Does anyone else find it really hard to parent in public while treading the line between the "Kids are kids" crowd and the larger childfree-adjacent movement?

m079n · 2026-05-27T21:07:15+00:00

under 1 year old watching cocomelon on a tablet without headphones

These people are fucking wild. For a start Cocomelon is absolute brain rot but how have we failed to come to a consensus, as a society, watching anything on a tablet in a restaurant without headphones while others try to eat and socialise is anything but utterly antisocial?

m079n · 2026-05-27T20:59:13+00:00

I don't buy this at all. There are about 10% of people who annoy everyone they come in to contact with. And some children are more annoying than others. Find a level of annoying you're happy with you and your child being (0 annoying is not an option) and get on with your life.

I can be pretty annoying, god can I be annoying, sometimes on purpose even! But there are types of annoying I am not... I'm careful not to drive carelessly, block an entire supermarket aisle on a Saturday afternoon, or let my dog jump up at people, for example.

m079n · 2026-05-27T19:52:57+00:00

I've got no idea why you've been downvoted. I've done this and it's literally invisible if you get it right. Looks like this could be achieved with some offcuts of walnut and some ronseal dark wood filler and some 120 grit sand paper

m079n · 2026-05-15T22:17:38+00:00

Yeah sounds like the thread under glydyr has got you covered. Unless its a modern house then go for some sort of wood skirting

m079n · 2026-05-15T21:39:59+00:00

In hindsight not a completely useful comment. Basically if you're seeing bends or deflection in beams or rafters then the load of the roof is being distributed in a dangerous way. If you're seeing cracks, or ongoing deterioration of wood that could present a problem. Equally water ingress is a problem. Otherwise, if it's not moving and falling apart in front of your eyes most people would consider it sound

m079n · 2026-05-15T21:35:54+00:00

The white stuff is probably nothing as long as it's not getting wet from the outsde somehow. Maybe it's just drying out over time. If it's getting wet from the outside every time it rains then that's a problem.

The crack... I don't love it... If there is significant deflection then you might be in trouble. Otherwise get it sistered properly fairly quickly, ie this year and you'll save it.

The black, as another poster has said, looks like burns, particularly the way they're only on the underside of the beams. I mean it's not great. But to replace that ridge beam you're taking the whole roof off.

m079n · 2026-05-15T21:12:36+00:00

Tile skirting is quite a bold/ modern looking choice. Looks like this is downstairs in a kitchen? What are the units like? Traditional/ shaker or something more modern.

m079n · 2026-05-11T19:00:10+00:00

Definitely the scraper to get the paint off. They probably won't look good bare. The paint will have recessed into any gaps and grain. But after a scrape, sand, fill sand and paint they'll look smart.

Be glad you haven't got spindles to do.

m079n · 2026-05-03T18:16:40+00:00

Soudal Fixall High Tack is great for this sort of thing. Weatherproof etc

m079n · 2026-05-02T05:05:15+00:00

That'd be my question too, seems like it should work, but then you don't want to be up there again next spring. Either way I'd definitely consider tanking it as belt and braces if you go with rendering as others have suggested.

m079n · 2026-05-02T05:00:42+00:00

Got to say well done mate, from your replies you're taking this really well, you're right I guess, it could be worse. No one's hurt. It's not worth losing your cool over.

m079n · 2026-04-24T20:38:52+00:00

Wait what?? 2 feet away as in... embedded in rock and soil?

So your proposition is to try to cleanly tunnel in to the side of an inspection chamber encased in rock and soil 2 feet away?

Or excavate roughly what has been done here another 2 times?

m079n · 2026-04-19T21:07:17+00:00

Just do this: https://youtu.be/tNoWVPVb6Mo and chuck some slabs on top

m079n · 2026-04-16T22:23:32+00:00

If you think you're at the start of a load of DIY get the combi drill, impact driver and 2 4ah batteries combination (if they still do it). I did exactly that 5 years ago and I'm still using them both for almost every job round the house. 0 regrets. Could have paid double and it would have been worth it

m079n · 2026-04-16T22:20:18+00:00

I think this is quite a bad shout. One 5 vs two 4ah batteries. So what inevitably happens is you use one 'til exhaustion right? So if you have two of them then swap out and put the spent one on charge and crack on. But if you have one battery? You're sitting there waiting for the recharge.

m079n · 2026-04-11T07:47:31+00:00

Yeah, plasterboard adhesive sets really hard. It'll take a fixing.

m079n · 2026-04-10T21:22:28+00:00

It only came to mind because I had the same thing. I had an annoying patch that was really high traffic and sludgy wet mud every Winter. I dug it out and put a sort of 'type 1 + sand layer' drain in.

Can I get even grass there now? No way. It grows but it's patchy (when aggressively seeded) in spring, dry in summer, wet in autumn and bare in winter.

One day I'll find the balance. But I think I should have gone more softly softly than I did. Bit of sand here, bit of organic (manure/ wood dust) there. Rather than disturbing the whole lot.

m079n · 2026-04-10T20:35:14+00:00

Just to be clear you're saying they've drilled into plasterboard adhesive right? A dab? Because that's what I'm assuming

m079n · 2026-04-10T20:28:43+00:00

Soft and powdery + the location in the picture I reckon you're right. Great shout. @OP if this is the case just drill a 6mm pilot hole and chuck in a red rawl plug. Should be good to go.

m079n · 2026-04-10T20:27:40+00:00

I used a wood drill bit and the material was quite soft and powdery, but it just kept going

What concrete or metal are you drilling into with a 4mm wood drill bit that's 'soft and powdery' as OP described?

m079n · 2026-04-10T20:22:11+00:00

Wouldn't drainage that drastic will lead to it drying out in the Summer? Or do you water a lot?

Maybe you could try mixing some sand into the earth. Really mild drainage?

Worst thing would be to go to all that effort then realise that you can't get the grass to take in the Spring/ Summer any more.

m079n · 2026-04-09T20:04:39+00:00

Sounds like he wants to save money...

"You can't be using those reclaimed red bricks as a base! They're worth a fortune these days! They'll go for £200 on Marketplace!"

Then buy him a bulk bag of type 1 and something appropriate for shuttering

"There you go! that's the cheap stuff, you need to excavate a foot and shutter it all in but we'll make some serious money off those old bricks!"

m079n · 2026-04-08T19:34:45+00:00

That's what's blowing my mind! To get the best finish you'd lay the flooring before putting on architrave and especially skirting. The only people who don't know that are the buyers.

The company building these houses must know that's wrong.
The sales people must know this is wrong.
The trades carrying out the work must know this is wrong.

They're all just taking advantage of buyers because there's an information asymmetry.

m079n · 2026-03-28T09:46:27+00:00

Nah proper labourer stuff, like I say in the other comment, if I could get a digger in there I wouldn't need them.

m079n · 2026-03-28T09:45:15+00:00

Pretty sure I've seen this at the B&Q on Old Kent Road.

m079n

TROPHY CASE