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Living Room Project


Lenny
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Do you know I only found out about gripits through this thread! Then when my local Maplins (where my brother in law was a manager) shut down, I snaffled up a few sets! Can't wait to find a use for them!!!

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On 5/30/2018 at 6:45 PM, Lenny said:

Hi,

Firstly thanks for manufacturing an excellent product that does exactly what it says it will do and secondly thanks for taking the time to join the forum here to comment and get in touch, your recognition has honestly made my day feel free to use the images no problem atall

Thanks very much 👍

Great stuff. Thanks Lenny and you're absolutely welcome! Best of luck with the renovation.

6 hours ago, Phil21185 said:

Do you know I only found out about gripits through this thread! Then when my local Maplins (where my brother in law was a manager) shut down, I snaffled up a few sets! Can't wait to find a use for them!!!

Extra lucky for us that we got a shoutout on here then! Sometimes our fixings turn up in the most unexpected places 😂. Hopefully you'll find something to use them for soon. You can always follow us on Twitter or Facebook (@GripitFixings) to see what projects other people have used them for as inspiration (and maybe share a few pics of your own when you're done). 

 

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  • 3 months later...

The small cottage saw in a  picture of the hallway; Is a fairy cottage I built with the kids during there summer holidays, 

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I marked out the MDF with a pencil then they pulled the trigger on the jigsaw while i guided it along the lines and they later painted it followed by fitting solar fairy lights inside.

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This update is the final one of 2018 as Christmas is quickly approaching 🎅 

One final home improvement of 2018 which I've been wanting to fit for a while now; and decided to treat myself to for Christmas is a "Climote heating control unit" 

Link: http://www.climote.ie 

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The Climote heating control unit is controllable via an app aswell as on the unit itself or via text message all via wifi or across the GSM mobile network it doesn't rely on the home WiFi to maintain communication.

It has it's own SIM card built in meaning it doesn't require wifi to function, should the wifi ever fail within the house it won't affect the wireless control of the heating 👍

The gloss white polycarbonate finish also matches nicely with the Schneider electric Clipsal sockets and switches with the exception of the cooker switch there it's not clipsal, 

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The device also comes with a battery powered wireless thermostat which I've positioned next to an ornament of an elephant on a shelf in the living room to represent the mammoth savings to come from fitting this unit😉

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Additional thermostats are available from Climote for those users with a zoned heating system,

The unit can also control the hot water on a zoned system.

The screen automatically turns off when the controls haven't been touched for more than 10 minutes.

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The installer has chosen to fit a standard 13A fuse outlet next to the Climote unit to add Quote "Additional Safety" of a fuse

I'm not convinced it was required but some people can't just do a job without adding there own little bit to make themselves feel important too ☺ seems this guy was just one of those people,

I'll change it to a Clipsal branded one to make it look better in gloss white matching the Climote aswell as being clipsal the screw heads will be hidden from view.

Link: https://www.electricalwholesaler.ie/products/plugssocketsswitches/domesticplugsswitchessockets/switchedunswitchedfuseunit/13afuseoutletclipsal 

Climote are Irish owned and engineered, 

There also based in the home town I grew up in here in Ireland, Which also provides me with that personal extra warm feeling of home here many miles away from there in my new home.

Thanks for reading.

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  • 2 months later...

Having had the New Climote heating control unit fitted two weeks now; Thought I'd post a report on the unit.

I've downloaded the Climote App which connects to control unit across the internet or via Alexa

The usage details provided on the App are excellent; for example here's a screen shot of the chart showing the hours of run time which the heating was active this week and last week.

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And here's a screen shot of a graph showing the lowest temperature and highest temperature within the home across the week.

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I find this information very helpful as while the temperature outside has been fluctuating between 2°C to 11°C

The graph shows the living room is holding a consistent base temperature of 18°C without using any heating at all

Which means the improvements of blocking up the fireplace and replacing the window are paying for themselves through savings on the heating costs.

I've set the target temperature to 22°C so I'm only using the boiler to increase the room temperature by 4°C

Before fitting this unit we didn't have any way of controlling the room temperature and minimum boost feature was 1hr. 

The app can also monitor and display the battery level of the room thermostat or thermostats in a zoned heating system, 

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I'll have another update in summer 2019   There will be some further progress between now and then;

But there's no point in posting an update with just one bit of progress, its better to have done a few things then summarise, I've also edit previous posts to include progress of each room to keep things consistent Hopfully makes for better reading.

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  • 4 months later...

Here is the first well ended up being  the only update of 2019 as I edited across the year although it is packed with progress.

And theres quite a bit of progress being done to complete two of the bedrooms upstairs, with the intentions or plan of maximising the use of space aswell as completing the rooms So that they are entirely done and off the "To Do List"

The reason I'm rushing these areas to completion in short time; is mainly because they are the kids rooms and in my own opinion they need there own personal space to develop who they are and do what they want to; without looking at an area which is half complete or has temporary flooring,

Because they may not invision the future plan in the same way myself and my wife do which i feel; can impact on there mental development and social activity having friends around for play etc.

So when working on there rooms; I felt it best to go at the reovations with a view of completion within two months start-finish letting them chose what they want in there own space themselves and working together to make it there space.

All that temperary floor covering still remains downstairs which were content with and is our hobby as parents and daily focus to work hard and complete it in our own time and in our own way; 

It's taking much longer time to complete than expected; but the project which was originally about renovating only the living room, later expanded to renovating the entire home; which saw the contents of some areas being stripped out prematurely in a bid to maximise the value of purchasing a waste skip, to save purchase of a second skip at a later date we took out the kitchen flooring early.

I'm also aiming for higher than standard of material in all areas of the home doing right first time; Which of course financially takes a bit longer to achieve as being the only earner in the home; repaying Mortgage, household bill's aswell as providing for the wife & three kids,

However; I'm enjoying the project and when it all comes together in the end, it will last us a long time and be well worth the efforts as it's what we want to achieve and are content to wait for it, 

The kids however are there own little people in my opinion they should have there own personal space within the home with everything they need in that space; they can then see that the project around the rest of the home; is somthing we do and they still have there completed space to retreat to and chill or study if there not content with the current setup in other areas of the home.

So all that said here we go; 

I've purchased alot of the room contents either from online supplier's or from IKEA as result; I'm listing the ikea item numbers in the event; anyone is interested in purchasing the item for themselves, 

Bedroom 03

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With the radiator complete I began the installation of the Television and accessories; Having previously routed network cables from the panel in the attic to the area above bedroom 03 

I first fitted a HDMI and RJ45 wall plate next to some Clipsal sockets in the corner of Bedroom 03 

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The process went the same as previously shown in bedroom 01

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As illustrated in the above image; Partition wall's have horizontal pieces "Noggings" fitted at various heights to aid structural integrity aswell as block fire from spreading too quickly in the unlucky event one were to manifest itself.

Anyway; when fishing cables down through a partition wall from the attic space above; it is essential to know where these horizontal sections "Noggings" are located.

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I've run the Stanley Stud Finder along the wall horizontally sweeping left to right and found one "Nogging" within line of the socket below, 

I then ensured there were no power cables in the wall, followed by drilling four small holes in the wall to remove a small section of the horizontal beam allowing for the cables to be retrieved from the partition cavity then returned to the lower cavity through the horizontal wooden beam, 

I will patch this hole with Flame Retardant expanding foam when finished to retain fire block standard.

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The RJ45 Network Socket is connected to the LAN Router for Room 03 on the attic panel and the HDMI socket has a 7 metre Ibra HDMI cable attached linking it to HDMI 3 on the Television mounted on the wall,

Ideal for a computer or Games console connection straight in to the wall and it's connected to the TV👍

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Next I began fitting the Television bracket and cables to the partition wall in Bedroom 03

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Due to the layout of the room; a pull out swivel tv bracket was required,
I purchased some grey plastic M6 nut caps to enhance the appearance link: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hexagon-Plastic-Dome-Bolt-Nut-Cover-Caps-GREY/222160127829 
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Using The stanley Stud Finder again and some GripIt fixtures; I set about positioning and mounting the television bracket in bedroom 03 

 
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Unfortunately the wooden support beam inside this partition wall; wasn't where I would have really liked it to be in the centre of the wall,

So I had to use four blue coloured Gripit's to secure the bracket to the plaster which hold just as good as a wooden beam would.

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I first marked up the wall, then drilled the 4 holes inserted the Gripit's and screwed it in tight.

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I then used a spirit level and 1 Gang dry wall insert box to mark out the area for taking the cables down through from the attic.

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I then went up in to the attic and drilled a 25mm hole down in to the partition cavity fishing the pre-terminated cables down through the partition drywall from attic to bedroom aswell as feeding in a 5 metre long "figure 8" ended cable to power the Television.

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Then cut out the top section of the 1 Gang plastic drywall insert to allow the bulk of pre-terminated cables to easily pass through without restriction.

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Finished off the 1 Gang insert with a black nickel finish; brush plate to tidy the appearance, prevent heat loss from the room and prevent spiders from passing through.

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I later took the bracket off the wall and retracted the cables just enough to be able to mask up the area and give the room another two coats of paint prior to refitting again.

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Paint dried over 24 hours later; I finally fitted the 32" Samsung LED Television and I'm very impressed with how it looks on the wall, the only thing holding it all securly in the plasterboard is four blue Gripit fixings, excellent product.

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Next I held one of the white floating box's up to the ceiling and marked the cable entry circle on the ceiling in the corresponding location prior to drilling it out with a wholesaw.

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I then bolted the two floating box's together and screwed them to the outter solid block wall using some 5mm stainless steel L shaped brackets.

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I then run the cables down to each shelf consisting of a two Cat7 cables, two HDMI, two figure 8 power cable's, one C13 power cable, twin sattelite feed, terrstrial aerial feed, a Virginmedia feed and a component cable to cover any possible device requirements.

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Currently fitted there is a SkyHD multiroom box with a UK Freesat card fitted and in the bottom shelf there's a Virginmedia box with active subscription. 

All of the power cable's I've run in to the box shelves and to the Television's are all 4 metre's long purchased purposey for the job, 

Bedroom 03

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I've purchased and fitted three 24hr 7 day Digital programme time clocks, Link: https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/PIFCO-Es113-24-Hour-7-Day-Digital-Programmable-Timer/2255373446 

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One for each bedroom television to ensure there not left on throughout the day or night, I've programmed different available times and shut off times for the weekdays and weekends to save electricity aswell as preventing excessive viewing can program up to ten different start/stop times across seven days.

That completes the Audio & Visual entertainment now moving on; 

The original content of bedroom 03; was a 156cm tall 204cm wide solid pine "Limelight PAVO High Sleeper item: LLPAHSBF" bed as saw in the generic image of the model here: 

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I chose to purchase the limelight Pavo triple sleeper style around five years ago when our son was arriving to our home; I chose the triple sleeper at the time; because I feared the occupant of the top bunk would accidentally roll off the top;

With this design the unfortunate descendant; would land on the bottom mattress then the floor; rather than the floor directly also being 156cm tall it wasn't very high for a bunk bed making it easier to carry them to bed if required.

Thankfully the feared falling accident never happened and there both much older now; they dont get in to as much horse play when left alone in a room; and the lower 204cm wide bed took up alot of unnecessary space in the room, 

The original wardrobe of choice within bedroom 03 was this "TRYSIL" free standing sliding door wardrobe from IKEA item code: 403.087.76 

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This particular wardrobe is Great value for money and of good solid structure, Theres even some metal support brackets under the centre of the drawers; We have exactly the same wardrobe unit fitted in Bedroom 02 on previous updates which is still in use today,

my main reason for disposing of this one from bedroom 02; Is because there was a new floor being fitted and the room was also being completed to a permanent layout; where opting for a built in wardrobe was more practical to optimise both storage and space saving,

So we first measured the room and went to a few local home interior shops to get prices on a new semi-solid oak wooden floor which the kids chose the shade of the oak; Along with some skirting boards aswell as arcitrave & 3mm foil rubber backed soundproofing underlay, for those interested cost €947 inc. Fitting 

We chose to go to the same place that fitted the semi-solid oak floor in Bedroom 01

whom gave us a fitting date which was three weeks further down the line but they would phone us earlier in time to arrange a sooner alternative appointment if they had gotten a cancellation, 

Since that was a Friday morning of the April Easter bank holiday weekend and the weather was fantastic; we took advantage of both the time off work and the dry weather;

To get started on stripping out Bedroom 02 entirely in preparation for the new floor as although the leed time for fitting was three weeks away; they could potentially get a cancellation the following say; Wednesday for example; And we needed to get prepared for that short notice.

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I first dismantled the Trysil wardrobe,

I then separated the bunk beds back in to two stand alone units until the bank holiday Monday when they would have to go out of the room too; in preparation for the new floor.

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With the wardrobe removed and the beds seperated; we were then able to access the entire laminate beech wood styled flooring which had been fitted there since the house had been built fourteen years;

We got it lifted in panels easily enough; which the kids kindly carried downstairs and stacked outside; one by one downstairs and stacked neatly outside where I later chopped it up and stacked inside the shed for weekly wheelie bin disposal; I'll get rid of it piece by piece in the Domestic Waste wheelie bin 👍 saves us renting a skip as the cheapest is now €180,

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With the floor now stripped; I went to our local DIY store picked up my favourite brand of foam "unibond WhiteTec expanding foam" purchased nine cans in total and a box of Qty:200 M4 x 40mm self tapping screws to secure the chipboard flooring preventing creaks under the new floor.20190418_141223.thumb.jpg.13be2a0b84c10dd5772816562bdeca14.jpg

I then wore a set of knee pads previously purchased from Aldi and set about securing down the floor; used a total of: 178 screws and thankfully theres no creaking atall when walking around now 👍

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I then opened the windows to best ventilate the area & began sealing the gaps around where the rafters come in from the cavity wall aswell as along the neighbouring wall for both sound and heat insulation purposes using the unibond WhiteTec foam.

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I then left the foam overnight to dry completely given the quantity used; then trimmed it all back square using a kitchen bread knife.20190420_123544.thumb.jpg.b3994492a5894386dae8970e37a0ed4f.jpg

Moving onwards then; Since the heating pipes were integrated in to the wall as part of the radiator upgrade;

I picked up a sample pot of Neon Red paint and marked the locations where the heating pipes are resting inside in the wall; as I don't want the floor installer to drive a skirting board nail through one of the pipes, 😲

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When building the bunk beds I used wood glue on the dowels which ensured a strong hold but makes it difficult to disassemble; so I had to use a hand saw in order to keep the dust to a minimum; 

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I then brought the sections outside where I set up the folding ladder from Aldi like a scaffold shape; I then positioned the wheelbarrow under the ladder, used the gap between two steps of the ladder as a template size guide for the average fireplace I set about cutting up the solid pine beds for firewood using a jigsaw, 

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Got two and a half wheel Barrow loads of chopped pine when finished, rather than having to order a skip to dispose of it and since we no longer have an open fire in our house;

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A work mate kindly agreed to take the entire load of chopped up pine for use in his open fire at home; which has saved me the expense of disposal.

I must say the already lowered focus was trailing the ground when transporting this load with provided a lovely smell of pine in the car ☺ also a worrying time; because I loaded up the car on a Sunday night in preparation for bringing them to work on the Monday morning; and if there was ever a really bad time for the car to catch fire atall due to an electrical fault or otherwise🤞 it wasn't to happen while it was full of combustible materials 😂

The only parts I'm left with for disposal are the pieces from the original Trysil wardrobe: 

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Which I've stacked at the rear of the shed for the rain to soften it up saving me time cutting it for wheelie bin disposal after the floor pieces have gone in there too.

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With the room now stripped out and the kids chosen shade of semi solid oak floor soon to be fitted; I set about ordering there replacement bunk bed of choice it's a Solid Pine:

Vipack Pino High Sleeper Bunk Bed Model: PISBOL15

If your in Ireland; a recommended supplier of the Vipack range is Jellybean Link: https://www.jellybeangroup.com 

Pino-BBH-Black.thumb.jpg.a551318c7278e8338e2174b319f9ba62.jpgThe old solid Pine Limelight PAVO High Sleeper bunk which we disposed of was 156cm tall; this new high sleeper gives more head space to the lower bunk as the overall height is 209cm tall

That's 53cm higher than the old one and 35cm down from the ceiling. Which provides; Alot more space for the bottom bed to be used for sitting up in during the day, 

Since the occupant of the bottom bunk; our youngest daughter; wears glasses much like myself and theres no space for a bedside locker due to the wardrobe layout plan;

I purchased an additional accessory from the Vipack range which is designed for the high sleeper with a desk below; However the bunk beds have the exact same horizontal beam at the side to take the shelf.

The Vipack Pino Book shelf Model: PIOLHP14 

If your in Ireland; a recommended supplier of the Vipack range is Jellybean Link: https://www.jellybeangroup.com 

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This shelf provides her with a fixed location to store her glasses at night time without the worry of them getting lost or broken as they should always be either on the face or on that shelf ☺

The next item is a great idea from a company called Parisot

As the Vipack beds are European they can take a 90cm wide 200cm long mattress, 

However since were in Ireland; although still European ☺️ We use a 90cm wide 190cm long UK sized single mattress; which leaves a 10cm space almost 4" inches between the top or bottom of the mattress and the frame of the bed depending on which way you put the mattress 5cm either end if desired, 

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Anyway; I've found these Parisot bed pockets available to fit this exact space 10cm x 90cm;

There manufactured by Parisot item: 0019 BOXE I've purchased a total of three from a local stockist, one for Bedroom 01 & two for Bedroom 03 I'm very pleased to find a professional item to address the issue aswell as providing an additional storage space.

Moving on now; having processed the order for the chosen replacement bunk bed;

We all sat down together at the kitchen table and discussed the plans; A list of things they would like to have in there space aswell as guiding them in what they will need to have for studying in the near future and heres the plan; 

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The total width of the room is 282cm; As saw on the left of the image above there's then 181cm of width remains after the 101cm wide replacement bunk bed is fitted;

We decided the wardrobe would be best positioned inside the door to the left along the rear of the Hotpress (airing cupboard) between it and the side of the bed;

We then logged on to IKEA to view there large range of "PAX" customisable built in 201cm tall & 236cm tall wardrobes which are available in a wide range of shades & dimensions with customisable interiors and a range of door options both hinged or sliding, 

We managed to create a PAX 236cm floor to ceiling tall wardrobe that is 175cm in width leaving a gap of 6cm/2.4" between the side of the wardrobe and the bed side 🙆‍♂️ excellent couldn't ask for a closer size than that for built in wardrobe.

We planned to do two trips to IKEA Dublin after the floor has been fitted and not before then because we don't have the space to store all of the boxs until the bedroom was ready to accept the wardrobe.

The first trip to IKEA was to speak with a member of staff and plan out the wardrobe using the IKEA 3D planner followed by collecting & taking home the small items from the list, 

The second trip to IKEA was just myself and one of the kids; to pick up the large boxs of the wardrobe itself.

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The following Thursday morning after the April Bank holiday weekend; The Vipack bunk bed arrived along with the matching Vipack shelf.

I then went to the local furniture shop and purchased two identical single mattresses in a spring sale which ended the following day saved €80 overall and took them home in the rear of the Ford focus.

These items remained in the downstairs hallway until the following Monday; when the floor fitter called to say; there had been a cancellation and if we were available that morning he would arrive to install 👍 

Thankfully the only items which we had to remove from the room at that point were the two old mattresses which were on the floor, 

I got home from work that evening to see the fantastic job they done; especially around the radiator pipes, 

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With the floor then fitted; we were able to build the Vipack Pino high sleeper bunk bed which the instruction manual stated took two people 60 minutes 😂 more like 600 minutes,

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took 7 hours in total there's 112 Philips head screws holding the lats in place all to be done by hand; that part itself took more than 60 minutes.

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Anyway; I layed out all the parts on some old duvets to best prevent scratching the new floor which worked quite well indeed.

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Image above there; I had abandoned the build process at 23:00 that night as I was up for work at 05:00am thd following morning.

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Completed the process on the Tuesday evening after work, 

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The Vipack book shelf does look pretty good on the bunk bed; if I do say myself, it's the right part for the job and looks the very best fitted👍 

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The expected build time of 15 Minutes stated on the manual; was quite accurate compared to the estimation on the bunk beds manual,

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The width between the bottom of the bunk bed and the window is 152cm 

At present there using it as a play area for there doll house; but the eldest one would like to change for a two seater sofa as they can't sit up in the top bunk; there's plenty of two seater's available to fit that measurement at a later date when there both ready to say goodbye to the dolls house.

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With the new bed and mattresses now fitted and the old mattresses in the back garden; I set about disposing of them in my own cost cutting way, 

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The local recycling centre want to charge €50 per mattress for disposal, that's €100 just to let me throw them in there designated skip, 

🤔However; They do accept scrap metal for free,

So I put a new Stanley blade in the knife and stripped all the material from the mattress springs,

I've bagged the material for disposal in the domestic waste wheelie bin,

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I then folded the spring section of the mattress's in half; cable tied them then put them in the car brought to the recycle centre as scrap metal where they had a good laugh at my disposal (no Pun intended) but couldn't charge me €100 😄 #Sour 🤷‍♂️

Moving on then; Last Friday; We all went to IKEA Dublin to plan out the new "PAX" wardrobe, we based our requirements on item code: 591.612.70 

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We Then changed some baskets for drawers aswell as changing the doors and adding some extra interior items all using the PAX planner.

We basically changed everything except the size, our wardrobe design came to a total of €897.00 including the lights and drawer inserts, 

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The design software on the computers in IKEA is very easy to use; simply drag and drop the various items in to place, the software will instantly alert you if your chosen item wont fit the desired location.

For example: we wanted to fit some wooden drawers on the right bottom side of the wardrobe; however the software alerted us that a wooden drawer isn't possible on the bottom row due to one of the door hinges obstructing it from opening

Instead we had to fit a mesh drawer which is tapered inwards at the bottom and wont conflict with the hinges on the doors.

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The software also totals the cost and displays at all times on screen so you can keep track of your spend as you add items; Then when you print the plan; it provides a full list of all items you need aswell as there various stock locations in the warehouse department 👌

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The first trip to IKEA Dublin complete last Friday evening we had gathered all of the small items required for our PAX wardrobe aswell as some decorative items for the room.

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Then last Saturday evening; myself and one of the daughters went up to IKEA Dublin after i finished work; to collect the 236cm tall wardrobe units and doors which stuck out a bit for the 67 Mile journey home but I had it well wrapped in an old duvet with a high visibility jacket on the back for extra safety.

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Sunday morning then we began marking out the walls and fitting the lower bunk battery powered light it's a: 

"BLÅVIK" (white) flexible light code: 603.122.92  it switches off automatically after 15 minutes to save power,

The top light is a: 

"FUBBLA" (white) LED Wall light code: 203.816.02 

which we drilled a hole through the partition wall for and plugged in the FUBBLA's; low voltage adapter to a socket through the wall; which is well ventilated & hidden on top of the wardrobe in Bedroom 02.

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We done that for safety & aesthetic purposes rather than there being a cable visible down the wall and rather than the low voltage adapter being next to a mattress.

Next to be fitted were picture frames, which the kids can choose pictures of there own happy times to put in themselves.

Three "FISKBO" (white) 13x18cm Picture frame code: 902.956.63  on the wall between the beds 

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And

Two "FISKBO" (white) 21x30cm Picture frame code: 803.003.73  one either side of the window.

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Also added a Triple pack of Matt black floating book shelves there manufactured by: Core Products Item: HD6BK which were purchased from the local B&Q but also available from various online stores.

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Now moving on to fitting the wardrobe;

The first task to fitting the PAX wardrobe; was removing some of the newly fitted skirting boards to allow the wardrobe recess flush with the wall as it should since its a built in model.

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I had put alot of thought in to doing this removal of the skirting as I really didnt want to scuff or damage anything, 

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I purposly meassured across 20cm shorter than the width which I required then used a whole saw bit on the drill to remove the back wall skirting, then pried it off using a claw hammer; keeping the corner length for trimming and refitting after the wardrobe was installed, 

The 20cm excess then on the right skirting board section gave me plenty of allowance for possible splitting when removing the remaining section with the claw hammer without risking the part I wanted to keep for refitting and any scuffs to the wall are hidden by the wardrobe's when fitted 👌

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First "PAX" Wardrobe unit 100x58x236cm item code: 502.145.60  Built.

Since there floor to ceiling wardrobe's they have to be built in the vertical position which requires a second person and a ladder but doesn't take very long to assemble around one hour for the first one and fourty minutes for the second one as you know what to do at that stage; without really studying the instructions.

Heres a video to show how it goes; not by me though 😅

When the unit was built I used these SUPAFIX SFHDSDF Heavy Duty Self-Drill Fixings for plasterboard walls.

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Pack of four purchased from my local DIY store also available online; to secure the wardrobe sections at the top; these fixtures are not as good as GripIt fixtures but these self tapping variants ment I didn't risk scratching the floor by having to slide the wardrobe unit out from the wall in order to drill the GripIt fixtures then slide the unit back in for securing.

With these self tappers; I could screw in immediately so they were the fixing of choice on this occasion, 

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The wardrobe units then have screw down adjustable feet on the front situated inside the front kick board which you adjust using a Philips head screwdriver to make everything level on all angles; 

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All perfectly level now and I was extremely pleased with it from that point onwards as the hardest part was over and knew it was simply a case of repeating the process again for the second wardrobe unit.

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I then meassured up the remaining section of wall at the rear of the hotpress (Airing Cupboard) then cut the skirting board to the correct length accordingly, 

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Looking pretty sweet for my first time doing something like that; if I do say so myself 😅

I haven't stuck it using some Unibond "No More Nails" just yet as I may need to take a small piece off the skirting board when fitting the doors on Sunday.

The second wardrobe unit then:

"PAX" Wardrobe unit 75x58x236cm item code: 202.145.71  

built in exactly the same way as the first; positioned tightly next to the first one, 

Made level first,

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Followed by clamping the two together and drilling through the fifth hole up from the bottom then inserting a supplied Philips head bolt to hold them together,

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Repeating the process again on the fifth hole down from the top then removing the clamps, 

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Then secured to the wall in exactly the same way; 

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I purchased both of the compression clamps from Poundland for a few euros each, well worth the spend.

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I then meassured and marked up the other side of the skirting board; securing it in place using some unibond "No More Nails" 

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With both the wardrobe units now fitted and secured to the wall; We put the bunk bed back in place; Its a nice fit with maximum free space in the room aswell as maximum storage space within the room too,

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I'm also very impressed with how easy it was to get it all leveled out and how solid of structure it has become.

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Another excellent feature of the IKEA design software is; on the paperwork it also tells you the hole number which you need to insert each drawer rail or shelf during assembly which makes installation very simple indeed.

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Both units covered simply count up from the bottom the set number of holes then insert the drawer rail or shelf etc. 

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Next I built the four drawers for inside the units which all came with there own set of; soft closing hinges as standard inside the box's; little gas struts in the rails to close softly when pushed.

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All ready to be inserted; The interior items ive fitted to the PAX wardrobe are as follows; for those interested.

In the left 100cm wide unit starting from the top downwards heres the list of items used: 

1 x "SKUBB" storage case 93x55x19cm in the top shelf item code: 604.000.00 

1 x "KOMPLEMENT" 100x58cm Wooden shelf (White) item code: 702.779.57 

1 x "KOMPLEMENT" 100cm Clothes rail (Dark Grey) item code: 802.569.40 

1 x "KOMPLEMENT" 100x58cm Glass Shelf (white) item code: 702.576.38 

1 x "KOMPLEMENT" 100x58cm wooden drawer with Glass front (white) item code: 202.467.08 

1 x "KOMPLEMENT" 100x58cm Box Set of 8 (Light Grey)  item code: 792.608.44 

1 x "KOMPLEMENT" 100x58cm Wooden shelf (White) item code: 702.779.57 

&

2 x "KOMPLEMENT" 100x58cm mesh drawers (grey) item code: 290.109.80 

 

In the right 75cm wide PAX unit starting from the top downwards heres the list of items used: 

1 x "SKUBB" storage case 69x55x19cm in the top shelf item code: 004.000.03 

1 x "KOMPLEMENT" 75x58cm shelf (White)  item code: 902.779.61 

1 x "KOMPLEMENT" 75cm Clothes rail (Dark Grey) item code: 002.569.44 

1 x "KOMPLEMENT" 50x58cm Glass shelf for the top of the tray item code: 002.576.46

1 x "KOMPLEMENT" pull out tray (white) item code: 202.463.60 

1 x "KOMPLEMENT" Divider for pull-out tray item code: 202.467.89 

1 x "KOMPLEMENT" 90x53cm Drawer Mat (Cut to Measure 75cm) item code: 304.055.65 

1 x "KOMPLEMENT" 75x58cm shelf (White)  item code: 902.779.61 

3 x "KOMPLEMENT" 75x58cm wooden front drawers (white) item code: 102.463.32 

&

1 x "KOMPLEMENT" 75x58cm mesh drawer in (Dark Grey) item code: 090.109.81 

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The "KOMPLEMENT" 90x53cm Drawer Mat (Cut to Measure) item code: 304.055.65 

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I've fitted five of those mats in the finish; there very inexpensive and line the bottom of the drawers nicely;

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There also marked on the underside for trimming to suit the various drawer sizes of drawer available. 

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Next to be fitted are:

4 x Pack "KOMPLEMENT" Soft Close hinges item code: 302.145.04 (4 x hinges per door)

3 x "TYSSEDAL" (White) Hinged Doors 50x229cm item code: 190.902.51  

&

1 x "VIKEDAL" 50x229cm Mirror Door item code: 699.042.37   🤯

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Should look like this: 🤞

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And Here they are in Reality HD 👍

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Above you can see the first door fitted; And at this stage of the process; I feel its worth Documenting;

The four hinge pack contains:

2 x regular hinges & 2 x soft close hinges,

The soft close hinges go top & bottom with the regular hinges in the centre of each door; this can be an oversight when first fitting.

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The soft close hinges have the grey tabs.

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Above all four doors fitted 100% I'm very pleased with how easy they were to fit with the assistance of my wife and an old duvet laye on the floor to protect the face of the doors while I secured in the hinges, 

The wife then held each door while I got up the ladder to secure each door to the wardrobe itself. 

The VIKEDAL mirror door; comes with a little curved handle which can be secured to the door if required;

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However we decided not to fit any handle to the mirror door; instead you just open the neighbouring door then press the rear of the mirror to open if required.

The next task was fitting the chosen handles to the other three doors; 

2 x "ENERYDA" 35mm Black Door knobs (Qty: 2 per Pack) item code: 003.475.05

The doors don't come with any pre-drilled 5mm holes for door handles or any recommended indentations on the inside of the door for drilling; the location choice & handle style is entirely the customer's choice.

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As result; we got measuring with a tape & a T-Square; the overall height of the centre panel is 35cm so half of that is 17.5cm 

Then the full width of the outer support piece is: 7cm and half that is 3.5cm

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Using the tape & T-Square we meassured down 17.5cm & across 3.5cm to mark the holes, followed by drilling with a 5mm wood drill bit.

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All three Door handles now securely fitted and I'm very pleased with the results, 

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Next we addressed the issue of the wardrobe door making contact with the side of the bed frame on the right side,

And cutting a bit out of the skirting board on the left side to allow the door to open correctly;

I purchased these "DEKTON" item:DT90855 furniture pads from a local Poundland store also available online; I had tried the local DIY store first but surprisingly; They didnt stock any furniture pads atall;

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I located the surface contact area; then cut a section of the large square sticky back pad; fitted in the correct location;

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doesn't look too bad and is definitely better than a scuffed or dented wardrobe door.

Next lined up and marked out the skirting to remove a small section off the top corner allowing for the door to open correctly; 

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Almost complete; And Now for the wow factor pieces 🤗

The next addition to the PAX wardrobe was some lighting:

2 x "STÖTTA" 72cm LED Lighting Strip code: 903.600.93 

2 x "STÖTTA" 52cm LED Lighting Strip code: 503.600.90 

There also available in a smaller length: 

"STÖTTA" 32cm LED Lighting Strip code: 103.600.87 

Image below shows a 52cm unit fitted to the 100cm wide glass shelf; 

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I purchased two of the 72cm & two of the 52cm STÖTTA battery powered LED light units to fit in both sides; I'm very impressed with the build quality as the casing isint plastic its aluminium; theres a total of thirty LED in the 72cm units and 22 LED in the 52cm providing a nice evenly spread illumination yet not blinding atall at 2700Kelvin.

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There individually powered by 4 x AA Batteries which go in to a small opening on the rear side of the unit; the casing itself then has three settings "ON" "Auto & "OFF" 

The front of each LED strip has a built in sensor which automatically turns the light on/off when the wardrobe door is opened/closed just like a kitchen fridge, 

No need to worry about forgetting to close the wardrobe & draining the batteries neither as the unit automatically turns the light off after three minutes; if the doors haven't been closed before that period of time. 

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The STÖTTA LED strips are also designed to be fitted inside the drawers, 

There ideal for getting dressed late at night or early morning without having to turn on the main light in the room which may disturb any other occupant in the room.

There also ideal for this situation as you will see further down this thread; the main light switch is being blanked as the new ceiling light is remote control, 

Final touch then to complete the appearance are these;

6 x Pack "VARIERA" 5mm Cover Caps (White) item code: 002.263.15 

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They cost penny's to purchase and make the unit look alot better as theres no empty spaces left in the panels when fitted👍

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Barely notice the caps from a short distance, they really make a difference to the appearance; 

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Also from IKEA the "ODGER" Chair (Blue) item code: 003.600.02  👇

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The chair is to go along with a 105cm wide

"MICKE" Desk in (white) item code: 802.130.74 

Which literally eh; heres one I made earlier 👇

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However it's gotten a bit scratched on the top due to the youngest getting at it with markers and pens; so I plan to purchase the exact same unit again;

I'm going to remove the top from the existing desk and bring it to a local glazing company to have a toughened glass top made to fit the size aswell as the location of the opening hole for the cables at the rear,

Toughened glass wont crack with thermal shock from a hair straightener or cup of tea being sat on top of it compared to regular glass and will protect the desk for a very long time.

This wall under the television is 182cm wide;  next to the 105cm wide desk on this wall is a 77cm wide

"Kallax" four section shelving unit 77x77cm (White) item code: 202.758.14 

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fits nicely next to the desk and has four:

4 x "DRÖNA" (Dark Gray) storage box's item code: 104.439.74  

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The Kallax unit doesn't come with legs as standard; it's designed to be placed directly on the floor or secured to the wall using two brackets which are provided with the unit.

We thought the Kallax unit would look better with some grey legs to bring the unit up above the level of the skirting board and allowing the Kallax unit to recess tight against the wall;

As result; i ordered a set of four grey 12cm legs on amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07QXQ5282?ref=ppx_pt2_dt_b_prod_image&th=1 

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And here they are; also came with 16 furniture pads & twenty self tapping screws,

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Using the T-Square; I meassured in three centimetres from the front of the Kallax and kept inline with the side panel for correct alignment; as saw in the image below

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All four legs fitted, I lifted the entire unit up and rotated; taking care not to rest the unit on two legs as they may snap. 

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In my opinion the Kallax unit looks alot better now with the grey legs fitted; it sits nicely against the wall and theres more floor space visible; also means the bottom face of the Kallax wont get scratched when vacuuming the floor.

That configuration of desk and storage worked very well for the kids doing there homework aswell as creating things, sewing etc.

However; we later had to review the layout and expand the desk space because our eldest daughter required a computer for school aswell as requiring the desk space to complete homework, so here's a short edit of how it looks now; 

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We went back to IKEA with the measurement of the wall (width 182cm) to see what bigger desk options were available for this space which would hold a desktop computer aswell as providing space for other home work activities; 

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We found the NEW to IKEA "HEMNES" (white) Desk 155x65cm code: 702.457.25  

The front cabinet door and drawers of this desk closely match the chosen doors of the PAX Wardrobe; The Hermnes desk is 50cm wider than the previous choice and 65cm deeper allowing for plenty of space to fit a computer monitor while still allowing plenty of space for books and writing. We plan to use a wireless keyboard and mouse which can be stored away when not in use leaving only the monitor on the desk allowing plenty of space for books. 

Also purchased a:

"NYMÅNE" (white) flexible light code: 003.368.04 

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Which takes a GU10 LED bulb purchased separately; The base of the light can be either desk or wall mounted to save space and has a 2.5A 5W USB power socket built in to the side of its base, 

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Also picked up another packet of the: 

ENERYDA" 35mm Black Door knobs (Qty: 2 per Pack) item code: 003.475.05

To ensure the handles on the cabinet & drawers on the new desk matched the wardrobe perfectly,

I had one handle left over from the wardrobe build and only required one additional pack of handles as result.

I've also purchased an Cool White Osram 4.6W GU10 LED bulb for the new NYMÅNE desk light; picked it up from the local DIY store on the way home from IKEA; 

321357260_Screenshot_20191104-051652_SamsungInternet.thumb.jpg.bef3d35478396ba2e0f87a5bc8dd9798.jpgIKEA do supply there own brand of bulbs however when it comes to bulbs I prefer to purchase Osram LED When possible

I then began the process of fitting everything together: 

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The build quality of the Hermnes desk is quite good; I've also used some EvoStick PVA wood glue on the dowels to help keep everything secure as saw in the image below using toilet roll to wipe away any excess glue. 

The desk also has a shelf in the centre section for housing an electrical socket strip.

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I later fitted the solid Pine drawers and cabinet door as saw in the images below but I've not fitted the top on to the desk yet and I will explain why in a minute; 

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I then wall mounted the NYMÅNE desk lamp in a bid to maximise the free desk space aswell as having it in a location where its light output would be optimised. 

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Looks pretty good so far if i do say myself, 

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I then brought the top of the desk to a local glazing company to have them measure it up and make a toughened glass top to match the size of the desk with a corresponding 60mm hole in the back centre for cables aswell as rounded edge on the glass, 

They told me it will take five working days to be ready and will be done on a CNC machine,

Toughened glass wont crack if a hot cup of hair straighteners is set on top of it; the glass will also protect the surface of the desk from pen markings or any possible impact.

And here it is fitted: 

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The glass not only protects the desk surface from damage; it also adds a nice bit of luster to the surface. 

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Excellent light output from the NYMÅNE desk lamp too. 

All ready for fitting the Desktop computer which is expected to arrive directly from Dell on Thursday; ill add a picture or two of how that looks this weekend 24th November 2019 

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I then ordered a Dell XPS 8930 Desktop with 9th Gen i7 Processor Nvidia RTX 2060 Graphics & Dell wireless keyboard & mouse,

It took me three months to save for the entire setup then a week for it to be built and arrive from there manufacturing site in Poland;

it will last for a good few years before becoming obsolete and is capable of both gaming and working without any issues. 

I then saved over €140 by purchasing the "Dell P2415Q" monitor and "Dell AC511M" Sound Bar from LaptopsDirect instead of directly from the Dell website; which I found a bit strange but it all arrived in Dell packaging and here it is delivered and fitted:

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I specifically chose a wireless keyboard & mouse as it can be easily stored away when the computer isn't in use; allowing the desk space to be used for other subjects as required, the soundbar also saves on desk space and the quality of the output is also impressive.

I will later add a printer&scanner unit to the computer system which will be fitted in the kitchen and linked via the wired network.

Moving on then; While in IKEA we had a look at the various storage boxes in the kitchen section;

We brought a few of them to the display model of the hermnes desk in IKEA to trial fit prior to purchasing these for the purpose of housing pens and markers etc. In tubs which can be easily removed from the drawer and returned quite quickly without much mess or any clutter. 

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2 x "VARIERA" Box Black 24x17cm code: 503.320.16 

4 x "VARIERA" 2Ltr waste sorting bin code: 902.046.20 

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The bottom drawer then has two VARIERA boxes to house various items aswell as the little wooden box which came as part of the HERMNES desk.

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Moving on from the desk storage now we had to address another issue;

The overall width of that wall is 182cm

The new desk is 155cm

leaving 27cm of space remaining between the right side of the desk and the end of the wall; unfortunately meaning the original Kallax storage unit (pictured below) would no longer fit this location, 

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As result we purchased a vertical version"Kallax" four section shelving unit (Black-Brown) item code: 402.758.46 

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To fit in the corner on the wall directly behind the desk which will house the original four DRÖNA storage boxes, 

The black suits this location better than the white which if it were white; would make the room feel smaller.

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Thankfully the dolls house still fits in nicely between the end of the vipack bunk bed and the tall Kallax unit making the most of the space. 

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That's the end of the short revamp the rest of the progress documented below is a continuation of the original post no further edits have been made to the original plan.

The next item is from "Kerry Signature Furniture Company" it's a 180cm tall 20cm wide; piece of solid Ash which is beveled & engraved to look like an old style wooden ruler aswell as custom text of choice in the centre; 

Heres a link to purchase height chart for those interested: https://www.kerrysignaturefurniture.ie/product/personalised-solid-ash-height-ruler/  

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The image below; has been taken from there website and theres no mounting holes visible;

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However on the item received in the image below; There are four 6mm holes drilles down the centre for fitting and to prevent warping, 

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They have since informed me; They can supply without these 6mm holes in the centre but you must request "no holes" at the time of purchase, I wasn't aware of holes being present atall at the time of purchase as they were not shown in website images or mentioned in the Description but as result of the holes now being present in my order; 

I've purchased 4 x 45mm long capped Mirror screws from amazon to mount the height chart on there wall while adding some additional styling, nice alternative to the usual Philip's head fixings.

They can engrave anything you want on the ruler; but we couldn't think of a better slogan than the example featured which says "Loved Beyond Meassure" well perhaps "The Height of Ignorance" 🤭 but the wife preferred the "Loved Beyond Meassure" so we went with that.

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Nicely engraved in to the natural Ash wood There €80 inc. Delivery

Manufactured to order; Which takes 10 days from time of purchase to the day of delivery but one can appreciate the time gone in to creating such a natural piece its really worth waiting for, 

The centimetre markings represent inches and the inches represent feet, the maximum height on the chart is 6.5ft tall.

At the time of painting there room; We transfered the original height markings from the wall on to an old piece of Pine door arcitrave, 

In the images below; you can see that I've lined up the arcitrave next to the height chart to transfer the original height markings across to the new chart using a T-Square & permanent marker

Where it will now remain on the wall in the original location of there room forever; it really is a nice item to have to reflect,

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We fitted the height chart inside the back of there bedroom door where the wife has recorded all of the three kids heights on the painted wall; since they could walk as far back as eleven years ago;

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I first meassured to locate the centre of the wall, then centred the height chart on the wall, 

The wife then assisted in holding the height chart on the wall; while I meassured up 1ft from the ground to ensure the readings would be 100% accurate when fitted aswell as level on the wall using the spirit level.

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I then drilled four small 4mm pilot holes through the holes in the height chart in order to mark the wall for fitting some 18mm RED @Gripit Fixings 

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Using an 18mm Flat Wood drill bit; I drilled each of the four pilot holes prior to inserting the GripIt fixings 

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When the GripIt fixtures are inserted; a quick turn of a flat head screwdriver causes the silver wings to spread inside the wall,

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Inserting the screw in then pulls the wings tight inside the plssterboard wall sandwiching tight, I've used the larger blue GripIt fixtures to mount the television bracket earlier in the thread; there a fantastic product capable of supporting huge weights; each of these red GripIt can hold 74kg each thr blue hold a greater weight.

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With the four GripIt now fitted; I lined up the height chart again and secured to the wall using 4 x 45mm flat head mirror screws 

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As saw in the image below; you can see on the Stanley measuring tape 1ft corresponds correctly with the 1ft marking on the height chart. 

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Quick clean of the floor then and it looks excellent now fitted with the mirror screws.

I haven't grown much in the past eight years but I'm on there from back then ☺️

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The next item fitted was a wall clock which the kids also chose themselves Purchased from amazon

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Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07HF6B8K9/ref=cm_sw_ecm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_WlT5Cb44WJ20I 

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Its supposed to be non ticking; There is a ticking sound from it but not very loud; can only be heard if everything is perfectly quiet, was also very good value for money,

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Moving on from the light then;

For a while now the kids are having difficulty sharing the Entertainment remotes in there room, one goes asleep & the other cant switch off the TV;

As result I logged on to Amazon & purchased an additional set of remotes for the Television, Sattelite & Virgin Media box's along with an additional 

"STIKAT bed pocket" / remote holder saw in Black from IKEA item code: 803.783.38  

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Now both occupants have full control of the shared devices which avoids conflict and feelings of superiority ☺

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Moving onwards now;

The Final addition to the room then; Is the ceiling light;

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They chose this 60 x 60cm dimmable LED remote control panel which fits closely to the ceiling; well away from obstructing the bunk bed ladder;

This unit is a slightly larger version of the Lampenwelt light fitted to Bedroom 01

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Its 60x60cm dimmable 50W LED remote control panel which fits closely to the ceiling at 5.5cm from company "Lampenwelt" BRENDA CCT Model: 9624206 

Link: https://www.lights.ie/led-panel-brenda-cct-with-remote-60-x-60-cm-157872-ie-en.html 

50W LED = 350W Halogen Equivalent at full illumination & 87% More Efficient 

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The layout of this unit is identical to the smaller 40x40cm model fitted in Bedroom 01

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It also has an ambient light feature capable of any colour of choice and theres also a disco mode, The main light is capable of three levels of white from a soft 3000k up to a clinical ice white 6000k 😎

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Since the new ceiling light is operated via remote control; it requires a constant power supply identical to the switch saw in Bedroom 01,

I've rewired the light switch panel on the wall with the blank replacing the dimmer switch; the switch will remain inside the blank panel where it will continue to function;

but permanently switched on; as you can see it in the image below identical to bedroom 01👍

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Moving on to the ceiling light wiring then; 

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The original location for the light was quite close to the ladder of the bunk bed, and as the kids get taller; they will extend further from the ladder; increasing the chances of making contact with the ceiling light; 

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I removed the original light fitting to find the same configuration of wires as that saw in bedroom 01 earlier in this update, 

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Since the new light fitting requires the cable to enter in the centre of its bracket and the light is 40x40cm; I then set about relocating the area where the cables exit from the ceiling to best suit the new layout of the room; as the new wardrobe is floor to ceiling then the existing location of the ceiling light no longer seemed to be centre of the room; Also the relocating would reduce the risk of impact to occupants entering/exiting the top bunk bed via the ladder.

Heres a quick photoshop to give an idea of where the new location is compared to the original; the 40x40 tile will still cover the original spot when fitted: 

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I went to my local electrical wholesaler and purchased 1 metre lengths of cable for a total of €2.76 compared to purchasing a 5m packet in the likes of B&Q which I've saw selling for as much as €17.50, the local electrical wholesaler selling straight from the roll is a much cheaper option, 

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Anyway; I set about creating a short 0.5m length to extend five of the existing seven cables;

I wouldn't be extending the two switch cables as there not required on this particular light unit.

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With the 0.5M extension stripped i connected it in to the base of the light fitting prior to mounting on the ceiling; 

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The plan was then to mount the bracket to the ceiling; insert the extension feeds in to the attic where I would then go inside the attic joining the cables together; 

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Above you can see where I've positioned the new light fitting further down the room and closer towards the desk wall; away from the bunk bed ladder while it still looks centre to the new layout of the room.

I've also inserted the new cable in to the attic and pushed the original connections up there too prior to getting inside the attic space myself armed with a selection of tools and connectors as saw below; 

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When I entered the attic space & lifted the insulation;

I could see the original cables were not tacked to the wooden beams which allowed for some movement; 

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This ment that I no longer required to extend the existing cables;

I could simply drop them down through the newly created hole in the ceiling.

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I replaced the foil backing over the original hole where the cables entered the room and secured with a small strip of electrical tape, 

Back down out of the attic space and inside the room then; 

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I've cut off the bare ends & taped up the two light switch feeds followed by wiring in the from switchboard & to next room;  Positive, Negative & Earth feeds.

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I then filled the original location using some ready mixed "Ronseal Big Hole Filler"

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left it to dry overnight followed by a light sanding with some P80 Sandpaper, 

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Two coats of ceiling paint to blend it in to the rest of the ceiling, 

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 I then fitted the LED panel to the light fitting via the supplied bungie cords & secured to the main frame,

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Ambient Lighting:

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100% illumination @ 6000k:

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100% illumination @ 3000k:

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Sleep Mode: is 3000kelvin dimmed low like moon light.

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General Operation: 

Static colours:

Here's a few more videos showing the operation of various modes:👇

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Smooth Mode:

Fade Mode: 

Flash mode: (Disco) 

Im delighted with both of the Lampenwelt ceiling lights there really well manufactured and I highly recommend them,

However there customer service could be a little better educated to assist sales because; The same day of purchasing both ceiling lights from Lampenwelt; I sent them an email requesting to purchase a second remote control for Bedroom 03 as the room has two occupants sharing and these particular light units dont have a switch on the wall; only the remote holder can use the light, And to avoid further conflict between the occupants of Bedroom 03 over who possesses the existing one remote control as theres no switch on the wall.

basically informing Lampenwelt; I paid you for two lights please now sell me another remote control generally for a cost of around 60% of the cost of purchasing the complete light itself which is generally how these type of purchase request transpire. 

And three days ago I received this response from Customer Service: 

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Ok, bit disappointed at the time of reading I will admit and I assumed the remote's must be synchronised by bluetooth or something much like an Amazon Fire TV box, 

But today having now gotten both of the Lampenwelt units installed in Bedrooms 01 & 03 I got a bit brave😬 and decided to try use both of the remotes on the same light unit and well heres what happened: 

For those of you whom may have bad internet or saving your allowance of data;

The short video above shows both remotes operate the same light unit; the remotes are 100% cross functional there not specifically coded to operate the unit they are supplied with.

So I've sent my video back to the customer service representative to perhaps educate them with some hands on hardware trial & error 🤷‍♂️

I understand now they possibly cant or wont supply me with an additional remote;

So I will purchase another Lampenwelt BRENDA CCT Model: 9624206 in order to obtain an additional remote control for bedroom 03 and keep the additional LED panel in storage as a spare replacement for Bedroom 03 as this room will get the most use.

I'm not diminishing there Products in any way I think there very well manufactured and built to last,

I'm just letting people know that it is possible to use two remotes or more on the same unit there not paired.

Thanks for reading the thread so far; it has taken quite a bit of time to piece all of this information together along with the relevant images;

I hope you found it an interesting read.

This completes the progress of Bedroom 03 the first room of the thread to be 100% completed. 

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looking forward to seeing it completed 🙂

 

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On 5/10/2019 at 6:10 AM, dezwez said:

looking forward to seeing it completed 🙂

All finished now this morning mate,

Took me a few hours this evening then to document everything correctly in the thread as best possible; I've gone in to a bit more detail than usual with this one as @Turvey seemed interested in the built in wardrobes, 

I'm delighted with the results and glad to have the kids bedroom back to normal within three weeks start - finish, 

Back to sitting on the sofa for the next few Sunday's 🤞😄

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Looking good @Lenny 

 

We've only got a couple of IKEA furniture items, but from what I've seen they're well put together. Unfortunately our nearest store is Glasgow so if we want anything we have to jump through hoops to get it. Decide what you want without seeing it, email the order, they pick it(for an additional fee) they then email you back with the total cost, we then have to arrange the good to be uplifted and delivered (at a cost) . So I'm kinda jealous of folk who live close to IKEA/B&Q etc mind you if we did have one nearer we would spend a lot more time and money there, so maybe not all bad 😉😄

 

Liking your idea of raising the Kallax units, it'll fairly improve it 😎

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19 hours ago, Turvey said:

Looking good @Lenny 

We've only got a couple of IKEA furniture items, but from what I've seen they're well put together. Unfortunately our nearest store is Glasgow so if we want anything we have to jump through hoops to get it. Decide what you want without seeing it, email the order, they pick it(for an additional fee) they then email you back with the total cost, we then have to arrange the good to be uplifted and delivered (at a cost) . So I'm kinda jealous of folk who live close to IKEA/B&Q etc mind you if we did have one nearer we would spend a lot more time and money there, so maybe not all bad 😉😄

Liking your idea of raising the Kallax units, it'll fairly improve it 😎

Thanks mate,

Sounds much the same way I purchased the Celsi Electric fire from "fireplaces direct" I wanted to import an electric  fire from them as I couldn't get a 120cm wide Electric fire in Ireland at the time only 80cm were available; now Dimplex are doing one at 140cm which fully integrates inside the wall, 

I had it shipped from fireplaces direct to Parcel Motel in Northern Ireland as F.P Direct wouldn't ship to the republic of Ireland; i then paid parcel motel €17 to ship it down to me 

From talking about built in wardrobes before; I thought you were planning to purchase a PAX from IKEA, I wasn't aware of the difficulties, if is easy to spend in the place though as you can see 😅 but it all comes together very well.

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  • 1 year later...

Hopefully get back to continue this thread soon, most likely be 2021 though 

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  • 2 months later...

Small bit of an update to this thread; I've made a nice addition to bedroom 01 and unfortunately i cant edit the previous post which contains everything previously done to bedroom 01 and add this new content to the post, so ill have to post it here instead because I've changed profile account due to my email being hacked; i cant use the old profile to edit posts, 

anyways onwards with the progress update, 

i was searching for a small desk to fit in bedroom one, and found this wall mounted fold out desk from a UK manufacturer called HOMCOM purchased from AOSOM.ie arrived from Manchester in three working days via UPS and was worth every cent paid with free shipping, 

Link:  https://www.aosom.ie/item/homcom-mdf-folding-wall-mounted-drop-leaf-table-with-chalkboard-shelf-white~836-139.html 

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measurements displayed in the image above there, assembly was quite straight forward, all parts are numbered and i chose to use some PVA glue on the dowels for extra strength, 

first assembling the shelf section of the cabinet, 

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took around 40 minutes to get to this point while taking my time to apply PVA to the dowels, 

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the next step was mounting the cabinet to the wall, the process what quite simple, the white strip saw in my hand below with the 45 degree edge is screwed in to the wall 

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see three images below showing the 45 degree edge matching up with a 45 degree edge inside the rear top section of the cabinet, 

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i first meassured up to the required height of 1340mm or 134cm height from the floor which is to be inline with the centre of the screws on the wooden strip. 

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measured up then centered; to find the location of the first centre screw, I drilled and fitted the screw, followed by using a spirit level to level the wooden strip and mark the correct locations on the wall for drilling the two outer screws. 

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now secured with three screws as required; i then offered up the cabinet which i knew was going to be a snug fit on the chosen wall and discovered the edge of the window sill was getting in the way of the cabinet, as result; i used a hand saw to take a whisker off the edge, 

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7mm cut off the side of the window sill; resulted in the second trial fit being a success,

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further two screws go in to the wall at the lower end of the cabinet; holes can be saw inside the bottom shelves there, the front table section and panel which forms the legs; get bolted on with hinges, 

the plaster on the wall got a bit damaged as you can see, which delayed the fitting by half a day as I had to fill, sand and paint the area, 

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filled sanded and repainted, that picture was taken when the paint was still wet hence the difference in shade, 

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I then fitted the cabinet and attached the fold out table; now complete,

as you can see in the image above; the desk cabinet is quite slim around twice the depth of a standard radiator, 

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Also added a "ODGER" Chair (Blue) from IKEA item code: 003.600.02  👇 compliments the desk nicely,

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very happy with the results on this unit, its very solid when fully assembled and is the same height as a standard desk, sufficient room for a laptop and documents, Aswell as shelving for pencils, pens, ruler and documentation etc. alternatively it would also make a nice little fold out mini bar, 

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another improvement which adds function and decoration to our sons room are these Hotwheels 1:64 scale storage shelves, which reduce the risk of me stepping on one in the dark at night, 

Link to the supplier of the shelves; DECOCRAFT For Hot Wheels 1/64 Scale Diecast Display Case Matchbox Storage Cabinet Shelf Rack for 56 Hot Wheels: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home 

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Painted them up over a weekend, each unit stores 80 vehicles inside and more on the top, 

I've secured them to the wall using some 6mm 90 degree brackets screwed in to the wall then a small securing screw in to the wooden frame, so each unit is supported on the 90 degree brackets, 

I later put the vehicles in to formation of various category and used a Dyno labeler to put a storage location on the center of each shelf and a matching label on the underside of each model, 

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  • 9 months later...

Updating the Home improvement thread with progress;

Lockdown has changed the way most of us live and in some cases we have had to make the home environment our work space aswell; I've had to purchase a Printer & scanner where I used to use the local library for such activities; 

I bought an EPSON all-in-one network Printer & Scanner which also photocopies and I'm sure the all do these days, 

anyway; I had it positioned on the desk in our daughters room, but since they are both learning from home, the demand for desk space to use books was high, 

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while were still at the desk; i really like this item which helps save desk space; its a hydraulic monitor arm can be positioned in various ways to accommodate sitting standing or even put the monitor flat on the desk, very easy to maneuver 

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Purchased From Amazon; it bolts inside the existing desk grommet and has built in trucking for the cables. 

Link: Thingy Club Gas Spring Single LCD Arm Desk VESA Bracket: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics 

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Also added one of these multi position desktop shelves from Amazon; positioned in the corner to house the tablet docking station and chargers, 

Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Home-Neat-Adjustable-Bookshelf-Countertop-Literature/dp/B07JHWB6ST/ref=sr_1_54?dchild=1&keywords=Desk+shelf&qid=1622917001&sr=8-54 

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Also featured in the images above is the desktop Allocacoc PowerCube ideal for easy plugging in of chargers or a hot glue gun etc. While sitting comfortably at the desk, no more reaching in under the desk for a socket; it's always available on the desk.

Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Allocacoc-PowerCube-Extended-Power-Socket-Red/dp/B08CNM8KG7/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=powerCube&qid=1622916788&sr=8-7 

So getting back to expanding the home network; I set about expanding the previously installed Cat7 network in to the kitchen where I would relocate the network printer & scanner. 

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Here we are at the rear of the corner unit in the living room where behind this wall is the kitchen, 

you can see on the top right corner there in the picture above; is the three Cat7 feeds which travel up to the attic where they provide network access to tree bedrooms. 

ive taken the plate off the 

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the faceplate is made by Schneider electric and its there clipsal classic range, the inserts are Keystone RJ45 female to female purchased from an electrical wholesaler in Australia purchasing via eBay uk; as the keystone RJ45 inert cant be purchased in europe or the uk; but it is a straight fit in to the uk faceplate. 

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so i changed the triple to a five port face plate to allow for two additional RJ45 cables to feed in to the kitchen, 

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borrowed an SDS drill and 16mm masonry bit from the maintenance workshop in work and drilled straight through the wall in to the kitchen; which was previously clad with 1.5" insulated plasterboard, which saves me some time further on here as you will see.  

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Above is an image of the 16mm exit hole which is situated inside the kitchen, saw on the left wall in the image below; 

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the plan is to fit a breakfast bar style worktop and stainless steel leg; at a height of 109cm from the floor, and have a double socket aswell as two RJ45 network sockets positioned beneath the worktop to plug in the printer and perhaps an internet radio at a later date or a laptop, 

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the image above; is where ive applied masking tape to the wall where the initial hole was drilled and ive drawn two straight lines from the hole down to the ground, 

this wall surface is insulated plasterboard, so i used a fresh Stanley blade to repeatedly score along the lines from the drilled hole down to the ground which eventually broke through the plasterboard sheet and in to the foam backed insulation, 

the masking tape helps to prevent the surrounding plaster from cracking and cracks spreading which can result in chipping and alot more filling to get right again. 

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so with both lines cut through the plasterboard; i was able to easily peel out the center 

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above yo can see the plasterboard surface and foam insulation has been cleanly removed using only a Stanley blade and a flat headed screwdriver, that section is now ready for cables, 

so were moving on to the other corner of the kitchen now; where chasing out the wall took a lot of noise and sweat to get it as tidy as the insulated plasterboard one. 

below is the shopping list of items, 

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decided to use some PVC conduit in this section, 

initially marked out two lines with a pencil and spirit level prior to gently chasing along those lines using a very small flat head screwdriver and hammer to gently break through the plaster and best prevent huge chunks from flying off, 

once down to the block; i introduced the big red chisel and got to work, 

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almost snug but not quite; so i took it out again and went a bit deeper, 

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above you can see the conduit is nicely recessed in to the wall,

so i then set about chipping out a small section of plaster from along the bottom of the walls to link both chased lines on the two walls together creating a channel from one to the other, f.jpg.b0d2ec5149cf9e6c0197702122a82a2f.thumb.jpg.d0123405cfddf5e9e5f69e3966aaab6c.jpg

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all chased out now and cleaned, i opened the two 7 metre Cat7 RJ45 cables and tested they were working correctly prior to permanently installing them through the living room in to the kitchen then up through the PVC conduit and in to the wall plate, 

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above images show the RJ45 CAT7 cables installed in the wall, I've fitted some plastic bag over the end terminals to protect them from dust until finished. 

i should explain at this point that; i chased in to the wall and fitted the new socket box; to where the original cables were coming down to the original socket, i cut this cable shorter and fitted it in to the new double socket, followed by purchasing another length of cable to feed out of the new socket and down to the location of the original to enable both to fully operate. 

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filled everywhere along with a can of unibond expanding foam and left overnight to dry, 

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trimmed the areas back; 

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trimmed slightly below the surface on the walls to allow room for some filler and sanding. 

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the red saw in the image above is the same sample pot used in other areas of the house as saw previously in the thread, it will be covered out of sight by skirting boards and flooring; its purpose is as before to indicate to the fitters; not to drive nails or screws anywhere that you see red paint as it means there's pipes or cables inside. 

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ready for filling and above is where I've relocated the kitchen switch to the opposite side of the door frame and hung the door to swing on the opposite side of the frame, these doors and frames will soon be replaced with oak, 

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Highly recommend that super light filler; comes ready mixed and really easy to sand smooth. 

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sanded smooth using an orbital sander and left overnight for the dust to settle, i then cleaned down the walls with sugar soap solution and towels, prior to putting my feet up and letting my wife get on with the painting,

painting is something she is excellent at doing but I'm completely useless at painting. 

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had a delivery during the painting of the kitchen process and its being stored on the floor in the image above, for a future update coming soon whenever i get the time to write it. 

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radiator off the wall and first coat of FJord green applied. 

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three coats later..... 

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looking sweet! 

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both double socket installed as you can see in the image above. 

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back in the living room the triple port RJ45 plate has been replaced with the five port and refitted to the wall, 

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in the kitchen the breakfast bar has been installed secured to the wall, with the printer/scanner installed and all works harmoniously well, 

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Most items used above were purchased from Ikea 

Purchased the 60L waste bin from "Homestore & more" for 99.00 euro
https://www.homestoreandmore.ie/bins...0l/042329.html

again the Ikea Shopping List was:

"UTBY" Leg Item: 201.175.51
https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/p/utby-le...teel-20117551/

"EKBACKEN" Worktop Item: 004.090.13
https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/p/ekbacke...nate-00409013/

"FIXA" Worktop support fitting Item: 702.746.28
https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/p/fixa-wo...ised-70274628/

Purchased two of those Picture Ledge above.

"MOSSLANDA" Picture Ledge Item: 202.917.67
https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/p/mosslan...lack-20291767/

Purchased two of those Picture Ledge above.

"FIXA 260 Piece Screw & Plug set" Item: 001.692.49
https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/p/fixa-26...-set-00169249/

"PERSILLADE" Plant Pot Item: 003.157.26
https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/p/persill...grey-00315726/

"CHIAFRON" Plant Pot Item: 004.833.62 
https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/p/chiafro...blue-00483362/

"FEJKA" Artificial Potted Plant Item: 704.668.11
https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/p/fejka-a...ptus-70466811/

&

"FEJKA" Artificial Potted Plant Item: 403.495.314 
https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/p/fejka-a...ging-40349531/

also
"SJALSLIGT" Set of 3 Cactus decoration Item: 003.432.82 
https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/p/sjaelsl...reen-00343282/

I'm very happy with the outcome of this; further progress to be updated soon, maybe get to it on Sunday thanks for reading. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

In this update were going back to finish the area where it all began; in the living room.

As saw in a previous update; I chased out a small section of plaster along the ground and set in the virgin media RG6 coaxial cables, later covered in foam and trimmed smooth; 

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In the image above; you can see that I've masked the wall and floor followed by painting the area red where the cables are resting inside the wall; to be sure the carpenter fitting the floor & more importantly the skirting boards; doesn't drive a nail through one of the cables.

Moving on from the red paint;

as restrictions lifted we found a local online supplier of oak door frames and doors, 

Although show rooms were not allowed to open; we knew what we wanted and could order online for delivery,

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So we measured up the existing door and frame sizes; the toilet door frame is thinner than the other two downstairs as it's on a partition wall, 

So we ordered three Deantà door frames, Fortessa handles and hinges aswell as two Deantà oak full doors, shaker skirting boards architrave and semi solid oak flooring for the living room and hallway came to 2,540euro 

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The living room floor was stacked seperatly in the hall, 

We wanted a frosted glass version of the Deantà oak door for the kitchen door; which unfortunately the chosen website couldn't supply at the time so we sourced it from an alternative supplier which was comforting at the time;

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Until it arrived and instead of being the 864mm size we ordered it was 813mm and too wide, 

So there was twelve weeks of phone calls and promises before the supplier finally changed the door to the correct size but from a different manufacturer which looks much the same, so were going ahead with it. 

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The supplier; whom we purchased doors and flooring from; does offer a fitting service however they said with the covid19 restrictions that were in place there now booked up for fitting until after Christmas and that's six months away;

So I searched around online and found a local carpenter; sent him an email explaining what we wanted done along with some pictures of the area at the time, 

He got back to us with a very good price of 980euro to fit three doors, frames, skirting, architrave and two floors both living room and hallway.

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In preparation for his arrival I wanted the existing frames to be removed gently almost surgically removed as we had already filled, sand and painted the rooms;

So the weekend before the carpenter was due to arrive; I removed the doors and used a normal hand saw to cut out the door frames in sections rather than using a hammer at the early stages;

I'd locate the nails in the door frame; then start cutting below the nail until I had cut right through the frame to the concrete; I'd then locate the next nail and again cut right through the frame to the concrete, 

Which then allowed me to extract that section of the frame without touching the nails or risk of chipping away loads of plaster from the walls, 

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The method worked really well; I didn't chip any of the walls atall and all that remained was the nails from the original frames, 

Which as you can see in the image below; they chipped the claw off my Twenty year old claw hammer and bent the head on the replacement which I bought in my local Dealz 😂

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I later used a vice grips to grip each nail and kept flexing left to right until they snapped flush with the concrete.

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Chopped the doors in half; to fit them in the back of the old reliable ford focus along with the door frames in the large IKEA bag; 

Delivered them to a work colleague; whom diced them up for firewood 👍🏻

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I was delighted as once again; it saved me from having to get a skip to dispose; I boxed the screws, latches & hinges brought them to the local scrap metal bin in the recycle centre.

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In the living room here; just inside the door the concrete surface was a bit low compared to the level in the hallway; so mixed up some "self leveling concrete" and poured it down followed by spreading it out with a large paddle scraper which was also purchased in my local Dealz, 

The self leveling concrete was Bostick purchased from my local DIY store, I only consider using cheap tools but not cheap materials, 

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Excellent smooth level surface achieved with the self leveling concrete; however much to the wife's disappointment I was stuck in the living room in front of the television for three hours until it dried enough to walk on it 👍🏻

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So with the frames removed and cncrete flooring level; we were ready for day one of the carpenter and here are the results, 

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Image above shows the new frame fitted in the kitchen; you can see the red paint there too; that's the light switch cables where I relocated the switch to the other side of the door as we changed the opening from left to right.

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Flooring fitted in the hallway aswell as toilet door and frame done; 

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Two and half boxes left over from flooring the hallway; mainly because I didn't subtract the area of the stairs when measuring the hallway for the floor. 

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Living room floor also fitted; two boxes and half a roll of underlay left over, 

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Toilet door fitted; 

I'm very happy with the results but also very impressed with the level of detail which can be saw in the image below; 

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This is the area of floor outside the toilet door between the door and the area under the stairs, 

See that the cut outs were all done on one single piece of flooring rather than in two separate sections of floor which would have taken less time.

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Moving on then; here we are at the end of day two; unfortunately the replacement correct size of frosted glass kitchen door hadn't arrived at this stage so we obviously couldn't have it fitted, 

However he will return to fit once we receive it; 

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Image below; the walls are smooth and painted in the kitchen there's no evidence that the light switch was ever on the left side of the door now and the red paint will be covered by architrave when the door is finally here and fitted.

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Frame fitted to the living room entrance; 

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The living room seems bigger with the new oak flooring; glad to see the end of the temperarey IKEA mats which lasted almost four years in the end 🤫😂 #Morto

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The next step then was to order some underlay and carpet for the stairs and landing area, 

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I'll edit with details Saturday 19th 

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Took three weeks to arrive and was installed by the fitter in three hours, 

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I'm delighted with the results on the carpet and underlay; zero noise from the stairs and landing,

the carpenter then returned to fit the kitchen door when it had arrived; 

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Moving on to a replacement item now rather than an upgrade: 

And I'm thinking; perhaps I should patient this one and sell them as a kit, 

Modern outdoor floodlights are LED and I'm sure we can all agree they really are fantastic nice white light, 

But when they stop working; you have to replace the entire unit; unlike the halogen version where you could replace the bulb, 

And if you can't find a replacement which has a similar bracket to your existing unit; then your poor walls could see some extra holes being drilled; which is something I absolutely hate doing; drilling holes in the exterior walls of my home.

So to summarize; here's my original LED flood light which I fitted four years ago; lasted until recently and was fitted with two 12mm wall bolts.

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Now; the replacement 50w LED floodlight has a slimmer bracket and it takes two 8mm bolts; unfortunately the bracket isn't wide enough to drill out the 8mm holes to 12mm there simply isn't enough bracket; plus the bracket doesn't span as wide as the original in order to meet both 12mm bolts, 

A right pain altogether; 

So this got me thinking; as there was absolutely no way; I was drilling holes in the outside wall again, 

I got some uni-bar from the maintenance workshop in work along with some end caps and spring inserts to take two 8mm bolts, 

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These bolt holes can slide along the rail to accommodate any formation of bracket in the future or be changed to a bigger diameter socket if required, 

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 Bolted this to the wall using the two existing 12mm bolts, 

Then fitted the replacement flood light to it, completely future proof 👍🏻

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The bracket is straight; the joint box is not straight but not as noticeable when the light is positioned correctly,

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I'm very happy with this, didn't have a pliers today; to shorten the cable down and refit, but I'll get back to that this weekend, main thing is that it's up and operating, 

More Progress in a few months time, next will be tiling the toilet area under the stairs and installing the corner sink unit with Milano waterfall tap, 

All purchased way back in the thread; its all in the attic ready to fit once the tiles are complete,

Thanks for reading, 

 

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