What made you UNHAPPY today!

[pete]

Don't understand the tiles not lining up in the centre. Even starting from each end it would normally be felt and battened first and any misalignment would be noticed then. They cannot possibly be roofers

[Painterdave]

Probably just Roofing labourer no instruction

[Barrykearley]

Wtf.... seriously that’s just utter incompetence

[Painterdave]

You need to get that checked make sure the Feltz been put on properly otherwise it's probably going to leak

[C8RKH]

2 hours ago, pete said:

Don't understand the tiles not lining up in the centre. Even starting from each end it would normally be felt and battened first and any misalignment would be noticed then. They cannot possibly be roofers

Is it just me Pete or these days is anyone who can hold a hammer now employed as a "tradesman"?  Seriously, I have had building work done by "builders" or trades and it is shite.

I'm self taught - have tried most things over the years as I just could not always afford to pay someone to do stuff on my property. So I've been a lumber jack and felled over 70 trees (largest being around 35 metres high and a 1.4m trunk diameter) that gave me "free heating for 10 years when all split down.  I've built a retaining wall - 10' high and 40' long out of brick using an english bond method (it was some years later I was told the name of it but basically every few rows you go horizontal across your double skin brick). Around 50 metres square of wet stone walling (dry stone with a mortar to bind inside). 2x hand built sheds including double hand-built and hung doors that are still standing after 20 years. Laid around 40 meters squared of patio and steps that is still flat and true etc.  All of this was mostly done by "feel" and the odd measuring tape, but always with a spirit level and a cement mixer ( a much loved birthday pressie from the wife).

Ironically, I've had many (not biblically) a builder and architect come round to quote who has scoffed and spotted "errors" in my work over the past 25 years.  However, all of it is still standing (or lying in the case of the patios etc) and none of it has needed to be redone/rebuilt.

However, in the last 8 years, as the kids have grown older, I paid the mortgage off and everything else off, I've relaxed and employed builders.  Their work has included:

A very large double garage that for four years leaked from the retaining wall behind and was eventually fixed by me

A retaining wall that has been rebuilt three times in 6 years by the original "builder"

A block drive that has "sunk" in the same place four times in 6 years - finally being fixed again now!

Guttering that had a one inch gap in the middle of the house after a year that the rain literally pissed through and made worse by the muppets using concrete on the down pipe and somehow managing to concrete the inside of the downpipe so it just filled with rain and then overflowed

A bathroom ceiling that was plastered and a huge chunk collapsed over the shower - I was so pissed off I paid £100 to do an instore B&Q plastering course and replastered it myself and it has lasted, so far, 6 years longer than the "professionals" effort

Tradesman. Don't make me fooking laugh. A lot of these people these days are wankers posing as people who actually know what they are doing. They are a complete and utter joke.

However, for balance. We had our kitchen "fitted" 22 years ago. Even know people come in and say wow, love your kitchen. Never had a single problem. Never had a door come loose etc. Wow. What a job and it does genuinely look like new even now.

25 years ago had a huge Worcester oil fired boiler fitted and new radiators/central heating.  25 years later not a single problem or issue that was not fixed outside of a religious annual service programme (even went without a holiday a couple of years to make sure we could afford the servicing).

Trades. What utter bollocks. Kids with no fecking clue and old shysters who should have been shot years ago seems to be the majority of what makes up "trades" today. You still get the odd good one. But the majority? Stick them on the building fire as all they're full of hot air and shit and will keep you warm!  Most of them struggle to even tie their shoe laces.

 

(BTW, I am not bragging above. Maybe by luck or by crook my efforts have stood the test of time. I am sure technically they leave a lot to be desired but they have stood the test of time).

 

[pete]

Where do we start on this. Said before no building inspectors who used to give advice and could spot problems a mile off. A lot of sites use agency workers and if you are lucky you get I who knows what he is doing and 2 or 3 tagging along and told by the agency to say they are qualified.  Since nail guns have been allowed on sites every one and his dog thinks he can do any job a carpenter used to do. The site agent used to know every job inside out ,now either straight out of uni and never come out of their hut away from their computer or they were the labourer on the previous job. Going to stop now before blood pressure goes through the roof,no pun intended

[Ali tuck]

You can get a form of qualification in a few weeks now which is just a joke - proper apprenticeships are long gone now as the older, proper trades either retire or ‘get out’leaving mainly chancers- still good trades about but few and far between now

[C8RKH]

32 minutes ago, pete said:

,now either straight out of uni and never come out of their hut away from their computer

OMG this. Thanks to New Labour you can get a Uni course in painting the nails before they even go into the gun!  Seriously, a lot of what you said is true. Either the "I've been to Uni so can't get my nails dirty" and you need to pay me £25k before I get out of bed brigade or I'm so thick even at 21 my mom still ties my show laces brigade. 

When I was a kid a long time ago a "trade" was something to aspire to and if you were good you earned Ok and had a good life.  Nowadays. Auch, I'm off to open a bottle of wine as it will be less stress on my heart than this.... 

[PaulCP]

^^^This^^^ reminds me of when I worked for ASW, a steel group whose HQ was in S. Wales.

They embarked upon a graduate management training scheme in the belief that bringing in new graduates with a good degree would be the future of the group. The graduates were allocated to the businesses on various assignments.

I spoke to many of them and was taken back at the time by the attitude on some. When asked what their aspirations were a few, not all, just replied “well I’m on the graduate training scheme you know so I’ll be in a senior management position in 2 years time”

The numbers brought in over a 3-4 year period were not small but the numbers who succeeded and were kept on were very small. Less than 1 in 10 made it through the scheme with the remainder being “let go”

Yes they may have been sold a dream but it was alarming how many just bought it without realising what working in a business really is about!

 

[C8RKH]

3 hours ago, PaulCP said:

it was alarming how many just bought it without realising what work and business really is about!

FTFY

[march]

Well - have just told the roofers to leave site now they have left the roof in a relatively stable manner - was waiting for the solar panels to be hooked back up. Had the Mrs in tears about how much and how long we have had to save to do this, roofer had a sulk stating the roof wasn't straight and it's all he could do.

Now waiting for the boss to visit hopefully tomorrow.

[Ali tuck]

That’s a load of bollocks about the roof being straight- it’s been set out incorrectly-,as long as you’re weathered and dry I’m sure  it’ll get sorted by the boss.fingers crossed

[PaulCP]

4 hours ago, C8RKH said:

FTFY

Thanks Andy👍
Although this was 30 years ago I remember one particular instance as though it was yesterday.

One guy in his early 20’s, when I started talking about being assigned to 2-3 of the individual businesses for a period of time to learn what business is all about in a practical sense, stopped me to inform me that he knew all about every aspect of business because he had an MBA 🙄. He didn’t last long!

[top-plumber]

21 hours ago, pete said:

Where do we start on this. Said before no building inspectors who used to give advice and could spot problems a mile off. A lot of sites use agency workers and if you are lucky you get I who knows what he is doing and 2 or 3 tagging along and told by the agency to say they are qualified.  Since nail guns have been allowed on sites every one and his dog thinks he can do any job a carpenter used to do. The site agent used to know every job inside out ,now either straight out of uni and never come out of their hut away from their computer or they were the labourer on the previous job. Going to stop now before blood pressure goes through the roof,no pun intended

Not all straight outta uni Pete. 
agree with the rest of your statement ✌️

[pete]

University of life for you 😜

[Barrykearley]

6 hours ago, march said:

Well - have just told the roofers to leave site now they have left the roof in a relatively stable manner - was waiting for the solar panels to be hooked back up. Had the Mrs in tears about how much and how long we have had to save to do this, roofer had a sulk stating the roof wasn't straight and it's all he could do.

Now waiting for the boss to visit hopefully tomorrow.

That’s utter bollocks - which you already know. 

[march]

Good News. The boss came to have a look yesterday and is fit and to return on Monday. First job he is going to do is put the roof right along with the other minor issues, so thanks guys for your comments, I suspect there will be no more issues with the roof now.

[Ali tuck]

Excellent news hope all goes well

[RoflOnMyWaffle]

Bloody flexi has a hole in it, MOT failure. On the plus side I get a nice new shiny Komotec pipe...

[ChrisJ]

A repeat of my September 9th post, but with my other Lotus 

Luckily I was only 10 minutes away from GST

Exactly the same symptoms as the Excel.

[Painterdave]

Mine used to cut out if I had too many keys on the key ring Chris

[Barrykearley]

What happened @ChrisJ

[ChrisJ]

Driving down the A11, not pushing anything, when backfire, stutter, engine cut out, no revs. Approaching a slip road, so exited the dual carriageway. No spark at all - tis the luminition system that has given up.

Exactly the same (minus the backfire) as happened in the Excel 3 months ago, so thought I knew what it was straight away (after I'd checked the engine cut out hadn't decided to activate).

I called Gerald up, and he came and collected me about 15 minutes later.

That's only the 2nd time in 33 years that I've had something go on the Esprit that stopped me from driving - first time was in 1989 when the water hose burst. I was just next to a slip road then as well, I'd been watching the temp gauge go all over the place before it went, so knew something was up. Cruised in to a service station at the top of the exit, and lo and behold there was an RAC tow truck having a break. Was on the back of it in about 20 minutes and on my way home.

[thebartman]

Saving a fortune on towing charges - nice job 😂 - Glad Lotus is safe 👍

[phil flash]

Demon Tweeks sell the Lumenition Power Pack on it's own for about £100 (inc VAT), if Gerald hasn't got one, though he probably has.. 

Many only sell the whole conversion kit at a lot more that will include bits you don't need.

https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/lumenition-replacement-module-box-for-optronic-ignition-lumpmaz/