My List Of Excuses For 'Why I've Not Been Doing Mustang Jobs' ... lol

[WD Pro]

Excuse Number 1 :

I got sidetracked with converting 1 cold outdoor tap to 1 cold and 1 hot :

Then added a second cold water, a replacement reel and hose, brass fittings, WD stainless (304) tap handles, A2 stainless fixings, bucket filler etc :

Then a hose guide (A2 stainless fixings) so I can drag the hose down the garden without it pulling across the drive :

And a new jet wash specific feed hose :

Total cost £135 which I don't think is bad for the practicality and time savings it provides

The other bits to complete the setup include the jet wash lanyard (A2 stainless fixings) to stop it toppling over when I pull the hose :

And I replaced my old rinsing nozzle and spray nozzle with these :

I've had that spray nozzle for ages but never got around to using it. I bought it from the states only to find out you guys use a strange (for the UK) thread that was difficult to find an adaptor for that suited standard hozelock fittings. At the same time I also bought the matching fire hose end but sadly our UK water pressure isn't enough to get the best from it and the standard plastic hozelock spray head does a better job for the garden

There is another piece to my hose setup, but that's another excuse that will come later and I've still got a few more stainless bits for outside to keep me busy for a little while longer ...

WD

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[WD Pro]

Excuse Number 2 :

Mum and dad's washing machine finally failed. Machines over here are typically front loaders with bare stainless drums (versus what I have typically seen in the states - top loaders with enamel drums).

Salvaged drum + some WD stainless legs + stainless hardware :

I used the drum mount holes, one existing hole that needed enlargement and two new holes to mount each leg in the area where the internal paddles originally mounted :

The legs and inner strengthening plate then clamp the drum to give a real solid mount. Like the tap handles on my post above, I put a light brushed finish on the outer part of the legs :

That should make for what should be a long lasting outdoor fire pit :

Strange to think that drum is old enough (about 25 years) to have washed my clothes when I still lived at home with my parents !

Total cost :

• Stainless (304) legs + strengthening plates = £33
• A2 Stainless hardware = £20 (stainless areotight locking nuts are expensive !)

Pending some nice weather, I will be burning all the wood I have just ripped out of the ensuite (that's another excuse lined up lol) and the kids will be enjoying toasted marshmallows and smores this weekend

I will make another one of these once our machine fails (it's currently 22 years old and still going strong), our drum seems a little thicker gauge, has a few more holes around the sides and a lot more holes in the back (the base of the fire pit)

WD

 

[WD Pro]

Excuse Number 3 : Fitted new UPVC fascias for the mini bay window on the side of the house (to boring for photos).

Excuse Number 4 : Added a RCD protected waterproof socket on the side of the house so I can cut the front lawn without running an extension cable (again, to boring for photos).

Excuse Number 5 :
I wanted something like this (but without the price) :

My drive is a T shape and the lance mounts on the jetwash when I work on the leg of the T, but when I'm on the front of the house I have nowhere to put it other than (on a doormat) on the floor, unless I want to walk back up the drive every time I need to put it down.

So, after checking the sizes of the MTM and Mosmatic lances with (one of which I will upgrade to in future) with @DFB5.0 I came up with a plan :

Bought this :

Which then became these :

And finally this - I put a brushed finish on the brackets and they mount in the mortar lines (so I can relocate it at some point without leaving permanent holes in the brickwork) :

Total cost :
304 Stainless exhaust trim = £13.23
304 Stainless brackets = £5.33
A2 Stainless hardware = £1

Hhhmmm, the gate magic eye boxes are looking like they need some attention next …

WD

 

[raptor17GT]

my excuse, no gear and no idea how to use it!

 

[Deleted member 35644]

Planned to do a thorough cleaning, paint correction and fluids swap on the "new" Stang, but the delivery date was pushed to Monday. Frustrating. So I cleaned house. Not a satisfying weekend.

 

[WildHorse]

Me:

 

[WD Pro]

@WildHorse says :

Me:

@WildHorse also says … :

Well cause there is still a shit ton of snow on the ground.. Clay barring the wheels. Tedious haha.

Excuse Number 6 :

The gate magic eye boxes were looking a little sorry for themselves. This is about 18 years of U.K. sun damage, probably equivalent of a year in Florida or Texas …

A light brushed finish and some VHB trim tape :

I should make note to spray the exposed plastic parts every time the 303 is out

And the other side from this :

To this :

Which drew my attention to the gate, which I should really polish back up to its original / matching finish …

WD

 

[WildHorse]

Fibbed a little, but, that's the only way to clean brake dust haha.

 

[WD Pro]

Got to use excuse number 5 for the first time at weekend, it’s a nice useful addition when washing cars on the front. There is no time saving with that piece, but it adds practically, removes a trip hazard (leaving the lance on the floor) and it should look after / prolong the life of the lance

Excuse Number 7 :

The last of the stainless laser cutting …

We have a 22 meter (72 foot) length of unsupported fence that runs down the back of the house, it’s 22 years old and it’s not getting any stronger.

We had some high winds recently that made me think about bracing it to the house :

All the fixings are stainless and the wall side bracket is made to mount in the mortar lines and not the brick :

I made a second set of these in the hope that they would generate some interest with the neighbour that shares the other side of the fence - they did, so I have another set to mount giving the fence two braces along it’s length

WD

 

[WildHorse]

That's a good Idea. Question cause you seem handy: In my neck of the woods we have a infamous Colorado low that's going to slam us with 60-80cm of snow and 100km/h winds expected tomorrow, can you recommend another place for me to live ? Thanks !

 

[WD Pro]

That's a good Idea. Question cause you seem handy: In my neck of the woods we have a infamous Colorado low that's going to slam us with 60-80cm of snow and 100km/h winds expected tomorrow, can you recommend another place for me to live ? Thanks !

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence …

Old proverbs aside, I would gladly trade our weather for more predictable seasons, even if they are harsher at both ends of the scale.

Our seasons seem completely screwed and other than what’s growing in the garden, we now seem to be getting a reasonably unpredictable spread of weather, almost regardless of season.

We had a week in March that was almost as warm as our summer (20C) and was more settled resulting in the Mustang frequently getting used again

Now we are back to -2c overnight and large amounts of grit / salt on the roads again. If it doesn’t wash away soon, the stang will be going back on the maintenance charger …

Add onto that the large open (and generally quiet) roads I see you guys frequently post photos of and yeah, I would most likely do you a straight swap

The topic of later life / retirement in the states has been discussed more than once … (Florida, because we like it and it would ensure our kids and future grand kids will want to frequently visit )

WD

 

[WD Pro]

Not so shiny anymore … lol

But some nice purple, blue and straw hues once it finally got christened

+ 1.5 hours :

+ another 2 hours :

Lots of embers later :

Due to the amount of ventilation and a fairly windy night, it munched it’s way though a ‘lot’ of wood, especially considering it’s reasonably small size

WD

 

[WD Pro]

Biggest excuse yet (other than not having the car at the moment), tearing out and reinstalling the en suite ...

Our house is 22 years old, the en suite was in dire need of an update and a cracked shower base had pretty much turned it into little more than a toilet / sink / changing area.

The original design made crap use of the space and just like a Mustang, it was pretty poorly put together when you started to tear into it and look behind the scenes (It's a Bellend Bellway build for anyone UK who might be interested).

Up to now I have done everything myself, other than pay for a plasterer - that's one job I don't think I could do to a standard that I would be happy with.

I will add short comments where required

Old shower space, note dividing wall and the dummy wall that was at the back of the shower that hid the soil pipe vent :

Dummy walls gone, back to four main walls and a square room again :

Ceiling mods :

Bellway v me :

And again :

Water damaged drywall gone, old shower feed :

New shower feed with accessible isolation valve :

Old radiator plumbing blanked off :

New RCD protected wiring (for a stainless towel rad) - needs to be height adjustable so I can seal the switch onto a flat tile rather than a grout line :

Progression of the shower seat, shower base, dividing wall and cistern boxing :

Ceiling re plastered, painted and IP rated downlighters :

Stainless extractor vent and insulated ducting :

Looking a bit better up top now :

Old extractor was roof mounted and vented into the loft space over the soffits. New extractor is loft mounted and will ultimately exhaust through a dedicated wall vent :

The start of the new cistern and RCD protected supply :

Note baffle plate to reduce cistern and soil pipe noise from to our eldest's room (behind the white wall on the top left) :

Start of the boxing in work and the shower seat :

Starting the work for behind the pan :

Soil pipe, vent and cistern isolation :

Everything in this picture can be removed and serviced (including the soil pipe elbow and vent that's just out of shot) through the top access and pan cut out. Right side will be used for toilet roll storage :

Shower drain and isolation complete, it will all be accessible and replaceable once the tray is fitted (kids ball optional - it's just to hold things loosely in place lol) :

Base fitted :

Trial fitment, note access hole :

Once everything is tiled, that front edge will have a removeable oak piece (cut from a kitchen worktop) under it, as will the cistern cover top (plywood there temporarily just to stop my misses dropping stuff behind it or the cats making a new home lol) :

The shower will be a walk in design with a glass screen coming off the small dividing wall.

The seat in the shower will have a granite or quartz top with a half bull nose front.

Door frame and door will be replaced with oak.

I need to tank / line all that area now before tiling.

I'm hoping the only tradesmen I will need to pay for (other than the plaster which is already done) is a tiler for walls / floor and a joiner to hang the door. Both of those jobs need to be absolutely perfect and they are beyond my skill level (and would require me to buy new tools)

We have bunked the trend of modern greys for more natural colours, this was the inspiration for our colour scheme :

And we have gone very traditional on the fittings :

But with these taps (1/4 turn on and off with the back of your hand) :

The other major fittings that we have also got ready to go :

Life's got busy at the moment so I don't expect much more to get done this side of Christmas, maybe just the tanking / lining.

WD

 

[raptor17GT]

damn thats some mighty fine work youve done there. Currently in an Ashberry which is basically Bellway under another company name / umbrella. Dont want to think too much about what lies underneath

 

[Nightmonkey]

Nice!

Some thoughts about the plumbing:
Bringing the pipes inside up to height would have been better.
The little bit of insulation does not provide proper frost protection when the water is standing.
In any case, on the inside there should be a possibility for drainage/ventilation of every pipe.

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