Needed:
1 16mm nut
1 8mm nut
1 8mm x 75mm bolt
hacksaw/Dremel and Drill
tap set or Welder
or Epoxy

1.

Take the 16mm nut and cut through the middle
of the flat side. Turn the nut to the 3rd flat
side (counting the one you’ve just cut as the first)
and also cut it through the middle.
I used my Dremel for both cuts but a hacksaw will
work too.

2.
Next drill a hole for the bolt. Ensure the correct size
based on how you intend attaching the bolt.

• You can tap it in which case make sure your drill bit is the
  correct size for the 8mm tap.
• You can Epoxy it, in which case an 8mm hole should work
• Or you can weld it also making an 8mm hole

3.
If you used a Tap to cut 8mm
threads into the hole in step 2,
turn the nut onto the corresponding
bolt, this will be used to lock the
bolt in place. If you intend welding
or epoxying
it in place, now is the
time.

4.
Turn the Bolt into the newly tapped
hole and tighten the 8mm nut right
up against it in order to lock it into
place.

Finally, the most important
thing that turns your opener
into a success or a
paper weight…

5.
Using a hacksaw, cut a groove
through the threads about
1mm in from the bottom of the
16mm bolt. It may be a good idea
to measure it up against a bottle.

You now have one of the best
openers you’ll ever use.

1. Tiles Decide how much you want to spend then look for tiles you like and check to
see how they fit your price range. I found this to be the most successful way of finding what I like. I
found that walking through tile shops looking for tiles at the top of my price range thinking they’d be
the best quality, often had me missing mark down specials and really nice tiles for really good prices.

Ask the sales clerk for some samples to take home. The color of the tile will most likely look different in
the lighting setup at home compared to the fluorescent lights at the shop. It’s also nice to have samples
to match against for accessories and if you are looking at getting colored baths etc.

2. Bath Look for a good combination of form and function. Many people for example
have gone out wanting a victorian bath and come back with a free standing stone bath. Don’t be shy
about getting into the bath while it’s in the shop. The last thing you want to do is get into it for the first
time when your bathroom is complete, and then find it’s too high or not long enough for you to soak in or
even that the back angle just doesn’t feel right.

When looking for a bath keep in mind the style of bathroom you want, the size that the bath can be as
well as if you want the bath to be the focal point of the bathroom or not.

3. Basin Here again, look for form and function. It’s pointless having the most stunning
basin but you can’t shave or wash your face in it without having water spilling over everywhere. Take into
account the type of basin, is it a pedastal, couter top, counter sunk basin etc. What’s going to hide the
drain pipe, if it’s a counter top, what cabinet will you put it on and at what height will it stand if you
purchase a pre-made cabinet. Do your taps not only look good with it, but are they compatible.

The bath and basin should ideally have a very similar shape. If you select a square bath ideally the basin
should have a square shape as well. This allows for flow in the design.

4. Taps You’ll need to know what Type of taps you want before you get started on the
plumbing else you may find yourself redoing what’s already been done and then some. Keep your budget in
mind, but again look for what you like and then check the price. Look for a nice solid feel in the tap with a
smooth action. You don’t want to feel something like rubber grinding on steel or something that feels loose,
because it’ll just get looser. Take into account what bath and basin you may be looking at as they may
determine the types of taps you could get.

5. Shower Decide on the size and shape , you could repeat patterns in the tiles in the
shower tiles to draw your eye to the shower or make it a focal point by adding a totally different accent
tile/color to the shower.

6. Toilet Try and match the relative shape of the toilet to other features in the room.
Don’t get the standard oval shape if for instance your basin and bath are square. Try to keep everything
flowing. Look for a toilet that hides the drain pipe pretty well and that doesn’t have huge gaps between
joins and the seat etc. A cheap looking toilet will make an expensive bathroom look cheap.

7. Accessories These are things like Toilet Roll Holders, Towel Rails, Toothbrush holders,
Soap Dispensers etc. There are many styles you can choose from, from wood, chrome, wrought iron,
ceramic etc. When it comes to towel rails though, you’ll need to know before the tiling commences whether
you’re planning to put in a heated towel rail or not in case electricity needs to be run. If you have gone for
a fairly neutral color scheme in your tiles etc, you can use things like you Soap Dispensers to spice things
up. You can also get different colored towels and mats to alter the look of your bathroom from week to
week.

1. Opinel Folding Knife:
Opinel have a huge selection in their folding knife range, from stainless steel blades to carbon steel blades, all in oak, walnut or oak wood with varieties of rarewoods and even Blond Horn. Many people will choose a stainless steel blade, but you have to ask yourself, how many stainless steel samurai swords were made in the 1500′s ? The answer is none. The carbon steel blade will give you a sharper knife but will have a tendency to rust and discolor if used over a high heat source, in which case the Stainless Steel blade will be a better choice. This is really an inexpensive gift but the quality of knife it proves to be is outstanding.

2. Maglite Torch:

The Maglite has to be the torch of all torches. The build quality is outstanding and once you’ve handled one you will soon see why it is the chosen torch for many police men and woman as well as other security personal. There are 2 things that affect the price of your Maglite, the 1st obviously being what size you’re buying, the second being whether you’re getting the LED model or not. The LED model can turn out to be double the price of the regular one. I’d suggest getting the regular one which is still a fantastic torch and bank on getting the led upgrade later for a birthday or Christmas.

3. Dremel 300:
The Dremel is a “Must Have” for any DIY Father. It is really so versatile that sometimes he will wonder how he ever got by without one. The Dremel in my opinion is the top of the range, you can get similar tools in other brands, but for the extra couple of bucks you may as well splash out and get the Rolls Royce of rotary tools. Dremel also offers the most accessories for their tool, from tile grout cleaners to router attachments. This is really a great gift but can be a bit pricey. You can drill, grind, cut, saw, engrave and a whole lot more with this tool.

Now I’ve decided that somehow I need to get my Gate wired into my house alarm. That way I can walk past the keypad on my way to bed and see that the Gate is still open. This sounds a whole lot more complex than it really is. Depending on what electronics you have available or can lay your hands on, it can be an easy half hour job.

I am lucky enough to have upgraded my alarm system to a complete wireless kit last year. So getting my Gate onto the alarm system didn’t require new cables to be pulled or re-wired into some other circuit. My plan is to put a wireless door contact at the gate. With a couple modifications, I’ll wire a Heavy Duty Wired door contact from the gate to the wireless unit. So far my shopping list consists of:

1. Wireless Door Contact
2. Heavy Duty Wired Door Contact
3. 4 core security cable
4. Weather proof box
5. Glue and mounting screws.

Before

We’ve been in our new house for about 6 months, and it’s time the bathrooms got a makeover.
There are 3 bathrooms and all of them are just as ugly. The taps are old and starting to drip,
the shower enclosure is falling apart. The cast iron baths have been re-enameled one too many times.

The overall design didn’t make sense. We have planned to sacrifice the Study and replace it with a Walk-In Closet
come Dressing Room. Overall this will be my second largest renovation on this house.

The guest bathroom was always planned to be first on my list as it was a lot smaller and less complex,
but with the state of the “Master Bathroom” we decided to tackle it first and get it out the way.
After this, refurbishing the swimming pool and installing wood laminate floors in the last 2 bedrooms will
feel like weekend jobs.

After much deliberation, I think we have everything layed out for what will work for us. Ideally I hope to be left with an upmarket
his and hers bathroom where we will each have our own individual space.

After

The “Blue” wall is what I’ll need to have built (My masonary skills still need to be honed). The “Red” walls are what we’ll be
breaking out. I don’t need to replace all the plumbing, but considering I’ll be tearing absolutely everything down, I may as
well replace the old galvanised pipes with copper while I’m, busy. It will save me from doing it later when the pipe corrodes through.
Also, the current shower takes forever to heat up, so I’ll re-run all the pipes in the most direct route possible, probably through the
roof to what we call a geyser but is probably more universally known as a water heater.

Being an older house, I’d like to replace the converntional taps with “Mixer Taps”. To be able to do this I need to ensure my geyser/water heater
is a “high pressure” unit and that I have a “master flow” valve installed. So while the demolition starts, I’ll be gathering that info…