A Crap Cheap Lock
My second bedroom was fitted with a lock by Gerry, but I never received the keys when I bought the house.
So as I might be renting the room out during the Olympics, I felt it might not be a bad idea fit a new lock. I easily removed the faceplace from the lock to get at the screws that held it into the door and managed to price the lock from the door without much effort.
But when I came to fit the new lock, that I’d bought for ten pounds or so, I couldn’t get the faceplate off, as when it had been assembled one of the screwed had been jammed in at an angle. in the end I completely stripped the cross head of the strew, due to the large amount of plastic in whatever metal it was.
A Cheap Crap Lock
So as the picture shows, I will now have to buy a new lock again, just because the one I bought was so crap. The faceplate bent, whilst I was seeing if I could use a bit of brute force and ignorance to free the screw.
Never Buy A House That’s Had Tenants In it!
When I bought my house about eighteen months ago, I liked it. I also got a good discount as it needed some work, as the tenants who’d occupied it on behalf of the previous owner hadn’t looked after it.
I still like it, but the faults in the various systems are a complete pain in the neck.
The cooker put in by the previous owner is totally unsuitable.
An Unsuitable Cooker
In common with every other appliance, there are no instruction manuals, but the biggest problem is that it is too big and stops the doors of the kitchen cupboards opening properly. It’s also a gas cooker, which I hate and the sooner, I can get rid of it and fit a proper electric cooker the better. To be fair to Baumatic, they did at least send me a manual, but that doesn’t help with its unsuitability.
The dishwasher has been wrecked and although it is a good make and I have the knowledge to make it work, I have decided that the best option is to get a new one, as all the baskets and shelves are broken and to get everything clean, you need to wash half the glasses and plates by hand afterwards.
But my biggest moan with the house is the underfloor heating system. When nPower fitted the new meter, they advised me to service the boiler which I did. It also needed a new control system, as the previous owner or the tenants had rewired things themselves.
It now works very intermittently, with the result the house is either stone cold or frighteningly hot. In cold weather, I have to ratchet up the controls and switch the boiler off and on to get any heat.
At least I’ve got hot water, although for the last few days the showers haven’t worked. I thought today, I’d have a bath, and I did, but then the water didn’t run out. Although to be fair it did eventually.
I can’t wait to sell my house in Suffolk, so I can get someone in to fix it all here properly.
I lost count of the number of times, I’ve phoned plumbers and they’ve said they’ll come and haven’t. But then there isn’t much work about!
I do have one worry about the heating and that is the problem might be that the house wasn’t very well insulated by Gerry the builder. So is heating the house, is a bit like pushing water uphill?
Roll on the spring, when I can switch it off.
IKEA’s Non-Delivery Service
Tomorrow, I’m expecting a delivery from IKEA.
But I doubt, I’ll get it, as after speaking to DHL this morning, it would appear that the earliest day I can get it is December 8th. So I’ll probably cancel!
A few months ago, I did get two or three successful deliveries, but the last two have had to be cancelled, as the delivery dates offered were just not convenient and bore no relation to what was originally offered on the web site.
At the moment, I can’t put all my clothes away, as I don’t have a wardrobe in my bedroom. Unfortunately, the fittings were delivered last time, so do I have no chance, but to wait until the eighth? Let’s face it, it’s only a frame that costs £50. I doubt though, it would have fitted in the back of my Jaguar.
As I was expecting the delivery tomorrow, I arranged my schedule around it. Now, I’ll have to rearrange everything again!
I Want One
When I first saw a giant Anglepoise lamp, I knew that I wanted one.
However, I want one in a brass colour to go with my decor.
I think the best bet is to buy one second-hand and get it plated.
But it won’t be cheap.
Infuriating IKEA
I sorted my bedroom out and ordered some new inserts for the wardrobe from IKEA. They were supposed to be delivered on the 22nd.
But now, I find that IKEA can’t deliver until some time in October, which isn’t much use to me.
So I’ve cancelled the order and will reorder it again after my trip.
Despite having my landline, they always ring on my mobile number. The calling number is always Private so I don’t know who’s phoned. So I’ve now removed the mobile number from their database.
Another Of Jerry’s Horrors
This picture shows some of his handiwork being removed from the cupboard in my bedroom.
A Shelf By Jerry
If you think that was bad, just look at this hole he made in the floor of the cupboard to access the shower.
Pipe Access By Jerry
It’s all gone now and hopefully when the new wardrobe inserts come from IKEA, his handiwork will be buried for ever.
But Jerry seems to keep popping up in some very unexpected places.
Good Riddance To The Sixty Watt Light Bulb!
People have a lot of misplaced love for the old sixty watt light-bulb, as this story on the BBC shows.
It doesn’t bother me, as I won’t have an incandescent bulb in the house because of the safety risk, when they fail. An A & E doctor once told me, that they’d had several people come into hospital after falls, where an incandescent bulb had failed and this had tripped out all the lights, which meant they had fallen over the cat, dog or whatever.
But the lights I hate are those halogen MR16 and GU10 bulbs. There average life span is very short and the light they give out, used to give me headches until I went gluten free. I have a lot of those size of bulb in this house and all have been replaced with LED versions, which are brighter, use less energy and rarely fail.
My real problem in this house is finding some lights to replace some of the awful ones that Jerry installed to boost his profits.
Some Truly Hideous Lights
They really are truly hideous. Some of the lights he used were even worse and when I left them on the front patio for someone to take if they wanted, they didn’t remove one. But they did take a couple of old incandescent bulbs!
Not Big Sellers
If I want to get rid of anything that might be useful to someone, I just put it on the front patio with a note saying it’s alright to take it. But not these lights!
A Box of Useless Lights
They’re obviously too awful for even the grottiest cellar, attic or garden shed. They were of course installed in this house by Jerry, who never missed a chsnce to use crap, where quality was specified.
Although I must say someone did rumage through and take all the tungsten light bulbs.
How Do I Get Prisoners To Paint My House?
I have a cupboard in my bedroom that needs stripping and painting. Obviously, some might think I’m the sort of person who should benefit from some sort of scheme, as I’m a widower, who has had a stroke.
After all Jacqui Smith, the former NuLabor Home Secretary got two prisoners to do some painting at her house according to this report in the Guardian.
But then as I said, I’m a widower and I’ve had a stroke. I’m certainly not sick or mad enough to want to be a Member of Parliament.
IKEA’s Silly Screws
I’m putting the IKEA Stolmen wardrobe insert together now that I’ve got a complete chest of drawers. But why do they use such silly screws?
IKEA's Silly Screws
They are absolutely impossible to use, if you have a gammy hand and their little bent wire socket keys are definitely something for one person per end and as I live alone, what am I supposed to do?
I’ve given up on them as and as you can see, I’m using conventional nuts and bolts from Clerkenwell Screws. They were just a few pence each.
The great thing about the conventional hexagonal head nut and bolt, is that they are an almost perfect piece of design. They are easy to put together, they don’t roll away, when you leave them to their own devices and they can be screwed tightly together with a couple of spanners. I always have a nut driver handy for one end. Usually, you only find these tools at proper tool shops, like Clerkenwell Screws, Franchi or Mackays in Cambridge. But having one in the right size for a job you do often is worth the saving in anger.
In this example I’ve used standard bright zinc-plated bolts, but I could have used brass, as I did in the staircase.
I’m an electrical engineer, but remember the definition of a mechanical one; A nut who screws, washes and bolts.
The Anonymous Widower 