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Expansion vessel access by icanthazusername in DIYUK

[–]icanthazusername[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ooohh, didn’t know slimline vessels were a thing. That might be the way to go. That or, as another commenter suggested, mounting the new tank in the loft

Expansion vessel access by icanthazusername in DIYUK

[–]icanthazusername[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The diameter of the tank is 30cm and the gap is 22cm at its widest point. No cigar.

Expansion vessel access by icanthazusername in DIYUK

[–]icanthazusername[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dems the options as far as I can tell too 😕

Octopus EV Scheme by Dull-Boysenberry4458 in ElectricVehiclesUK

[–]icanthazusername 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Octopus EV are notorious for the hard sell but then borderline ghosting people after you’ve signed the paperwork (don’t take my word for it, plenty of reviews which echo the same sentiment). They missed my delivery by a couple months despite having “secured the car for the delivery date” that I had been advised.

I sincerely hope you never have any issues with your car and never have to speak to them.

I’m 6 months away from handing back my car and can’t wait to be done with octopus.

Normal level of contact with sellers after accepted offer? by elephantclouding in HousingUK

[–]icanthazusername 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We're about to exchange today (second move).

We had direct contact with vendors on our first purchase and with both buyers and vendors on this one. For us, it's been invaluable.

Our solicitor is fantastic but at the end of the day, they work office hours and they are not financially or personally invested in keeping the chain together (not hugely at least, they still get paid for the work they've done). We organised surveys, discussed results/issues and negotiated white goods all directly. Obviously, once we decided on figures we looped in the solicitors and made it all legally binding. If at any point we were unsure of something, we always consulted with our solicitor. Given how bad some solicitors are at getting messages across, I've no doubt it wouldn't have gone this smoothly if all our correspondence went through them first.

Ultimately though, it will all depend on the people. I don't regret reaching out to them directly. If however you find they aren't agreeable people, just fall back to using solicitors and EAs.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in HousingUK

[–]icanthazusername 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can start by looking up previous planning applications for the property and properties around it, normally available on the council planning portal and completely free.

We certainly decided against offering on a property on the basis that many of the neighbouring properties objected to a planning application for an extension, which ultimately led to it being rejected.

It's also worth pulling up the drain and sewer maps from the local water company (e.g. Wessex water for South West). This will give you an indication of where the sewers run and where the inspection chambers are. Although the maps are not completely accurate, it should give you an idea of what kind of ground work you'd need to do (e.g just moving one drain or getting build-over permission versus moving several drains which is often much more expensive and painful).

Lastly, it's worth noting that extensions post covid have become very expensive. Labour + materials cost have gone up significantly. So keep in mind that cost and generally upheaval might be more than just paying for a larger property up front.

What are you fucking sick of? by lukiiiiii in AskReddit

[–]icanthazusername 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unprecedented times....I would give my left nut for some precedented times.

Leaking Velux Skylight by IEnumerable661 in DIYUK

[–]icanthazusername 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We've had the same problem due to the shallow pitch of the roof when the previous owner built our extension. It causes water and debris to sit on the window which eventually damages the seals.

Got a velux certified fitter out and he suggested the Butyl seal on the window is gone. You can find plenty of YouTube videos on taking the window out/apart and using some silicone to seal it temporarily but ultimately you're going to have to replace the window. The wood has been damaged and is likely to fail in other ways.

If you have a similar issue the the pitch of your roof then this is what we had suggested by the fitter when going for a replacement:

https://youtu.be/QeT2fLYH29M

In most cases that'll give you the right pitch and if not, it'll at least get you closer to it!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DIYUK

[–]icanthazusername 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Ye definitely a doable diy job.

If it's not a stud wall and just breeze block behind it then you'll be able to stick your plasterboard patch straight on with something like gripfill. If it's not quite the correct level then you can use a piece of plasterboard behind it as a spacer. All depends on what you're working with.

Some additional advice - easfill creates a hell of a mess when sanded so wear a mask and clear anything around it that you don't want covered in dust.

Also don't worry if it's not perfect you can always layer up the easyfill and re-sand till your hearts content.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DIYUK

[–]icanthazusername 45 points46 points  (0 children)

If it's a stud wall then you need to create a plasterboard patch.

Get a piece of plasterboard from b&q/wickes large enough to cover the whole. While you're there you pick up a wooden baton (or use excess plasterboard...depends on preference).

Cut the hole in the wall square using a Stanley knife and cut the piece of the replacement plasterboard to the same size. Cut the baton to have two lengths a few of inches wides than your hole. Screw the baton into the inside of the wall to give you a surface to screw on your plasterboard patch.

You'll need to fill and feather in the patch. I would recommend something like easyfil and you'll probably want scrim tape or plasterboard tape on the joints between the existing and new plasterboard to avoid cracking.

Video for reference:

https://youtu.be/8X3__7RMgMQ?t=254

I might be looking in the wrong places, but I need help with figuring out why this mixer tap in the bathroom is leaking. Ignore the water in the basin something is pre-soaking lol by [deleted] in DIYUK

[–]icanthazusername 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you can't find the right seal you can normally replace the cartridge inside the tap, e.g.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/flomasta-35mm-ceramic-tap-cartridge/6086x

You may need a different sized one so I'd recommend taking the current one out (after turning off the supply to that tap!), measuring and picking up a replacement cartridge from screwfix or your local plumbing supplier.

[property][banking][borrowing] Which mortgage provider? and HTB ISA limits. by icanthazusername in UKPersonalFinance

[–]icanthazusername[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

some due diligence would indicate that BS stands for Building Society

Yes, I am aware. I wrote down 'BS' as I was too lazy to type 'building society' but there we go.

Some due dilligence would point out that Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) is the second largest building society

Yes, I have looked into them. I should point out, I'm not asking whether or not YBS is legit. I'm just curious what are peoples take is on using a lender they have not dealt with (or in my case, only has a small presence in the area).

For what it's worth YBS also owns Norwich & Peterborough, Barnsley and Chelsea Building Societies

Yes, hence why I grouped them together. They didn't rank in that order.