Lime plastering

[bourbon]

Always have a go. I might not do a better job, but it's defiantly gonna be cheaper!

 

[Neilj]

This kind of attitude is one of my pet hates.

So many times in my life I had people say, "You need a specialist", "Can't be done without specialist tools" and in my experience in most cases it's total nonsense.

I've seen the work of people who profess to be experts where their work wasn't even half as good as mine. I know in many case that's because the job has to be finite and if I take 5 days to do something it doesn't matter to me but if I was paying someone for 5 days it would be different

Just because you pay someone a load of money to do something doesn't mean they are doing it right or doing a good job.

That is me 100% as well. I'd much rather figure out how to do something myself than have a specialist do it. Mainly because the specialist is usually anything but! Finding good trades people is so difficult nowadays, about the only system that seems to work is word of mouth.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I’m not meaning it in a big-headed way but I’ve always been that type of person, even from a young age.

Likewise mate.

Chap I was working as a landscaper for ran short of work and farmed me off to a chippie for a rip out.

Offered a job at the end of the week. a month later I'm already earning a chunk more than the apprentice of two years and being sent off to swing doors and fit kitchens. Never looked back. Love being multitrade. Keeps things interesting.

 

[brightspark]

Finding good trades people is so difficult nowadays, about the only system that seems to work is word of mouth.

ive never advertised not in the telephone book no name on van. people just pass my number on . most dont know my last name or where i live . i turn loads of work down

 

[armalites]

That is me 100% as well. I'd much rather figure out how to do something myself than have a specialist do it. Mainly because the specialist is usually anything but! Finding good trades people is so difficult nowadays, about the only system that seems to work is word of mouth.

I know not everyone has that kind of analytical brain or enjoys understanding stuff but in my experience one of the ways to spot a specialist is to ask why something is done a certain way and not another. Sadly the response you often get is "That's the way I was taught" or "That's the way I've always done it", those are not people who are interested in the best way to do things.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

ive never advertised not in the telephone book no name on van. people just pass my number on . most dont know my last name or where i live . i turn loads of work down

Snap never advertised. Always busy

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I know not everyone has that kind of analytical brain or enjoys understanding stuff but in my experience one of the ways to spot a specialist is to ask why something is done a certain way and not another. Sadly the response you often get is "That's the way I was taught" or "That's the way I've always done it", those are not people who are interested in the best way to do things.

Good example.

I did a year and a half for a window Restoration place. There was one joiner in the workshop and the new boy. (me) was the only chippie.

Wendy was told to clue me in to the resin system. (My wife calls all female builders Wendy. Bob's friend.)

Except she didn't have a clue why something was done that way and I didn't see the benifits.

Team leader took over and explained everything properly and I never looked back.

Didn't hang around too long. Turns out I was earning a fair bit more than the team leader and the job wasn't going to go anywhere. Good skills learnt though

 

[armalites]

By pure coincidence I’ve just stumbled across one of their YouTube videos.

You should see their place, I went there when they first started out. Massive rambling old farm house with a view over a lake, their kitchen is like a village hall. On one of the courses we were pointing/plastering an old stone barn/building that was destined to be the training centre.

In those days they even got involved with mortgage valuations where surveyors who didn't understand old buildings were insisting people had damp proof treatments as part of the mortgage conditions. They said that in almost every single case where rising damp was being highlighted it was actually caused by leaking roofs,blocked/damaged guttering/downpipes,rotten windows or incorrectly used cement renders.

 

[reb78]

ive never advertised not in the telephone book no name on van. people just pass my number on . most dont know my last name or where i live . i turn loads of work down

Cant find a decent spark round here. I have had more reliable advice on here from you and @dobbslc than off of someone I paid to do work on the cottages. You just find bodge after bodge to clear up.

 

[dobbslc]

Thanks mate! It's a pleasure

 

[brightspark]

the forums about helping people theres a hell of a big pool of knowledgeable folk on here

 

[dobbslc]

I've always said if you Google for how to do something there'll always be a link to this place not far down the list.

 

[armalites]

If nobody had the desire to learn/understand/investigate we would probably die out in a few generations. When I was a school there were kids who had been playing with stuff like bike/cars since before they were teenagers now it seems many young people can't be trusted to make some toast till they are in their 20s

What ever happened to "I wonder if I can do that" or "What happens if" for me that normally meant chance of falling in a stream or holding a part my body too scared to look and see if it was still attached to me

We live in a world where in theory there are less boundaries but everyone is held back by an invisible force field.

 

[armalites]

I’m not meaning it in a big-headed way but I’ve always been that type of person, even from a young age.

I think the biggest lesson you can learn when your a practical person is not being overly critical of yourself.
It is a bizarre mindset, if you paid someone to tile your bathroom they would do a good job and you'd be happy. If you did yourself it would take longer possibly even do a better job but that one tile that isn't 1000% perfect will always annoy the hell out of you! The reality is nobody will ever be able to see the issue because there isn't one.

 

[bourbon]

My outlook is 'every day a school day' My best Mate is the same. Between us we have built some rather weird things, up to and including an exploding cannon! We'll have a go at most things

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

If nobody had the desire to learn/understand/investigate we would probably die out in a few generations. When I was a school there were kids who had been playing with stuff like bike/cars since before they were teenagers now it seems many young people can't be trusted to make some toast till they are in their 20s

What ever happened to "I wonder if I can do that" or "What happens if" for me that normally meant chance of falling in a stream or holding a part my body too scared to look and see if it was still attached to me

We live in a world where in theory there are less boundaries but everyone is held back by an invisible force field.

My 7yo found some conkers yesterday. Came home. Found his drill and a drill bit stuck em in his vice and popped holes through them. First we knew was when he came inside whirling them around.
He's designing a crossbow

 

[roofman]

I was riding my bike without stabilizers at 3 months old and built an extension on my aunt's house before i was 5. fast learner

 

[DickyDoDah]

up to and including an exploding cannon!

I think that one's called a bomb. Not something you want to shout about on t'internet, you never know who's watching

 

[armalites]

My 7yo found some conkers yesterday. Came home. Found his drill and a drill bit stuck em in his vice and popped holes through them. First we knew was when he came inside whirling them around.
He's designing a crossbow

I was thinking about conkers the other day, my wife had been with a couple of friends and I collected them, as we pulled into one of them's farm I drove over loads of conkers. When I was a kid there is no way there would have been left to drive over. Even at secondary school there were kids who brought carrier bags full of them in to sell.

I love those conversations where you didn't even know what they were up to, I would love to tell you it gets better or changes but i doesn't. I asked my eldest today why the wheel arch liner was out of his car, he said he'd hit a concrete post and ripped the front off. I guess it was night he was at his mates farm and the parents were away

 

[bourbon]

I think that one's called a bomb. Not something you want to shout about on t'internet, you never know who's watching

No, quite safe. Cannon wheeled onto a field, Shot at by other sides cannon (blank charges, obviously) ground charges explode around 'stunt' cannon, Crew run away, cannon blows up into bits. Crowd bugger off. Cannon reassembles and wheeled back off.