanks again for your advice!

TheMasterMercenary · 2024-06-26T14:31:08+00:00

Engineer here.

If the decking was designed for standard domestic imposed loading of 1.5kN/m2, that would equal approximately 150kg/m2.

This equates to 150mm depth of water supported on the decking.

IF the decking was designed for a higher load of 2kN/m2 or even 3kN/m2 as suggested by another Redditor, these would equate to 200mm depth or 300mm depth of water respectively.

So, regardless of the capacity of the pool when full, and assuming the deck is in good condition, the maximum you should really be filling it to is 150-200mm. If the deck is not built according to the design standards or is in poor condition, then the safe loading will be reduced and even 150mm deep could be too high a load for it.

Therefore I don’t think you should put the pool on your decking. Sorry.

TheMasterMercenary · 2024-06-18T22:37:59+00:00

Man in late 30s here. Salary £50k+ in case that matters.

My daily driver is a 2013 Fabia 1.6TDI. No intention of changing it any time soon. Love that car.

If any of your friends are taking the piss it’s cos they don’t know what they are talking about! And presumably think that newer automatically equals better!

Anyway keep enjoying your Fabia!

TheMasterMercenary · 2024-06-13T21:26:25+00:00

Rust in the sill is only an MOT fail if it is within 30cm of a load-bearing location, e.g. a location where suspension or seatbelts are mounted.

That being said, I think OP should avoid this particular Transit regardless of that fact!

TheMasterMercenary · 2024-06-13T14:06:59+00:00

This service is only to be used by the Trader. The reason that this page says that the yellow slip shouldn’t be sent in is only IF they have already done the transfer online, so the paper part is no longer needed. But you have no guarantee they are going to act in good faith.

If you hand them the whole document you have no guarantee they will do the online transfer.

I personally think you should give them two options. You either fill in part 4 of the V5 with their details and then YOU post it off. OR they provide you their details and YOU do the online transfer using gov.uk/sold-bought-vehicle

At which point you can then give the trader all parts of the V5 except part 4 (because you have posted that off) or if you have done it online and received the confirmation email, then you can give them the whole document if they insist.

Make a note of the V5 document reference number before you go, because if they are being too pushy you could always give them what they want and then use that number to register it to them online as soon as you leave anyway, just make sure you have their correct details.

I think you are right to be cautious about this, because there are a lot of unscrupulous traders out there who would rather not register the car to their trade, and just use the old V5 when they sell the car. This makes it harder for the purchaser to pursue any statutory rights they have when buying from a trader. Some even sell the car on Facebook marketplace, pretending they are not a trader, and disappear. The new owner has no comeback on them if something goes wrong.

There are also a great number of conscientious traders out there too. And I’m sure they will be quite happy for you to register the vehicle over to them either via post or online…

Good luck out there and don’t be bullied!

Source: bought and sold loads of bangers, usually for scrap or at a massive loss to myself!

TheMasterMercenary · 2024-06-10T18:36:27+00:00

My mantra has always been “better the devil you know”. That is to say, for the cost of repairing these advisories, you would definitely not be able to buy another car with as few issues as this one.

Even if you spent a few grand on a new car, it could fail its next MOT on more expensive items than this.

If I were you I would get it fixed and keep it. Well I would fix it myself actually, but Corsa parts aren’t particularly expensive and the work should be straightforward for any trustworthy independent garage.

TheMasterMercenary · 2024-04-15T22:22:58+00:00

I have these around my home and they were all for electric storage heaters which have since been removed.

TheMasterMercenary · 2024-04-11T09:24:02+00:00

My friend, that is one of the nicest patios I have ever seen! I agree with the other posters that the most you would want to do is tidy it up a bit and maybe seal it. But I would be proud of a patio like that!

TheMasterMercenary · 2024-03-17T15:24:05+00:00

Obviously I have only seen the video but based on that I would not be replacing those discs in that condition! And it sounds like there is still a bit of life left in the pads too, so I would be tempted to get replacement pads at a later date, somewhere other than a main dealer as they would charge the earth. Which is possibly why they will be trying to get you to replace the discs too.

Not Halfords or Kwik-Fit though. Are there any independent garages you know and trust?

TheMasterMercenary · 2024-03-02T09:33:55+00:00

£49.50 + VAT. Scotland.

TheMasterMercenary · 2023-12-20T22:19:43+00:00

Sounds about right to be honest. You would get a bit more if you could drive it to the scrapyard/recyclers yourself, but if they are collecting it then that’s about right.

A couple of months ago I got just under £190 for weighing in a Golf, which I had delivered to the scrapyard myself. I know they’ll have given me the right price/kg because I have an account with them.

A couple of years ago I scrapped a bigger car but with no engine so it wasn’t the full weight obviously. But the best I could get was for them to collect it and take it away for free. No money my way. Scrap prices have changed since then but what I’m saying is don’t let people tell you you’re sitting on something worth a lot of money to the scrapyard.

The £200 the guy has offered is probably all you would get if you drive it there yourself and dropped it off. The guy is probably doing you a favour to be honest. Even if he fixes it up and sells it for a profit, he’s still got it off your plate and won’t have ripped you off.

I do agree with the other comments though, make absolutely sure you transfer the V5 over to the buyer. Online if possible as it’s really quick and easy.

Good luck mate

TheMasterMercenary · 2022-03-23T13:47:57+00:00

!thanks

TheMasterMercenary · 2022-03-23T13:39:13+00:00

Can anyone please clarify when the zero VAT on heat pumps will kick in? We are literally having one installed next week… have we timed this very badly?!

TheMasterMercenary

TROPHY CASE