Could you have done better?

Discussion in 'Carpenters' Talk' started by MrM, Dec 18, 2018.

  1. MrM

    MrM Member

    Let me start by saying I'm rubbish at joinery, rubbish, hence why I employed a professional joiner to do some work for me.

    He's laid some laminate (67m2!) across a few floors, fitted some skirts, built in some shelves for me and some boxing for the boiler, I'm happy (ish) with most of it, other than the two following bits.

    1. Bi folding door fitted to an alcove space, where I'd asked him to build in some shelves. The shelves are decent enough solid and capable to taking some weight, but the bi folding door, is well, rubbish. He did tell me this and said due to the space, the door's are not great, I was expecting better.

    So here is what he's build in for me, and the door. Now the door is attached by a slide rail at the top, with nothing fixing it to the bottom. It feels very flimsy and very weak, prone to snapping out should any excess weight fall against it. As far as he told me they don't make any base rails to assist with the sturdyness of the door.

    So what are my options? Perhaps look at a door with a 90 degree opening hinge?

    Any suggestions here please?




    The second is the boxing in of the boiler. I see what he was going for, but I wanted more of a "sealed" unit, something that covers the whole underneath, with obviously small hole for the cable to exit.

    It's basically made an L shape and cut some profiles out to pass the window sill etc.

    Images below, how could this be improved? I don't mind the size etc, but I'd like it to perhaps be cut in from the top so that the gap at the side isn't obvious, also it's not flush with the boiler, so sticks out at the cable side.

    Again, I'm not joiner, but looking at it, I think I expected something a little more "refined".

    Can someone calibrate this and tell me am I expecting too much, or is what I'd looking at possible, and perhaps wasn't conveyed to the joiner.


    https://ibb.co/h2fnc8h
    https://ibb.co/8xxYKJD
    https://ibb.co/6XnWH3r
     
  2. Hans_25

    Hans_25 Screwfix Select

    It looks to me like:
    - you asked for x and y
    - joiner has not put much (if any) thought into what you actually wanted and gave you x and y - he's given you what you asked for, more or less.
    - you then realise that what you asked for wasn't exactly what you wanted.

    Probably a bit of error on both sides - you haven't specified precisely enough what you wanted, but the joiner hasn't asked some sensible questions and has thrown together a stock solution. It looks a bit basic, like a college boy who's just got his initial training on how to use a saw.

    Might be one of those live n learn experiences. I could certainly have done better just by thinking through various options, albeit would have taken me quite a bit of time.
     
  3. sparko69

    sparko69 Screwfix Select

    I could have done better with a few off cuts and a bit of silicone which is what it looks like he has used. Did the 'joiner put the boiler on a plug as well???
     
  4. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    Ain't ever seen a 3 pin plug used for a boiler,first time for everything..:eek:
     
  5. sparko69

    sparko69 Screwfix Select

    Putting a plug on a boiler is a common plumbers trick,I've seen a 10.5kw shower with a plug on before but to be fair it was wired in 2.5
     
    Sparkielev likes this.
  6. b4xtr

    b4xtr Active Member

    just read this and realized my boiler is on a 3 pin plug, albeit in the loft ?
     
  7. Jitender

    Jitender Screwfix Select

    I've check this up for a Bosch boiler and the instructions say it can be wired either through a fused double pole isolator or a fused 3 pin plug using an switched socket. so long as it has a 3A fuse. As once I had a boiler installed and he fitted a plug, but looked a bit un-professional so installed a FCU.
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2018
    MrM likes this.
  8. MrM

    MrM Member

    Thanks for the input, I think!

    I would agree that perhaps I wasn't clear enough on what I wanted, saying that, it's always tricky when you don't know what actually possible. I thought I articulated myself well enough, IE a bi folding door with a new frame around it.

    It's why I'm led by him, he didn't actually tell me that was a naff idea until he fitted it and I saw it and he says they're rubbish because of X and Y.

    Does anyone have any solutions to what I could do with the door part?


    RE the boxing in, again, i thought I was clear in saying I wanted boxing to go under to hide the pipes and be flush with the width of the boiler.

    Is this something I could get another joiner in to do, or SHOULD get another joiner in? Guessing from the comments above it's not a big job, so most joiners would turn their nose up perhaps?

    RE the boiler plug, I've no idea. The plumber put a 13a plug on the end of it and told me I needed a socket there, so the spark put the socket in. What should this be if not a 13a socket, both the plumber and the spark never said anything?
     
  9. wiggy

    wiggy Screwfix Select

    I can't see where the problem is. Other than you should have pulled him up on the quality of the door before it was fitted and as for the boxing in, unless you gave detailed plan how can you expect him to know what's in your mind, everybody will see the same thing differently, get it painted up it will look tons better.

    This is why I always dot the i and cross the Ts with customers because they dont always know better
     
  10. Jitender

    Jitender Screwfix Select

    The boxing in for the boiler could be improved if the socket got changed over to a FCU .

    The FCU may have a cord outlet but cable would still be visible if clipped to wall. The other option would be for electrician to put in small chase in plaster so all the wire is hidden and out of sight.

    Plus the boxing need to be able to be removed if the boiler needs to be worked on or serviced in the future.
     
  11. MrM

    MrM Member

    Perhaps that didn't come out clear enough in the OP then.

    1. What other options to do I have to either stregthen the bi bolding door operation, or to replace it with sommething else, more robust.

    Do you have any knowledge to share in this respect?

    2. The boxing in of the boiler seems rather basic given my instruction was I'd like the boxing to "seal under the boiler and be flush with the side".

    Do all tradesmen expect their customer to give them a detailed plan of how they should do the work, considering that they 1. Are not a tradesmen and 2. Do not know what's possible?
     
  12. MrM

    MrM Member

    Unless it was moved position, and out of sight completeley, I see how this would impriove the boxing in of the boiler pipes underneath.
     
  13. MrM

    MrM Member

    Thanks, the boiler installer said it was fine, he said using a plug is preferred as it enables safe isolation of the boiler. If it was hard wired (FCU?) then you'd need to take the face off, expose the terminals in order to isolate?

    Also enabled the boiler to be from an external generator source if anything were to go wrong.
     
  14. Jitender

    Jitender Screwfix Select

    It could be that boiler pipes are stopping the end panel from sitting flush with the boiler casing. Hence why the installed fitted it protruding out.

    If I were doing this, then I would avoid using screws on the face side of the boxing.
     
    barbaricduck likes this.
  15. Jitender

    Jitender Screwfix Select

    No FCU has a switch and fuse incorporated in one unit.

    [​IMG]
     
  16. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    Explains it,couldn't see spark doing that.:D
     
  17. MrM

    MrM Member

    My spare said it was preffered over a FCU due to isolation, he checked Worcester specs and Worcester say it's fine on a 3a 3 pine plug.

    What's the pro's of me changing this to a FCU?
     
  18. Mike83

    Mike83 Screwfix Select

    It fine off a plug but the socket should be unswitched
     
  19. MrM

    MrM Member

    Does anyone have any ingenious or standard solutions to enable the use of a door in this area which restricts a full size door being used?

    Would two way sliding doors work? Do they exist in 762mm sizing?
     
  20. WillyEckerslike

    WillyEckerslike Screwfix Select

    The door is a standard off the shelf bi-fold door which don't as a rule come with a bottom track. Although quite flimsy on first appearance they're actually pretty robust and none of the ones I've fitted have had problems in use. The biggest issue my clients have with them is choosing handles which allow the doors to fold flat and operate from both sides - you don't have that difficulty.

    I hope this helps. I'll also give some thought to other options.
     
    Allsorts, KIAB and Astramax like this.

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