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Posts Tagged ‘PVC<’
The last thing you really want in life is to have your kitchen sink drain burst just as you and your in-laws are washing up after Sunday lunch. Don’t wait until the inevitable happens – at the first sign of seepage get a Plumbing Quote from Mr-Skill. If you are handy here is how the job is done.
 o You will need the right drain replacement kit, a short piece of pvc pipe (to connect to the bottom of the drain trap), pvc glue, pipe cleaner, plumbers tape, an adjustable wrench of the right size, a medium-sized pipe wrench, a bucket, a connector sleeve (to attach the drain pipe to the existing pipe), a hacksaw, light grade sandpaper and lots of patience.
If you don’t have all this and don’t appreciate the thought of fitting yourself in under the kitchen sink either, don’t stress – Mr-Skill can help you Find a Plumber at no extra cost at all.
o Assemble the drain replacement kit according the instructions – remember to fit all the washers the right way round and apply plumbers tape where indicated. When done this should exactly match the existing part in terms of connection points etc. If not a perfect match abort the job and get the right part before proceeding further.
 o Put the bucket under the drain you wish to remove (it is full of dishwashing water) and cut through the pipe below the trap. Then you can unscrew the drain from where it attached to the underside of the sink and remove it, hopefully without messing dishwashing water everywhere.
o Smooth the cut edge of the pipe under the sink using the sandpaper and a twisting motion. Clean this up nicely afterwards, and the threaded bit under the sink too.
o Attach the assembled replacement drain to the underside of the sink remembering to use a generous amount of plumbers tape. Attach the connector sleeve to the stub of pipe with pvc glue and measure the gap between this and trap above. Cut a piece of pvc pipe to the right length, install this and you are ready to test your job when you are sure the glue is dry.
When I last had a Plumbing Job in London like this done they charged out two hours for labour. Friends tell me that sounds a little steep but then everything costs a bit more in the City, does it not.
Tags: assemble, attach, bucket, burst, cut, drain, drip, find a plumber, glue, leak, pipe, plumber london, plumber quote, plumber tape, plumbing job london, plumbing quote, PVC, replacement kit, sandpaper, saw, screw, seep, sink, sleeve, test, washer, wrench
Posted in Plumbing, Heating & Gas | 1 Comment »
Posted in Handyman Services on Feb 08
Sometimes it is necessary to cast a small non-load bearing concrete slab outside in the garden. There are many reasons why you may need to this of which the following are just a few examples.
 o A foundation for a tiled sit-out
o A floor inside a garden shed
o A base for a small garden frame.
Before getting Handyman Quotes, here is how you could do the job yourself instead.
1. After carefully selecting a suitable site and considering water drainage mark the area out with string. Remove an area of earth slightly larger than required, and deep enough, and line the area with strips of wood or other suitable shuttering.
2. Back fill the space outside the shuttering carefully for this is what will determine the outer edge of your finished slab. Compact the earth inside the strips of wood, adding earth and a little water as you go. Do this several times on at least two consecutive days until the surface is the right depth and as hard as a clay tennis court can be (one full brick height is about the right level of thickness to target). Line the space with pvc plastic right across and up all four sides.
3. Make up a good strong mix of concrete ensuring that the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Fill the space inside the shuttering half-way up. Lay pre-cut reinforcing bars across at regular intervals, tamp these down and add the rest of  the concrete. Use a straight edge across the shuttering to get things nice and level (sometimes Handyman London use a steel roller instead).
4. After a few hours when water is no longer lying on the surface scribe a line between the top edge of the concrete and the shuttering to prevent the joint from drying out. Six hours later or the following morning you will be able to gently tap the strips of wood away and remove them completely.
5. You now have the final opportunity to gently remove any surplus concrete with a metal float. Don’t be too hasty to tile over it though as concrete takes thirty days to fully cure.
Are you feeling tired already? Is your favourite television program calling you instead? Never mind about all that, just Find a Handyman on Mr-Skill to do a tidy job for you.
Tags: backfill, base, brick, compact, concrete, drainage, earth, find a handyman, float, floor, foundation, Garden, garden frame, handyman london, handyman quote, mix, pour, PVC, reinforce, reinforcing, scribe, shed, shuttering, site, slab, string, strip, surplus, tap, thickness, water, wood
Posted in Handyman Services | Comments Off
Whether you are thinking of moving or just improving, at this time of year our thoughts inevitably turn to sprucing up the outside of our house. First impressions definitely count and, whether it’s friends and family or potential buyers, visitors to your home will judge the outside before they even step foot in your house. If you are planning on putting your house on the market it’s worth remembering that viewers are buying into a lifestyle – you want to ensure that lifestyle looks as attractive as possible.
 Example of kerb appeal For instant kerb appeal, think about fitting a new front door. Whether wooden, PVC or glass, a new front door makes the world of difference to how the front of your house looks. If you have an existing wooden door, it may be possible just to paint your front door – an inexpensive way to make a big impact. However, unless you’re an aspiring artist it might be best to bring in a professional painter and decorator – drips of gloss or untidy edges can spoil the whole look in an instant.
Take this one step further and refurbish or paint your windows, fence and gates. The uniform look that this will achieve will far outweigh the extra financial outlay. Choosing the right colour is important – if you want to stand out from the crowd why not pick a bright colour that complements your neighbours’? This way you set your house apart but maximise on the collective look of the neighbourhood.
Pointing and tidying up your brickwork can transform the way your house looks. A good London builder will be able to do this quickly and easily. Our eyes enjoy symmetry and perfect brickwork looks a lot better than shabby, crumbling bricks and mortar. Especially if you are thinking of selling your home. You never get a second chance to make a first impression and, when you consider that it can take buyers as little as eight seconds to decide whether they want to buy a house, your property needs to look as good as possible at first glance.
If you are lucky enough to have a garden, make sure it looks as tidy as possible. A landscape gardener will be able to transform your garden into an oasis of calm and luxury, but you don’t have to blow your budget. If you can’t stretch to landscape gardening, simply planting a few flowers, re-turfing the lawn or even just giving it a trim and tidying the hedges can make a huge difference at a low cost. Our eyes are automatically drawn to the edges of a lawn so, if you don’t have the correct tools, get a gardener in to use a round edged lawn cutter to get a crisp, even finish. Planting a few bulbs and tidying borders also enhance the appearance of your garden easily, as does adding window boxes and hanging baskets. Gardeners are relatively inexpensive and you might find that it makes sense to get someone in to maintain your garden once you’ve got it looking spick and span – after all, you want to have time to enjoy it!
Hone your exterior style by tidying up paths and driveways using monoblock or, less expensively, woodchip, gravel or crazy paving. The former will give a gorgeously uniform look to the front of your house but, if price is a factor, woodchip, pebbles, gravel or crazy paving will achieve the look on a budget. Building a new wall to surround your entrance will finish off the look perfectly.
If you want to be a little more extravagant, why not consider creating a garden pond or water feature? The sound of running water is perfect for disguising traffic noise and giving your garden a tranquil feel. While this is a bigger job than simply tidying up the garden, the effect will definitely be worth it and will transform your outdoor space.
So, next time you get home after a long day at work, have a look at the front of your home and see what it says about you. After all, it’s the only bit of your home that 99% of people ever get to see. If you don’t feel it shows you in the best light, why not put together a ‘to-do’ list and get quotes from our tradesmen today?
Tags: bricks, brickwork, builder, building a pond, building a water feature, building garden wall, bushes, crazy paving, doing up house, drive, driveway, fence, front door, Garden, garden fence, garden wall, gardener, Gardening, gardens, gate, glass, gravel, hanging basket, Home Improvements, house, improve, landscape, landscape gardener, lawn, lay, London, monoblock, mortar, move, moving, mow, mowing the lawn, new, new front door, new windows, paint, painting fence, painting front door, painting windows, path, pebbles, plant, planting, planting bulbs, plants, pointing, prune, pruning, PVC, re-turf, re-turfing, re-turfing lawn, reconditioning windows, refurbish, refurbishing windows, renovate, shed, tidy, tidying, trim, turf, turfing, wall, window, window bo, windows, woodchip, wooden
Posted in Improving the appeal and value of your home | Comments Off
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