The Home Improvements Thread (2)

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Tinuva said:
costs no extra in electricity nor things that pack up like your heater towel rail
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I‘ve used a plugin one for the last 18 years - reliable and dries wet towels nicely. Got an adjustable thermometer. Also heats towels when required. Can really recommend them
Don’t you guys like spoiling the women in your life?
 
surface said:
I find it really surprising that no one ever recommends architects they have used on this or any other forums. I have frequently asked here, on carbonite and even on WA groups of our complex. One gets lot of people saying they used architects but after that, it is big silence.

I sometimes wonder about this.
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My architect was decent, but expensive.
I also won't use him again because he was somewhat persistent I use his recommended builder - who turned out to be an enormous turd knuckle.
 
surface said:
I find it really surprising that no one ever recommends architects they have used on this or any other forums. I have frequently asked here, on carbonite and even on WA groups of our complex. One gets lot of people saying they used architects but after that, it is big silence.

I sometimes wonder about this.
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For complete projects, architects are pretty standard on the way they charge. Most architecture firms make their money from the project management aspect and not drawing up the plans.

As for small jobs, shop around. Different guys will charge differently, and some will only charge once the plans go through approval.
 
PhireSide said:
Case in point:

Rubbish collection day is Friday for our area. There are so many bags in our little receptacle that I can't even put my bags in if I wanted to-

View attachment 1059111
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Today's update:

The garbage was collected early this AM and it seems like, again, trash was strewn across the verge. Not as much this time but from what I could see there were some medicinal salve tubes, beer bottles, vacuum cleaner bags and a few other odds and ends.

The irony of the matter is that our bags weren't even put out because we hired a skip during the week and placed all our bags in it when they collected it.

I'll see how long it takes for another bag to appear in the receptacle next week. I do wish there was a way to rig a camera to watch that section of the verge, just temporarily at least, so I can catch the cuplrits.
 
PhireSide said:
Today's update:

The garbage was collected early this AM and it seems like, again, trash was strewn across the verge. Not as much this time but from what I could see there were some medicinal salve tubes, beer bottles, vacuum cleaner bags and a few other odds and ends.

The irony of the matter is that our bags weren't even put out because we hired a skip during the week and placed all our bags in it when they collected it.

I'll see how long it takes for another bag to appear in the receptacle next week. I do wish there was a way to rig a camera to watch that section of the verge, just temporarily at least, so I can catch the cuplrits.
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All you need is power close by and you can rig a wyze cam V3.. has great motion detection and the app will notify you immediately if motion is detected and record a 12 second clip thereof..
 
WAslayer said:
All you need is power close by and you can rig a wyze cam V3.. has great motion detection and the app will notify you immediately if motion is detected and record a 12 second clip thereof..
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Thanks, I'll look into this.

The closest power is around 35m away but we are going to be putting in a motorised gate once the property registration goes through, so we can always tap off from there.
 
Steamy Tom said:
you could always hook the cam up to a battery temporarily.
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I was looking at the battery powered ones now actually. I do have a powerbank that I can hook up to my Xiaomi camera, but I think it wouldn't last longer than a few hours at most. I don't know when these people put the bags in the bin either, so I would need to leave it unattended for a few days.

I see some sites sell solar security (try saying that five times in a row) cameras, so I might do a little site survey and see what WiFi coverage is like by the gate. It's a bit far away so I think I might need to go for one with local storage to an SD card or similar.
 
PhireSide said:
I was looking at the battery powered ones now actually. I do have a powerbank that I can hook up to my Xiaomi camera, but I think it wouldn't last longer than a few hours at most. I don't know when these people put the bags in the bin either, so I would need to leave it unattended for a few days.

I see some sites sell solar security (try saying that five times in a row) cameras, so I might do a little site survey and see what WiFi coverage is like by the gate. It's a bit far away so I think I might need to go for one with local storage to an SD card or similar.
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Why did I say that in a Sean Connery accent?
 
Maybe, as a start, draft a note explaining the problem and stating that you, as well as several thousand Mybroadband readers, find this unacceptable and that you will be taking measures to identify the perps. Take this round to each of the neighbouring homeowners over the weekend and engage with them without directly accusing them. At least they have then been warned.
 
in the meantime, put up a fake camera very obviously pointing in the general vacinity

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@PhireSide I had this problem with people using my bin when living in a complex. Made and laminated a sign
stating that i pay for the bin and that they can get their own. If not i'll go through the trash and identify the culprit.
Didn't work.... so i found the guilty fck and threw the trash over his wall.
That worked.
 
PhireSide said:
Today's update:

The garbage was collected early this AM and it seems like, again, trash was strewn across the verge. Not as much this time but from what I could see there were some medicinal salve tubes, beer bottles, vacuum cleaner bags and a few other odds and ends.

The irony of the matter is that our bags weren't even put out because we hired a skip during the week and placed all our bags in it when they collected it.

I'll see how long it takes for another bag to appear in the receptacle next week. I do wish there was a way to rig a camera to watch that section of the verge, just temporarily at least, so I can catch the cuplrits.
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Does it happen to only your house (and outside area of your house) in that street?
 
surface said:
Does it happen to only your house (and outside area of your house) in that street?
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Only ours. as far as I can tell.

As I've said I can understand that the people in the panhandle behind us would need to place their bags on our verge - that much I understand and I have made peace with. It's the guy across the road who puts his bags on our verge that I do not get. He has a perfectly good verge that he can make use of - why put your flimsy bags that tear when someone so much as looks at it on someone else's lawn and make it their problem?

Actually, typing that last sentence made perfectly good sense as to why he does it - why pick up your own trash when the dwis across the road can do it for you?
 
PhireSide said:
Only ours. as far as I can tell.

As I've said I can understand that the people in the panhandle behind us would need to place their bags on our verge - that much I understand and I have made peace with. It's the guy across the road who puts his bags on our verge that I do not get. He has a perfectly good verge that he can make use of - why put your flimsy bags that tear when someone so much as looks at it on someone else's lawn and make it their problem?

Actually, typing that last sentence made perfectly good sense as to why he does it - why pick up your own trash when the dwis across the road can do it for you?
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You almost answered it...... It's because they are the P0este.
 
I learned two things today:

1. Aluminium blade on a compound mitre saw makes cutting aluminium edging for laminate flooring and steps an absolute pleasure. Perfect and clean cuts every time, and easy to trim off just a little at a time for a good fit.

2. If you cut aluminium on your mitre it will try to kill you in many ways. Have to wear goggles. Also had a 5cm offcut piece of aluminium fly at my gentleman sausage at a speed that would make space x rockets look like potatoe guns.
 
Alright clever folks, any bright Ideas on sealing these overlapping seams so they are rain tight..?

I put up two tarpaulins, cause I could not find a single one big enough to cover the area at a cheap enough cost to justify the temporary usage of it, and I now need to make this water tight.. I was thinking contact adhesive with a waterproof tape of some kind on either side..?

I will be installing at an angle for any rain to run off and not gather and putting strain on what would hopefully be the sealed overlapping seams..

3f352e455730ee4829b765485b010b56.jpg
 
WAslayer said:
Alright clever folks, any bright Ideas on sealing these overlapping seams so they are rain tight..?

I put up two tarpaulins, cause I could not find a single one big enough to cover the area at a cheap enough cost to justify the temporary usage of it, and I now need to make this water tight.. I was thinking contact adhesive with a waterproof tape of some kind on either side..?

I will be installing at an angle for any rain to run off and not gather and putting strain on what would hopefully be the sealed overlapping seams..

3f352e455730ee4829b765485b010b56.jpg
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With some shade cloth I have used a thin strip of wood and wrapped both pieces around it a few times, fixed with staples and fitted with the "top" piece spilling over the "lower" , if that makes sense.
With it being shadecloth waterproofing was not my main goal but it worked fairly well and kept it taunt.
 
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