Our build thread, renovation and extension
Discussion
Before I go out and buy one of these I don't suppose anyone has one going spare?
https://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/Bosch-Gtl3-316...
https://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/Bosch-Gtl3-316...
I've already done it in my lunch hour! I will be using a grey grout .
I have a full day planned tomorrow (finish side door cladding, patch some bits of the ceiling, mount wall lights and maybe do the handrail on the stairs) Next week I will be prepping the floor, priming it and getting some lines drawn then possibly start tiling it the weekend after. I still need to choose a suitable threshold "ramp" if I am going to have one. The aim is to get the tiling done by the end of February which will give me March to play around with the winch mechanism and build a couple of gates before I start to get really busy in mid April with other things.
I have a full day planned tomorrow (finish side door cladding, patch some bits of the ceiling, mount wall lights and maybe do the handrail on the stairs) Next week I will be prepping the floor, priming it and getting some lines drawn then possibly start tiling it the weekend after. I still need to choose a suitable threshold "ramp" if I am going to have one. The aim is to get the tiling done by the end of February which will give me March to play around with the winch mechanism and build a couple of gates before I start to get really busy in mid April with other things.
Edited by Muncher on Friday 19th January 18:21
Managed to get the side door clad at the weekend, but not much else, I will post pics of that once I have cleaned it up and done the last few bits to finish it off, such as painting the door shuts grey. I also ordered the tile laser to see whether that helps.
I am thinking of using these tile trims on the front edge, any thoughts? I am going to stop the tiling at the point the garage door seal comes down and use the height difference between the tiled section and the bare slab to help stop water ingress, so the trim is just there to give me a straight starting line, make it look a little nicer and reduce the risk of the front edge of the tiles cracking when driven over.
The other option is something like these, but they are more than twice as expensive and I'm not sure they will be appreciably better at protecting the tiles but will probably be worse at stopping water ingress. Any thoughts?
I am thinking of using these tile trims on the front edge, any thoughts? I am going to stop the tiling at the point the garage door seal comes down and use the height difference between the tiled section and the bare slab to help stop water ingress, so the trim is just there to give me a straight starting line, make it look a little nicer and reduce the risk of the front edge of the tiles cracking when driven over.
The other option is something like these, but they are more than twice as expensive and I'm not sure they will be appreciably better at protecting the tiles but will probably be worse at stopping water ingress. Any thoughts?
85 down, 460 to go!
Fairly hard going, having to butter the backs of all of them. The lash clips which I bought from eBay were cheap for a reason, loads of them broke whilst fitting them with very little pressure. They all seem pretty level and square and hopefully all the beds are solid. Interestingly I don’t think they are quite as tough as the porcelain ones I used in the house.
I tried to keep everything as clean as possible, but that went out of the window towards the end, however after leaving them for about 4 hours to set I went back out, removed the clips, cleaned all the faces and cleaned out the grout joints. I think there’s another 4 or 5 full days left just to get the tiles down, probably one day a weekend for the next month. Should get a bit quicker but I think 4 bags (80kg of adhesive) is probably about as much as you would want to do in a day by the time you have cleaned everything up.
Monday night (2 bags laid)
Tuesday morning (clean up)
Wednesday night (thought I would go for 3 bags, error, finished at 1:30am!)
Thursday morning (clean up)
Friday morning (2 more bags and clean up)
Friday night (2 more bags)
Saturday morning (4 bags, smashed it that day!)
Sunday 4 bags)
This morning, cleaned up, all done
610 tiles, 400kg of tile adhesive used. Pretty happy with the result all things considered! Absolutely shattered now, my knees, back and arms are shot but glad that job is out of the way, I had expected just to do it in weekends and take about 6 weeks but I couldn't face it so decided to bash it out in 9 days.
I just need to get a floor polisher now as the area is far too big to do the final clean by hand, not to mention cleaning up the grout residue. The grout is a mid grey, which will hide the joints (not that they aren't straight).
Tuesday morning (clean up)
Wednesday night (thought I would go for 3 bags, error, finished at 1:30am!)
Thursday morning (clean up)
Friday morning (2 more bags and clean up)
Friday night (2 more bags)
Saturday morning (4 bags, smashed it that day!)
Sunday 4 bags)
This morning, cleaned up, all done
610 tiles, 400kg of tile adhesive used. Pretty happy with the result all things considered! Absolutely shattered now, my knees, back and arms are shot but glad that job is out of the way, I had expected just to do it in weekends and take about 6 weeks but I couldn't face it so decided to bash it out in 9 days.
I just need to get a floor polisher now as the area is far too big to do the final clean by hand, not to mention cleaning up the grout residue. The grout is a mid grey, which will hide the joints (not that they aren't straight).
Yes, pretty much the last big job, several smaller ones to do (make a couple of gates, garden lighting build a bin store, install 2 post lift, build workbench and plumb in sink and automate the garage staircase). They aren't minor jobs but they're ones I can largely do at my leisure. I've almost got to re-oil the floor in the house and do a few bits of redecorating.
The driveway is doing well actually. It compacts a bit where cars go over it regularly, but doesn't crush, it doesn't move about too much unless you wheelspin off the drive (looking at my mother there) in which case the hollows can just be filled in by moving it with your feet. I've not felt the need to get a rake out to re-level it and virtually no stone has migrated to the footpath, only a couple of bits i noticed this morning in fact which I just kicked back on. Overall very pleased with it, particularly how you can get away with it really quite deep in places with no problems.
I bought it from Silverton Aggregates in Ipswich, after a lot of phoning around. Their bag prices appear quite expensive but actually get fairly cheap when you want a whole 20 tonne load which they can do.
The driveway is doing well actually. It compacts a bit where cars go over it regularly, but doesn't crush, it doesn't move about too much unless you wheelspin off the drive (looking at my mother there) in which case the hollows can just be filled in by moving it with your feet. I've not felt the need to get a rake out to re-level it and virtually no stone has migrated to the footpath, only a couple of bits i noticed this morning in fact which I just kicked back on. Overall very pleased with it, particularly how you can get away with it really quite deep in places with no problems.
I bought it from Silverton Aggregates in Ipswich, after a lot of phoning around. Their bag prices appear quite expensive but actually get fairly cheap when you want a whole 20 tonne load which they can do.
Picked up a floor polisher for a song on eBay yesterday, seems to work wonders cleaning up and adhesive residue, the plan is to clean it up a bit tonight and then grout it at the weekend. The skirting has also arrived too, meaning I can probably get the VX in there over the next couple of weeks.
I could however do with a bit of advice as to how to how to make the staircase "safe".
The plan is for it to be lifted from the bottom, via a winch mounted on the ridge beam steel, in addition to that I am going to use either two seatbelts or fall arrestors, one on either side, so that should either a cable snap, or the winch fail, the belts will catch it.
I also want a third, physical stop, so that when the staircase is in the "up" position something like a scaffolding pole which spans the width of the gap moves into position. This could either be through a pivot at the far end, or probably better, using some kind of worm drive mechanism that moves it into position. I would like to automate it so that when the button is pressed to lower the stairs the roller blind type mechanism which covers the gap retracts, the safety bar retracts and the hoist then lowers the stairs. This is probably going to require the help of someone with a slightly different skillset to me however. Any volunteers?
I could however do with a bit of advice as to how to how to make the staircase "safe".
The plan is for it to be lifted from the bottom, via a winch mounted on the ridge beam steel, in addition to that I am going to use either two seatbelts or fall arrestors, one on either side, so that should either a cable snap, or the winch fail, the belts will catch it.
I also want a third, physical stop, so that when the staircase is in the "up" position something like a scaffolding pole which spans the width of the gap moves into position. This could either be through a pivot at the far end, or probably better, using some kind of worm drive mechanism that moves it into position. I would like to automate it so that when the button is pressed to lower the stairs the roller blind type mechanism which covers the gap retracts, the safety bar retracts and the hoist then lowers the stairs. This is probably going to require the help of someone with a slightly different skillset to me however. Any volunteers?
The floor is all done now, all the grout residue is up, which took plenty of cleaning, the polisher was incredibly useful, it would have been a nightmare without it quite frankly.
Today I fixed most of the skirting on, which should be finished later this week, in a few weeks I might actually have a car in there...
Oh and I had a little helper today...
Today I fixed most of the skirting on, which should be finished later this week, in a few weeks I might actually have a car in there...
Oh and I had a little helper today...
Edited by Muncher on Monday 5th March 09:57
souper said:
Going for a 2 post lift instead.
I'll be thinking of you whilst I roll around under my car on with my best bit of cardboard for comfort. 
I need to sort all the images out, I'm probably going to put them together into a single album in case people are interested in flicking through it.
I haven't got the 2 post lift in yet, I haven't had the time or the money. I want to sort the stairs and a work bench/cupboards at the end first, which I will probably do over the winter.
I haven't got the 2 post lift in yet, I haven't had the time or the money. I want to sort the stairs and a work bench/cupboards at the end first, which I will probably do over the winter.
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