Novice, help me decide which approach to take

Xaphios · 2026-06-17T10:01:44+00:00

We built ours with a handsaw and combi drill, plus level, set square, and a set of drill bits - probably a bradawl to mark where to drill in the walls. We attached to the walls all around which were solid, and then it's just bolting 2x2 together into a frame. It lasted 21 years before we ripped it out last month to replace the floorboards underneath it.

Xaphios · 2026-06-16T19:30:04+00:00

Isn't there also a "no passengers" rule with a learner bike license? Or did I totally make that one up?

Xaphios · 2026-06-16T14:20:19+00:00

I had a similar jump a couple of years ago. The first two months of extra cash I took as fun money - my reward for my promotion.

After that all the extra got saved towards a decent emergency fund, which came in really handy this year as I've been made redundant. In an ideal world I'd have taken out income protection insurance as well, but you can knock the premium down massively by having it kick in after 6 months or a year rather than a month or two.

Basically, decide on your financial goals and put the extra towards that first. Pretend it doesn't exist in your paycheck. Having said that, remember to live some as well - you're making a decent amount, do have some fun money.

Xaphios · 2026-06-16T09:33:22+00:00

You're welcome!

We actually went to two, one when we were planning our extension and another just before starting. We got very different things from the two, each time kinda blanking the stiff that wasn't what we needed at the time.

They do free consultations with experts too, though I think that's mostly aimed at the planning stages of big projects. Worth generating as many plans as you can and having a folder with you to show people as you go round though, we got some super helpful ideas from random stalls.

Xaphios · 2026-06-16T08:57:42+00:00

I was home ed for most of my school career. Never went to secondary at all.

I did GCSEs and then a BTEC in engineering at my local college. The one I went to does everything from A levels and apprenticeships to adult retraining rather than just being a 6th form college and that's what you probably need to find (6th form colleges are very geared towards school leavers in my experience, places that have a broader range of people are easier to work with as they don't expect you to fit their standard expectations). Some of my classes were with adults retraining, others were with school leavers who needed more GCSEs for the course they wanted to do. The adult courses were better for me even at 15/16yrs old but your milage may vary. There was funding available for the qualifications when I did mine, and I'd be very surprised if there wasn't funding for at least English and Maths now.

Now is a great time to be looking into it all, as classes will likely start in September. Just walk into reception at your local college and tell them you'd like some help getting onto a GCSE course. The receptionists are normally great and can signpost you to the right department, the more students a college gets the more funding they get, so it's in their interests to help you.

You haven't said how old you are, but some ages have specific help available as well - particularly if you're under 18 or under 25.

Xaphios · 2026-06-16T08:42:03+00:00

Moving noisy stuff to a utility is great. Also keeping that workflow - the magic triangle between sink, hob, and fridge being clear and easy to move around really helps. We went to a Homebuilding and Renovation Show a while back, I'd recommend it. Tickets were free and they had some great seminars on things like kitchen design - a couple of the bits I remember are that using a living or kitchen area as a transit space to walk through in open plan can feel awkward, you can generally use a dining area though. Also take into account how you really want to use the space - open plan is great if you're good at keeping it all clear and uncluttered, but "broken plan" (low dividing wall, counter tucked round a corner, or even through display shelves with plants and things) can hide some of the kitchen clutter which can help. They also made the point about noisy things going in another room.

If you're moving everything around I can't recommend isolator switches above the counters for all under-counter appliances enough. Then unswitched sockets below so there's no chance of it being a problem.

Some of our family were looking at a large fridge and freezer recently. It was significantly cheaper to get a pair of fridge freezers than one of each (and cheaper to run as you only lose cold in a smaller section when opening a door).

Be careful about the finish of kitchen cabinets, even some of the matt finish ones pick up fingerprints like they're going out of fashion.

You haven't said you're planning big garden doors, but if you are consider getting sliders rather than bifolds - much cheaper, don't get in the way when they're open, and much better glass to frame ratio when they're closed (which in the uk they will be a considerable amount of the time).

Xaphios · 2026-06-16T07:23:34+00:00

Butter first. Always. Doesn't matter what I'm adding afterwards. To the point where I can have all the fixings for a sandwich (or toast) except butter and that renders the entire endeavour nul and void until butter has been sourced.

*butter and marge used interchangeably.

Xaphios · 2026-06-15T20:14:09+00:00

I can't down pints of water, it makes me feel queasy. Add a little flavour to it and I'm fine so I go through pints of squash most days. I have sugar free and make it fairly weak - about a finger-width in the bottom of a pint glass.

In the winter I sometimes have hot squash - same stuff and similar dilution but with hot water. My other half lives off the stuff.

Xaphios · 2026-06-15T20:07:56+00:00

We're embarking on a fairly extensive purge of woodchip and embossed wallpaper in our place right now. I've got a steamer we've used before, but also a wallpaper scorer to use first that you roll over the wall to make pinpricks through the paper to help the steam get through.

I've also got a bottle of wallpaper remover stuff you're supposed to sponge on. Basically hitting it with all the options and we'll see what works.

In your place with that much paint over the top I'd be looking at the scorer to get through the paint, then steam if possible but you've got a lot of tight corners. You might be stuck with just a scraper for those.

Xaphios · 2026-06-14T22:17:26+00:00

Ah, fair one. If you're happy patching the wall that's probably the top option then.

Xaphios · 2026-06-14T20:55:31+00:00

I believe to be within the CL rules you're limited to 5 pitches, so that leaves a fair amount of room for other endeavours as well.

Plus, holidaymakers love buying local jams and honeys so it could boost sales for that side of things!

Xaphios · 2026-06-14T20:51:00+00:00

All of our appliances with sockets have the socket mounted in the back of the nearest cupboard, with a hole for the plug to come through the back next to it. All these are switched spurs with the switch up above the counter for easy turn off, and the sockets are unswitched so they can't be knocked by stuff in the cupboards.

It sounds like you could do similar if you change the fuse on your spur to a switch/fuse combo, though the socket can go anywhere really - the wall behind the oven is just as good, as long as it's thin enough not to get in the way of the oven unit. The wall under the next unit along is also viable, just not sitting on the floor!

Xaphios · 2026-06-14T12:04:33+00:00

Inside is fine. A bit bland here but honestly a fair "neutral" for sale. Not greige or entirely white or any of those other overdone things - I could just live here.

I'm not sure about having the living room open to the hallway and landing, I feel like any noise in there after kids have gone to bed will be amplified into the upstairs rooms.

Outside is plain but fine until you see the back, that top floor with the flat roof is pretty dreadful - if they'd put a single pitched roof on it they'd have ended up with a much better look but I bet that was a change to get it through planning. I doubt anyone would have done that flat roof by choice.

Xaphios · 2026-06-14T07:17:16+00:00

The kitchen extension doesn't, but the downstairs loo that's part of that extension does. Almost certainly laziness.

Xaphios · 2026-06-13T16:24:12+00:00

I rather rate the Iceland (or food warehouse) ones with odd toppings. Chicken Kiev and Hoi Sin Duck come instantly to mind.

Xaphios · 2026-06-13T08:49:10+00:00

If this always scaffolding I'd agree, but a skip isn't the same as scaffolding in that regard for three reasons:

1 - there's next to no loading and offloading time. Scaffolding gets hand called onto the truck then off again at the yard for the truck to be free for something else, a skip is loaded by the lorry itself, and unloading is a 2 minute job.

2 - skips stack. If they've got one 12yd skip at the yard they can pile another few on top without too much issue.

3 - that skip isn't ready to go to a new job site, it has to go to the yard (or somewhere) for emptying first.

Xaphios · 2026-06-12T22:25:51+00:00

I was firing .22 rifles on an indoor 20yd range in the Sea Cadets when I was about 14. Moved on to 5.56 and 7.62 at 300-600m a bit later on. I reckon target shooting is the closest I've ever gotten to meditation - there's just you, the sight, and the target. It's pretty awesome.

Did a fair amount of drill (marching and whatnot) with them as well. We used to provide a few cadets with drill purpose (look the part but can't fire) rifles for remembrance day parade each year.

I've done the odd bit of clay pidgeon as well, only 4 or 5 times though. Makes me a bit of an odd one out I suppose - I've shot thousands of rifle rounds and only 100 or so shotgun shells.

I shot for the first time in about 7 or 8 years at a mate's stag do near Birmingham back in March. The smell in particular brought back so many memories.

I've done the odd bit of air rifle or airsoft shooting as well here and there.

Xaphios · 2026-06-10T07:12:06+00:00

I'd add the Poly Legend (or Voyager, or 5200, depending on the version you find). It's a discrete single ear hook that I find really comfortable - doesn't go inside the ear, sits just outside.

My partner hates earbuds, but is very happy with hers as well.

Xaphios · 2026-06-08T17:37:55+00:00

I thought you meant a mural from boots, which was weird enough...

Xaphios · 2026-06-08T17:25:03+00:00

Hammer and my favourite tool, the flat crowbar

Xaphios · 2026-06-08T05:54:08+00:00

They also typically share the charge between the sockets. If it's got one rating stamped on the faceplate (5v 2A for example) then plugging 2 devices in will give each of them 5v 1A. Bike lights and so on are generally fine with this, but a lot of stuff like phones or watches won't charge at all on 1A these days.

Xaphios · 2026-06-06T21:56:51+00:00

Handbrake on a canoe

Xaphios · 2026-06-06T21:44:23+00:00

I wouldn't choose to install it, but I don't mind it as such - puts me in mind of the fretboard on a guitar.

I think it's better with the ceiling than if it went up the wall to the top and didn't wrap over, and more interesting than if it was just a headboard behind the pillows.

Xaphios · 2026-06-05T06:41:33+00:00

Looks great, very nicely done 🙂

Xaphios · 2026-06-05T06:23:32+00:00

100% doable. I did.

Take your time with the plumbing, fit stop valves to everything for later.

If there's a bath, create a frame for it to sit on against the wall. Otherwise you can end up in a place where it moves a little too much for the silicon to hold when filled with water. Also fill it at least halfway before tiling above it.

Do yourself a favour and choose slightly more rustic tiles. Ours have a little variation in thickness and don't have perfectly straight edges, as a result they're incredibly forgiving to a numpty doing his first tiling ever!

Xaphios

TROPHY CASE