Bodgers, bloody bodgers everywhere!!!

Bodgers, bloody bodgers everywhere!!!

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Discussion

FreeLitres

6,049 posts

178 months

Monday 24th July 2017
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Prohibiting said:
...but then you'd be faced with my primary security system:
I have to say, your dog/tortoise hybrid is a true stroke of genius.

TonyRPH

12,977 posts

169 months

Tuesday 25th July 2017
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I have lived in my house for 20 years, and even now I'm still exposing bodges from the previous owners.

  • Circular saw used to cut through floor boards in bathroom, at the same time they sliced into electrical cables under said floor
  • Large chunks removed from joists to allow for (microbore!) central heating pipes, leaving weakened joists
  • Standard 13A electrical cable run up the garden to the "greenhouse"
  • Old clothing used as insulation in the loft...
  • Other floorboards cut through, but not over a joist, so leaving a creaking mess because it was just bodged back in with nails and a thin piece of wood
  • Slanted porch roof (with tiles) only fixed to the wall with flashing... (one day I just happened to notice the roof was pulling away from the wall...)
  • Above mentioned roof was constructed on top of existing flat roof which had rotted
Amazingly much of this when the house was owned by a builder / joiner!

8-P

2,758 posts

261 months

Tuesday 25th July 2017
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ShampooEfficient said:
Those screwheads would drive me loopy. Put them all vertical or all horizontal for God's sake!
Seconded, had to do my whole house when we moved in biggrin Wife thinks Im mad

RC1807

12,543 posts

169 months

Wednesday 26th July 2017
quotequote all
8-P said:
ShampooEfficient said:
Those screwheads would drive me loopy. Put them all vertical or all horizontal for God's sake!
Seconded, had to do my whole house when we moved in biggrin Wife thinks Im mad
Is your house made of Meccano?

Zetec-S

5,884 posts

94 months

Wednesday 26th July 2017
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Some Gump said:
I don't see how that is secure tho?
The lock is totally defeated by the hasp on the right which can be removed with a spanner, or in this case with big slots like that, even a well wielded spoon, spade edge, part of a bbq whatever.
Why do people put garden locks o with anything other than 1 way security bolts? Why are they designed with all exposed fixings? I'd's madness, I tell yee!
It's more secure than nothing though, it's main aim is to stop someone casually wandering in. If someone is prepared to climb over and undo it then they're probably just as happy to lever the whole thing open with a crowbar.

Many years ago some scrotes broke into our garden shed and nicked a mountain bike and lawnmower. Both covered by insurance, but in some ways the biggest ball ache was the fact they'd pretty much busted the entire shed door to get in rage In hindsight it would have been much less hassle if they'd just unscrewed the bolt.

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

55 months

Wednesday 26th July 2017
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The old that owned my house before me was a bodger. I know it was him because he owned the house from new, in 1970.

In the 18 months that I've lived here I have found/had to fix:

1. Loft lights powered by doorbell wire badly spurred off the immersion heater.
2. 4 kitchen sockets powered from a set of scotch-locks on the wire coming out the back of the oven.
3. A wall mounted oven tiled in to the floor.
4. All taps on backwards.
5. Holes in the walls (from presumably an old boiler) just wallpapered over.
6. Drain covers concreted over in the garden/round the side.
7. Wasps nests in the walls because of aforementioned holes in the walls.
8. Central heating system fused with a brass screw.
9. 4 plug sockets spurred off the central heating master switch.
10. Un-isolated power shower
11. 1 wall socket that is permanently live - I can't switch it off from the fusebox. (Still haven't sorted)
12. 2 wall lights that are permanently live - not on the lighting ring and no switch to turn them off. Want them off? Take out the bulb. (again, still not fixed)
13. Block paved driveway with, again, a buried cover.
14. Radiator in the spare room mounted upside down(!)

That's all I can remember off the top of my head.

If murder was legal I'd have killed him about 20 times.

andy43

9,730 posts

255 months

Wednesday 26th July 2017
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OpulentBob said:
The old that owned my house before me was a bodger. I know it was him because he owned the house from new, in 1970.

In the 18 months that I've lived here I have found/had to fix:

1. Loft lights powered by doorbell wire badly spurred off the immersion heater.
2. 4 kitchen sockets powered from a set of scotch-locks on the wire coming out the back of the oven.
3. A wall mounted oven tiled in to the floor.
4. All taps on backwards.
5. Holes in the walls (from presumably an old boiler) just wallpapered over.
6. Drain covers concreted over in the garden/round the side.
7. Wasps nests in the walls because of aforementioned holes in the walls.
8. Central heating system fused with a brass screw.
9. 4 plug sockets spurred off the central heating master switch.
10. Un-isolated power shower
11. 1 wall socket that is permanently live - I can't switch it off from the fusebox. (Still haven't sorted)
12. 2 wall lights that are permanently live - not on the lighting ring and no switch to turn them off. Want them off? Take out the bulb. (again, still not fixed)
13. Block paved driveway with, again, a buried cover.
14. Radiator in the spare room mounted upside down(!)

That's all I can remember off the top of my head.

If murder was legal I'd have killed him about 20 times.
My grandfather taught me everything I know.
He said to pass on his regards, and the switch for the wall lights is behind the built in cupboards in the box room smile

bobtail4x4

3,717 posts

110 months

Wednesday 26th July 2017
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11. 1 wall socket that is permanently live - I can't switch it off from the fusebox. (Still haven't sorted)
12. 2 wall lights that are permanently live - not on the lighting ring and no switch to turn them off.

meter bypass? it means a percentage of electric and light are free. I see it often on council types houses.

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

55 months

Wednesday 26th July 2017
quotequote all
bobtail4x4 said:
11. 1 wall socket that is permanently live - I can't switch it off from the fusebox. (Still haven't sorted)
12. 2 wall lights that are permanently live - not on the lighting ring and no switch to turn them off.

meter bypass? it means a percentage of electric and light are free. I see it often on council types houses.
The guy who lived here before was a retired architect and a sailor (judging by the boat the lived out the front and the 4 masts I've found in the garage rafters) - I've heard about meter bypasses before but I cannot for the life of my fathom why he needed it. There is no evidence of bodging around the meter either - if they've taken a feed from something it must come up from under the house. 2 wall lights and a stupid socket in the hallway, there is no logic to it. I'm too scared to start messing with live wires so going to call someone out for it. Not a council house, as far as I know has never been.

Greendubber

13,220 posts

204 months

Wednesday 26th July 2017
quotequote all
OpulentBob said:
The old that owned my house before me was a bodger. I know it was him because he owned the house from new, in 1970.

In the 18 months that I've lived here I have found/had to fix:

1. Loft lights powered by doorbell wire badly spurred off the immersion heater.
2. 4 kitchen sockets powered from a set of scotch-locks on the wire coming out the back of the oven.
3. A wall mounted oven tiled in to the floor.
4. All taps on backwards.
5. Holes in the walls (from presumably an old boiler) just wallpapered over.
6. Drain covers concreted over in the garden/round the side.
7. Wasps nests in the walls because of aforementioned holes in the walls.
8. Central heating system fused with a brass screw.
9. 4 plug sockets spurred off the central heating master switch.
10. Un-isolated power shower
11. 1 wall socket that is permanently live - I can't switch it off from the fusebox. (Still haven't sorted)
12. 2 wall lights that are permanently live - not on the lighting ring and no switch to turn them off. Want them off? Take out the bulb. (again, still not fixed)
13. Block paved driveway with, again, a buried cover.
14. Radiator in the spare room mounted upside down(!)

That's all I can remember off the top of my head.

If murder was legal I'd have killed him about 20 times.
Sounds like the same old idiot who I got my first house off smile

Had similar thoughts about murder too over the years I lived there putting it all right hehe