Daydream thread... without the rose-tinted specs

moneyistooshorttomention

I do do the getting in Mr A, B and C . Though that is a process that gets complicated sometimes by the number of firms who don't ring back when they say they will and you never hear from them again or they turn up/have a look/say they will quote and you've chased them several times since with no reply from them (just another promise to provide that quote).

I can tell within a couple of minutes how intelligent someone is just by looking at them and that's the first problem (due to the ratios - with a noticeable number of not very bright ones and very few intelligent ones). There simply aren't a high enough proportion of intelligent people. When I encountered Mr Dimmest on the Planet I literally hadn't realised JUST how dim some people can be and went off and googled to find out just how "low you can go and still function" and it came up as 70 IQ and I duly made mental notes on how to spot that low in future.

Maybe I'm a little naïve on this, but I expect them to know their jobs as well as I knew mine and to understand that the customer probably doesn't know the "technicalities" (particularly if they are a middle-aged to elderly woman - being a bit sexist here...but perfectly accurate in my case:rotfl:).

I don't tend to expect to have to learn a noticeable amount about their jobs before I book them. I expect them to realise customers just wont be au fait and explain the options to them. Not just think "I'll ignore what the customer said about double radiators and just work out my btus required per room" and explain to me how this btu calculation is made and that there are two variants there (does customer want it "normal" or "warm") and explain to me that radiators can be single or double convector and say that they presume I mean "double convector" when I say "double" (which is what I meant in fact). I didn't know about the btu calculations or some radiators have single/some double convectors when I started. When they chose wrongly, I found out at that point.

I think this is where the fault lies, ie with workmen thinking customers will have a level of technical knowledge that many of us don't possess and we only find out that sort of thing when we realise that something is "wrong" after the event and are trying to work out where it went wrong and how remediable it is. I guess some of their customers wouldn't understand if they explained, but many of us (including me) would understand and they should take a default setting of explaining to us and asking our opinions (rather than just doing what THEY want).

An error that came up on several jobs is exactly where to place something. Fortunately, I caught the workmen concerned most times and was able to say "Not there...there!" but I missed them on one occasion and something is now permanently wrongly sited. I cant follow them round watching literally every move they make, hence expecting them to come to me when decisions have to be made and ask me for MY decision and not go ahead with what THEY personally would decide and hence its wrong.

I do appreciate when workmen do explain. I was all set-up to choose a fire surround made from one material assuming that all I had to do was choose what type of material and style I wanted and that would be that (provided it fitted the space available). Fortunately, the man from one firm told me "That won't be good enough quality for YOU because of......". When he explained about how the fire surround would be in practice I quite agreed with him that it wouldn't be good enough quality for me and arranged to have a better-quality one. That's all it takes...just a little bit of thought on their part as to what "technicalities" the customer might well not know (precisely because they ARE the customer and not the workman).

Okays...as you were...rant over for the day. I'm still feeling pretty upset at the sheer number of mistakes they make just for the lack of using the tongue in their heads. I'm just so aware that this house is Final Destination house and hence its got to be "right" and its harder to cope with their mistakes than in my last house (as I always knew my last house was my Starter House from Day 1 even though, in the event I had to stay in it for many more years than I had anticipated). I just thought "You make all your mistakes on your Starter House and then it All Comes Right when you move to your next one/s". Duh!

Itismehonest

No, we can't be experts in all aspects of building, plumbing, drainage, carpentry, electrical work, roofing ............., moneyistooshorttomention.
It would be silly (not to say arrogant) to think we could.

The scale & type of work being done makes a difference to how involved homeowners get, too.
People who are out to work every day tend to want the workmen to do it all (including buying the products) as part of the job, where those with larger projects probably get more involved with the process.

Being your own "Purchase Dept." certainly helps. For instance, the workman may know how to install something but doesn't necessarily have the knowledge or experience to choose the best option available. A salesman at a really reputable company (not imvolved with the installation itself) should &, if the product turns out to be wrong, then they have big questions to answer. Always get advice from a number of different companies unless there's one you know you can really trust.

If someone hasn't got the time to do their own buying I'd always advise that they show a piccie or draw a sketch for the workers. OK, so it can become a bit like taking the dreaded photo to the hairdressers & saying "I want that" but, similarly, a good workman will turn round & say "That won't work or won't suit". If they have a good reason, then listen & either take the advice or, if possible, come to a good compromise. If it just sounds like a put-off because something else is easier to do then stick to your guns & press the point.

Many an hour has been spent with heads (mine & builder's) bent over books, internet or paper to make sure they know exactly the effect/item I was after.

The number of times I've been met with doubts or disbelief when asking for something that really tested a workman's skills but they've actually managed to achieve is amazing. They usually end up totally chuffed & bring prospective customers round to see their handiwork.

Sorry, another long post

COOLTRIKERCHICK

sounds as though I might have all this to come then.


now that we are exposing beans and wood etc, what ever doesn't need replacing is going to have a treatment of cuprinol 5


http://www.diy.com/nav/decor/paint-woodcare/general-wood-care/wood_treatment/Cuprinol-5-Star-Complete-Wood-Treatment-Clear-10298953?skuId=9261598


there are some woodworm holes in the wood at the top of the pine end, but considering the place is not far off 200 years old, you can expect that... stonemason said he couldn't see anything to say it was new...


so wonder how long the 5L size will last us...lol..


I am finding its the these types of needed that are niggling away at my money


but at least I can get just over 3% back via topcashback and order it with click and collect

lostinrates

CTC, we just spray everything for wood worm. Everything.


Its not worth the risk.


What we have found is that its not the bits we see, which have charming holes, its when you lift them out and the bits in the walls holding the place together are the bits crumbled away. I presume this is because previous treatments haven't been able to reach them in the walled in areas on the wood /beams/joists.

Itismehonest

If there's no sign in the house itself, CTC, it's just as likely that worm would come in with any old furniture you might pick up.
As LIR says, best to treat everything...... just don't paint the beams black, pleeeaaase.

Forgot to say I hope all the health problems with various Dreamer's family members are soon resolved. Tough times for you all.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

This is our intentions is to paint/zap everything we possibly can, and thinking about it, maybe any new wood that will be used to replace old should be done too..

lostinrates

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

This is our intentions is to paint/zap everything we possibly can, and thinking about it, maybe any new wood that will be used to replace old should be done too..

Yes, all wood. We also do any furniture we have had in the barn coming back in.

Davesnave

It's possible that heavy attacks at beam ends are because the beetles like damp wood and they are likely to absorb moisture from the walls.


I think having work done is just like other pretty complex things, so the amount you go into it depends upon your commitment and level of interest.


For example, I have a desktop publishing suite on the computer, but my level of interest in it is pretty low. In the right hands, it's a powerful tool, but in mine it just gets used for very basic things. In fact, I hark back to the days of a more simplistic program I had, which no longer works.


It's a bit like that when choosing heating for the house. Suddenly, there's a plethora of different alternatives, with eco incentives jumping around in there, just to complicate things even further.


You can't always foresee problems that will crop up, no matter how good the workmen you employ. Stuff just happens and then you have to live with it.


When we were doing the field and garden fencing last year, I left Pete to get on with it, because he's good. However, in the garden section he hit a small dip that I didn't know existed,so he did what any farmer would do and followed it with the fence rather than bridge over creating a weak spot in the posts or a place under which animals might escape. That would have been correct for a stock fence, but in the garden there's no stock to escape, so it would have looked better if he'd broken the rules.....:(

pink_poppy

Dave, I've pm'd you. Apologies in advance for the essay

rhiwfield

Many moons ago I recall Lir (I think) mentioning candle lamp sleeves?

So here I thought I'd give you a laugh on this shabby chic project that I picked up recently. It's about 16" tall if size matters
One
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Five

Outside a bed has been cleared (not by me ) and I'll be designing low maintenance paving/stonework over next week or so.